I'm just copypasta-ing from a Discord but if you'll allow it,
The Druaga comp in your article is apt. Most people respond to that game by running in the opposite direction. Some people basically started GameFAQs sneakernet leaving journals at the machines to share tips. Fromsoft were in the latter end of the pool.
Which, as you point out in a comment, feels a bit like malfeasance by the developers on some level. But keep in mind, Druaga was in some sense a continuation of Endo Masanobu's work in Xevious, which had legs in no small part due to the hidden Sol Tower bullshit in that game. Some people approach that game as a vertical shooter, some people approach it as a fucking koan (see the direct sequel Super Xevious: GAMP no Nazou for the rawest and worst expression of this tendency).
I get the sense you could be made to say something mealymouthed like "These games can exist for their strange little backwater market of puzzle game consumers", which sure sounds like something I would say. That, even after you really dig through the guts of Fromsoft's work. What I'm more interested in seeing, when you get there, is walking us through why this Endo/Miyazaki-esque design school seeping into the rest of video gaming is a full net negative.
As always, this is probably the best writing the site has had on a consistent basis since Walker left.
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