Do you prefer quitting a game over lowering its difficulty? First Berserker: Khazan developers think you might

Neople found players often quit The First Berserker: Khazan rather than lower difficulty.

: Neople observed that many players of The First Berserker: Khazan chose to quit rather than lower the difficulty setting, leading to updates including a new 'Beginner' mode. Creative Director Junho Lee shared insights on player psychology, emphasizing a desire for gamers to maintain dignity and avoid switching to an 'Easy' mode. The study also revealed that renaming difficulty settings, such as calling the standard 'Normal' mode 'Hard', could influence player decisions. These findings prompted Neople to expand the game's difficulty options in their June update, adding 'Beginner' and 'Hardcore' modes to accommodate more player preferences.

Neople’s creative director Junho Lee explained that at launch, many players simply quit playing rather than reduce the game’s difficulty setting. They discovered players felt embarrassed or unwilling to “drop to Easy” because of the stigma associated with the label—even if it meant abandoning the game entirely.

In response, the team reworked the difficulty names and structure. The original “Easy” became “Normal,” and the previous “Normal” was renamed “Challenge.” They also added a new “Beginner” difficulty below Normal and introduced a punishing “Hardcore” mode above Challenge. The intention was to give players broader choice while reducing stigma around stepping down.

The lead developer noted that games should be engaging—not exhausting—and that difficulty must balance risk and reward. If stress builds without relief, players are more likely to quit. The goal was to avoid punishing players to the point of disengagement, and instead offer meaningful challenge linked to satisfying payoff.

Press and critics noticed that Khazan remained a demanding game even after changes. While some parts felt overly punishing or repetitive, the boss encounters were praised for building player mastery through stamina-based combat. The stamina system made mistakes costly, but overcoming them felt deeply rewarding, which aligned with the developers’ intention for challenge to feel earned, not arbitrary.

Meanwhile community commentary on Reddit reflects broader attitudes: some players admit they’d rather quit than embrace “easy” settings, citing pride or self-image. Others pushed back, saying difficulty options support varied playstyles, and quitting instead of adjusting settings feels counterproductive. The devs took this mixture of pride-based quitting and demand for flexibility seriously, shaping the difficulty overhaul accordingly.

Sources: Resetera, Reddit, GamesRadar

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