The First Berserker: Khazan Director Explains Why 'Easy' Difficulty Was Renamed

Player Pride Leads to Difficulty Renaming in The First Berserker: Khazan

In a fascinating move that sheds light on player psychology, Neople, the studio behind the action RPG The First Berserker: Khazan, recently updated their game to rename its 'Easy' difficulty setting. The change, which took place in a mid-June patch, saw 'Easy' become 'Normal.' Creative Director Junho Lee has now explained the surprising reasoning behind this decision.

The Psychology of Difficulty: Why Players Shunned 'Easy'

Before the update, The First Berserker: Khazan featured an 'Easy' mode. However, Neople observed a peculiar trend in player behavior. According to Junho Lee, internal data revealed that many players simply stopped playing the game when faced with challenges, rather than switching to the 'Easy' difficulty.

When questioned about their reasons for quitting, players reportedly expressed a preference to abandon the game with their 'dignity' intact rather than lower the difficulty to a setting they perceived as 'easy' or 'humiliating.' Lee shared insights from player feedback, noting that some even suggested they would have felt more comfortable switching to 'Normal' if the default difficulty had been labeled 'Hard.'

“We thought that if the game seemed too difficult for our players, they could just switch to the easy difficulty level,” Lee explained. “However, we then looked at the data and saw that many players simply stopped playing without even trying to change the difficulty level. When we asked them why, many replied, ‘I’d rather leave with dignity than lower the difficulty to easy.’ Some also noted that if the standard difficulty was called ‘Hard,’ they would not be ashamed to switch to ‘Normal.’”

Expanding the Challenge Spectrum

The difficulty renaming wasn't the only change in the recent patch. Neople also introduced two additional difficulty levels to cater to a wider range of players. 'Beginner' mode was added for those who found the original 'Easy' setting still too challenging, offering an even more forgiving experience. On the other end of the spectrum, 'Hardcore' mode was implemented for players seeking the ultimate challenge and a truly punishing experience.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a souls-like action RPG currently available on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. This move by Neople highlights an interesting aspect of modern game design, where developers are increasingly aware of and adapting to the psychological nuances of player engagement and perception of difficulty.