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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays 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.
00:25Before we continue, we publish content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:29the bell to get notified of our latest videos.
00:34Super Mario Kart
00:38Two things happened in 1992.
00:40My older brother was born and Super Mario Kart was released.
00:43I don't know which was worse for my mental health.
00:45Mario Kart multiplayer difficulty is always dependent on how good your friends are, but
00:49for this entry, we're talking about the solo campaign.
00:53Progressing through each level with all characters at increasing speeds is a formidable challenge,
00:57but the effort is rewarded by unlocking exclusive content for dedicated players.
01:02If you want to play that special cup with friends, you better be willing to have some
01:05soul-crushing solo races.
01:13ActRaiser
01:14Here's a game that often sits comfortably on greatest SNES games of all time lists,
01:32which it deserves as an innovative title on the console, but it also presents a significant
01:36challenge.
01:37The challenge being, can I beat this game without snapping the cartridge?
01:42Probably not.
01:43The game presents a challenging difficulty that increases as you progress through the
01:46levels.
01:47During side-scrolling sections, you'll encounter typical elements like jumps, pitfalls, and
01:51pesky enemies.
01:52The boss battles at the end of each level are quite challenging, if you manage to even
01:57reach them, which you probably won't.
02:00ActRaiser may be the first game that actually caused my brow to become sweaty during gameplay.
02:06Red Hot Rage
02:13The Simpsons Bart's Nightmare
02:21Why are games based on popular IPs always so goddamn hard?
02:26I just want to have fun in the shoes of my favourite cartoon bad boy, why do I also need
02:30to age 10 years while playing?
02:32Bart's Nightmare is essentially a series of minigame levels, each requiring you to quickly
02:37learn new rules and scenarios.
02:39This can be frustrating, but what makes the game stand out is the unique challenge each
02:44level presents, both mechanically and conceptually.
02:48Some of these minigames rival bosses in Dark Souls, and some rival defusing a real-life
02:52bomb with zero training.
03:04Mega Man 7
03:19The sentence you'll rarely hear is, oh I love that game and or a movie, but they really
03:24hit their stride with the 7th entry.
03:26For Mega Man, this could be true if their stride was aneurysm-inducing anger.
03:31Mega Man 7 deviates slightly from the usual formula by initially giving players only four
03:36bosses to choose from.
03:38Eventually, four more bosses become available, but you'll also encounter numerous sub-bosses
03:42throughout this demanding platformer.
03:44By the time you reach Dr. Wily at the end, you'll be at a significant disadvantage.
03:49You'll have to battle Bass again and every previously defeated boss before facing the
03:54final showdown, resulting in an intense button mashing experience that will leave your thumbs
03:59sore for days.
04:06Earthworm Jim 2
04:17As one of the most beloved classic series of all time, people often forget that alongside
04:20the fun world and dope gameplay was a difficult learning curve that rivals Souls games made
04:26today.
04:27As a platformer, the game demands exceptionally quick reflexes at numerous points.
04:32The intensity is high, with challenging jumps, lightning fast enemies and precise controls
04:36resulting in frequent deaths, leaving you feeling sorry for the character.
04:40Earthworm Jim was the beginning of my anger management issues, because I was experiencing
04:44this just five years old.
04:58Fire Emblem Thracia 776
05:02Often forgotten as it was released deep into the SNES lifespan coming out two years after
05:07Final Fantasy 7 on the PS1, Fire Emblem Thracia 776 stands out as one of the toughest games
05:13in its series.
05:14The game can be relentlessly challenging, yet it maintains a sense of fairness in its
05:19difficulty, which sets it apart from games that are hard because of bad design.
05:23It's a demanding game in a rewarding way, unlike many other SNES titles on this list.
05:29The 7th Saga
05:39Turn-based games have the potential to be crushingly difficult, or disgustingly easy
05:44often due to their formula being easy to control.
