you want to solve the hours by managing an island of misfits and reclaim a predatory raccoon. And sometimes you want to be put through the w
every fiber of your patience, skill and intelligence
From his first steps in arcade full of quarter-munching machines designed to drain your wallet, to the meticulous challenge of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Souls series, to that damn level of hoverbike in Battletoads, difficult video games have fascinated and challenged the players until the middle. been around, and am still doing it today.
Here I have put together some of the most challenging and popular games at the moment: Sidescrollers and metroidvanias without an ounce of compassion, a fun racing simulator, an incomprehensibly sprawling adventure, tactical games and puzzles that push your brain to the limit. , and … a Winnie the Pooh baseball game? It runs the gamut, but each game has one thing in common: It will fail several times before it succeeds.
Souldiers
Metroidvania titles have always challenged players in a battle of attrition as they explore hostile lands in search of the next point of safety before their scarce supplies run out. But, soldiers? Soulders takes you to a whole new level with Souls-inspired combat, multiple classes, and an emphasis on resource management. The Retro Forge debut title is tough, maybe a little too hard, since the developer released a huge post-launch patch that offers improved balance, difficulty and quality of life. But, at its core, Souldiers is a game that wants to push players – and the limits of the genre – to their absolute limits, making it the perfect game to launch things.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5 To see also : 10 memes that best sum up WWE 2K video games | The outburst on the screen.
Elden Ring
The current manifesto for difficult games is Hidetaka Miyazaki’s modern masterpiece Elden Ring. Within hours of his release, his relentless bosses, diabolical world design and relentless difficulty curve had players pulling their hair out and running to social media to find out. And things get harder only more advanced, with many players claiming that an optional late game leader is the toughest in any of Miyazaki’s many difficult titles. Elden Ring will challenge you in all the right ways, and it’s truly a journey worth making.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S Series, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows To see also : College Football 2.0: Closing leadership vacuums to address the sport’s uncertain, unregulated future.
Winnie the Pooh’s Home Run Derby
Winnie the Pooh’s Home Run Derby
Raise your eyebrows, but you have no idea. Taking control of the lovely bear from the Centa Acre Bay, take a step back to the floor with a singular goal: slugging home runs. To see also : The hot new video game ‘Diablo: Immortal’ sparks controversy over its business model. Only, your tools and skills are equivalent to those of a six-year-old tee-ball player who couldn’t make the school team, and your opponent is the first Randy Johnson. Your dignity is the bird. Good luck.
Take your club, and try it here.
Cuphead
Don’t be fooled by the beautiful visuals of the old cartoons: Cuphead is hard as nails. This run-and-gun masterpiece from Studio MDHR requires perfect gameplay, precise timing and precise mastery of enemy models, attacks and controls. As the titular hero (or his brother), the player must battle his way through several levels, defeat challenging bosses, and gain new powers to gain an advantage in his eventual encounter against the Devil himself. Cuphead doesn’t pull punches, no matter your feelings, and expect the absolute best from those who want to see the end. But it seems so good to do, you will keep coming back for more.
Price: $ 19.99 (plus another $ 7.99 for the new DLC, The Delicious Last Course)
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS
Loop Hero
Like all roguelikes, the core mechanics of Loop Hero are built around dying players. A lot. But, every time they die, they become a little stronger, and gain new experience and vital knowledge. Loop Hero isn’t as difficult as Cuphead, with his rigorous and unforgivable action, or Winnie the Pooh’s Home Run Derby, with his, uh, [gestures at all]. Their difficulty comes from the player’s willingness to immerse themselves in their card-based mechanics, learn the ins-and-outs of their systems, and tactically take advantage of every available resource. Loop Hero never holds your hand, and requires a deep understanding of its core game cycle to succeed – difficulty conquered by commitment and attention to detail. But, it’s so, so worth it.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows
Super Mario Maker 2
A Mario game? In a list of the toughest games? You put it on. Mario is known as one of the most popular and accessible game series in the world – revolutionizing the medium several times since its debut in the ’80s. But it also has a seriously challenging storyline and a total game dedicated to trolling gamers, Super Mario Bros .: The Lost Levels, which Nintendo considered too difficult for Western gamers of the day. But even the most deviant fever dreams of creator Shigeru Miyamoto compare to the absolute chaos created by fans in Super Mario Maker 2. Each level must be beaten by its creator to prove that it is possible before loading – sometimes it takes hundreds or thousands of attempts before them. success. This is not your grandmother’s Mario.
Want to try the above level? You can download the Sunny level, “1-1 but with a twist”, using the following code YXL-D4C-TQF in Super Mario Maker 2.
QWOP
How do you think you would do a 100m sprint to the Olympics without any training or practice? Whatever your answer, you will do much, much worse in QWOP. This navigator game assigns your thighs and calves to separate buttons (the eponymous Q, W, O and P) and challenges you to one hundred meter sprints. And it will go so, so wrong before it goes well.
Go ahead – try it. they challenged you.
Celeste
Immediately after the release, Celeste from Extremely OK Games became an indie lover thanks to its evocative pixel art graphics, melancholy story and difficulty curve that perfectly balanced precise control, creative level design and endless deaths while the players mastered level layout. The high difficulty of the game has been built into the narrative, as the player’s achievements parallel the protagonist Madeline’s journey of self-discovery.
Fortunately, Extremely OK Games recognizes that difficulty can be an entry barrier for many players, and has loaded Celeste with some of the best accessibility options in games, allowing the player to tune in to the experience for their level. of competence or pleasure. Play with the vanilla parameters, though, especially the special B- and C-Sides, which are significantly harder, and you’re up for a real test of your skill and patience.
Platforms: Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stage
Hollow Knight
The danger of exploring an alien world with little in your name, but your intelligence and a weapon, is what makes the Metroidvania genre – established by classic titles like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – a match. definition for difficult gameplay is demanding. Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight is a prime example of how gender can deal with measured progression through new items, powers, and health upgrades, with a requirement for players to equally increase their skill as they spend more time with the game.
Like many other games on this list, Hollow Knight pushes you to perfect enemy attack patterns, conquer complex controls, and gain victory through small incremental advantages. Unlike Celeste, Hollow Knight does not provide accessibility options to give the player an advantage, instead asking for mastery of the available tools in a way that is very reminiscent of Miyazaki’s Elden Ring.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Linux, Microsoft Windows
Into The Breach
If you’ve seen a lot of anime, you’ve no doubt seen a mech (probably piloted by a talented teenager) that is absolutely destroyed by some strange thing. Welcome to In the Breach, a game where your mech is absolutely destroyed by things that seem strange, once and for all.
While it resembles a game of traditional tactics like Front Mission or Fire Emblem on the surface, Into The Breach is more like a meticulous puzzle game. With limited resources, small cards, and powerful enemies, you are challenged to find victory because of small efficiencies, choice of cause and effect, and a supreme understanding of your team’s strengths over your opponent’s weaknesses. . A small move could sink your ship several times later, but you learn something every time you crash. It’s an intoxicating and unique mix of genres and there’s still nothing like it on the market.
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Linux, Stage, iOS, Android