Games that seem to get easier as you advance rather than harder

[Emperor Megas]

So I decided to break out one of my seasonal favorites, Bust-A-Move 2 for the Saturn, and I was thinking about how the enemies in the arcade mode always seemed to get easier after the third stage. Generally if I can make it past the first three enemies without losing, odds are pretty good that no one will beat me, except for maybe the final enemy.

This got me thinking of games that seem to get easier as you advance through them. Whether it's a simply a drop in the games difficultly, or a situation where you become so overwhelmingly powerful that the enemies and obstacles are outclassed to a point where you coast through the rest of the game.

[celerystalker]

Kid Icarus on NES is the first that jumps out to me. If you can make it through 1-3, you can clear the game. I'm not sure it gets easier or just never gets harder, but I think those first three stages are the real test.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night really blows up as you level up, especially when you stumble across a few items like the Crissaegrim.

Rygar never really gets harder than the first boss as well on NES.

[Koa Zo]

I remember Skies of Arcadia being a walk in the park (except maybe being lost) once I got the Lamda Burst and/or some other spell which name I forget.

[Daria]

All RPGs?

[Pr3tty F1y]

All RPGs?

That was my thought :)

[The 1 2 P]

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night gets way easier but is still no less fun. Same thing for Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. In Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II you start from the beginning with a lightsaber and force powers so that game stays managable through out.

[Tanooki]

I was going to say RPGs too, but really any game that has an RPG element would fit. I suppose digital or real pinball would be another too because while it's partly a random game of luck, there is a lot of skill involved too and the better you get at a specific table or set of tables with the same alignment, the easier it is to setup the conditions for scoring higher via bonuses, multiball, and multipliers. Being a newb at even an easy table will get your ass beat, and even if you're not good, you'll eventually improve to some point where you're far better than you were and it's just easier even if you do have rotten luck and the ball finds the sides without your help.

KOTOR--sigh, I really really do need to stop forgetting about it and actually play that game. I really have no excuse other than being lazy and prioritizing stuff I already own. Hell it's even on Android now, off and on for fairly cheap too and on GOG as well (one being carry anywhere, the other allowing easy real ownership to work on a modern PC.)

[goldenband]

All RPGs?

Some do but some definitely don't. The CRPG Addict (http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com) has played a bunch where the endgame is abruptly unwinnable without unprecedented amounts of extra grinding. (A few have even been literally unwinnable.)

Immercenary on the 3DO starts out fiendishly tough, and gets easier and easier as the game goes on.

[celerystalker]

Some do but some definitely don't. The CRPG Addict (http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com) has played a bunch where the endgame is abruptly unwinnable without unprecedented amounts of extra grinding. (A few have even been literally unwinnable.)

Immercenary on the 3DO starts out fiendishly tough, and gets easier and easier as the game goes on.

Yes! Immercenary was so ahead of its time.

[Emperor Megas]

I think I have Immercenary; I know that I've never played it though. Is it something worth exploring today, or is it one of those 3DO games that make you cringe today?

[Daria]

Some do but some definitely don't. The CRPG Addict (http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com) has played a bunch where the endgame is abruptly unwinnable without unprecedented amounts of extra grinding. (A few have even been literally unwinnable.)

Pst... hey... I was joking.

[goldenband]

I think I have Immercenary; I know that I've never played it though. Is it something worth exploring today, or is it one of those 3DO games that make you cringe today?

It depends on your tolerance for early-1990s cheese and for offbeat games in general. I may not be the person to ask, though, since I find 1990s cheese far less cringeworthy than today's "epic" tropes, which I think will look incredibly stupid 10-20 years down the road. :D

Going back to Immercenary, the gameplay itself starts out very unforgiving, and has repulsed many reviewers. But if you're patient you can level up and start exploring a surprisingly large and load-time-free world. It's often branded a FPS, but it's closer in some ways to a tank game like Spectre VR mixed with MMORPG elements (though it's a 1P game).

Anyway, if you go into AVGN mode very easily, Immercenary is probably not a good fit for you. But if you like checking out odd and (as celerystalker notes) ahead-of-their-time games, then go for it. It was the first 3DO game I ever beat, and may still be my favorite of the bunch -- well, that and Psychic Detective.

[goldenband]

Pst... hey... I was joking.

Eh, I knew you weren't being completely serious, but it's also a JRPG vs. CRPG/WRPGs thing too. JRPGs are mostly bog-easy, hold-your-hand-all-the-way-to-the-finish-line experiences, at least when compared to some of the more hardcore Western RPGs. And some WRPGs are just broken!

