These Are The Games For Players That Want To Be Tested
Some games are fun, others test our sanity, perseverance, and motor skills. Whether for their complexities, logical challenges, or sheer mechanical impossibility, game designers seem to be laughing in the face of completionists with the intentionally hard games they create. Here are 20 of the most notoriously impossible games ever made.
Photo by Forse Jorre on Pexels
1. Battletoads
The first two levels of this game lure you into believing it's just a regular video game. However, it gets exponentially harder on the third level which entails navigating an impossible turbo tunnel on a high-speed hoverbike, and it only gets more difficult from there. The game takes an insane amount of speed, reflexes, and luck to beat.
2. Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden was the game creator's answer to complaints by testers about the difficulty. It features relentless enemies that never-endingly spawn, extremely fast-paced action, and tight controls.
3. Contra
Released in 1987, Contra was one of the first co-op games to be a big hit. It became notorious for having some of the most delicate protagonists who easily die from one hit, forcing the player to restart the whole game.
4. Dark Souls
To get through Dark Souls is a grind. It takes an immense amount of patience, perseverence and problem solving. You sometimes have to fight a boss tens of times in order to beat it.
5. Bloodborne
The difficulty of Bloodborne lies in its combat, characterized by powerful, fast attacks, and no shield to hide behind. For this combat style, it's arguably the hardest game in the Soulsborne series.
6. Elden Ring
Elden Ring is one of the easiest games developed by FromSoftware games, but considering the company's reputation, that's not saying much. The complex open-world design built by George R.R. Martin is difficult to navigate, the bosses are unpredictable, and its lack of clues makes it easy to miss important details.
7. Super Meat Boy
If you want a game that'll truly test your patience and reflexes, look no further than Super Meat Boy. The first few levels seem normal enough until suddenly, deadly hazards like buzzsaws and spikes are introduced, making the later levels nearly impossible.
Wireframe, Raspberry Pi Press, Raspberry Pi Foundation on Wikimedia
8. Cuphead
Don't be fooled by the cute retro animation reminiscent of 1930s cartoons, Cuphead is one of the hardest games you can get your hands on. It's fast-paced with unforgiving bosses and no way to replenish your three lives.
9. Getting Over It
Getting Over It With Bennet Foddy or simply Getting Over It is infamous for its unintuitive controls and instant death with no checkpoints: the perfect formula for some intense player rage. It's also just an extremely bizarre concept for a game about a guy stuck in a pot trying to clamber up a mountain.
10. Punch-Out!!
How difficult can a boxing game be? Very, apparently. This one starts out pretty easy, giving a false sense of security, but the later bosses are extremely hard to beat and the game may require a few play-throughs before your skills are developed enough to beat it.
11. Returnal
Returnal is a roguelike game known for its unpredictable gameplay, tricky mechanics, and and challenging health management. The game map changes every time you die which really keeps you on your toes.
12. Hollow Knight
Known for its terribly complex and vast world design, Hollow Knight is not only difficult to navigate but the combat also requires a lot of precision and speed. If the game itself isn't enough for you, there's optional hardcore content, like the Pantheon of Hallownest to challenge you further.
13. God Hand
God Hand has developed a cult following of sorts thanks to its overwhelming interchangeable levels. The game is room after room of relentless non-stop enemies. In order to succeed, timing and combos are everything.
14. Mega Man 9
If you thought the first Mega Man was tough, give Mega Man 9 a spin. Largely considered the hardest of the game franchise, it has the most powerful enemies, difficult levels, and hardest bosses. What's more, the game's "achievements" require insane tasks like finishing without losing a heart or beating the game five times in one day.
Masakazu Eguchi, Keiji Inafune on Wikimedia
15. I Wanna Be the Guy
This is the kind of game you'd only wish on your worst enemy. The hazards are so random and unpredictable, you'll find yourself relying heavily on trial and error and sheer luck.
Wikicommons by Microsoft Game Studios
16. The Witness
If you think you're clever and good at puzzles, don't try this game: it will only hurt your ego. It's one of the most complex puzzle games ever made and requires both lateral and complex detail-oriented thinking.
17. Ghosts ‘n Goblins
A Nintendo classic, Ghosts ‘n Goblins requires near-perfection, with just two hits causing instant death. What's more, the mechanics are extremely tricky and enemies are unpredictable. Also, the game of course has a timer which adds pressure, but you don't want to rush for fear of making a mistake.
18. F-Zero GX
One of the games with the steepest learning curves, just making it around the track on easy is a feat. The controls and techniques take time to master and in the meantime, you can expect spending a lot of time crashing into walls.
19. Sifu
Sifu is considered one of the hardest games ever made as it requires complex martial arts mastery. Timing and flow is essential to nailing moves and what's more, the character ages every time you die, inhibiting his abilities.
20. Flappy Bird
Although the controls, graphics, and concept of the game are simple, Flappy Bird is a deceivingly challenging game. As most mobile games are simple and brainless, this one offered a novel experience to phone players, killing time on their commute home.
