@yon@sakurajima.moe I think people would be surprised by how often the sequel of a game is someone’s first entry. People skip entries all the time.

Time also has a way of eroding skill. Just because I kicked ass at Foo 1 does not mean I remember how to play it 7 years later.

I also probably formed my pleasant memories of the first game at the difficulty curve it presented. If you change the difficulty curve significantly, you are asking me to re-evaluate my experience. Which can be fine, but you may not like my answer to a question after changing the environment you ask it in. Maybe a “don’t fix what wasn’t broken”.

I assume we’re also quietly talking about Silksong because that’s what’s got people asking these things now. I’ll admit I skilled out of HK. I got about 2/3 through the game and the energy of effort to ‘git Gud’ outweighed the payout so I dropped it. I still liked what I played so I was considering buying the sequel. However, hearing that it is even more punishing has dissuaded me from buying it. I am not a gaming masochist.