Get ready to test your gaming mettle with our countdown of the "Top 20 Hardest SNES Games." From relentless platformers to mind-bending puzzles, these games pushed players to their limits. For this list, we'll dive into titles like "Castlevania: Dracula X," "Zombies Ate My Neighbors," and "Super Ghouls'n Ghosts" that left gamers pulling their hair out. Whether you’re a retro enthusiast or just curious about the toughest challenges on the SNES, this video is for you!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and WHY IS THIS SO GODDAMN DIFFICULT.
00:14These are the 20 hardest SNES games.
00:16We've already covered NES, so let's see if Nintendo took it easier on us with the next
00:21console.
00:22Spoiler alert, they didn't.
00:24Let's go.
00:26Super Mario Kart
00:30Two things happened in 1992.
00:32My older brother was born and Super Mario Kart was released.
00:35I don't know which was worse for my mental health.
00:37Mario Kart multiplayer difficulty is always dependent on how good your friends are, but
00:42for this entry we're talking about the solo campaign.
00:45Progressing through each level with all characters at increasing speeds is a formidable challenge,
00:50but the effort is rewarded by unlocking exclusive content for dedicated players.
00:54If you want to play that special cup with friends, you better be willing to have some
00:57soul-crushing solo races.
01:05Actraiser
01:06Here's a game that often sits comfortably on greatest SNES games of all time lists,
01:24which it deserves as an innovative title on the console, but it also presents a significant
01:28challenge.
01:29The challenge being, can I beat this game without snapping the cartridge?
01:34Probably not.
01:35The game presents a challenging difficulty that increases as you progress through the
01:38levels.
01:39During side-scrolling sections, you'll encounter typical elements like jumps, pitfalls and
01:43pesky enemies.
01:44The boss battles at the end of each level are quite challenging, if you manage to even
01:49reach them, which you probably won't.
01:52Actraiser may be the first game that actually caused my brow to become sweaty during gameplay.
01:58Red Hot Rage
02:05The Simpsons Bart's Nightmare
02:13Why are games based on popular IPs always so goddamn hard?
02:18I just want to have fun in the shoes of my favourite cartoon bad boy, why do I also need
02:22to age 10 years while playing?
02:24Bart's Nightmare is essentially a series of minigame levels, each requiring you to
02:29quickly learn new rules and scenarios.
02:31This can be frustrating, but what makes the game stand out is the unique challenge each
02:36level presents, both mechanically and conceptually.
02:40Some of these minigames rival bosses in Dark Souls, and some rival defusing a real-life
02:44bomb with zero training.
02:54Mega Man 7
03:11A sentence you'll rarely hear is, oh I love that game and or a movie, but they really
03:16hit their stride with the 7th entry.
03:18For Mega Man, this could be true if their stride was aneurysm inducing anger.
03:23Mega Man 7 deviates slightly from the usual formula by initially giving players only four
03:28bosses to choose from.
03:30Eventually, four more bosses become available, but you'll also encounter numerous sub-bosses
03:34throughout this demanding platformer.
03:37By the time you reach Dr. Wily at the end, you'll be at a significant disadvantage.
03:41You'll have to battle Bass again and every previously defeated boss before facing the
03:46final showdown, resulting in an intense button mashing experience that will leave your thumbs
03:51sore for days.
03:58Earthworm Jim 2
04:09As one of the most beloved classic series of all time, people often forget that alongside
04:13the fun world and dope gameplay was a difficult learning curve that rivals Souls games made
04:18today.
04:19As a platformer, the game demands exceptionally quick reflexes at numerous points.
04:24The intensity is high, with challenging jumps, lightning fast enemies and precise controls
04:28resulting in frequent deaths, leaving you feeling sorry for the character.
04:32Earthworm Jim was the beginning of my anger management issues because I was experiencing
04:36this just 5 years old.
04:50Fire Emblem Thracia 776
04:54Often forgotten as it was released deep into the SNES lifespan coming out two years after
04:59Final Fantasy 7 on the PS1, Fire Emblem Thracia 776 stands out as one of the toughest games
05:05in its series.
