Which game did struggle playing at first, but later got to enjoy?

[Ferdinand]

I know a lot of games might have posed some big challenges on our first attempt, and that might have made any player drop the game for a while. For me, it was No Man's Sky. I struggled to understand stuff at the game when I picked it at first. Later on, after watching some clips on YouTube, I went back to the game, and it ended up being one of the games that I play if I want to enjoy some cool games. Which of the games had such an impact on you?

 

[Oliver]

Gothic II, which I first attempted around 2003 and found completely impenetrable. The skill system wasn't explained, the enemies near the starting town would kill you in two hits if you wandered the wrong direction, and there was nothing whatsoever holding your hand. I put it down for the better part of two years. When I came back I actually read around it first -- found a guide explaining the progression path -- and it became one of the most rewarding games I've ever finished. I still would not recommend starting it blind, but if you're willing to do a bit of reading beforehand it's exceptional.

 

[Jake]

Valheim for me. First time I played it I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing and kept dying to things that should not have been a problem. Marcus walked me through the rough shape of how progression works and after that it made sense. One of those games that really doesn't want to explain itself.

 

[Tyler]

Sekiro. Dropped it twice before it finally clicked. The parry system is just completely different to everything else and the game punishes you for playing it like Dark Souls. Took me probably six hours to actually internalise the rhythm. After that it's the best combat in any game I've played.

 

[Lukas]

Crusader Kings 3. First session I set up a marriage alliance, got dragged into a war I had no intention of fighting, lost half my demesne, and had my heir murdered within the first decade. Put it down for two weeks. Came back with a clearer idea of what the game actually wanted from me and it became one of my most-played titles. The learning curve is vertical but the depth on the other side of it is worth it.

 

[Ferdinand]

Valheim for me. First time I played it I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing and kept dying to things that should not have been a problem. Marcus walked me through the rough shape of how progression works and after that it made sense. One of those games that really doesn't want to explain itself.

An ex at that time, Rose, was very good at playing games. She was the one who gave me clues on how to play Valheim because I was at that stage of abandoning the game when I purchased it. I am happy that she came through that time because the story in the game was worth the time.

 

[Oliver]

Morrowind. The combat operates on invisible dice rolls that the game never bothers to explain properly, so for the first few hours you're swinging at enemies repeatedly and nothing seems to connect. There's no feedback telling you whether you're playing badly or whether the system is just working against you. Once I understood that it was all character-stat dependent rather than skill-based it completely changed how I approached it. I'd still argue it's worth the confusion, but I understand entirely why people bounce off it within the first hour.