Agenda

The past decade has seen an explosion of interest in hyper-difficult games such as Cuphead, Spelunky, Getting Over It, and of course, the FromSoftware games. But when we examine this new crop of difficult games, we find they have limited similarities; there is no single "difficulty" lever that is being cranked up but instead a complex balance of gameplay and aesthetic elements. Flavors of Challenge seeks to identify the discrete elements that make difficult games difficult and asks why these punishing games are the favorite of many. Over the course of the talk, we will discuss what designers can do to make their difficult games more rewarding and profile several games that combine the "Flavors of Challenge" in interesting ways.

Takeaway

"Flavors of Challenge" will provide attendees with a new lens to analyze difficult games. It will also give designers strategies to make their difficult games more rewarding and accessible. In addition, attendees will gain an increased appreciation for some of the most difficult games of the past decade.

Intended Audience

This talk is for all designers that are skeptical of difficult games or who want to learn how to better structure challenges within their games. Experience playing difficult games will be helpful but is not required.