These 6 difficult games make even professionals’ hands shake

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Some games are deliberately designed to create a dangerous combination of joy and frustration, with many players feeling sick to their stomachs just thinking about the first boss. We’d like to introduce you to six of them.

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cuphead

The DLC “The Tasty Last Course” also offers nasty bosses on the assembly line, including a cow with a vacuum cleaner.Image: MDHR

type: run and gun
First published: September 29, 2017 (PC, Xbox One)
Also available for: macOS, Switch, PS4

A stylish retro cartoon look, Netflix's own animated series, an adorable main character – at first glance, Cuphead seems like a kid-friendly experience. But this impression is misleading. Studio MDHR's platform-shooter combo is extremely difficult in terms of difficulty, requiring constant dodging, constant memorization of enemy movement patterns, and a lot of patience. Especially a boss like the Doctor. Sweating is inevitable when using Carl's Robot, Grim Matchstick or Cara Maria. By the way, pros get twice as much money because each boss can be tackled again in expert mode after being defeated on normal difficulty.

Ghosts and Goblins

Connoisseurs can master “Ghosts'n Goblins” in 35 minutes. Newbies are scheduled for several weeks of training.Image: Capcom

type: platform game
First published: 4. September 1985 (arcade)
Also available for: NES, ZX Spectrum, C16, C64, Amstrad CPC, IBM PC, NEC PC-8801, Amiga, Atari ST, GameBoy Color, iOS, Android

The 63-year-old Tokugawa Fujiwara not only created the predecessor to “Resident Evil”, “Sweet Home”, but also one of the most difficult platform games in the past 40 years. We're talking about “Ghosts and Goblins.” There are many reasons why “Makaimura” (the Japanese name, which translates as Demon World Village) is so difficult. In addition to the ruthless timer chasing you in each level, you will also encounter enemies that come from nowhere and unpredictable enemy actions. What's especially annoying is that once you somehow succeed, you need to beat it again on a higher difficulty to see the final ending.

Super Meat Boy

Buzz saws in all shapes and variations make life difficult for Meat Boy.Bild: Team Meat, Blitworks

type: platform game
First published: Xbox 360 October 20, 2010 Also available for: PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS Vita, Wii U, Switch

In Super Meat Boy, a rectangular piece of meat sets out to save his sweetheart, Bandage Girl, from the clutches of the evil scientist Dr. to release the fetus. Before that happens, however, you have to master over 300 levels, the difficulty of which increases significantly in a very short time. The main reason for this are deadly traps in the form of buzz saws, spikes, fans, lava pools, fireballs, etc., which can only be overcome by executing dashes and jumps with great precision. Incentive: If you complete a level with an A+ rating, you'll unlock a harder version of the level.

return

The Return is worth sticking with because the action scenes are great and the story is very exciting.Image: Housemarque

type: Mild Rogue
First published: PS5 April 30, 2021
Also available for: personal computer

In “The Return,” astronaut Selina Vassos is stuck in a time loop after crash-landing on the alien planet Atropos. Only by completing the six ever-changing celestial biomes in one go can she escape the nightmare. Challenge: Since this is a roguelite game, you start over from scratch after every on-screen death, and on top of that you lose all weapons and raw materials – only health bar upgrades, alternate weapon shooting modes and a variety of weapons at your disposal Special items. Items that have been obtained, such as a grappling hook or a sword, will remain with you permanently. Tip for newbies: As a precaution, place some thick pillows in the corners of the room where people will be tempted to throw game controllers in.

Ninja Gaiden

If you want to catch up on Ryu's game route today, it's best to play “Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection”.Image: Koei Tecmo

type: action adventure
First published in: Xbox March 2, 2004
Also available for: PS3, PS Vita, Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox One

The Ninja Gaiden series was first released in Japanese arcades in October 1988 and has earned an excellent reputation among action fans for decades. However, Ninja Ryu Hayabusa's adventures have never been a walk in the park. In particular, 2004's 3D spin-off Ninja Gaiden was so demanding that many people felt weak in the knees when inserting the disc into their Xbox drive. By the way, the makers don't need a tutorial on the combat system at all, but drop you right into the middle of the action, where you'll face wave after wave of enemies without giving you any time to deal with them. breathe. No joke: Due to ongoing complaints about the difficulty level, the creators added an easy mode called “Ninja Dog” to the PS3 version of Ninja Garden Black.

Ax: Shadow Dies Twice

Extremely short windows of time to dodge attacks are the norm in Sekiro.Image source: FromSoftware

type: Souls/Action-Adventure
First published: Available March 22, 2019 for PS4, PC, Xbox One

If you ask FromSoftware fans about the Japanese studio's most difficult game to date, one name will usually come up: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. No wonder, since the multiplayer elements are completely removed here compared to the Dark Souls offshoot of the series. This eliminates the need to have co-op allies help you with tough boss fights. To make matters worse, you can only increase your hero's damage and resistance by defeating the main or minor boss. “Sekiro” is not impossible. However, staying the course requires nerves like a tightrope. Alternatively, you can download various mods for the PC version to lower the difficulty.

Now you're asked: Which games from the past few decades have you found particularly difficult – and why? We look forward to your comments!

The army canceled another IT project because the software could not operate independently of foreign countries. This time it’s about logistics. Even if there is a war. A replacement won't be ready for at least a decade.

The army is temporarily unequipped to deal with the crisis: research published by SRF radio on Wednesday shows this. A multimillion-dollar computer project was secretly canceled. This applies at least to the area of ​​so-called “war logistics.”