Platformers That Push You to the Limit
Platformer games are supposed to be fun. These platformers don’t want you to have fun. Designed by sadists, filled with needless frustration, and a kick in the teeth disguised as a digital world, these are the least forgiving platformer games of all time. If you like a good challenge (and maybe some broken controllers), these are the most difficult platformers ever made.
1. Super Meat Boy
Super Meat Boy drops you into razor sharp environments where a single mistimed jump is all it takes to end your run. Controls are tight and responsive, meaning every failure feels like your own fault. Completing a level gives a massively satisfying feeling, especially after 20 or 30 tries.
2. Celeste
Celeste tells a beautiful story and combines it with one of the most technical platforming experiences out there. Every screen is designed to punish you for even the slightest mistake. It’ll get you down constantly, but in the best possible way. The game keeps you going because it wants you to reach the end as much as you do.
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3. Ghosts ’n Goblins
A tried and true classic that never goes out of style. Enemies are constantly jumping out at you and one wrong move can end your run. You only get so many lives, so making it to the end is impressive enough, but you’ll be hard pressed to do it again.
4. Ninja Gaiden (NES)
Fast and furious, Ninja Gaiden is all about aggression and precise controls. Enemy placement is seemingly out to get you at every opportunity. It’s a game that requires memorization almost as much as it needs you to have quick reflexes.
5. Cuphead
Don’t be fooled by Cuphead’s cute aesthetics. This game can be downright nasty at times. The bosses are brutal and require you to be near perfect at pattern recognition and execution. It’s got an old school feel, but its difficulty still packs a punch.
6. I Wanna Be the Guy
I Wanna Be the Guy revels in kicking the player while they’re down. The traps are unpredictable and cheap, and the end of a run will come at you in unexpected ways. To make progress you need a willingness to accept trial and error and a good sense of humor.
7. Battletoads (NES)
Battletoads is notorious for a particular boss and level that are so brutally difficult it can break friendships. It’s not an unfair difficulty, but the spikes in this game are real. The later parts are definitely a challenge, even with 2 people.
8. Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight’s exploration is a delight, but the platforming is where it’s most punishing. It requires precision jumps and navigates tricky combat heavy areas. The further you get the more nightmarish it becomes.
9. The End Is Nigh
Developed by the creators of Super Meat Boy, The End Is Nigh focuses on pain as a core mechanic. Levels are intentionally overpopulated with hazards and frequently test your ability to stay focused. No moment is wasted so every minor triumph is earned through blood and sweat.
10. Mega Man 9
Mega Man 9 is designed to be as close to an old school experience as the series can get. Tricky enemy placement and memorization of attack patterns will have you struggling. Speed runs are not for the faint of heart.
11. Spelunky
Spelunky is the king of punishing careless play. Every aspect of the game conspires to teach you to never let your attention slip. The levels are randomized so it’s less about memorizing than any other game on the list.
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12. VVVVVV
VVVVVVV swaps out jumping for gravity inverting, which sounds simple, but is deceptively difficult. It requires pinpoint timing and reaction speed. Every run end is face paced and will leave you frustrated.
13. Dark Souls (Platforming Sections)
Dark Souls isn’t a platformer, but the moments it acts like one are most well known. Jumping across tiny platforms and dealing with a janky camera turn simple jumps into a nightmare. The end screan means a long and often perilous trek back.
14. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Many sections in Sands of Time demand pixel perfect movement. The environmental hazards punish mistakes or lack of precision. One slip up can ruin a whole section, and it’s right there reminding you. Time rewind helps, but only a little.
15. Shovel Knight (Optional Challenges)
Shovel Knight is a good example of a game that’s punishing, but never feels unfair. It’s the optional post-game content that really raises the stakes. The extra stages demand 100% mastery over both the movement and combat systems.
16. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze has a surprisingly nasty bite behind its cuddly appearance. The later stages demand near perfect execution and placement of jumps. It’s a lot harder than people seem to give it credit for.
17. Rayman Legends
Rayman Legends is a perfectly good game up until about the third world. After that it’s mostly rhythm based platforming sections that require near perfect execution of movement. Mess up once and the damage cascades out in all directions.
18. La-Mulana
La-Mulana is both a difficult platformer and puzzle game rolled into one. Mistakes are often punished harshly, and frequently without any forewarning. It demands both patience and observation from the player.
19. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
Castlevania III is famous for the stiff controls and its overall difficult placement of enemies. You never quite feel safe on a jump, especially one that happens to be near a pit. It rewards deliberate movement and planning.
Bastian Stein (farbfilm) on Wikimedia
20. Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
Getting Over It is one of those games that tests your patience more than anything else. The game demands absolute precision and one small mistake can undo all the progress you just put in. Finishing the game feels less like victory and more like a miracle.
