the NES was home to many a challenging
game with some going the extra mile in
terms of difficulty welcome to
watchmojo.com and she’ll be counting
down our picks for the top 10 hardest
and EAS games for this list we’re taking
a look at the Nintendo Entertainment
System titles that were difficult
because of legitimate challenge rather
than broken game design this means hard
yet broken games like dr. Jekyll and mr.
Hyde won’t be discussed number 10 top
gun
it’s a highway to the dangerzone indeed
released 18 months after the film Top
Gun this flight simulation game bases
itself on the film’s flight sequences to
offer legitimate if notably tough
challenges players take on the role of
maverick flying an f-14 Tomcat in for
missions with escalating objectives from
destroying an aircraft carrier to
bringing down a space shuttle does that
happen in the movie right however the
real difficulty lies in landing the
Tomcat after a mission as it requires
attention to speed and angle of descent
it’s probably best to take things nice
and easy if you try this
number nine Zelda to The Adventure of
Link
you
sometimes a shift in genre is what it
takes to shake up the difficulty curve
such is the case with this sequel to the
landmark action-adventure game The
Legend of Zelda in which our boy hero
link sets out to awaken Princess Zelda
from her magically induced slumber
the core concept of Zelda 2 is how it
moves away from the top-down exploration
of the original into a blend of
overworld traversal and side-scrolling
actions this gameplay shift is made
tougher for gamers by a general lack of
direct information about the world
meaning trial and error and educated
guesses are key number 8 Castlevania
crack that whip and prepare for a
nightmarish onslaught the original
Castlevania made an impact for many
reasons it’s groundbreaking visuals it’s
clever use of plastic horror iconography
and it’s steep learning curve while
demon slayer Simon Belmont uses a
variety of assist items in addition to
his famed whip his efforts are balanced
out by constantly responding foes and
difficult to traverse levels on top of
that Simon’s combat and platforming
abilities are limited in nature by
design demanding a cautious and
strategic approach to play
number seven contra
nothing like a classic side scroller to
take us back contra ported to the NES in
1988 made itself known for quick moving
screen filling run and gun action though
the game occasionally shifted into
pseudo 3d and fixed screen segments its
main attraction was having the player
blast their way from left to right the
challenge lay in surviving long enough
to reach each levels end
enemies always fired from a number of
different directions and one hitmen
instant death for the player although
having the default weapon carry infinite
ammo certainly helped matters a bit
number 6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
pray for those heroes in a half-shell
loosely based on the 1987 animated
series of the same name Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles is famous for its level of
difficulty switching between each one of
the four turtles the player is tasked
with exploring an overworld map which
transitions into side-scrolling levels
in sewers buildings and that infamous
dam level
as you venture through each area an
array of increasingly difficult folks
from foot ninjas to Mouser robots and
more show up to cause trouble
coupled with the limited nature of
jumping it’s easy to see how this game
gets its reputation number five Super
Mario Brothers the Lost Levels a
conversion of Doki Doki Panic this is
not initially released only in Japan
Super Mario Brothers 2 or the Lost
Levels as it’s known here in the West
was developed as a direct follow-up to
the original Super Mario Brothers what
resulted however is something of a
legend packing in hazards such as poison
mushrooms and midair wind gusts the Lost
Levels became notorious for its
escalation and challenge in fact it’s
perceived difficulty was so great that
it would not be sold in North America
until 1993 as part of the Super Mario
all-stars compilation number 4 ghosts
and goblins a Knight’s Tale unlike any
other for good or ill developed by
Capcom ghosts and goblins has a simple
setup the noble knight arthur embarking
on a quest to save princess prin prin
from satan this is easier said than done
though the game features a wide array of
damage resistant monsters and a timer
for level completion lest Arthur risk
losing a life on top of all this the
game requires a second playthrough on a
higher difficulty setting in order to
achieve the true ending
number three Ninja Gaiden
noble quests demand intense challenge
apparently at least that’s our reasoning
for the design of ninja gaiden a game
split into six acts that chronicles the
ninja Ryo Hayabusas mission to avenge
his father
what makes this action platformer
particularly noteworthy is its embrace
of respawning enemies numerous level
hazards and boss that command a patient
yet adaptable play style
factor in the escalating difficulty and
the need to comprehend mechanics such as
wall jumping and thus players have an
NES title for the ages also those damned
Eagles number two Silver Surfer
developed by software creations this
fascinating title doesn’t pull its
punches at its most basic Silver Surfer
is a shoot-’em-up in which players take
on the role of the eponymous Marvel
Comics superhero flying around inside
scrolling and overhead segments however
complications arise from its challenge
centric design the silver surfers foes
are relentless the surfer himself has a
large hitbox and he can die in one hit
as a result gameplay becomes just as
much about edging forward to safety as
it is about combating interstellar
adversaries seriously why is the Silver
Surfer so fragile he’s supposed to have
the power cause moon it’s like you touch
the top of the building you die and
touch the ceiling you die touch the
floor you die too far the right you die
too far left you die you die you die you
die die die die die die die die die die
die die we unveil our top pick here are
a few honorable mentions
number one Battletoads
ah the days when rare stood tall and
made us weep quietly 1991’s battletoads
praised in its day for its hardware
pushing graphics and varied gameplay
also didn’t lack for player challenging
obstacles
from its fast-paced turbo tunnel level
to the onslaught of enemies and
obstacles in its beat above stages
Battletoads was built to push gamers to
their limits it toyed with elements of
different genres ensuring the player
didn’t know exactly what to expect with
each new level the sheer brutality of
its design is at once remarkable and
kind of terrifying
do we with our list which NES games do
you feel are super hard
for more challenging top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
you
game with some going the extra mile in
terms of difficulty welcome to
watchmojo.com and she’ll be counting
down our picks for the top 10 hardest
and EAS games for this list we’re taking
a look at the Nintendo Entertainment
System titles that were difficult
because of legitimate challenge rather
than broken game design this means hard
yet broken games like dr. Jekyll and mr.
