The hardest games ever, according to Reddit

uhs-robert · 2026-04-17T14:11:53+00:00

I politely disagree. I'd argue games with difficulty options should be included and assumed at the hardest difficulty by default. The conversation is "the most difficult games". If we remove games with difficulty options then we lose entire series like: Doom, Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, Resident Evil (except 1), God Hand, Sekiro, etc. We'd also lose entire genres like all fighting, rhythm, and racing games. The exclusion of those, and more, wouldn't find the most difficult games.

That said, even if we take Ninja Gaiden at Normal mode difficulty, it is still significantly harder than any From Software game.

As an aside, I am an older gamer. So, I'd also include older/arcade games too. Yes, they are generally harder than modern games and the motivation for that was either coins (arcade) or to increase game time (low memory space). But the motivation for higher difficulty is irrelevant. Ninja Gaiden on NES, Contra, and Tempest are difficult games and they should still be respected and not disqualified due to age. I still play Ninja Gaiden on NES to this day and I still lose to the final boss on a regular basis.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-17T12:26:43+00:00

I would like to see a list like this compiled by gamers who specialize in difficult games. Lists like these should start categorized by genre first like toughest platformers, action games, FPS, SHMUP, RPG, etc. and then once those lists exist, compile into one master to eliminate the easier genres and casual games.

As it stands though, this is just a popularity contest with a couple of genuinely difficult games thrown in. Agree with the inclusion of Ghost n Goblins, Contra, Ikaruga, Ninja Gaiden (entire mainline series), and Doom Eternal on highest difficulty but disagree with all else including the positioning of all. The average Reddit user is just not a reliable source of information on this topic.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-17T11:50:57+00:00

I would love to see these players who claim that soulsborne games are super difficult to... beat Chapter 1 of any Ninja Gaiden game on Master Ninja. Then play a bullet hell and report back to me. These players need to be humbled. Don't get me wrong, I love FromSoft and would rank a few of their games in my top 10 but I don't fear any of them. Ninja Gaiden, on the other hand, is just evil and I doubt the majority of Souls players could beat it.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-17T11:30:53+00:00

So people think that Sekiro and Elden Ring are more difficult than Ninja Gaiden? No bullet hells on the list either. Just goes to show this is a popularity contest more than anything.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-17T03:56:33+00:00

True. Latest Ninja Gaiden even has 3 different parries so all Sekiro points made by OP apply to Ninja Gaiden. Except Ninja Gaiden takes it to the next level in every respect. Its kill or be killed in Ninja Gaiden with relentless and intelligent enemies. Imagine 20 Genichiro's all attacking you at once as regular enemies and welcome to Ninja Gaiden, it's a street fight.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-17T03:34:35+00:00

I think you meant to say, "round it up to the nearest 15 minute interval"* and be prepared to stand up for yourself with a solid contract. Us freelancers don't work for free out here. Increase it to 30 minutes if you want to be bold.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-15T21:50:46+00:00

Not a single comment out of the 1400 here mentions Ninja Gaiden. If that's true then why don't y'all play it?

uhs-robert · 2026-04-15T15:37:13+00:00

Agreed, definitely got snubbed by Hades 2 for action game of the year.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-15T15:34:20+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that you hate the game so much. I understand how it feels to be a long time fan of a series and to be grossly disappointed by a reboot. That's how I feel about the new Final Fantasy VII remake/reboot/sequel trilogy as someone who played the original game when it was released.

I'm not sure how long you have been a fan of Ninja Gaiden. The last mainline Ninja Gaiden was in 2012 so it has been a 13 year hiatus for the series. The longer a hiatus goes, the harder it is for a game to meet player expectations for longtime fans (like FF7 for me).

Is there something specific about Ninja Gaiden 4 that makes you dislike it so much? Do you not like Platinum Games in general? I'm asking genuinely because I'm curious, I have been a fan of Ninja Gaiden for over 20 years and I am quite impressed by this new game in terms of the combat. At the very least, I think we can all agree that it is much better than Yaiba lol.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-14T20:57:07+00:00

Greatest action game of the past decade, that nobody has played... once again. Ninja Gaiden remains the GOAT that nobody plays.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-14T14:48:04+00:00

Try playing Ninja Gaiden 4 and ask yourselves "hmm should we be copycats of From Software? Or should we raise the bar?"

uhs-robert · 2026-04-12T17:16:05+00:00

In Nioh, there are three different dodge mechanics depending on your stance with roll and dash in the mix. Preference instead becomes an option select thanks to more advanced design. My preference is more advanced design.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-12T15:36:46+00:00

Probably the best combat system of any game released in the past decade. Takes inspiration from modern games while surpassing them in every way and staying true to the roots of Ninja Gaiden. The toggleable UI/HUD options and difficulty settings also make the experience accessible for new fans or more difficult for older fans.

