Hard mode on first run

[MobaMouse]

So I played maybe the first like 30 minutes or so of the normal difficulty and did try like 5 minutes of hard mode. My question is if Hard mode is a good first option for a first run. Normal was seeming like it might be a bit too easy for someone experienced with survival horror but I was still pretty early but enemies just seemed a bit slow. I noticed hard mode has some differences like item locations and not being able to open trash cans or interact with stuff like the fortune machine. So would i be ruining some of the experience or would hard mode be too difficult? No spoilers though please just a general answer

[Stonewahl]

Hard mode would be better for more experienced players with survival horror. Enemies will aggro much farther away, deal more damage, and will run at you instead of the slow walking normal has. But the story doesn't change so if you want a challenging run, then you can do hard mode

[Snowman]

I did hard as my first and currently only playthrough, and its definitely possible. I've played most survival horrors out there, and imo this is one of the harder ones in terms of resources given and what you need to use. Its not unfair or BS though

[belangf]

If you are careful you still get plenty of resources in hard mode, but some weapons and ammo require solving optional puzzles. I suggest you keep more than one save and reload if you feel you wasted too much bullets or healing in an encounter. Also the content of breakable crates is random (and possibly empty) so you can cheat by reloading to get better drops. Another tip: don't pick up ammo if the total would go above your max limit, the extra bullets are lost. I write down where I left resources so I can come back later.

[OnTheLastCastle]

Originally posted by Snowman:

I did hard as my first and currently only playthrough, and its definitely possible. I've played most survival horrors out there, and imo this is one of the harder ones in terms of resources given and what you need to use. Its not unfair or BS though

It seems like the game heavily favors giving you ammo, health, etc. when you're low on it. So if you're not low, you won't be finding heaps more. Meanwhile, spray that pistol and yep, there's some pistol ammo.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it really seems to be that way every time I kick a vending machine or pop a crate. Some things are set like what's in bottles, of course.

Anyway, game seems really generous to me on normal. I have so much ammo that I'm mostly using it whenever I can now.

[BlackPowerade]

Its possible, the game is on the easy side even in hard mode.
Most notable changes being enemy aggro, speed, and definitely reach. They reach much much further when attacking on hard mode
That being said, enemies still go down pretty easy and the game is not shy at all about giving you ammo. You should be able to clean out every room without much concern for ammo conservation. You'll likely be hitting the ammo limit repeatedly if you play smart and use barrels/transformers/bear traps