Summary
There are many games out there that offer immediate and all-encompassing difficulty, often providing experiences that are wholly inaccessible to newcomers. The most complex of these games are often the most difficult to start, packed with complex systems and unforgiving mechanics that punish even the earliest of mistakes.
However, there remains a number of difficult games that, despite their numerous challenges, are easy to learn. These are titles likeSpelunky 2, with its intuitive control scheme, orPost Void, with its streamlined FPS gameplay.
Spelunky 2is a remarkably approachable 2D platformer with a brutal roguelike structure. In the game, players delve into dangerous caverns packed with lethal hazards and hostile creatures. This sheer abundance of dangers and their often deadly nature givesSpelunky 2a biting edge.
However,Spelunky 2remains easy to learn thanks to intuitive controls and a simple gameplay loop, offering clear mechanics that are easy to grasp. As a result, whileSpelunky 2is quick to punish mistakes, it’s easy to jump straight back into another run.
Darkest Dungeon 2will bean immediately challenging experiencefor many players. With its lengthy road-trips across a burning country, this strategy game excels with its tough combat encounters and immersive atmosphere.
Despite its unforgiving gameplay,Darkest Dungeon 2remains tremendously easy to learn, with a clear and concise user interface. Each run also escalates rather slowly, giving newcomers plenty of time to warm up to the game’s systems even within their first run.
Offering psychedelic, pixelated visuals and a dizzying soundtrack,Post Voidexcels with its immediate pace and simple controls. With an expressive but intuitive movement system that takes no time to learn and stripped-back FPS mechanics,Post Voidoffers a roguelike experience that plays at a breakneck pace.
This pace makesPost Voideasier to dive into, but it also providesa great deal of difficulty. In the game, players are subject to constantly draining health points, forced to play at a constant sprint. Since slowing down for even a moment can lead to death,Post Voidis a consistently tense and often difficult experience. However, its elegant design ensures it’s easy to learn.
Sifuis astylish and cinematicbrawler with an emphasis on martial arts. The game’s intuitive controls and accessible combos ensure it’s easy to learn, and this allows for an immediate, fast pace. The tutorial is also remarkably stylish, giving players an immersive introduction to the systems, world, and visuals.
Despite the quick and easy learning process, however,Sifucan be hard to master. This is thanks in large part to its fast and snappy combat and the frequency at which players are outnumbered. Furthermore,Sifufeatures a unique death mechanic that can be quite punishing.
Into The Breachis a surprisingly challengingturn-based tactics gamewith an emphasis on puzzle-like design. The game’s roguelike structure keeps it a relatively punishing experience, butInto The Breachalso excels with its player-friendly nature.
Into The Breachis a game of open information, offering detailed enemy telegraphing that ensures players always have the necessary knowledge to make an informed decision. Furthermore, the ability to undo moves and even reset an entire turn ensures players are frequently able to experiment without being punished.
Ravenswatchis an intuitive action roguelike with a unique structure, excelling with its diverse playable characters and the addition of cooperative play. With its clear user interface, slower pace, and simple controls,Ravenswatchis immediately easy to grasp, but it can be truly challenging.
Ravenswatchisn’tan immediately difficult game, but as players unlock additional game modes, it becomes a more unforgiving experience. Thankfully, the initially forgiving difficulty makesRavenswatcheasy to learn. Furthermore, players don’t begin with every upgrade available to them, providing simpler decision-making that quickly opens up into a more expressive system.
Wildfrostis an immediately charmingand easy-to-learndeck builder that excels with its unique but intuitive mechanics. In the game, players battle various enemies on snowy battlefields with a variety of companions, supporting them with strategic card play.
These battlefields are easy to read, and moving companions around during the fight is simple to do and tremendously intuitive. However,Wildfrostcan also be extremely punishing, and making even a single mistake can lead to a swift and brutal end.
Dark Soulsis an ARPG with notoriously difficult gameplay. Be it dangerous enemies, challenging boss battles, or the punishing loop,Dark Soulsis likely to wear many a player down within a matter of hours. However, its systems are surprisingly easy to learn.
Dark Soulsteaches players its core mechanics within a few minutes, effectively introducing them to the game with a simple boss fight. However, while it’s easy to learn, the game’s difficulty quickly steepens; it’s not long beforeDark Soulsopens up and revealsits unforgiving nature.
