Frustration is a natural part of any hobby, butvideo games can often be more stressfulthan any other fun endeavor. For many players, a big part of the fun of gaming is overcoming the toughest challenges imaginable instead of enjoying a relaxing experience. It’s a huge part of why speed-runs exist and why players compare trophies or achievements, because reaching those milestones and breaking those records is part of the hobby.
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Nintendohave long been known as the developer and publisher that manages to hit both sides of the hobby extremely well. Theyproduce cozy gameson one hand, while delivering some of themost punishing and stressful experienceson the other.
10Warioware: Get It Together Forces Players To Adapt Quickly
There aren’t many things more stressful than only having a handful of seconds to figure out the objective and get to work. That’s exactly what theWariowareseries does to players and although the microgames are always simple, the stress comes from trying to see the answer before the time runs out.
Warioware: Get It Togetherbrought something new to the franchise by adding ahuge roster of playable characters, giving players a random character from their chosen team. While that gave the game more variety, it also magnified the stress by forcing players to remember how each character works.
9Super Mario Bros Is Still Stressful Decades Later
There are plenty of tough platformers out there, but the original entry to theSuper Marioseries is among the most difficult. Back when it was released on the NES in 1985,Super Marios Broswas groundbreaking. Although Mario had already featured in well over a dozen games,Super Mario Bros.was one of the first few times that Luigi was a playable character.
Previous entries to theSuper Marioseries were already hard, butSuper Mario Brosstepped things up and got increasingly difficult as the game progressed.
8Mario Kart 8: Deluxe Brings The Toughest The Series Has
The entireMario Kartseries is both fun and stressful, thanks to a combination of the competitive nature of the game and the chaotic items that are constantly in play. It’s somehow both a great game forkids and parents to playtogether, and the type of game that can instantly ruin friendships.
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The reasonMario Kartis among the most stressfulNintendogames often comes down to the other players as opposed to the tracks themselves. InMario Kart 8, Nintendo brought together different tracks from across the history of the series; even the most stressful ones.
7Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest Might Be The Hardest
TheDonkey Kong Countryseries is known for punishing levels that can push even the calmest gamers into fits of rage. The original trilogy was released in 1981-83, taking a hiatus before the second trilogy was released in 1994-96. It came back later withDonkey Kong Country ReturnsandTropical Freeze, keeping the series among the most difficult platformers.
Although it’s hard to pinpoint which is the most stressful entry to the series, Nintendo outdid themselves withDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest. The minecart levels are often regarded by fans as among the toughest in the series.
6Super Smash Bros Ultimate Is Non-Stop Pressure
Super Smash Brosis one of the most popular crossover fighting series and several of its editions are among thehighest-rated fighting gamestoo. BothMeleefor the GameCube andBrawlfor the Wii were fantastic games in their own right but by bringing together every playable character from the series' history,Super Smash Bros Ultimategave players even more options.
Every edition of the series gives players fractions of a second to act, and sudden death with quickly reducing screen is one of the most stressful experiences Nintendo have ever given players.
5Punch-Out!!! Thanks To Mike Tyson Or Mr. Dream
Punch-Out!!!was originally released in 1987 asMike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!!before Nintendo’s license with the boxing legend expired. When that happened his name was removed from the title, but the game stayed functionally the same. Tyson originally served as the final boss and a simple cosmetic change turned him into Mr. Dream instead.
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Regardless of which version players faced, the challenge was just as stressful. A boxing match with one of the toughest opponents in any fighting game who was capable of ending the entire run in a single blow.
4Mario Golf: Super Rush Gives Players A Slow Building Frustration
Mario Golf: Super Rushbrought a fan-favorite sports game back to the Nintendo Switch and reminded players why golf can be so stressful.Mario Golf: Super Rushfeatures all the same sandtraps and lakes that fans of other golf games will be familiar with but thanks to theMariosetting, there are plenty of other dangers too.
With hazards everywhere and the ever-present danger of simply having a bad shot, it’s easy for players to go wildly off-course at a moment’s notice. When the shots start racking up without being anywhere near the hole, the frustration quickly starts to build.
3Super Mario Maker 2 Shows The Dark Side Of Players
Super Mario Maker 2allows players to create their own levels and naturally, some of them are among thehardest Mario levelsever. The creativity of players can almost border on malicious at times, and they’re completely unrestrained by the requirement to make levels that are accessible to the average player.
For some, putting together levels that are almost impossible is the best part oflevel creators in games. For others, experiencing the stress of taking on the worst that people can throw at you is where the fun comes from.
Samus Aran is one of thestrongest female charactersthat Nintendo has developed, and she holds a place as one of the most iconic in their stable. Part of what made her so endearing is that theMetroidgames were incredibly difficult and presented challenges guaranteed to stress any player out.
With the release ofMetroid: Dreadin 2021, the series saw some of it’s toughest enemies ever. The main antagonist Raven Beak is what really stands out though, with different phases causing players more trouble than most can handle in a single sitting.
1Super Mario Bros 2: The Lost Levels Took It To The Extreme
Super Mario Bros 2: The Lost Levelswas released in 1986 in Japan, and it reached a height that noMariogame has before or since. It is often regarded as thehardestMariogamethere is by fans, as some of the levels have been designed to break the spirit of even the most persistent player.
Poison mushrooms and gusts of wind were introduced to increase game’s the difficulty, while Luigi is far tougher to control than Mario is. These factors combine with the level design itself to create one of the most stressful experiences in Nintendo history.
