Theres no other way to play them, you either step up or you give up.
A couple of caveats.
This is simply artificial, often unintended difficulty, not a true challenge.
So, lets begin.
You felt truly clever.
You just never know whats going to happen next.
Makes you appreciate how hard Capitan Kirks job really is.
If all else fails, praise the sun and call for help.
The Immortalalso casts you as a crusty old wizard, not a big, tough warrior or sprightly hero.
Youre far from classical leading man material, and your combat skills arent exactly great.
Your best weapon here is your brain and your wits.
Marble Madness
1984 | Atari Games
Frustration is a powerful thing.
No, not at all.
you’re free to still take your time and carefully move through the maze though, cant you?
The end result is a game thats tough, frustrating, and fiendishly addictive.
Younger readers may not be aware of this home computer classic from the late 80s.
In it, you play as a wizard who was turned into a green ball.
This sounds simple, but the controls ofWizballare some of the trickiest weve ever seen.
Completing this beast took some serious patience and careful thought.
It blended puzzles with tricky maneuvering and aquatic combat.
It was also surprisingly unsettling, with a dark story and a constant, unnerving ambience.
Of all the games challenges, the final showdown was by far the most difficult and downright evil.
Combat is tricky and foes are hard to beat without taking damage unless youre a master.
Oh, did we mention that you have one life?
Theres alsothatjump at the end of the first level.
Did anyone else shudder when they had to tackle that?
Here the central theme is color.
More specifically black and white.
Enemy projectiles in the game are either black or white.
Some would prefer the likes ofJamestownorEspgaluda II, butIkarugais on this list.
However, it also came with a new featurean amazingly steep difficulty curve.
F-Zero GXis without a doubt one of the most difficult racers youll ever play.
Its just plain brutal.
Mike Tysons Punch-Out!!
Knowing all of the tells and signposted moves is essential, but wherePunch-Out!
!succeeds is its ability to still make this challenging, even if you know whats coming.
For most players, however, he still remains that undefeated champion, one that taunts them endlessly.
The Turtles were so popular, it was bound to become an instant classic.
It was also damn difficult, something thats caused the game to generate a lot of criticism.
Some have said the game was cheap, and the difficulty was over the top.
Wed argue against this, though.
The water level alone is enough to make most seasoned gamers weep.
However, the games controls were fine, and it was perfectly playable at all times.
Gah, our apologies.
We dont make a habit of article splitting, nor are we about to.
Heres part two of the list…
12.
Castlevania III: Draculas Curse
IsCastlevaniaharder thanTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
Maybe not if taken with the major difficult points (like the aforementioned water level and the Technodrome).
The difference here isCastlevanias constant difficulty, especially the third game,Draculas Curse.
At all times, this game is tricky, devious, and outright mean.
Castlevaniahas so many difficult aspects.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
1986 | Nintendo
Most traditional side-scrollingMariogames are tricky.
In fact, the game is so hard, it was first refused entry over here.
The main reason for this is the series shift to side-scrolling action.
Still, Nintendo obviously agreed, as subsequentZeldagames mostly reverted to the top-down approach.
However, the main sticking point for many is Death Mountain.
Death Mountain is a staple location in theZeldauniverse, and is often featured as a main dungeon.
Its a big ask, and although very possible, is very tricky, indeed.
Then theres the final boss, Dark Link.
Waves of enemies constantly assaulted players, as well as some fearsome bosses.
Through all of this, you had three lives with one-hit kills to beat the game.
You also had to contend with deadly pitfalls and a timer.
Yep, tough isnt the word.
Go for that spread gun, itll make your life a whole lot easier.
Its this incarnation of the series that most would agree is by far the most difficult.
The game threw the previousShinobigameplay to the winds and embraced fast-paced 3D combat.
The game is a simple shooter at heart, with both side and vertically scrolling sections.
If youve played and completed the torturousGhosts N Goblins, youll know exactly what we mean.
The whole, damn thing!
And its even harder!
How many other games do you know have been re-released simply because they were too hard?
Well, we have another, but more on that later…
3.
Instead, this was a side-scrolling platformer, one that could well have been created by the devil himself.
Ninja Gaiden (2004)
2004 | Team Ninja
Whats more difficult than the 8-bitNinja Gaiden?
The 128-bit one, of course.
When you win, though?
It feels good….
1.
Battletoads
1991 | Rare
Turbo Tunnels.
Thats all I have to say.
This is a game thats so hard, adding a second player only makes it harder.
Even then, we suspect theres be a couple of broken controllers hidden under the yoga mat.
Just keep it to yourself, though, wont you?
If you want to know about the toads, we wrotea complete history pieceabout the series.
