Mastering a video game is one of the most satisfying sensations a player can experience in their entire life. After hours spent learning every single mechanic and honing their skills, it gets to the point that they practically become perfect at it. This is something that not many people can say in their lifetime.

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However, game developers can also be quite clever, and sometimes they know exactly how and when to handle this behavior to punish those players who become too perfect at their games. Whether it’s an optional setting or a hidden game mechanic, these are some of the most memorable instances.

9 Ghosts 'n Goblins (1985)

Two Runs In A Row

This classic NES platformer by Capcom is infamous for being challenging. Since Sir Arthur can only take two hits, the enemies are ruthless and the stages are filled with bottomless pits and traps, beating Ghosts 'n Goblins is pretty hard, but becoming perfect at it is almost impossible.

How does Capcom reward the players who manage it? By forcing them to beat the entire game again. Those who were skilled enough to master Ghosts 'n Goblins are forced to play through the entire adventure twice in a row. This feels frustrating and, while several fans think it’s not worth playing through the loop, a lot of them end up doing it anyway. For Ghosts n' Goblins fans, a challenge is a challenge.

8 Gradius III (1989)

The Option Hunters

In Gradius 3, Options or Multiples are some of the most important tools in the game. These are smaller ships that will fly alongside the player and mimic every single attack they perform. These can be crucial tools during the ruthless gameplay of an old school shoot 'em up like this one.

But Konami was clever enough to include an enemy known as an Option Hunter that steals the player’s Options, which will greatly debilitate them. These enemies only appear at higher difficulty settings when the player is doing well during a stage. Some experienced Gradius III players will intentionally crash their ships in order to prevent the Option Hunter from appearing at all.

7 Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo (1994)

Getting good at a fighting game is no easy task, it can be as complex as mastering a real-life sport. This is exactly why some of the best titles in the fighting genre hide content behind some of their toughest challenges, and Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo is no exception.

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If players manage to fight through the entire Arcade Mode while either achieving a high score, not losing any credit, or reaching the end in less than 25 minutes, the final opponent, M. Bison, will be replaced by the new character, Akuma. This is one of the most challenging battles in the entire series, and even if players can unlock Akuma after beating him, the actual fight is a punishment in and of itself.

6 Super Smash Bros Ultimate (2018)

Underdog Boost

This one is for players who are purposely looking for a punishment that will test, and potentially enhance, their skills. In Super Smash Bros Ultimate, there’s currently an optional rule for the multiplayer mode called Underdog Boost that will increase the damage and knockback dealt by fighters who are far behind in the match.

Skilled fighters can enable this option and actually get punished for playing better, which is a clever mechanic that's perfect for a party game like Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Especially when it’s being played against inexperienced players, like a younger sibling.

5 Apex Legends (2019)

Skill-Based Matchmaking

Few words can make fans of a multiplayer FPS shiver like "Skill-Based Matchmaking." While this is something that affects most titles in the genre, Apex Legends is one of the most infamous cases.

Being perfect at a game like this takes time and patience, so being paired up with players who are not as good can be frustrating since it can affect the performance of an entire team during an online match. And while Respawn Entertainment recently changed the way the skill level of a team is defined, this is a mechanic that is still heavily disliked among Apex Legends players.

4 Banjo-Tooie (2000)

Minor Hand Injury

Most punishments usually affect the player’s progress within the game, but this specific instance will actually harm them in real life. In the 3D platformer Banjo-Tooie there’s an infamous mini-game in which the player will have to defeat Canary Mary in a race on top of a vehicle.

The problem is that, to defeat Mary, the player must tap one of the buttons in the controller extremely quickly. After much trial & error, those with quick fingers will be able to get the rhythm of the mini-game just right and defeat her, but now their hand is most likely injured.

3 Undertale (2015)

Genocide Runs Make Things Harder

Undertale motivates players to not follow the traditional gameplay loop of an RPG. The game encourages players to not kill every enemy ruthlessly, and try to befriend them instead. This goes against everything an experienced RPG fanatic will know.

The better the player is at defeating and killing enemies in a conventional manner, the harder Undertale will get, especially during boss battles. It all culminates with the fight against Sans, which is the most challenging in the game, and is almost impossible to win. Not to mention that Undertale will constantly make the player feel bad for going through this Genocide Route.

2 Resident Evil 4 (2005/2023)

Adaptive Difficulty

There’s a really clever hidden mechanic in most modern Resident Evil titles known as adaptive difficulty. First introduced in Resident Evil 4, this means that enemies will become more aggressive and ammo will be harder to come by the better a player is at the game. Meanwhile, those who are less skilled will have a relatively easier time.

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What’s interesting is that this mechanic was implemented once again in the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4. And while this may be a divisive mechanic for some fans, the fact that it was brought back for this modern remake goes to show how efficient Capcom believes it is.

1 Mario Kart (1992-2023)

The Blue Shell

The Mario Kart franchise is synonymous with punishments for players who are way too good. This is because of the infamous Rubber Band A.I., which means AI opponents will get faster when they’re behind the player, making it difficult to maintain their position in the race.

That’s not all, since Mario Kart 64 introduced the Blue Shell. This item will only hit the player who is currently in first place, and it never misses. Meanwhile, players in the lead will constantly get the worst items in the game. There isn’t another punishment for players who are too perfect that is as infamous as this one.

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