In today’s day and age, children have an impossibly large number of amazing gaming titles to choose from. From racing to farming, everyone can find the perfect game for them to enjoy. However, certain fantastic titles may look like they would be great fun for children, but they can turn out to be way too much, even for some adults.
Whether it is the sheer mechanical difficulty or a complex and deep system that makes adults look up spreadsheets and online charts, some games are just better digested at a later stage in life. But even then, with supervision and a lot of patience, certain games can be made accessible to younger ones and can even make for an interesting bonding experience.
10 Shovel Knight
Shovel Knight is a love letter to the old-school NES games, absolutely nailing the art style, music, and of course, the absolutely brutal difficulty. While the earlier levels are relatively easy to beat, as the game progresses, both the environment and the bosses become exponentially harder.
On top of that, the game’s currency is lost upon death, in a perfect soulslike fashion. This means that it gets even more difficult to level up and upgrade gear, making certain challenges and even parts of some levels much harder to beat.
9 Deponia
Deponia is a great point-and-click adventure, with a beautiful and quirky art style. While kids may have a fun time roaming around and interacting with the world, pretty quickly they will stumble into the unforgivable wall: puzzles. The brutal and obscure logic used by some of them easily halts even adults in their tracks.
These mind-bending challenges can leave kids feeling intrigued but exasperated, making the game a memorable but sometimes maddening journey into the world of adventure gaming.
8 Don’t Starve
Don’t Starve is a great survival game, filled to the brim with unique and memorable characters, mobs, and environments. While the charming, cartoonish art style may appear inviting to younger audiences, the difficulty and complexity of the game is anything but.
Aside from the really hostile world, there are many systems and indicators to keep track of. And on top of that, certain themes like insanity and shadow death monsters might be quite shocking to kids of a certain age.
7 Geometry Dash
Geometry Dash can absolutely be enjoyed even by smaller children, with the initial levels being quite forgiving and easy to complete. However, it doesn’t take too long for the game to throw brutal, quick, and complicated levels at the players, requiring even seasoned adults to give it their best.
But with enough patience and practice, players of all ages can get quite far and experience the rich library of great soundtracks and visual rollercoasters of this game. Whatever the desired difficulty may be, there is always the option of getting more community-made levels to enjoy.
6 Kerbal Space Program
Kerbal Space Program is a fantastic game that offers a deep and realistic space exploration experience. Its complex physics, engineering, and orbital mechanics provide an engaging challenge for enthusiasts and adults, making it a superb educational tool.
However, despite the adorable Kerbals that run the show, these complexities can overwhelm kids, requiring a level of patience, understanding, and problem-solving far beyond their developmental stage. The game's intricate controls and steep learning curve can frustrate young players, making it more suitable for older individuals who can fully appreciate its educational and entertainment value.
5 Sim City
Sim City is a great city management game where players can fully develop their quaint little town into a grand bustling city. While kids might bring their imagination to life with the game’s tools and an unlimited budget, trouble may arise in the classic mode of the game.
Managing resources and keeping in mind the many different problems that the game throws at the player can be quite daunting and frustrating for a younger audience. But at the very least, nothing is stopping them from creating a bunch of roads, just to open the Godzilla floodgates and meteor their newly built cities.
4 Spelunky
Spelunky certainly looks like it could be great fun for children, with its bright and colorful visuals, cute bobblehead characters, and neverending action. In reality, however, it will take quite a bit of patience for most players to even get past the first stage.
With one-hit-KO mechanics, surprise attacks, traps, and a time limit on every level, there is a lot of pressure on players to perform well. The game does feature multiplayer, and braver guardians can absolutely try to get the younger players as far as they can without at least one of them getting blown up.
3 Celeste
Celeste is an absolutely beautiful pixel-art platformer that promises an unforgettable but difficult journey. The controls feel very natural and intuitive, and it is a pleasure to explore the world and interact with the few but memorable characters.
However, a lot of kids might really struggle when it comes to the later stages of the game. Without assistance, the more difficult levels can be quite a challenge to overcome, with precise jumps and near-perfect timing being required. And besides, the themes in the game might be much more suited for young adults than for kids.
2 Hollow Knight
Behind the charming visuals and character design of Hollow Knight hides a brutal soulslike experience that has toppled many adults. Even exploring the world can prove to be quite a challenge, with fast and hard-hitting mobs hiding behind every corner. And the bosses can take some people hours to beat, each with their own story and combat mechanics.
The story also takes some truly dark turns at times, even through implications and hints. So, perhaps kids should come back to this great game at a time when they might be more prepared for its mechanical and emotional difficulties.
1 Cuphead
The cartoon art style and the unique creation process of Cuphead were always some of its strongest selling points. The passing trailer or screenshots can immediately interest both adults and kids who enjoyed the classic Disney cartoons at one point or another.
However, many players will quickly find out exactly how merciless the game can really be. With its many beautiful but deadly levels and even tougher and more complicated boss fights, the game pulls its punches for no one.