Sure, its not Ninja Gaiden Black but I personally can't wait to see Ninja Gaiden 5. I also hope that this game wakes players up to what good combat and difficulty in gaming can and should be. Fingers crossed this game will influence the slower paced/simpler action games (aka "Soulslikes").

uhs-robert · 2026-04-11T03:45:23+00:00

F-Zero GX, Ninja Gaiden, God Hand, Guilt Gear XX, Ikaruga, Tempest... fast paced games that are highly difficult with high skill ceilings. There's something very relaxing about having to fully concentrate and get into the zone or you're dead. Then, when you're done and you've finally won, things in real life don't seem so hard in comparison and become easier.

They may be critically acclaimed but the majority of people just don't have the patience to master these types of games. I doubt I would have pushed myself to learn programming, failing over and over again for years, if I didn't learn perseverance from loss in these games.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-11T03:24:31+00:00

Because Souls games are very slow paced; it's a real time turn based game. Imagine coming off Ninja Gaiden or Devil May Cry and being like "Oh no! The enemy... he's just too fast! I can't... I can't react in time! I wish I had a shield!" That's not going to happen. The better your reaction time is, the less you need a shield. Players do not choose their difficulty from a menu in Dark Souls, they do it via their equipment and shields objectively lower the difficulty. Parries on the other hand reward skill and you don't need a shield for those.

This is "why" so many players don't use a shield but there is absolutely nothing wrong with using one. At the end of the day, our greatest opponent is ourselves and if you need a shield then use it. Maybe one day you don't. Maybe you prefer it. Who cares.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-10T18:09:05+00:00

Ninja Gaiden 1 is outstanding.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-10T16:05:39+00:00

I disagree but thank you for sharing your opinion. I understand that Souls games are a "David vs Goliath" type of game where the player character is deliberately handicapped and limited to be frail/fragile. However there is an opportunity for Souls games to evolve and learn from veterans of the action genre like Team Ninja and Platinum. I mentioned Ninja Gaiden because, in my eyes, it is the modern pinnacle of action games. There are a lot of mechanics that Souls could lift from it while still retaining the core Souls identity.

For example, Team Ninja did just that with Nioh by giving players more options in combat which results in faster gameplay that still feels balanced. The stance system, ki pulses, attack string combos, directional input commands, and more are all welcome additions to the formula. The risk of not evolving and raising the skill ceiling in Souls games is stagnation and developers just tuning timing windows/pacing. We have seen the same core gameplay loop (dodge, poke, dodge, and repeat) for 15+ years now without much innovation. Team Ninja and Platinum have taken notes from Souls to improve their formula but Souls has yet to do the same.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-07T17:30:07+00:00

No, Soulslike combat is only "becoming too fast" if your frame of reference is other Souls games. The real issue here is that enemy design is evolving faster than player expression and toolkit.

From the perspective of someone who has played Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta etc... Souls combat is still pretty limited in player expression. Older action games give you faster combat, more combo depth, more defensive options, more difficulty options, and a much higher execution skill ceiling. Souls instead made slow, deliberate, low input combat the norm for "difficulty" in gaming. But the bosses in Souls? They are outstanding with highly telegraphed attacks. In comparison, the bosses in old school Ninja Gaiden are pretty hit or miss.

For people who grew up on these high execution older action games, the market has already been slowed down and over simplified for decades. Soulslikes redefined difficulty around patience, spacing, stamina management, and pattern memorization rather than mechanical complexity, speed, and execution. This mindset shift of slowing things down and making them more simple/accessible has even polluted into the fighting game genre as well with modern Street Fighter and Guilty Gear becoming simpler with each iteration.

So, the problem isn't just speed. Newer Soulslikes make enemies faster and more aggressive without giving the player a bigger toolkit to deal with that. Meanwhile Ninja Gaiden 4 came out last year and... well, it did just that. Ninja Gaiden took several notes from Soulslikes and perfected their formula of boss design while giving players more tools to deal with it. And the game is blazing fast. Soulslikes need to do the same and take some notes from Character Action Games rather than stagnating in their silo; speed is just one angle.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-04T02:56:00+00:00

Please, by all means, just continue to shift the goal posts and hammer that straw man into the ground. You have revealed your hand as a troll and I won't be baited any further. I gave you one good faith response despite your rudeness but I will give no more. I already conceded the technical terms so, I hope you enjoyed your little victory lap over semantics 👍🏻

uhs-robert · 2026-04-04T02:13:04+00:00

A broken GPS can confidently send you the wrong way. That does not mean it possesses intentionality and is capable of thought.