05:477th Saga's formula however is not easy to cheese.
05:51The primary complaint gamers have with The 7th Saga is the speed of its escalating difficulty.
05:56As players advance, enemies become excessively tough, with large health pools that make battles
06:01drag on.
06:02The only way to overcome this is grind, grind, and grind.
06:06If you aren't willing to grind, get ready to fall behind.
06:09That was so many rhymes.
06:11Super R-Type
06:19Although these games are known for their high difficulty, calling this one anything other
06:22than bullet hell would be inaccurate.
06:25The game falls apart because of its difficulty, rather than the difficulty informing the gameplay.
06:30The game bombards you with enemies, lasers, bullets, plasma blasts, and every other conceivable
06:35threat all in one-hit-one-kill scenarios.
06:39You must constantly monitor the entire screen, and strategically plan your moves.
06:44This was my strategy, turn it off, and play Kirby's Fun Pack.
06:48If that joke doesn't land, Kirby's Fun Pack had a different name outside of Australia,
06:51so it's not my fault.
07:00F-Zero
07:16F-Zero was notoriously difficult due to its high-speed gameplay and precise controls,
07:20which required players to master sharp turns and avoid numerous obstacles on a futuristic
07:25racetrack.
07:26The AI opponents were highly competitive, often leaving little room for error, the cause
07:30of most of the game's difficulty.
07:32Additionally, the limited number of lives and the need to maintain high speeds to avoid
07:36elimination added to the pressure.
07:39Don't play F-Zero unless you're willing to take on some wildly difficult levels.
07:48Prince of Persia
07:58The much-loved PS2 series offers players the chance to use the sands of time in order to
08:03reverse mistakes, allowing a trial and error that makes gameplay super enjoyable.
08:07We wish we had this feature in the original, because you're gonna die a lot.
08:12The gameplay demands precise timing, where even a slight miscalculation can lead to instant
08:17failure.
08:18Every jump, step, dash, and combat action must be executed with exact precision, or
08:24game over.
08:25However, the most challenging aspect is the game's overall timer, which gives you only
08:29120 minutes to complete it.
08:32I'll tell you what I can do in under 120 minutes, throw the game through the f***ing
08:38window.
08:42The Empire Strikes Back
08:52When LucasArts set out to make this game challenging, they went all in.
08:56Players will face relentless waves of enemies that continuously spawn in certain areas,
09:01creating a frustrating experience.
09:03Once you manage to get past these hordes, you'll encounter a boss fight that, surprisingly,
09:07is often easier than the mobs you fought to reach it.
09:10This is because boss battles have predictable attack patterns, while the numerous enemies
09:14you face are like Tasmanian tigers stuck in a cupboard.
09:18Except you're also in the cupboard.
09:29Donkey Kong Country 2 Diddy's Kong Quest
09:34I remember the Donkey Kong Country games fondly, but it wasn't until a recent playthrough that
09:39I realised just how difficult these games truly are, and it was only through years of
09:43brutal repetition that I can now beat them with relative ease.
09:47It's quite literally like riding a bike.
09:49As with any platformer, mastering the timing of your moves is crucial to avoid frequent
09:54falls and deaths.
09:56Deaths that made me scream like a gorilla.
10:06Hagen The Final Conflict
10:17Chances are that even if you'd played all the entries we've discussed, you probably
10:20didn't play this game.
10:22It is incredibly rare, with cartridges often going for upwards of $500 on eBay, even with
10:28relatively low quality.
10:29As you advance in the game, its complexity increases, which can become frustrating due
10:33to the relentless enemies.
10:35Players must maintain complete focus on everything occurring on the screen.
10:39With perfectly timed moves, all their progress will come to a standstill.
10:43It's the deadly recipe still alive today.
10:45As you die, your focus shakes, causing you to die more, a snowballing process that often
10:50results in loads of swearing and smashing.
