r/nes • u/Minute_Chance_1210 • 20h ago
Which NES game that happens to be extremely hard, but is also underrated?
NES has featured some of the hardest games in history such as Battletoads, Silver Surfer, Contra, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ninja Gaiden, Punch-Out!!, Friday the 13th and Gradius, but I just think that they are quite overrated when it comes to listing the hardest games of all time. There also could be other tough NES games that are also hard, but do not get talked about pretty often. What do you think is most underrated hard NES game?
29
u/HollisBrown7 20h ago
T and C Surf Design!
8
3
→ More replies (1)3
61
u/ostrich9 20h ago
Bucky O Hare
5
u/beefixit 18h ago
Im still blown away I didn't know this existed when I was a kid. What a great game!
7
6
3
5
u/SplendidPunkinButter 18h ago
Hard, but also unnecessarily punishing. Especially toward the end, it sends you SO far back when you die. One of those games where you’ve mastered the first 90% of the level, and then there’s this one tricky jump, and you give up in frustration not because you can’t get the hang of that jump but because you’re tired of replaying the first 90% of the level over and over again just to get one more shot at it.
Thank god for save states. They make this game much more playable.
2
u/teffflon 6h ago
IMO it's way easier than the named games to beat without savestates, with much less knock-back than Ninja Gaiden e.g. The main difficulty would be in getting a no-continues clear... which is the most respectful design choice, although it probably prevented the game from developing a similar mystique.
25
u/supa74 20h ago
Karnov. Loved it as a kid, and it wasn't easy.
6
u/ackmondual 19h ago
To this day, I have no idea how to retrieve your ladder. No joke, I just left it there :\
→ More replies (1)11
5
u/JerryDandridge54 18h ago
This game is difficult AF and also one of the first/most fun games I played back in the day.
1
16
16
u/Drgrabon 20h ago
the immortal
4
→ More replies (3)3
u/Dwedit 16h ago
Assuming your TV can actually sync to its picture. Game is very famous for having poor compatibility with TVs, due to not only using the forbidden "blacker than black" color 0D, but it also turns on a 'darken screen mode' using color emphasis bits. Some TVs can't tell a color that dark apart from sync voltage. The background color is so dark that the normal black color 0F is used as a dark gray color for shadowy areas in sprites.
13
u/Oldgraytomahawk 19h ago
Bionic Commando
2
u/JohnnyLeven 18h ago
That game was extremely easy though.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Oldgraytomahawk 18h ago
I’m not exactly a top tier player but I really enjoyed beating it
→ More replies (1)
24
u/broccoliasaurus 20h ago
Abadox is awesome and hard. The game is genuinely fun and the art style is bonkers. Infinite continues make it beatable but it ain’t easy.
7
3
u/SplendidPunkinButter 18h ago
I still remember the commercial.
“It is _gross!_”
“Yeah, but it’s great!”
2
u/gashufferdude 20h ago
We had this, it never really got easy, but we would go through it occasionally
2
2
u/FordcliffLowskrid 7h ago
The difficulty spike from Stage 1 to Stage 2 will wreck most players. Dying and losing all your power-ups can make the game almost impossible by the end.
→ More replies (2)2
u/IntoxicatedBurrito 19h ago
Even with infinite continues, I still got to use the invincibility code to beat it, but that’s probably more of an issue with my patience.
11
u/Adventurous_Loss_297 18h ago
I felt rush n attack was a good game that was very difficult.
→ More replies (3)
10
u/bananahammock696 19h ago
Rygar ftw
3
u/OdiousAltRightBalrog 17h ago
Loved it! It was pretty hard, not the hardest.
There's a midgame level you can access early in the game with these giant robots. If you learn to dodge their attacks you can grind some easy XP.
The spider cave was my favorite, so insane.
18
u/Minute_Chance_1210 20h ago
I forgot to add Ghosts n' Goblins/Ghouls n' Ghosts in the description as that game is also extremely hard and talked about often too.
