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For as difficult as souls-likes can be though, some will feel that they just can’t hold a candle to some of the brutally difficult retro games from the eighties and nineties. With difficulty often used as a tool to swallow up quarters in arcades or pad out the length of an otherwise short game at home, the era has plenty of tricky titles that make certain souls-likes look easy.
10 Tomb Raider 3
While Lara’s earlier outings are perhaps best remembered for their awkward tank controls and cumbersome combat, they also packed in plenty of complicated puzzle-solving as well. Together with the half-baked handling, this made the first few Tomb Raider games incredibly difficult; particularly the series’ third entry.
The early stages of the game really aren’t too bad, but the middle section of Tomb Raider 3 can be an absolute nightmare. The London level is perhaps the worst in this respect; with plenty of secrets scattered throughout the city for players to uncover. Without a walkthrough, finding them all is next to impossible due to some of their ridiculous locations.
9 Cybernoid II: The Revenge
Cybernoid II: The Revenge is one of the earliest shoot ’em ups to make its way to home consoles. Much like its predecessor, it’s a good looking game and controls incredibly well for a game of that era. The latter bodes pretty well, as the difficulty level can at times be a little extreme.
One of the reasons that shoot ’em ups were so popular with developers back in the eighties and nineties was because of how good they were at quickly gobbling up quarters. As video games made the transition from arcades to living rooms, however, it took developers a little while to dial back the difficulty to reflect the change in setting.
8 Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
When most people think of LucasArts, the first thing that usually pops into their heads is the studio’s fantastic selection of point and click games. What some might not realize though, is that the developer also found success in a number of other genres; as evidenced by the Super Star Wars games.
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Both titles looked and sounded fantastic for the era and have everything needed to provide players with one hell of a challenge from start to finish. Unfortunately, however, the controls are a little wonky at times which doesn’t mesh too well with the high level of difficulty. Even so, this isn’t nearly enough to sour what is otherwise a fantastic experience.
7 Ikaruga
Bullet hell shoot ’em ups started to become popular back in the early nineties and remain so to this day. There are plenty of great examples of difficult games within the sub-genre, although Ikaruga is perhaps the most interesting thanks to its somewhat unique polarity mechanics.
Watching a skilled player breeze their way through a challenging shmup really is a thing of beauty, and that’s especially the case with this Dreamcast classic. Switching polarity at the right time to absorb damage rather than take it is challenging enough, but having to also time this with dealing damage as well takes things to a whole other level and is something that only very few players can do effectively.
6 Ninja Gaiden
The original Ninja Gaiden games are some of the most difficult games ever released for the NES, but are also some of the system’s most enjoyable. Combat feels satisfying for the most part, the storytelling is interesting and there’s a lot of enemy variation too. Unfortunately though, players should be prepared for quite a few cheap deaths.
Certain enemies are pretty much impossible to dodge while others will spawn back in almost immediately if players scroll the screen even a fraction too far. The biggest frustration for most, however, will likely be the ridiculous knock back; which will send Ryu plummeting to his death with even the slightest of touches.
5 Battletoads
90% of Battletoads games are fairly easy. Sadly, however, each one seems to feature one or two stages that require lightning fast reflexes and a fair amount of luck to emerge victorious from. This makes actually completing them little more than a pipe dream for the majority of players.
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The games’ hardest sections typically involve players dodging obstacles as they ride a vehicle from left to right. Unfortunately, the amount of time that players have to react to these obstacles is far too short and, with limited lives, most players will find themselves facing the game over screen pretty quickly.
4 Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Another of LucasArts’ hidden gems, Zombies Ate My Neighbors may not be the best looking game on the Super Nintendo, but it is one of the most enjoyable. Those hoping to find a laid-back adventure should definitely look elsewhere though, as it also happens to be one of the system’s most challenging titles as well.
Although the first few stages aren’t too bad, things can get very tricky from level four onward. The enemies are tougher, the mazes are more confusing and there’s barely enough ammo to progress. As such, one tiny mistake can be fatal. There is a password system for those who die, although given that it doesn’t restore weapons, keys or ammo, it is somewhat useless.
3 Silver Surfer
Just because a game is difficult doesn’t automatically make it a bad game. In the case of Silver Surfer though, the game’s high difficulty is a direct side effect of poor game design; with one or two of the design choices making the game nearly impossible to complete.
Side-scrolling sections are not too bad, although there are times when players must navigate some incredibly tight pathways without clipping invisible obstacles. Things get considerably worse during the top-down stages too; with bullets often blending into the background and players typically having to guess what will and wont kill them as they traverse the stage.
2 Takeshi’s Challenge
Anybody who has seen the Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle should already be fairly familiar with the creative mind of Takeshi Kitano. Just like his game show and as its name might suggest, the video game that Kitano created for the Famicom back in the eighties is ridiculously challenging.
Takeshi’s Challenge puts players in the shoes of a Japanese salaryman who receives a treasure map from a mysterious old man. Before he can claim his bounty though, he must first beat up the old man, divorce his wife and quit his job; none of which is really explained too well. Naturally, there are plenty of instant game over moments too as well as a plethora of secrets that can only be discovered through trial and error.
1 Ghosts ’n Goblins
Ever since its debut outing in 1985, Capcom’s Ghosts ’n Goblins series has been terrorizing players with its brutal and unforgiving difficulty. The original game is considered by many to be the hardest game on the NES and its sequel, Super Ghouls ’n Ghosts, is one of the toughest titles on the console’s successor.
Despite the games being challenging though, deaths rarely feel cheap. The controls are tight and enemy AI is fairly consistent, meaning that with enough practice, it is possible to “git gud” over time. One thing that is a little cheap, however, is the original game requiring players to play through the entire game twice to complete it, although to many this is just another layer of the challenge.
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