I agree. Developers have never gotten the difficulty right when it is offered up in stages. Something seems offputting at the easiest level but then downright enfuriating, nearly unplayable, at the highest.

I still have nightmares about Ninja Gaiden on the NES. I never got it dialed in so to speak. I just could not wrap my head around the play mechanics and the cheap hits that lead to cheap deaths were infuriating.

I much more prefered the arcade Ninja Gaiden, another title for the Atari Lynx that had me wanting that portable.