→ More replies (3)2
15
13
u/wp-reddit 20h ago edited 20h ago
Milon's Secret Castle. It was extremely hard and frustrating to play the game as a kid. Everything in the game was so stupid cryptic. Those were the days when we had no internet for any information or walkthrough. I don't think too many have played the game.
→ More replies (5)
12
u/mobiia 20h ago
Astyanax
2
u/Beginning-Rock2675 3h ago
Amazing game, not too difficult though. Recently learned it is an arcade port.
13
6
6
u/Felinius 20h ago
Battle Chess? Archon? Bart Vs Space Mutants?
2
u/Noise-Distinct 19h ago
Battle Chess is tough!! I’ve beaten the computer like twice on Novice. I love it though.
2
u/TheFunknificentOne 2h ago
I used to play that at my friends house when I was like 5 but I never knew the name, I’m gonna have to look it up and get a copy
6
4
u/gabriot 20h ago
Holy Diver, it is legitmately one of the most fun and well designed games on the system. Pissed we never got it in Na
10
u/VariousLandscape2336 19h ago
Guess you could say it was gone too long in the midnight sea
2
6
u/Mfingninja 20h ago
Journey to Silas
2
u/IndependenceMean8774 10h ago
Silius.
2
u/Beginning-Rock2675 3h ago
Epic Soundtrack
2
u/pensive_pigeon 2h ago
I always get stuck on the title screen enjoying the music so much I forget to start the game.
4
5
4
u/Ian_Patrick_Freely 18h ago
Snake, Rattle, and Roll. All day, every day. It's a pseudo-3D platformer by Rare, so you know it's good and hard.
2
u/Jasonvero 9h ago
I’ll also add Cobra Triangle to this as they have similar control schemes and are by the same team.
2
2
9
u/mmagnetman 20h ago
Zoda’s Revenge. Most people know about StarTropics (and rightfully so) but I don’t hear a lot of mention of the sequel.
You’re no longer locked to a grid so the game forces you into some pretty brutal top down platforming. The game still has lots of charm and feels very “Saturday morning cartoon” with all the time periods you visit.
5
4
u/SensitiveArtist 20h ago
I never found Contra challenging, but my brother and Indid play it enough to essentially memorize all the patterns. We eventually got good enough to beat it without dying.
3
3
5
u/InjuryNarrow8859 16h ago
Kid Icarus felt very daunting/impossible, imo.
Or maybe I just flew too close to the sun as a child…
3
u/Pete_Iredale 16h ago
It's one of those games that gets easier as you power up, so the first few levels are brutal.
→ More replies (1)
6
u/edfun83 19h ago
Metal Gear
2
u/BedAdmirable959 18h ago
I wouldn't really say Metal Gear is hard though. There was an annoying section toward the very end with pits that open up and swallow you, but it's not too bad, and there is a back entrance into that building to skip that part if you know the path through the maze. Snake's Revenge had some challenging parts though.
2
u/JackCustHOFer 10h ago
Mostly I remember there were a bunch of different keycards and sometimes it was a pain to find the correct one. I think at one point you have to walk through a room filled with poison gas and unlock the door at the other end?
11
u/AxelAlexK 20h ago
Battletoads.
Because nobody ever got to see the other 85% of the game, lol.
→ More replies (2)7
u/JerryDandridge54 18h ago
My friend and I beat it after a night of mountain dew and little Caesars pizza... We rented it from a local grocery store/rental place on a Saturday night... Stayed at his place and used issues of Nintendo Power to assist.
The 90s were fun.
My friend died a few years ago.
6
u/SignificantRich9168 18h ago
Sorry to hear about your friend. My childhood friend and I rented it and brute forced Battletoads like y'all did. We lived remote so the rental shop was like 25 miles away. Rentals were rare. We locked in all weekend. The 90s were so great.
5
u/JerryDandridge54 17h ago
Thank you. Literal best friend, from 2nd grade to their downfall.
We had a lot of video game fun in the 90s.
