If a Hard mode existed in each game from the start, would you use it?

[Sheep]

Going forward, pretend that all main series Pokémon games have a hard mode. Selecting this mode will make the games more difficult in various ways - higher level opponents, more Pokémon on the opposing team, less exp gained, and more (think of how Hard modes are traditionally designed in other RPGs and apply that to Pokémon).

Would you be interested in selecting a Hard mode from the beginning if it were officially included in the games going forward? Or are you comfortable with the difficulty level of Pokémon games as they are?

 

[Corveone]

There are different ways of making a Pokémon hard mode.

higher level opponents, more Pokémon on the opposing team, less exp gained, and more (think of how Hard modes are traditionally designed in other RPGs and apply that to Pokémon).

To this, I would say no, because for me it wouldn't be genuine and fair difficulty, it would just add a lot of grinding.

My "ideal" Hard mode I'd love to play would be something like this:
-Trainers with smarter teams and movesets, and better AI (keeping it balanced and reasonable of course, no dumb stuff like giving the first/second gym leader a full six team, moves that are OP for the early game, or fully evolved mons right away)
-Give important trainers held items to further improve their strategies and make players improve theirs.
-Gradually give trainers more EVs as you progress through the game so the player's team doesn't get a major stat advantage. And give important late game trainers good EV spreads.
-Disable the free switch on KO option, and the use of items during battles that can completely trivialize the intended difficulty. Players who want more challenge normally don't use these features anyway.
-Add level caps (another aspect many players manually handle themselves). If a player needs to overlevel to overcome a challenge, then that player didn't actually learn anything from it, and either the player or the game is doing something wrong.

So imo Pokémon games should try being less about levels, and more about strategy, thoughtful team building, and proper understanding and use of the tools you have, so that good team work and doing your best with what you have is the key to succeed. When I play modern Pokémon games I'm sometimes more worried about which trainers should I battle and which should I skip to avoid overlevelling than actually having fun, which is just pathetic. I don't want that, but I also don't want the opposite of having to grind levels because the game has suddenly absurd level spikes. So easy level gain but addin level caps seems like the best solution.

 

[Duck]

I'm not entirely sure I'd play it from the start, but it does seem like an interesting idea.

higher level opponents, more Pokémon on the opposing team, less exp gained, and more (think of how Hard modes are traditionally designed in other RPGs and apply that to Pokémon).

Much like Corveone I do think better AI and competitive oriented teams are more interesting than the brute force approach of "Just increase levels" although I don't necessarily agree with some of the changes Corveone suggested, partly because as a Challenge person I see a lot of interesting and extreme challenges that would be fun to see in a Hard Mode, but need Switch mode and/or items to be possible.

As an example for each:
- Worst Luck Possible run, which is basically what happens when the AI always makes the perfect move and can cheat the RNG to their advantage. This run is impossible without items or being overleveled - at least without blatantly counterpicking a team, which is not fun. This run was done by Zowayix in the Nuzlocke forums (with Nuzlocke rules added to it!) in three games and they were a blast to watch (although maybe not to play).

- Level caps, which basically make challenges like NFE or solo runs or duo runs impossible. I've once seen someone do a Sunkern sololocke (duolocke after Lance) all the way up to Reds without deaths! This run is impossible if there's a level cap and no items since Charizard can always outspeed and OHKO.

I'm not opposed to having those be options at the beginning of the game, or have "Normal", "Hard", "Extra Hard" modes where these changes are gated to Extra Hard, but I'd like to have the harder trainers and still be able to do those more extreme challenges.

 

[Devalue]

Yes. Worries about it becoming grindy or too restrictive on team selection. Played some bruising hard modes of Fire Emblem. Funnels you into certain strategies. Preferably avoids requiring a certain type/ability, spamming X-items, and so on.

Mainly hopes for an equal battle. Should give enemy trainers what human players have access to. Means no Mega Evolutions before the player, no ridiculous movesets, and no evolutions without access to the item. Eyes the Radical Red romhack on this. Fought Mega Evolutions, Choice items, Rufflet with Slash at level 10 (~20 levels early), and likely competitively trained Pokemon before getting them. Raised the bar all the way to the end. Did not enjoy facing a (surprise) Doubles battle versus Primal Kyogre and Mega Swampert at the Elite Four. (Had Mega Evolution for a while for that battle. Unleashed a bunch of roaming legendaries available for capture right before Victory Road. Bristled at the idea of training up a new team then.)

Echoes Corveone's thoughts, largely. Adds one thing about EVs. Wants either:
A. No EV training items and even enemy EV spreads. Bumps up their power without forcing a boring grind.
B. Easy EV training and good enemy EV spreads.

 

[ReKoil]

Hard nope.
I don't play Pokemon for the difficulty/challenge.
Additionally a lot of games that have a hard mode or are just hard by default tend to be rather elitist.
"Didn't prepare properly? Didn't get that one item? Did something in the wrong order? Don't have the right team? " Well sucks to be you, you stand no chance now...
Any game like that is not something I'd even play.

Sure the games are on the easy side... but I can play through them any way I want with any random mon I want.

