Many people consider the Xbox 360 to be the best console Microsoft has ever put out, and when looking back at the sheer amount of absolute classics that were available for the system, it’s really not hard to see why. Though the Xbox 360 was released back in 2005, it went on to have a very long lifespan with developers continuing to make games for the console even well into the 2010s, and as a result, it was only inevitable that it would become the home of more than a few excruciatingly difficult titles.
At a time when the immensely popular Nintendo seemed to besteering its attention more toward a casual audience with the release of the Wii, Microsoft took the opportunity to appeal to more “Hardcore” gamers with the Xbox 360, resulting in the console having a pretty extensive catalog of challenging titles. However, when it comes to overall difficulty, these games below were most definitely the hardest of the bunch.
When developing an RPG, most developers will choose between either aturn-based system, or real-time combat, and though these have been successfully merged in recent years with games likeFinal Fantasy 7: Remake,Resonance of Fateis arguably the first game that showed this to be possible. Though each character in the party can freely move around the environment, players are also able to pause the game to direct a specific attack towards an enemy, culminating in a flashy, but also pretty tricky combat system.
The game encourages players to be as strategic as possible when taking on a group of enemies, especially when facing off against the many bosses who can be downright brutal to defeat due to their durability and relentless attacks. It also severely punishes any players who don’t take the time to explore the map, since there are plenty of crucial items, like the Bezel Shards, which will make encounters much more manageable, and grinding out EXP in the coliseum is also heavily advised to ensure every party member is prepared for the grueling battles that await them throughout the game.
It’s no secret that theDark Soulsgames are very challenging to complete. After all, it was these games that were responsible for creatingthe “SoulsBorne” subgenrewhich is massively popular nowadays, but while the firstDark Soulsoften isn’t considered quite as challenging as many of the games that would come after, that’s not to suggest that it still isn’t hard as nails in its core gameplay. Unlike a lot of games that give players a lengthy tutorial to help them ease their way into the experience,Dark Soulsthrows players right into the deep end from the get-go, forcing them to pick up the controls and familiarize themselves with the punishing combat system without any hand-holding to keep them on the right track.
This applies to not only the combat, but also the level design since the game will often leave barely any clues on where to go, and with so many different paths and the maze-like structure of most areas, it makes it all so easy to get completely lost.Dark Soulsis still without a doubt a revolutionary game that provided a much-needed breath of fresh air when the industry most needed it, but beating the game is far from an easy task.
Spelunkyis often credited as being one of the very first games to ever experiment with gameplay elements that would be incorporated into the roguelike genre, such as a permadeath system and an emphasis on learning more about the game with each death. Players assume the role of a spelunker who must make their way through a myriad ofprocedurally-generated caveswhich are often filled with treasures, dangerous enemies, and numerous sneaky traps that can instantly end a run if they’re not avoided in time.
For most roguelike games, players will be able to learn the levels and environments that can better prepare them for the next run, but becauseSpelunky’scaves are randomly generated, it means that every attempt is brand new, making the level design very unpredictable as a result. Still, it won’t take long to pick up on some of the game’s core mechanics, such as knowing how each item works and realizing how dangerous running can be compared to walking, but it’s still very hard to get “good” at the game, which is what makes it truly unique in the eyes of many fans.
3Ninja Gaiden 2
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 4.26
The firstNinja Gaidenbecame renowned upon its release for its unforgiving difficulty, but this ultimately ended up also making it very popular, since everyone wanted to see how hard it really was, and whether they had it in them to beat the game for themselves. Team Ninja took note of this, and decided to replicate the overall challenge for the sequel, which some fans even regard as being slightly tougher than the original,primarily because of how advanced the AI now was.
Enemy foot soldiers inNinja Gaiden 2won’t just run at Ryu like headless chickens, but instead, they will carefully maneuver their way around the ninja to try and catch him off guard, and since Ryu loses so much health with just a single attack, it makes parrying and blocking extremely important for survival. Though players can regenerate Ryu’s health at a save point, because these are often few and far between, it means that relying on them can prove to be a pretty bad decision in the long run. Thankfully, there are some incredibly powerful weapons, such as the Vigoorian Flails, which can help make encounters a little more manageable, but equipping these only helps to make the overall experience just a tad easier than it otherwise would be.
Many fans of theDark Soulsseries consider the second game to be the hardest of the three, and considering just how incredibly brutal these games are, that certainly indicates just how demanding it can really be. With more aggressive enemies, lackluster healing options, and frankly ridiculous hitboxes,Dark Souls 2is a much tougher version of its predecessor which will push the player to their absolute limits.
While the enemies featured inDark Souls 2are obviously the biggest hurdle to overcome, the game’s level design also feels like it’s working against the player at many points, especially the areas where the player must slowly walk across a very narrow platform to avoid falling to their death, such as with the broken bridges.Because of how drastically different all the weapons feelto use, it’s also heavily advised to put in a good amount of practice on weaker enemies when switching to a new one since mistiming a single swing can leave the player wide open to receive a barrage of lethal enemy attacks.
Often touted as one of the hardest games ever made,Super Meat Boyrevels in its excruciating difficulty, as is shown through Meat Boy himself, who is always shown as being battered and bruised due to the absurdly difficult challenges that he’s forced to go through. On the surface, the2D platforming gameplayofSuper Meat Boyisn’t anything too out of the ordinary, but there are a few ways that Team Meat managed to make it drastically more difficult than some of its competitors.
For one, the game features over 300 levels, and considering each one is harder than the last, it’s easy to imagine how intense these stages can get just after a few hours of playing. Meat Boy can also be very hard to control because of how much he slips and slides across the stage, and since a lot of the levels require very precise jumps and movements, it means that it can take quite a bit of practice to even get familiar with the basics of the game.Super Meat Boyis a shining example of how to make a satisfying difficult game without going too over the top with systems and mechanics, and it’s managed to stand the test of time as one of the greatest and most influential platformers ever made as a result of this.