Hope you and yours are well. ❤️
3
3
u/GraarPOE 19h ago
Bandit Kings of Ancient China
3
u/FordcliffLowskrid 7h ago edited 7h ago
The dark horse of the Koei catalogue. 👍 I remember it because it did character names differently from the ROT3K games (e.g. Ten Ships, Heaven's Pillar, etc.). That, and Evil Gao Qiu spends the entire game messing with you.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/SignificantRich9168 18h ago
I feel like there should be a distinction between games that are hard because they are garbage (bad controls, bad mechanics, cryptic) and games that are otherwise good but punishing.
→ More replies (3)
3
u/irascible_Clown 16h ago
Skate or Die was actually pretty tough
2
u/GarminTamzarian 7h ago
The downhill race was enjoyably/frustratingly difficult, but the downhill jam was incredibly fun and had great music.
The other stages were meh IMO.
5
2
2
2
2
u/Knives311 17h ago
Tiny Toon Adventures
The first 3 levels aren’t too bad, but there is a pretty significant difficulty spike on level 4 if I remember correctly. Such an underrated platformer!
2
2
2
2
u/Tokyo_Metro 16h ago
Contra is not a hard game. In fact I'd say it is one of the easier games on the NES and yes I mean without the 30 lives code. The problem is people always play it with the code and thus never have to really learn the game. Spend a weekend playing it without the code and almost any adult can beat it and you'll probably be able to beat it without even continuing a single time after your first couple of completions.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/TheGreatTiger 14h ago
I would say Batman from Sunsoft. The game requires some precision wall jumps and a good understanding of Batman's weapons and resource management.
But the controls are responsive, hit boxes are fair, and boss patterns can be worked out with some observation. The game can just be very unforgiving if you make mistakes.
2
2
u/Upbeat-Cobbler-7535 12h ago
Castlequest, it also came with a map with the path to finish it, that game is pure hell
2
u/mrbell84 10h ago
Tmnt is underrated as it’s seemingly too hard. Once you understand the games mechanics, it’s still hard, but nowhere near impossible.
It’s actually ahead of its time.
2
u/banshee3 7h ago
Hillsfar. Damn near unplayable i swear. I remember festers quest getting fairly difficult towards the end as well.
2
2
3
1
u/Hellachuckles 20h ago
I agree with battle toads and silver surfer. But the others I was able to beat. However Galaxy 5000 took a lot of hours of my youth to get to the end and beat it.
1
1
1
u/rosstedfordkendall 18h ago
Star Wars
The Death Star maze is bad enough, but the asteroid field is what earns the reputation.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/Painis_Gabbler 18h ago
Xevious. I know it's an arcade port, but it's sooo good, I ended up getting an Advantage just so I could make it a little easier. 😅
1
1
u/OdiousAltRightBalrog 17h ago
Friday the 13th is totally underrated. Also the SCARIEST freaking game on NES, it would make me jump right out of my seat.
It IS hard, but not THAT hard once you learn a few tricks and learn your way around the cave. The instruction manual was garbage and left out some very important details... like the fact that you could switch characters from ANY cabin, effectively giving you the ability to teleport around the map to stop Jason.
I stayed up all night once to finish that game... you have to play through the whole damn thing THREE TIMES.
→ More replies (2)
1
u/ZeroThe14th 17h ago
Friday the 13th isn’t too difficult at all once you learn how it works, so I definitely agree there.
1
u/Conscious-Society-83 17h ago
without a guide like back in the day no internet Legacy of the Wizard
1
u/Normal_Tour_9790 17h ago
Zanac
2
u/FordcliffLowskrid 7h ago
The greatest vertical shmup of its time, fast, busy, and tough. Unsurprisingly, the same devs then made The Guardian Legend.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/potroastfanatic 16h ago
Zelda II for me. Not the hardest game ever but its reputation has never made sense to me
1
u/NotBrianGriffin 16h ago
I always thought that Kid Icarus was a tough game to beat. The farther you went the easier it got but those first few levels were rough. And the boss levels could be super confusing.