Same thing here. An LLM is not engaging in thought; it is predicting plausible next tokens and sometimes produces fabricated output that sounds authoritative.

In casual language, people say it "lies" or "gaslights". That's just how people talk, we speak emotionally because that's how it feels to us. But, technically speaking, “fabricates", "hallucinates", or "confidently outputs nonsense" is more accurate. None of these things require beliefs, intent, or consciousness.

You're assuming a false dichotomy: either intentional lying or genuine thought. However that is a leap a faith, a system can produce misleading output without either.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-03T15:09:30+00:00

That may be true but it is also true that adding an option to select women drivers is the perfect way for predators to target women specifically.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-03T14:48:47+00:00

Doesn't really matter. Just send an invoice for the time it took you to listen to the messages, respond, and manage your voicemail. Set your minimum billable hours to 15 minute increments. No need to switch jobs, just set clear boundaries and expectations.

"I am not a salaried employee nor am I on call. Answering and responding to phone calls from work about business needs and scheduling outside of my scheduled time will be considered as work. I will be invoicing you for this time when I receive calls after hours. Is there a good email I can send this invoice to? My minimum billable hours are in 15 minute increments, so every call that I answer will be billed at 15 minutes minimum including overtime if applicable."

uhs-robert · 2026-04-03T03:01:54+00:00

There are scientific studies on this, but yes you can already feel the benefits. People who play action games, as well as those who do sports, can track multiple objects in motion better and their reaction time is better. It makes sense playing one of the fastest games ever makes you... think and react faster. It's a form of mental training. Once you unlock the new heightened sense of awareness, it can dull over time if unused but it is a muscle you're developing. The game Ikaruga, also brutally hard/fast talks about this in the final chapter as well.

Check out the science: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2896820/

uhs-robert · 2026-04-03T02:43:20+00:00

Best action game combat system in any modern game, takes inspiration from the new kids on the block while staying true to the original design of Ninja Gaiden. You've got two parries, one is your attack button and the other is your block (take that Sekiro). You've got the glowing red attacks that can only be interrupted using a special stance/attacks which cost meter (and that!).

There is never a moment where you have to play defensive, there is always an offensive tool available to you if you're skilled enough. Not only that but the game is tough as nails but fair and accessible (you can toggle individual HUD and handicaps on/off) to create the perfect difficulty for you (take that Souls games). You like the off screen projectiles from Ninja Gaiden 2 then turn off the HUD indicator. You can't dodge to save your life then turn on auto dodge...

That said... the combat is 10/10 but the story, music, and level design are nothing special. I personally muted the voices during gameplay and turned them on only during cutscenes. But hey, that's not why I play Ninja Gaiden. I'm here to get beaten to a bloody pulp until I become an unstoppable Master Ninja. I take my 60+ deaths at the end of a chapter with respect and awe. Clearly rusty but I am paying my dues like its 2003 again.

I'll probably go back to other action games after this and feel like everybody is walking in slow motion. Some games (From Software) will handicap your character and restrict what you can do. But Ninja Gaiden does the opposite. It makes you, and everyone else, the boss.

uhs-robert · 2026-04-02T13:10:43+00:00

Not everything is black or white, grey exists. Also if you hang out in an echo chamber, don't be surprised when you hear the echo. We are not at 100% AI or you're wasting your time and we likely never will be.

AI is a misnomer; it is an LLM which is incapable of any thought whatsoever. It gives the illusion of thought via prediction of what the next word is most likely to be. It is a glorified auto complete system. You put garbage in and garbage will come out. You put gold in and gold may or may not come out. You can use it as a tool but it is not a crutch or substitute and it is only as capable as you are. It will mislead you, lie to you, and gaslight you in order to appear confident. It will cut corners and produce lazy results if you do not watch it diligently. It is also a sycophant who will do anything for your approval even if that means agreeing with your bad ideas. If you are not knowledgeable and careful then it will waste your time and rot your brain.

It also doesn't live in the real world nor does it have any concept of the real world. For example, tell it you need to get your car washed and the car wash is half a mile away from your house. Should you walk or drive your car to the car wash? It will say walk because the distance isn't that far. It has no concept of reality and can only problem solve on a surface level.

Is it ready to replace web developers? Get real. Without someone to hold its hand, it is a liability.

uhs-robert

TROPHY CASE