 

[_confused_piplup_]

hmmm yes, sure I would use it. Considering how from gen 6, games got a bit easier, I'd probably use the hard mode as soon as possible. If I had to play an older game for the first time, I wouldn't probably. I would start on normal mode and then go with hard mode. However, I kinda played all games, so even older games, I'd be fine with a hard mode from the start. Hard mode is extremely interesting for a long time pokemon fan like me tbh, so I'd be quite happy to see it. The hard mode I want would be more centered to an actual strategy from the opponent, idk like trickroom parties, for examples.

 

[Nah]

I don't think I'd use it. Pokemon's not a series I play for challenging myself, and I got my fill of battles harder than what the games provide years ago when I was into competitive battling.

 

[Zeostar]

It depends on how drastic the difficulty increase will be. Something like the rom hacks Sacred Gold/Storm Silver would be fine. Anything more might be excessive.

 

[Palamon]

It depends on how they approach it, like if it's competitive battler ui? Probably not, but if it's similar to Challenge Mode in B2/W2 and available from the very beginning? I'd be willing to.

 

[Roni]

I'd vouch for a Nuzlocke mode built into the games instead, considering how popular it is to a huge chunk of the fanbase, but personally I wouldn't enable a hard mode of any kind if it existed. I'm into the games for the cool mons and locations, not for the difficulty.

 

[Amore]

As a couple of people have said, if its like Challenge Mode (but without the absurd unlocking mechanism) so just a level bump, I'd give it a shot. But I wouldn't want better AI, IVs, EVs etc. like you get in battle facilities.
Also I probably wouldn't bother in Kanto, I've always found myself suitably under-levelled for the Elite Four to make it a real challenge.

 

[Fairy]

I would, and if there's an experience share I'd toggle that off too. I find grinding to be satisfying tbh!

 

[Corveone]

if its like Challenge Mode (but without the absurd unlocking mechanism) so just a level bump, I'd give it a shot.

Well, Challenge mode isn't just a level bump. They also give "boss" trainers improved teams, movesets and held items. Similar to what BDSP does. That's the thing, it is more challenging than the standard Pokémon game difficulty, but it's nothing that demands a full competitive team to be able to defeat it.

 

[Amore]

Well, Challenge mode isn't just a level bump. They also give "boss" trainers improved teams, movesets and held items. Similar to what BDSP does. That's the thing, it is more challenging than the standard Pokémon game difficulty, but it's nothing that demands a full competitive team to be able to defeat it.

Ah right. I have only Black 2, not White 2, so only experienced it in the post-game so didn't notice the difference. But yeah, as you said if its at that level that doesn't require a bunch of 31 IV EV-trained Pokémon, but makes it more of a fair fight for the AI against an experienced player, I'd be all in.

 

[Sheep]

I feel the same as Roni in most circumstances, but for Pokémon probably would enable the harder difficulty. I've played the main series games since 1998 or so and feel it's only gotten easier over time with additions like party-wide Exp. Share and Exp. Candies among other things. Games like BDSP were fun but still less enjoyable because of how ridiculously easy I felt they were (bar the E4/Champion). So in Pokémon's case I feel I would enjoy a boost in difficulty across the board - better AI, higher levels, held items, etc would all be welcome for me. Normally I have struggling and spending hours grinding in most video games, but this series is the one exception where I want more of a challenge after all this time.

 

[giradialkia]

A lot of people share a particular perception of "difficulty" and tend to say "Gym Leaders should have teams of six Pokémon". To this I say, no. That's just dumb.

There are plenty of ways to make a Pokémon game more difficult, but to keep it fair is the actual challenge.
You want to give the opponents beneficial natures, perfect IVs and EVs? Give the player decent methods of doing the same. You want every Gym Leader to have 6 Pokémon? Well you'd best have a brilliant pool of Pokémon for the player to choose from before challenging any of them. You want to have the opponents at crazy high levels with moves that aren't normally accessible through level-up or TMs? That's post-game talk.

I think a healthy balance can be struck with a good level curve, and competitive stats and movesets. I would certainly avail of a hard-mode so long as I also had the freedom to develop my teams beyond simply levelling them up. If I could control their EVs/natures/IVs to ensure I'm on-par with opponents (before the postgame), I'd be all for that.

There's a particular ROM Hack called Radical Red, that's very popular. And I kinda hate it. It basically lumps competitive battling into the Pokémon Fire Red base game (to put it very simply), and knocks the difficulty up several notches, but to a point that it stops being an RPG and basically becomes a competitive battle simulator. Giovanni in Silph Co. challenging you to a double battle and using the likes of a Tapu Lele? Just, stop. Not for me.

 

[Iceshadow3317]

I would never use Hard Mode. When I play a game, I want to enjoy it and not have to sweat when I am facing a trainer. I just don't find any enjoyment in that. I've never cared for forms of difficulty in video games and will almost always go for Easy Modes because that is how I enjoy games.

And with pokemon, I just don't see how a NPC can be a challenge that can't easily be overcome. They are computers, they don't really think very well. If you want it to be difficult, then play people online. For me, I don't even care about the competitive battle scene.

Do I think one should exist, for sure. But I'd never use it. And I always rotate my team so I don't use the same six pokemon in a single run.