There are still plenty of mechanically difficult games, such as:
Titan Souls - you and bosses have 1HP
Cuphead
Celeste
There are plenty more, but each of those is mechanically difficult and there’s no way to grind to make up for lack of skill. Dark Souls is an honorable mention here because you can make up for some lack of skill by finding better gear, but it’s still more on the end of “mechanically difficult” than “numbers difficult.”
You want low mechanical difficulty because it’s easy for the player to pick up and start learning
Titan Souls - you and bosses have 1HP
If that’s what makes it hard then it’s a number difficulty - a clue is that you used a number. If you gave the player god mode then would it still be as hard? If so then it’s mechanically difficult
If that’s what makes it hard then it’s a number difficulty
I disagree. Giving both the player and bosses 1HP means there are no numbers because one hit kills you (and them). So the only way to adjust difficulty is through mechanics, as in boss movesets, constraints on controls, etc. It’s quite literally the opposite of a “numbers” game.
The opposite would be a typical JRPG. Bosses are more difficult if you’re under-leveled, easier if you’re over-leveled. Getting better stats, gear, etc makes the game easier because you have better numbers, so grinding is encouraged if you’re having trouble.
In short:
“numbers” - adjust difficulty by adjusting access to better numbers (XP, gear, abilities, etc); players improve by grinding XP, gold, etc
“mechanics” - adjust difficulty by adjusting mechanics (movesets, speed, variety of enemies on screen, etc); players improve by practicing
Maybe players view it differently because we’ve moved away from making games mechanically difficult
There are still plenty of mechanically difficult games, such as:
There are plenty more, but each of those is mechanically difficult and there’s no way to grind to make up for lack of skill. Dark Souls is an honorable mention here because you can make up for some lack of skill by finding better gear, but it’s still more on the end of “mechanically difficult” than “numbers difficult.”
Finding better gear isn’t number difficulty
Mechanical difficulty is your entry barrier
You want low mechanical difficulty because it’s easy for the player to pick up and start learning
If that’s what makes it hard then it’s a number difficulty - a clue is that you used a number. If you gave the player god mode then would it still be as hard? If so then it’s mechanically difficult
I disagree. Giving both the player and bosses 1HP means there are no numbers because one hit kills you (and them). So the only way to adjust difficulty is through mechanics, as in boss movesets, constraints on controls, etc. It’s quite literally the opposite of a “numbers” game.
The opposite would be a typical JRPG. Bosses are more difficult if you’re under-leveled, easier if you’re over-leveled. Getting better stats, gear, etc makes the game easier because you have better numbers, so grinding is encouraged if you’re having trouble.
In short: