How about the example that I brought up at the end of
this post, Persona 5. Would you have an issue with specifically Persona 5 having a Boss Skip option?
I haven't played Persona 5 and I don't even quite know what it's like so can't say much about it.
I'll go through your points nevertheless and try to comment on them even without knowing the game:
No intrinsic link between difficulty and theme like Dark Souls.
I don't think the only reason why Dark Souls shouldn't have a skip boss option is because of its theme. My reasonings pretty much apply to every game from Super Mario Bros. 1 to Dark Souls.
There's already an Easy Mode.
The existence of an Easy Mode doesn't mean there should be an Easier Mode.
There's already a 'skip cutscene/dialogue' option that can be used even the first time through.
I don't think cutscenes and dialogues are important unless the things that are shown and said there are required for the player to understand to advance in the game so I don't mind there being a skip cutscene option from the get go.
Highly replayable so a skip will likely be well-used.
So why not give that option after completing the game?
Ok.
A lot of people who would love the storytelling sections don't like turn based RPG combat.
I guess this was the reason for some Final Fantasy phone games to have an option to have automatic battles. Or was there even an option to completely skip the battles?
I am against that too.
I am also against the rewind option in The Disney Afternoon Collection. The mere knowing of the option makes the game feel less enjoyable. Each time I die, it is in my mind that there is this option to make this obstacle completely meaningless. Without the existence of the option the obstacle remains the obstacle it was meant to be and my mind won't even think the obstacle would be less meaningful.
There's still a lot of gameplay outside the bosses so there would still be a 'point' to playing outside of watching Let's Play videos.
Ok.
The game doesn't teach you necessary mechanics during the scenes.
But the scenes are the parts where the player is tested on how well they have learned the mechanics.
The implementation would be as follows:
When launching or loading the game, choose an option to allow Boss Skip. This is so that players won't be 'tempted' by the option.
During a boss fight, press Start to pause, then choose it from an option menu.
A message pops up saying "It's highly recommended you complete this fight rather than skip it! You will not receive any more trophies with this save file." If you choose to continue, the boss fight will be skipped as though you beat it, and the victory cutscene will play.
The game will continue as normal, rewards given as normal, but no more trophies will be rewarded.
Players who don't want to skip battles won't even see the option during their game. People who do want the option can see it and use it for whatever reason they want, i.e. too hard, too easy, too long, boring, beaten it 100x before, trying to get to the next segment etc. etc.
It's not only about being tempted by the option, although that is a problem too. It's about the existence of the option having an effect in how the player feels the game to be from the get go.
By the way, why there would be the need to have a victory cutscene and rewards from the battle? Why wouldn't it just be that you choose the option and the enemy goes away and you continue playing as if it never was there? Why should you have to see the "winning screen" and get the rewards if you didn't actually do anything the programmers had programmed for the player to have to do to get those screens and rewards?
Let's make an extreme comparison:
You are playing Super Mario Bros. 1 and there is this coin in a tough place that you just can't seem to be able to get to. Should you have an option to press a button and have the coin vanish from where it was and to be added to your coin stash?
Oh hell, now I thought about there being an option to make the Hammer Brothers vanish in level 8-3 by just pressing a button. Had that been an option back in the day, that level and the enemies would've never had the 'aura' of a dreadful obstacle they now have. Kids playing that level would've eventually pretty certainly used it, me included, just out of convenience because you really can't tell kids to not use things that make things easier because they usually are impatient because it's natural for them and they haven't yet learned to be patient.
No. You're presupposing this is an option before one even takes on the boss fight. You're presupposing its implementation as well. Stop presupposing and use the effort to think of how this can be better implemented. Hell, True Crime Streets of L.A. had a smart feature where you could lose to the boss and move to the next all beaten up.
The point is this: try the boss, die once, option to skip is provided. No one is forcing you to press 'yes'.
If it is an option that has to be chosen from the menu screens, then it's something that's already in mind before even beginning to play the game.
If it's something that isn't in the menu screen, but you can access it by pausing the game, then it's available for everyone anytime. And that sucks too.
It's not about being forced to choose the option. It's about the option being there from the get go and having an effect on how the game is being perceived. The game asking if you are sure won't help at all. The option is still there. It's there and it says the obstacles you encounter have been made to be less of an obstacle.
Why not include a button in the game world for every boss, that when you encounter the boss and run to a wall and press the button there, the enemy falls into a pit. You don't
have to use the button but it's there to let other get through the enemy faster. I would say that would be the better option because at least it's in the game world and not an arbitrary option in the pause screen. But that would still be bullshit.
Why not give each player a special weapon that lets you kill anything with one shot? You don't
have to use it but it's there for those who want to proceed faster.
See, the option to skip bosses is no different from that. And if you really would say you having this special weapon in your inventory wouldn't change how the game feels like even if you would never use it... then you just don't understand the issue and I don't know what to say to you.