Git gud? Nah, more games should have more options when it comes to difficulty.
I've not played Death Stranding or its new sequel (Kevin has though so maybe he has some thoughts on this he can share at some point) — but that's not why I'm sharing this 2019 piece from Kyle over at Ars. No, I'm sharing it because I couldn't agree more with his take: more games should have easy modes.
Kyle Orland
Park your 'git gud' comments. Games are for everyone, and as Kyle notes "players can have very different motivations" for playing them — players will approach any given game for a range of reasons and outcomes. Be that enjoying the storyline over the core gameplay, wanting to just soak in the atmosphere, or skipping all the cut-scenes to get to the action — it can go either way.
The challenge posed by a game is just one facet of its identity, and I agree with Kyle that I "tend to trust players to decide for themselves what level of challenge they find will give them the most enjoyment".
Kojima's latest has four options presented to players, including 'Story', 'Casual' (probably where I would play), 'Normal', and 'Brutal'. Nice to have a choice!
I'm a big fan of games with typically smaller runtimes — the sort of thing I can chew through in a weekend — so, any game that offers up alternative ways to experience things is a win in my book.
...and no, I'm not just saying this because I'm a bit rubbish at doing trick jumps in Mario Kart World.