11:02The Lion King
11:12Do you want to hear a 16-bit instrumental of the first 20 seconds of I just want to
11:15be king again and again and again, well boy do I have the game for you.
11:21One major issue players faced with the Lion King game was its precise controls and mechanics,
11:25which often left them unclear about what they were supposed to do, like in the I just can't
11:30wait to be king level.
11:31The game's difficulty increases sharply as you progress, with the second level being
11:34particularly notorious among games on the console, despite it being designed for children.
11:40Take a wild guess at what the second level is.
11:56Jurassic Park
12:07Despite what you might expect, this game doesn't constantly bombard players with dinosaurs.
12:11It does however bombard you with Jurassic, Jurassic to my stomach that is, fuck you
12:18guys.
12:19It features a distinctive puzzle and ammo system that restricts certain types of ammunition
12:23for specific dinosaurs.
12:24This requires players to stay vigilant about their ammo, or they risk finding themselves
12:28defenseless.
12:29Additionally, the lack of guidance system means the players must navigate the park by
12:33wandering aimlessly, which often results in an early death and a justifiable anger.
12:40Battletoads in Battle Maniacs
12:50Although the game is slightly easier than its predecessor, which was a high entry on
12:54our hardest NES games list, it remains more challenging than you'd ever want a game
12:58to be.
12:59The developers provided players with a longer health bar and added bonus stages to offer
13:03extra lives, but overall it remains a punishing button masher that has led many players to
13:09push the buttons through the back of the controller.
13:12And yes, there's a speed bike level, so be ready for a particularly tough experience
13:16similar to the third level of the original.
13:27Contra 3 The Alien Wars
13:29Remember how the Konami code saved our playthrough in the original game?
13:42Well, the Konami code isn't included in this one.
13:46Without the 30 life bonus, players had to complete the game with just the traditional
13:50three lives, and keeping them intact is much tougher than losing them.
13:54The difficulty increases exponentially as you advance, making each level twice as hard
13:58as the previous one.
14:00While Contra 3 The Alien Wars is indeed beatable, expect to need numerous playthroughs before
14:05you finally conquer it.
14:15Super Ghouls N' Ghosts
14:27Super Ghouls N' Ghosts is packed with so many enemies that even the slightest misstep can
14:31lead you to demise.
14:32You'll constantly face swarms of foes while also navigating traps, jumping over obstacles
14:36and avoiding pits, all while fighting for survival.
14:39True to its predecessor, finishing the game simply sends you back to the start where you
14:43must replay it on a higher difficulty, punishing you in a vein similar to Demon's Souls and
14:48turning it into a grueling test of endurance.
14:51Endurance I am now lacking.
15:00Zombies Ate My Neighbours
15:01Who would have thought a game with such a ridiculously cheesy premise would be one of
15:14the best SNES games ever created?
15:17Playing Zombie Ate My Neighbours is definitely enjoyable, but completing the entire game
15:21is like stabbing yourself in the face with the SNES controller, repeatedly and hard.
15:26With 48 levels to navigate, it's a substantial task.
15:30You'll need to rescue as many neighbours as you can, and since ammunition is limited,
15:35you'll have to use it sparingly.
15:37Although the game has a cute appearance, it can become stressful, often leading players
15:41to frustration as they're swarmed by brain-eating monsters.
15:45Think Cuphead meets… actually just think Cuphead.
15:55Castlevania Dracula X
16:06If you're familiar with the Castlevania games, you know they're not easy, but Castlevania
16:11Dracula X stands out as one of the more ball-busting entries of the series, arguably the most ball-busting.
16:18Either way, loads of busted balls.
16:21The difficulty largely stems from its platformer nature, where you'll be overwhelmed by enemies
16:25that frequently knock you into bottomless pits.
16:28Success requires precise timing, targeting the right enemies at the right moments and
16:32perfect execution to ultimately defeat Dracula at the end of the game, the stinky garlic
16:38prick.
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