05:06The game can be relentlessly challenging, yet it maintains a sense of fairness in its
05:11difficulty, which sets it apart from games that are hard because of bad design.
05:15It's a demanding game in a rewarding way, unlike many other SNES titles on this list.
05:21The 7th Saga
05:31Game based games have the potential to be crushingly difficult or disgustingly easy
05:36often due to their formula being easy to control.
05:397th Saga's formula however is not easy to cheese.
05:43The primary complaint gamers have with the 7th Saga is the speed of its escalating difficulty.
05:48As players advance, enemies become excessively tough, with large health pools that make battles
05:53drag on.
05:54The only way to overcome this is grind, grind and grind.
05:58If you aren't willing to grind, get ready to fall behind.
06:01That was so many rhymes.
06:03Super R-Type
06:11Although these games are known for their high difficulty, calling this one anything other
06:14than bullet hell would be inaccurate.
06:17The game falls apart because of its difficulty, rather than the difficulty informing the gameplay.
06:22The game bombards you with enemies, lasers, bullets, plasma blasts and every other conceivable
06:28threat all in one hit, one kill scenarios.
06:31You must constantly monitor the entire screen and strategically plan your moves.
06:36This was my strategy, turn it off and play Kirby's Fun Pack.
06:40If that joke doesn't land, Kirby's Fun Pack had a different name outside of Australia,
06:43so it's not my fault.
06:52F-Zero
07:08F-Zero was notoriously difficult due to its high speed gameplay and precise controls,
07:13which required players to master sharp turns and avoid numerous obstacles on a futuristic
07:17racetrack.
07:18The AI opponents were highly competitive, often leaving little room for error, the cause
07:22of most of the game's difficulty.
07:24Additionally, the limited number of lives and the need to maintain high speeds to avoid
07:28elimination added to the pressure.
07:31Don't play F-Zero unless you're willing to take on some wildly difficult levels.
07:40Prince of Persia
07:50The much-loved PS2 series offers players the chance to use the sands of time in order to
07:55reverse mistakes, allowing a trial and error that makes gameplay super enjoyable.
07:59We wish we had this feature in the original, because you're going to die a lot.
08:04The gameplay demands precise timing, where even a slight miscalculation can lead to instant
08:09failure.
08:10Every jump, step, dash and combat action must be executed with exact precision, or game
08:16over.
08:17However, the most challenging aspect is the game's overall timer, which gives you only
08:22120 minutes to complete it.
08:24I'll tell you what I can do in under 120 minutes, throw the game through the window.
08:34Super Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back
08:45When LucasArts set out to make this game challenging, they went all in.
08:48Players will face relentless waves of enemies that continuously spawn in certain areas,
08:54creating a frustrating experience.
08:56Once you manage to get past these hordes, you'll encounter a boss fight that, surprisingly,
08:59is often easier than the mobs you fought to reach it.
09:02This is because boss battles have predictable attack patterns, while the numerous enemies
09:06you face are like Tasmanian tigers stuck in a cupboard.
09:10Except you're also in the cupboard.
09:21Donkey Kong Country 2 Diddy's Kong Quest
09:24I remember the Donkey Kong Country games fondly, but it wasn't until a recent playthrough that
09:31I realised just how difficult these games truly are, and it was only through years of
09:35brutal repetition that I can now beat them with relative ease.
09:39It's quite literally like riding a bike.
09:42As with any platformer, mastering the timing of your moves is crucial to avoid frequent
09:46falls and deaths.
09:48Deaths that made me scream like a gorilla.
09:59Hagen The Final Conflict
10:09Chances are that even if you'd played all the entries we've discussed, you probably
10:12didn't play this game.
10:14It is incredibly rare, with cartridges often going for upwards of $500 on eBay, even with
10:20relatively low quality.
10:21As you advance in the game, its complexity increases, which can become frustrating due
10:25to the relentless enemies.
10:27Players must maintain complete focus on everything occurring on the screen.
10:31With perfectly timed moves, all their progress will come to a standstill.
10:35It's the deadly recipe still alive today.
