re: .

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Difficulty adds to the replay factor. A lot of games were arcade conversions, which were just designed to take your quarters.

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These two things are the key. Without the scope and depth, you had to do something to make people play over and over again.

How do you do that?

Kill them. Over and over and over again.

I do think the sense of accomplishment is different too. Beating Battletoads or Super Ghouls and Ghosts or Contra without cheats is a different kind of achievement from beating Skyrim or Witcher.

Indie Games have done a good job keeping up difficulty curves too, see Super Meatball, 1001 Spikes, etc. Additionally, if you want to get destroyed, just ascend to any popular multiplayer game's highest tiers or levels. High Level Super Smash Bros. is ridiculous.