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Steam News9 April 20262mo ago

Extra Difficulty Modes

Hi, Ells&Pills is here! Recently in the Steam Community we had a useful discussion about how scary the game is.

Full notes

Full Ells Tales: Chairbound update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

0 fixes4 additions0 changes2 removals
  • Gameplay
  • UI and audio
addedThe difficulty-select screen has been reworked. Instead of the old three tiers (NORMAL/HARD/UNREAL), the game now offers four: EASY (no timer), NORMAL(no enemies), NORMAL, HARD.
removedEASY (∞) difficulty lets you play with the timer disabled — no rush. Achievements are disabled on this difficulty so the game’s challenges remain meaningful.
addedLast summer and autumn we received feedback asking for a mode like this, but we hadn’t added it until now. A strict timer can be frustrating and stressful, that’s true, but it’s also part of the game’s identity. The content was designed for a 10–20 minute session; the entire experience is built around that pace. Still, some players may want to explore the location at their own speed, get comfortable with the controls, and then try the higher difficulties. Now you can.
addedWe added this for people who don’t play horror titles and don’t like jump-scares or being chased. The experience is a touch easier than the original vision, but it’s still an honest game and reaching the finale remains no cakewalk.
removedUNREAL difficulty is disabled (it no longer makes sense). NORMAL and HARD difficulties remain unchanged.
addedAlso, in the two previous news posts I forgot to mention something. If you happen to like our game, it doesn't have a translation into your native language, and you'd be happy to see one added, we have a prepared document with all the in-game text that needs translating: Google Drive

Ells Tales: Chairbound changes

addedThe difficulty-select screen has been reworked. Instead of the old three tiers (NORMAL/HARD/UNREAL), the game now offers four: EASY (no timer), NORMAL(no enemies), NORMAL, HARD.
removedEASY (∞) difficulty lets you play with the timer disabled — no rush. Achievements are disabled on this difficulty so the game’s challenges remain meaningful.
addedLast summer and autumn we received feedback asking for a mode like this, but we hadn’t added it until now. A strict timer can be frustrating and stressful, that’s true, but it’s also part of the game’s identity. The content was designed for a 10–20 minute session; the entire experience is built around that pace. Still, some players may want to explore the location at their own speed, get comfortable with the controls, and then try the higher difficulties. Now you can.
addedWe added this for people who don’t play horror titles and don’t like jump-scares or being chased. The experience is a touch easier than the original vision, but it’s still an honest game and reaching the finale remains no cakewalk.
removedUNREAL difficulty is disabled (it no longer makes sense). NORMAL and HARD difficulties remain unchanged.

Hi, Ells&Pills is here!

Recently in the Steam Community we had a useful discussion about how scary the game is. On the one hand (personal opinion, of course), the game has literally one and a half truly scary moments that can frighten because of their suddenness. On the other hand, we’re all different people with our own quirks and life experiences. Plus, far from all players like scary games. So, charged up by that feedback, we decided to make the game a little better and more accessible.

This update includes the following changes:

The difficulty-select screen has been reworked. Instead of the old three tiers (NORMAL/HARD/UNREAL), the game now offers four: EASY (no timer), NORMAL(no enemies), NORMAL, HARD.

EASY (∞) difficulty lets you play with the timer disabled — no rush. Achievements are disabled on this difficulty so the game’s challenges remain meaningful.

Last summer and autumn we received feedback asking for a mode like this, but we hadn’t added it until now. A strict timer can be frustrating and stressful, that’s true, but it’s also part of the game’s identity. The content was designed for a 10–20 minute session; the entire experience is built around that pace. Still, some players may want to explore the location at their own speed, get comfortable with the controls, and then try the higher difficulties. Now you can.

NORMAL (☺) difficulty lets you play with no enemies at all — basically a “peaceful” mode. You can still earn every achievement and appear on the leaderboards.

We added this for people who don’t play horror titles and don’t like jump-scares or being chased. The experience is a touch easier than the original vision, but it’s still an honest game and reaching the finale remains no cakewalk.

UNREAL difficulty is disabled (it no longer makes sense). NORMAL and HARD difficulties remain unchanged.

Also, in the two previous news posts I forgot to mention something. If you happen to like our game, it doesn't have a translation into your native language, and you'd be happy to see one added, we have a prepared document with all the in-game text that needs translating: Google Drive

Best Regards, Ells&Pills

Source

Steam News / 9 April 2026

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