Hardest 2D Platformers Published By Nintendo

Nintendo can be considered the “King” of 2D platformers, as this company changed the entire video game industry with their work in this genre, many that are still positively received to this day. Just because a 2D platformer may seem simple or colorful at first, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be easy.

Nintendo has been responsible for some of the toughest and most frustrating – yet satisfying – experiences within the genre of 2D platformers. This is not something that exclusively happened during the days of the NES, since there are several modern titles that still challenge players as well. These are some of the best examples that can be found throughout the company’s entire history.

10 Super Mario Maker Series

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.18/3.09

Giving players the tools to create their own Mario levels was a groundbreaking idea, and it led to both Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2 being some of the most beloved entries in the plumber’s long-running franchise. However, this success would come with the cost of being infamously challenging games.

While most of the difficulty in both Mario Maker titles comes from the many courses made by fans – which are often designed for very experienced Mario players – the prebuild levels made by the developers themselves are also a major challenge. They work as the perfect test of patience for any new player, before they foray into the online mode and try out the courses made by other players.

9 Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.28

The entire Donkey Kong Country franchise is quite challenging, but the third entry, Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!, is considered to be the least difficult one. However, this doesn’t mean this classic SNES platformer is a breeze by any stretch.

Donkey Kong Country 3 shares a lot of elements with its predecessors, as this is a 2D adventure with tight level design that requires precise platforming. To make things worse, this game has a lot of crazy and unexpected gimmicks that will make things harder for players, like a level that inverts the controls, or another one in which lightning constantly comes down from the sky.

8 Donkey Kong Country

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.32

When Nintendo gave Rare the keys to the classic Donkey Kong franchise, nobody expected them to turn it into one of the best 2D platforming series in the entire industry. That’s exactly why the original Donkey Kong Country was such a delight, as it was a refreshing take on the genre that differed greatly from its contemporaries.

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Behind the beauty of its music, environments, and pre-rendered 3D graphics, Donkey Kong Country was hiding some of the most challenging levels of its time, with tricky enemies and carefully built designs. Any player who wants to overcome this challenge will have to master this game’s smooth yet precise controls.

7 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.44

The second entry in the Donkey Kong Country series is often seen as the best one, so it’s curious how it’s also considered to be the hardest one in the original SNES trilogy. This sequel took everything that worked well in the original and brought it to a whole new level: graphics, music, controls, and, of course, difficulty.

Donkey Kong Country 2 has some of the best levels in the franchise, which is frustrating because they’re also some of the most challenging. From Bramble Scramble to Animal Antics, every single one of these levels is as creative as it is incredibly hard. At least players can enjoy the beautiful music of this game as they lose over and over again.

6 New Super Luigi U

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.64

An expansion for New Super Mario Bros U (which was later turned into a standalone release) starring Luigi may seem like a silly and simple game at first, but this was not the case. With New Super Luigi U, it feels like Nintendo’s answer to every critic who claimed the New Super Mario Bros series was too easy.

This ended up being one of the most difficult Mario titles in years, and most players were not expecting this level of challenge. It was made for veterans and not newcomers. Half of the difficulty comes from Luigi’s less conventional control scheme – as he’s floatier and more slippery than his brother – and the other half comes from the crazy obstacles that most of the levels throw at the player.

5 Donkey Kong Country Returns

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.77

When Retro Studios got the opportunity to bring back the beloved Donkey Kong Country series for modern audiences, it seemed like these games were going to become a tad easier. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as Donkey Kong Country Returns managed to somehow be even more difficult than any of its predecessors.

Thanks to newest technology, the game’s levels could now be longer and harder, and they’re filled with crazy gimmicks like the rocket barrel. Even the Bonus Levels and the boss battles are major obstacles. Meanwhile, Donkey and Diddy Kong can still take very few hits and will face a Game Over if they lose all of their lives. It’s a combination of old school and modern ideas, which resulted in a game so hard that it needed to add the infamous Super Guide.

4 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.84

That was not all. Just 4 years later, Retro Studios delivered another amazing but challenging adventure starring Donkey Kong and company. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a true masterpiece in level design, and it is considered by many to be one of the best 2D platformers ever made. It’s also one of the most demanding games in its genre.

From beginning to end, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is an incredible adventure that’s filled to the brim with clever challenges that only get harder and harder at it goes along. Retro Studios somehow managed to make Bonus Levels and bosses that are even tougher than the ones in their previous Donkey Kong game. While this game offers some alternatives to make the experience more accessible for players – like Funky Mode – they don’t help much in the long run.

3 Kid Icarus

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.94

Modern 2D platformers at least have several tools that can help players should they get stuck. The same can’t be said of classic platformers for the original NES, with Kid Icarus being one of the most infamous examples. As cute and colorful as this game is, it can get very hard very fast.

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The levels in Kid Icarus are very big, and the checkpoints can be unreliable, which leads to a lot of frustration. Not to mention that it is very easy to get lost in its maze-like levels, which are also filled to the brim with annoying and challenging enemies, like the Pluton Fly or the infamous Eggplant Wizard.

2 Zelda 2: The Adventure Of Link

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.16

Adding RPG elements to a 2D platformer is a genius way to make things really difficult for players. It’s because of this that Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link is one of the weirdest entries in the franchise, since it has almost nothing in common with the original adventure game, or any of the games that have come since.

Zelda 2 shares more elements with 2D action sidescrollers like Castlevania or Mega Man, as players need to have precise reflexes in order to avoid and attack every enemy they find. This isn’t easy, especially because Link can’t take many hits. The RPG mechanics mean that players will have to grind and level up before they can even think about trying out some of the biggest challenges in this game, simply adding to the frustration.

1 Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels

GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 4.64

To this day, Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels is well known for being so excruciatingly hard that it was not originally released in North America. This is a game that has become infamous on the internet, and most people who try it out are players who are actually looking for a huge, soul-crushing challenge like this one.

Sometimes it feels like every level in Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels was specifically designed to mess with the player and hinder their progress. With hidden blocks in unfortunate places, small platforms that Mario will struggle to land on, huge gaps to jump over, and even leaps of faith. This is a game of trial and error that will forever change the lives of any players who manage to overcome it, as they will likely never face another challenge like it.

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