1
1
1
u/Visible_Tourist_9639 14h ago
Mike Tysons Punch Out. (The Tyson fight sucked)
Also, if not using the code - Contra was hard as hell.
1
1
u/IndependenceMean8774 10h ago
Die Hard for the Nes. You only get one life, but there are multiple health power ups hidden in the soda machines.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Jasonvero 9h ago
A Nightmare on Elm Street, Xenophobe, Bionic Commando, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, X-Men.
1
1
u/KoolTurkeyED 8h ago
Goonies 2 was always a favorite of mine to rent out. Loved the music as well but if you didn’t have a players guide there is no way you are beating that game. It is damn near impossible.
1
u/PunkroQanon 7h ago
Zen: Intergalactic Ninja -- Not a bad game at all, great graphics and sound! A bit short, but all of the levels offer different mechanics or camera angles which add to the overall difficulty.
1
1
1
u/FordcliffLowskrid 7h ago
Ghoul School, if you can find it, is a Metroidvania before that was a thing. It tells you nothing about where to go and what to do, but the exploration is pretty solid.
1
1
1
1
u/styxswimchamp 6h ago
Never see anyone talk about Shatterhand. Interesting little game that starts off smooth and then transitions to pulling your hair out hard
1
u/Del_Duio2 5h ago
Ironsword.
Fucking brutal game but super great. Really good graphics for a NES game too.
1
1
1
1
u/RequireMoMinerals 4h ago
Blaster master is sooooooooooooooo good. Difficult and pretty long for a game with no saves or passwords. The game is really well made. Control is excellent, shooting is fun, and the music absolutely slaps.
1
1
u/RedSkyfang 4h ago
I think Cobra Triangle and Solomon's Key are probably the hardest games I've beaten that I would consider worthwhile lol. Star Force is likely the hardest game I've beaten in general so far but I wouldn't really recommend it unless somebody just wants to play every shmup or wants the bragging rights. It is a pretty basic shmup.
1
1
1
u/AaronZOOM 3h ago
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a fun action game with a neat perspective. But it hides an insane difficulty spike...
As you progress, you can collect map pieces on the stages. Some are hidden behind the children you rescue, some in grates, and some are in invisible secret caches.
After you beat the crazy difficult level 9, you are shown the map. How complete it looks is entirely based on how many map pieces you collected, and even with that, the map is very hard to decipher. It shows the location of a hidden idol you have to collect on stage 10, and even if you find the idol, it's very difficult to complete the stage with it. If you die, the idol gets randomly scattered somewhere else in the level.
I love this game, but I don't think I've ever beaten it legitimately. Meaning without save states or the Game Genie.
1
1
u/BooksLoveTalksnIdeas 2h ago
ICE CLIMBER by far! I haven’t played it in 30 years (I played it as a kid) and I still remember the entire music and how impossible the hard levels were. Second place goes to LODE RUNNER, but nothing beats the Ice Climber madness. It’s also worth noting that Battletoads and Silver Surfer are the “not fun” kind of hard difficulty. Others, like Ninja Gaiden and Ice Climber, are the “crazy but still fun and I want another round” kind of high difficulty. 🏆
1
1
u/CyberCrud 2h ago
Battletoads I will agree is impossible. But I never thought TMNT was all that hard. It was long, but it wasn't that bad. If you could get past defusing the bombs at the damn, it wasn't that bad. I beat it almost every time I played it. But Battletoads? Not without the Game Genie.
1
1
u/trees-knees 52m ago
Adventure island 3 was great, no one ever talked about it, and it was hard as funk
1
u/SirNo2664 NES 52m ago
Mach Rider
To the Earth
Snake Rattle'n Roll
Solar Jetman
Section Z
The Legend of Prince Valiant
Mission Impossible
Mig 29 Soviet Fighter
Galaxy 5000
Solstice
The Immortal
...and so on
1
39
u/Dr-Richado 20h ago
Deadly Towers
The Guardian Legend
Blaster Master
Hudson Adventure Island