5 Hardest Games That Make Everyone Rage Quit the First Level

For a long time, video games were developed for two primary reasons: to be entertaining and to entice players to shove in as many quarters into them as possible. Over time, that evolved into being entertaining and hiking up prices every console generation, and players have largely fallen in line with this way of thinking. Still, there are occasional games that come along that are so frustratingly difficult, it’s easy to rage-quit during the very first level. This applies to great games and crummy ones, and these five are a mixture of both, arranged in no particular order.

1) Contra – NES

Contra may be one of the greatest games on the NES, but it’s also punishingly difficult. If you played it, you likely entered the Konami Code to gain 30 lives, making it possible to beat the whole game, but have you ever tried level 1 without it? It’s a bullet hell nightmare that almost always sees even the most practiced players die multiple times upon reaching the boss. Of course, it’s possible to play and even beat the game without using the Konami Code, but for most players, it’s not an option, and before they learn of its use, rage-quitting level one wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility.

2) Dragon’s Lair – NES

The original Dragon’s Lair in arcades was an amazing feat of animation and coding, but it’s also an incredibly difficult game. Still, it’s playable, but if you tried it on the NES, you might disagree. The game’s controls are basically crap, and controlling Dirk the Daring through its levels is next to impossible, as doing so requires pixel-perfect accuracy. The first stage is a single-screen level that requires Dirk to cross the drawbridge. It’s so difficult that dying isn’t a bug; it’s a feature. More than a few rage-quit this game because it’s so hard to progress past the drawbridge that it’s not really worth playing.

3) Superman 64 – Nintendo 64

Not only is Superman 64 the worst Superman game ever made, but it’s also one of the most notoriously difficult. The game begins with a timed level in which you have to guide the Man of Steel through rings, which sounds simple enough. Unfortunately, the controls were so bad that it was extremely difficult to do. Add to that the timer winding down as you miss rings, and getting to level 2 was so hard, it wasn’t worth playing. Of course, if you didn’t rage quit and made it to level 2, it’s just as bad, but level 3 … it’s the same as level 1. The game sucks beyond belief, and I’ll never understand why it was released in the first place.

4) Cuphead – Multiple

Cuphead is a 2017 run-and-gun game designed with a retro theme. It’s an homage to earlier games in the genre, so it was designed to be difficult. As a result, the first level is incredibly hard, making more than a few of the game’s players walk away during level 1. It’s not impossible to get through, but it’s far more challenging than many players likely thought it would be when they first downloaded their copy of Cuphead. Still, it’s a fantastic game that should be struggled through, as it unfolds into one of the greatest, with an exceptional soundtrack, beautiful animation, and much more worth experiencing.

5) Ninja Gaiden – NES

While Ninja Gaiden is an exceptional game that spawned a franchise, it’s nonetheless difficult. The series started hard and kept that theme going; in the first level, the challenge is significant as Ryu makes his way across a fortress filled with ninjas. You’re faced with an army of bad guys, requiring persistent commands that’ll certainly make your hand hurt. It’s unlikely anyone made it through level one on their first attempt, as it’s incredibly challenging. Level 1 teaches the player the game’s mechanics, but it also informs them that they’re in for a button-mashing hellscape if they make it to the end.

What game was so hard that you rage-quit the first level? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

5 Most Punishingly Hard Games on the NES