While some of the author's arguments feel slanted, stating that the game is genuinely difficult because you can choose to bring in and use certain items is a bit shallow.

Game designers are tasked to balance the elements of a game to bring the intended degree of challenge, to balance and refine the player's growth of power through items and skills to be tangible and useful, albeit not overpowering, and to strengthen the obstacles you face to carefully match those growing capabilities.
It's fair to say the designers did not want this game to be easy, but this game has not been designed well to balance out the obstacles and player's capabilities to keep things tense and exciting in the vein of challenge.

As an example, I could state that Fallout is the most insanely difficult rpg of it's time because "I" never used more then the minimal amount of items to play through it. That makes no logical sense, I can state the "Legend of Zelda" is the hardest game, so was DOOM as I only used three weapons at a time, etc etc. It's a argument that's too broad and unrefined.