Hyde won’t be discussed number 10 top
gun
it’s a highway to the dangerzone indeed
released 18 months after the film Top
Gun this flight simulation game bases
itself on the film’s flight sequences to
offer legitimate if notably tough
challenges players take on the role of
maverick flying an f-14 Tomcat in for
missions with escalating objectives from
destroying an aircraft carrier to
bringing down a space shuttle does that
happen in the movie right however the
real difficulty lies in landing the
Tomcat after a mission as it requires
attention to speed and angle of descent
it’s probably best to take things nice
and easy if you try this
number nine Zelda to The Adventure of
Link
you
sometimes a shift in genre is what it
takes to shake up the difficulty curve
such is the case with this sequel to the
landmark action-adventure game The
Legend of Zelda in which our boy hero
link sets out to awaken Princess Zelda
from her magically induced slumber
the core concept of Zelda 2 is how it
moves away from the top-down exploration
of the original into a blend of
overworld traversal and side-scrolling
actions this gameplay shift is made
tougher for gamers by a general lack of
direct information about the world
meaning trial and error and educated
guesses are key number 8 Castlevania
crack that whip and prepare for a
nightmarish onslaught the original
Castlevania made an impact for many
reasons it’s groundbreaking visuals it’s
clever use of plastic horror iconography
and it’s steep learning curve while
demon slayer Simon Belmont uses a
variety of assist items in addition to
his famed whip his efforts are balanced
out by constantly responding foes and
difficult to traverse levels on top of
that Simon’s combat and platforming
abilities are limited in nature by
design demanding a cautious and
strategic approach to play
number seven contra
nothing like a classic side scroller to
take us back contra ported to the NES in
1988 made itself known for quick moving
screen filling run and gun action though
the game occasionally shifted into
pseudo 3d and fixed screen segments its
main attraction was having the player
blast their way from left to right the
challenge lay in surviving long enough
to reach each levels end
enemies always fired from a number of
different directions and one hitmen
instant death for the player although
having the default weapon carry infinite
ammo certainly helped matters a bit
number 6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
pray for those heroes in a half-shell
loosely based on the 1987 animated
series of the same name Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles is famous for its level of
difficulty switching between each one of
the four turtles the player is tasked
with exploring an overworld map which
transitions into side-scrolling levels
in sewers buildings and that infamous
dam level
as you venture through each area an
array of increasingly difficult folks
from foot ninjas to Mouser robots and
more show up to cause trouble
coupled with the limited nature of
jumping it’s easy to see how this game
gets its reputation number five Super
Mario Brothers the Lost Levels a
conversion of Doki Doki Panic this is
not initially released only in Japan
Super Mario Brothers 2 or the Lost
Levels as it’s known here in the West
was developed as a direct follow-up to
the original Super Mario Brothers what
resulted however is something of a
legend packing in hazards such as poison
mushrooms and midair wind gusts the Lost
Levels became notorious for its
escalation and challenge in fact it’s
perceived difficulty was so great that
it would not be sold in North America
until 1993 as part of the Super Mario
all-stars compilation number 4 ghosts
and goblins a Knight’s Tale unlike any
other for good or ill developed by
Capcom ghosts and goblins has a simple
setup the noble knight arthur embarking
on a quest to save princess prin prin
from satan this is easier said than done
though the game features a wide array of
damage resistant monsters and a timer
for level completion lest Arthur risk
losing a life on top of all this the
game requires a second playthrough on a
higher difficulty setting in order to
achieve the true ending
number three Ninja Gaiden
noble quests demand intense challenge
apparently at least that’s our reasoning
for the design of ninja gaiden a game
split into six acts that chronicles the
ninja Ryo Hayabusas mission to avenge
his father
what makes this action platformer
particularly noteworthy is its embrace
of respawning enemies numerous level
hazards and boss that command a patient
yet adaptable play style
factor in the escalating difficulty and
the need to comprehend mechanics such as
wall jumping and thus players have an
NES title for the ages also those damned
Eagles number two Silver Surfer
developed by software creations this
fascinating title doesn’t pull its
punches at its most basic Silver Surfer
is a shoot-’em-up in which players take
on the role of the eponymous Marvel
Comics superhero flying around inside
scrolling and overhead segments however
complications arise from its challenge
centric design the silver surfers foes
are relentless the surfer himself has a
large hitbox and he can die in one hit
as a result gameplay becomes just as
much about edging forward to safety as
it is about combating interstellar
adversaries seriously why is the Silver
Surfer so fragile he’s supposed to have
the power cause moon it’s like you touch
the top of the building you die and
touch the ceiling you die touch the
floor you die too far the right you die
too far left you die you die you die you
die die die die die die die die die die
die die we unveil our top pick here are
a few honorable mentions
number one Battletoads
ah the days when rare stood tall and
made us weep quietly 1991’s battletoads
praised in its day for its hardware
pushing graphics and varied gameplay
also didn’t lack for player challenging
obstacles
from its fast-paced turbo tunnel level
to the onslaught of enemies and
obstacles in its beat above stages
Battletoads was built to push gamers to
their limits it toyed with elements of
different genres ensuring the player
didn’t know exactly what to expect with
each new level the sheer brutality of
its design is at once remarkable and
kind of terrifying
do we with our list which NES games do
you feel are super hard
for more challenging top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
you
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