Anyway, my post wasn't meant as an "Actually..." nerd correction -- I was just riffing on what you said.

[bb_hood]

I am going to have to disagree with Castlevania SOTN getting easier as the game progresses. It starts out really easy and is a fairly easy game until the castle turns upside down. Once the castle turns upside down the monsters start dealing way more damage and can kill you in a few hits. The really broken weapons are all fairly rare monster drops that only appear towards the end of the game.

[Daria]

but it's also a JRPG vs. CRPG/WRPGs thing too.

That's actually a good point, at least when it comes to older games. Morrowind fell into the camp of godly end-game status, but something like Baldur's Gate (and other Infinity Engine titles) stayed pretty much brutal from beginning to end (unless you set the difficulty to easy anyway).

[Aussie2B]

A whole lot of NES games that allow you to increase the amount of life/HP you have at your disposal and/or improve the quality of your weapons. You start games like Zelda and Metroid pretty damn weak, making it easy for a couple little mistakes to turn to into death, but once you're further along, not so much.

[bb_hood]

A whole lot of NES games that allow you to increase the amount of life/HP you have at your disposal and/or improve the quality of your weapons. You start games like Zelda and Metroid pretty damn weak, making it easy for a couple little mistakes to turn to into death, but once you're further along, not so much.

With Zelda, even fully powered up the last dungeon is way harder than anything else in the game. With alot of NES games it seems that the final areas are always a big step up in difficulty. Ever try beating Gauntlet with the Warrior?
Metroid.. hmmm. Once you get the Varia suit the game does get alot easier. Actually locating the Varia is probably the trickiest part of the game (if you dont know how).

[Emperor Megas]

W4Ever try beating Gauntlet with the Warrior? Wait, WHAT!? Gauntlet on the NES has an ending?

[bb_hood]

Wait, WHAT!? Gauntlet on the NES has an ending?

Yup. You have to break into Morak the Outsmarter's vault and kill the 3-headed dragon.

[celerystalker]

I think I have Immercenary; I know that I've never played it though. Is it something worth exploring today, or is it one of those 3DO games that make you cringe today?

Conceptually, it's still a fun concept that felt futuristic then, but still oddly relevant in the light of MMO gaming as a story. Play control-wise, it's middle of the road for fps games of the time. If you have a taste for vintage sci-fi, there's a load of fun to be had.

[Nebagram]

It's a modern game, but Stick of Truth definitely qualifies, despite never having been that hard to begin with, by the time you reach Canada you can basically destroy everything in one or two hits.

[Emperor Megas]

Yup. You have to break into Morak the Outsmarter's vault and kill the 3-headed dragon.

WTF?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dthVEJtMbA

[evildead2099]

Kid Icarus on NES is the first that jumps out to me. If you can make it through 1-3, you can clear the game. I'm not sure it gets easier or just never gets harder, but I think those first three stages are the real test.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night really blows up as you level up, especially when you stumble across a few items like the Crissaegrim.

Rygar never really gets harder than the first boss as well on NES.

Good call on Kid Icarus.

Castlevania: SOTN was the first thing that popped into my head when I read this thread's title. As great as the game is, it's too easy for its own good. The only time when the game seems challenging is when you start out, and that's only because you're wimpy and lack powers. It's not as though the enemies are any more inherently challenging than the ones you encounter later. There were only two bosses in the entire game that put up a challenge that seemed even remotely serious.

[Hwj_Chim]

Kid Icarus on NES is the first that jumps out to me. If you can make it through 1-3, you can clear the game. I'm not sure it gets easier or just never gets harder, but I think those first three stages are the real test.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night really blows up as you level up, especially when you stumble across a few items like the Crissaegrim.

Rygar never really gets harder than the first boss as well on NES.

At the end of SOTN I can stand in front of Dracula and kill him in under 10 seconds. Crissaegrim is OP but the Shield Rod almost breaks the game:cool:.

[TonyTheTiger]

Mega Man games potentially can depending on a few factors. Pick the wrong stage order and those first few bosses can be a pain in the ass compared to later ones when you're better equipped.

Also any game that has an inexplicably hard level early on. The Lion King comes to mind. Possibly the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with all those damn bombs although that game is stupidly hard all the way through.

[SparTonberry]

Doesn't an NES game called 8 Eyes give you a fake Mega Man-like level choice?
Like you can choose the level order but if you don't do them in the right order the bosses will be unbeatable? A rather dick move. :P