10:37As you die, your focus shakes, causing you to die more, a snowballing process that often
10:42results in loads of swearing and smashing.
10:54The Lion King
11:04Do you want to hear a 16-bit instrumental of the first 20 seconds of I just want to
11:07be king again and again and again, well boy do I have the game for you.
11:13One major issue players faced with the Lion King game was its precise controls and mechanics,
11:17which often left them unclear about what they were supposed to do, like in the I just can't
11:22wait to be king level.
11:23The game's difficulty increases sharply as you progress, with the second level being
11:26particularly notorious among games on the console, despite it being designed for children.
11:32Take a wild guess at what the second level is.
11:48Jurassic Park
11:59Despite what you might expect, this game doesn't constantly bombard players with dinosaurs.
12:04It does however bombard you with Jurassic, Jurassic to my stomach that is, f**k you guys.
12:10It features a distinctive puzzle and ammo system that restricts certain types of ammunition
12:15for specific dinosaurs.
12:17This requires players to stay vigilant about their ammo, or they risk finding themselves
12:20defenseless.
12:21Additionally, the lack of guidance system means the players must navigate the park by
12:25wandering aimlessly, which often results in an early death and a justifiable anger.
12:32Battletoads in Battle Maniacs
12:42Although the game is slightly easier than its predecessor, which was a high entry on
12:46our hardest NES games list, it remains more challenging than you'd ever want a game to
12:50be.
12:51The developers provided players with a longer health bar and added bonus stages to offer
12:55extra lives, but overall it remains a punishing button masher that has led many players to
13:01push the buttons through the back of the controller.
13:04And yes, there's a speed bike level, so be ready for a particularly tough experience
13:08similar to the third level of the original.
13:19Contra 3 The Alien Wars
13:21Remember how the Konami code saved our playthrough in the original game?
13:35Well, the Konami code isn't included in this one.
13:38Without the 30 life bonus, players had to complete the game with just the traditional
13:42three lives, and keeping them intact is much tougher than losing them.
13:46The difficulty increases exponentially as you advance, making each level twice as hard
13:51as the previous one.
13:52While Contra 3 The Alien Wars is indeed beatable, expect to need numerous playthroughs before
13:57you finally conquer it.
14:07Super Ghouls N' Ghosts
14:19Super Ghouls N' Ghosts is packed with so many enemies that even the slightest misstep can
14:23lead you to demise.
14:24You'll constantly face swarms of foes while also navigating traps, jumping over obstacles
14:28and avoiding pits, all while fighting for survival.
14:31True to its predecessor, finishing the game simply sends you back to the start where you
14:35must replay it on a higher difficulty, punishing you in a vein similar to Demon's Souls and
14:40turning it into a gruelling test of endurance.
14:43Endurance I am now lacking.
14:51Zombies Ate My Neighbours
14:53Who would have thought a game with such a ridiculously cheesy premise would be one of
15:06the best SNES games ever created?
15:09Playing Zombie Ate My Neighbours is definitely enjoyable, but completing the entire game
15:13is like stabbing yourself in the face with the SNES controller, repeatedly and hard.
15:19With 48 levels to navigate, it's a substantial task.
15:22You'll need to rescue as many neighbours as you can, and since ammunition is limited,
15:27you'll have to use it sparingly.
15:29Although the game has a cute appearance, it can become stressful, often leading players
15:33to frustration as they're swarmed by brain-eating monsters.
15:37Think Cuphead meets… actually, just think Cuphead.
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16:02Castlevania Dracula X
16:14If you're familiar with the Castlevania games, you know they're not easy, but Castlevania
16:19Dracula X stands out as one of the more ball-busting entries of the series, arguably the most ball-busting.
16:25Either way, loads of busted balls.
16:29The difficulty largely stems from its platformer nature, where you'll be overwhelmed by enemies
16:33that frequently knock you into bottomless pits.
16:36Success requires precise timing, targeting the right enemies at the right moments, and
16:40perfect execution to ultimately defeat Dracula at the end of the game.
16:44Stinky garlic prick.
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