In the newest issue of Edge Magazine new [amazon_link id=”B006YDPU48″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Dark Souls 2[/amazon_link] directors, Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura, discuss how they intend to make the game instantly ready for new gamers that are not familiar with the first Dark Souls title (i.e. its soul sucking difficulty). I know a lot of Dark Souls fans are afraid that this means the sequel will be dumbed down for the masses and honestly I can’t blame them. Let’s read this quote by Shibuya:

“Accessibility to players who haven’t picked up Dark Souls is definitely a key topic.Right in the beginning when players first pick up the game is something that I will definitely focus on. To not immediately throw them into Dark Souls but provide a good introduction in terms of what the game’s about and how the game should be played.”

“Hopefully that adjustment at the very beginning of the game will help draw in players and get them addicted right away without immediately making players feel rejected by the game system itself.”

Now I admittedly have not played the first Dark Souls but I know of stories of people who have and enjoy the mind-crushing difficulty and as a fan of the Mass Effect series I can say that when reading that statement I can’t help but hear the same words coming from EA and Bioware about Mass Effect 2&3. Mass Effect 1 was a true space opera RPG that dumb down combat, leveling and almost everything else in the name of “accessibility”.

I hope I am wrong Dark Souls fans.

http://youtu.be/rPJaJ5ys_G0