How we judge a difficulty curve

Difficulty is one of the trickiest things to review because it's so personal. What we try to do instead is spot whether a game is fair. A fair game teaches you why you lost. A frustrating one just walls you off and hopes you get annoyed.

The best examples ramp gently, introducing one new idea at a time and giving you a level or two to practise it. Tower of Embers does this well, layering complications so you never feel lost even as things get harder.

We're wary of sudden spikes that feel designed to slow you down rather than test you. When a wall appears out of nowhere, it usually signals a change in what the game wants from you, and not in a good way.

Our rough test is simple: after a loss, do you understand what to change? If yes, the curve is probably fair. If you're just shrugging, that's a mark against it.