Fynn
is an EoFF Hero and/or Heroine
Radical Dreamer

As I said, it isn't really skill that's going to get you through the game, it's really more about strategy.

I found I was too pragmatic. Hardcore veterans would scoff at my playstyle for the game but for me, a win is a win. One of the hardest bosses in the game can actually be killed without entering his boss room. You can snipe him from above and he won't do anything in retaliation. Another challenging boss can actually be tricked into killing himself by just running away from him after his starting attack. The game is more about learning patterns and exploiting weaknesses in the design than straight up hardcore skill.

Honestly, if you've dealt with the setbacks of SMT, then you already know what to expect. Death is common but hardly insurmountable. Eventually you'll realize it's only slightly more punishing than dying in Xenoblade, and only because you lose your souls which are the games currency/XP but even that can be regained. Frankly, death is a bigger deal in Demon's Souls but even that quickly turns into "who's to say what is good or bad?" type of scenario.

Honestly, that games "being difficult" is kind of hyperbole and probably stems from most games nowadays shying away from letting players see the game over screen. As a fan of SMT, you kind of know what to expect. Not to mention the combat isn't exactly DMC/Bayonetta level of intricacy and is largely straightforward, so no worries about getting "MadZ SkiLZZ" to somehow win. Most of the time, the easiest strategy to win is to play super defensively until you can poke the enemy and then do so until they're dead.

One feature that gets downplayed in the franchise (though Demon's Souls doesn't have this) is that there are story NPCs you can usually summon before big boss battles to help you win them. Not to mention that there are several Covenants (multiplayer groups you can join) who are based completely around friendly co-op play. I myself spent the early sections of the game just helping players beat one of the cheesier bosses. The co-op community is super friendly and even the PvP guys are somewhat respectable.

The Souls games are honestly not that bad. It's basically like playing an old school arcade beat em up/platformer with infinite continues. The bosses and finding all of the items in the game are often the more challenging parts, except when you get invaded...

We'll see how I feel about it when the time comes.

In Bloodborne news, DLC has been really interesting so far with a really strange quirk that caught me off guard. The DLC takes place in a location called the Hunter's Nightmare, a type of ironic hell which is a curse placed on the Hunters to punish them for various story related things that would take too long to explain, but one such crime is when the Hunter's become too blood thirsty and simply kill for the sake of the kill. So the starting area is filled with hunter enemies and basic werewolf monsters you've fought before but the hunters will attack the werewolves but they won't attack you or the other hunters, they will actually cower and back away from you if you approach, and the other hunter enemies will actively seek them out to kill them. It's such a neat element to really show you how messed up this world can be.

I'm an "original source" first kind of guy. I like to experience the raw and first version before seeing a revision or new version.

Well if I like the games, I may read the books, but it tend to avoid required reading before diving into a game/film.

Hey, I like Slavic lore, and it would explain the cynicism.

I've been debating about checking it out along with the Dragon Age series, though if I really wanted to jump into WRPGs, I'm thinking of going back to Baldur's Gate and possibly some other 90s gems I missed.

Oh, they've been moving away from SMT with every game they made. I wouldn't be surprised if TMS# would be so bubblegum pop to make some of the lighter Persona games look like SMT:Nocturne in comparison.

I have a few games I want, but I'm like you and need to be pretty conservative with my spending for awhile. I've still got Persona 5 to look forward to, but afterwards, I'm focusing on my backlog. I'm thinking of giving Steambot Chronicles another go and maybe play Space Channel 5 as well. I want to play something a bit different from what I have been playing. Especially since most of my more traditional RPG experiences will be me trying to clear out my backlog of DS/3DS titles.