http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FakeDifficulty

all the wrong reasons!" The Angry Video Game Nerd (playing The Wizard of Oz), (playing The Wizard of Oz), The Angry Video Game Nerd "This is one of the hardest games I've ever played, but for

When you play a video game, you expect to be able to use your skills as a gamer to beat whatever challenges the game throws at you. If the challenges require a lot of skill, the game is hard to win. If it doesn't require much skill, it should be an easy game. However, some games that should be relatively easy are actually quite hard. It could be due to shoddy programming, a Game-Breaking Bug, poor implementation of gameplay elements or time constraints, or the developers threw in something which makes the game harder, but which has nothing to do with the player's or Video Game A.I.'s skills. This is fake difficulty.

Advertisement:

There are five main kinds of fake difficulty, in addition to The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard, a sub-category of this:

Advertisement:

It is important to note that just because a gameplay feature is annoying and frustrating does not make it fake difficulty. For example, placing a large number of invincible minor minions between the player and the Plot Coupon is extremely annoying, but if they can be avoided by skilled movement — the difficulty is real.

Note also that fake difficulty is not inherently bad. If used subtly, it can provide a satisfying challenge in cases where the AI might be lacking. However, it is obviously preferable for the AI to provide a challenge by playing well than by getting special advantages from the programmer. Moreover, some games (notably Platform Hells and Retroclones) get the majority of their comedy/nostalgia from Fake Difficulty and it is much of the appeal of them. Dungeons & Dragons' most popular module is packed to the brim with Fake Difficulty and attempts to reduce it have caused complaining from the fanbase. In these cases, it's perceived fair game because these games do not lie to the player about being fair challenges (or rather, about the nature of the challenges they provide), so a prospective player knows what they're signing up for.

Fake Difficulty was prevalent in many older games, when developers were still learning about how to make fair challenges. It took people to realize that sometimes, a game was hard for all the wrong reasons, before they could see how to make it hard for better reasons. The unfortunate side effect is that newer games seem easier in comparison merely because they're a fairer challenge. There are plenty of other reasons for this (such as players being aware of some persistent forms of Fake Difficulty and making sure to avoid them) but that's another article entirely. It still does exist today, mind you.

Fake or Artificial difficulty is sometimes used to refer to the raising of enemy stats without improving their AI or giving them new abilities. However, raising enemy stats may force the player to devise new strategies or execute their inputs with less errors. Trial and error and reattempting sections of a game are a natural part of most games, and only excessive or ridiculous examples of trial and error should be considered "fake". Also, difficulty is a measurable statistic that can be categorized into different kinds of player skills required to overcome it. Thus the term "fake" difficulty is a matter of opinion which can change from player to player, depending on which forms of difficulty they like or dislike.

See also Fake Longevity, Classic Video Game "Screw You"s. For its cousin, see Fake Balance. For the player variant, see Not the Intended Use.

Contrast Anti-Frustration Feature, where things are fudged in the player's favor instead. Also contrast Nintendo Hard, which is extreme, but very real difficulty.

No Examples, Please.

Sub-categories:

Subtropes:

Difficulty due to technical aspects of the game

Outcome due to factors beyond player control

Check-Point Starvation

Absence or severe lack of Check Points or Save Points.

Absence or severe lack of Check Points or Save Points. Escort Mission - Some of them.

The success of a mission depends on the performance of a non-player character you can't control.

The success of a mission depends on the performance of a non-player character you can't control. Artificial Stupidity - on the part of your teammates.

As you progress in the game, and the difficulty rises, your teammates become more and more incompetent, forcing you to pull more weight.

As you progress in the game, and the difficulty rises, your teammates become more and more incompetent, forcing you to pull more weight. Interface Screw

An event where the player's display or control scheme are screwed around with.

An event where the player's display or control scheme are screwed around with. Luck-Based Mission

Skill matters not in this level!

Skill matters not in this level! Random Drop - if the dropped item is necessary to continue the game or achieve certain endings.

Damage-Sponge Boss or Marathon Boss

A boss whose difficulty is derived from the limits of the player's patience and endurance. They don't always qualify, but when they aren't difficult from a technical standpoint, aren't particularly evasive or hard to hit, and don't hit like a train, but are still hard because they take an unreasonable amount of time to kill or have excruciatingly long fights (especially with numerous unskippable cutscenes and/or quick-time events), it's probably Fake Difficulty.

Denial of critical information

Punishing decisions made long before one could reasonably understand the ramifications

Requires or rewards counter-intuitive or irrelevant behavior or skill from the player to continue the game