(Dev Note) The Background Behind the Difficulty Rework and the June Update

Before we dive into the details of what's coming, I'd like to address something many of you have been curious about: the recent difficulty rework.

Why did we change the difficulty names?

At launch, we set our intended standard experience as "Normal" and added a more accessible option labeled "Easy." We figured that if players found the game too difficult, they'd simply switch to Easy. But when we looked at the data, we saw that many players just quit the game without ever changing the difficulty.

When we asked why, a lot of people said, "I'd rather quit with dignity than drop it down to Easy." Some also said that if the default had been called "Hard" instead, they would've felt okay about switching down to "Normal."

Difficulty is subjective, and each player experiences Khazan's challenges differently. That's why we offered multiple difficulty options from the start. We wanted more people to enjoy Khazan, and we thought it would be better to let players freely adjust the challenge. We thought it was up to the player to lower it if it's too hard or raise it if it's too easy.

That's one of the biggest lessons I've learned from all of you. So, we changed the difficulty names to give players more flexibility. The old "Easy" is now called "Normal," and the old "Normal" is now "Challenge." We also changed the default starting difficulty to "Normal."

Why did we add a Beginner difficulty?

Many players recommended Khazan as a good entry point into hardcore action or Soulslike games, especially since it had an Easy mode. But at the same time, we also heard a lot of feedback saying, "Sure, there's an Easy mode... but it's the hardest Easy mode I've ever played."

One of Khazan's strengths is that it offers selectable difficulty levels as a hardcore action game, so we wanted to expand that range and make it a game we could confidently recommend as a true starting point. To that end, we didn't just adjust combat parameters. We also added quality-of-life features like enemy outlines when out of combat, so it's easier to recognize targets and engage at your own pace.

With this Beginner difficulty, I hope more players can jump into Khazan without feeling pressured, and, once they build confidence, take on the challenge of Normal or Challenge difficulty.

Why did we add a Hardcore difficulty?

The truth is, Khazan's current difficulty has already been significantly toned down through extensive testing and polishing. But for those who have already completed Khazan's challenging journey, we wanted to bring back that raw, intense thrill we originally envisioned.

During development, the early boss prototypes were brutally difficult, and we even considered compiling them into a separate game mode. Unfortunately, aside from the difficulty, those early versions weren't polished enough to be released.

Instead, we created a new difficulty setting with a set of strict limitations designed to capture that same primal thrill. While testing, we thought, "Maybe this is a bit too much?" So we added an attack damage bonus to soften the blow. But to our surprise, many of you cleared it more easily than expected. For this patch, we're rolling it out in its pure form, exactly as we originally envisioned it.

We're also preparing improvements to address some of the inconveniences tied to the camera that's exclusive to this mode. Based on many of your requests, we've added to our to-do list the option to use