Although brutally difficult games aren't too out of the ordinary nowadays, the developer that arguably started this trend off back in the mid to late 1990s was Rare. While this did mean that many of their games were seen as primarily appealing to "Hardcore" audiences because of how difficult that could be, this hasn't stopped Rare from becoming one of the most beloved developers in the industry today, with many fans desperately pleading for them to potentially remaster or remake the classic games that made them such a household name in the first place.
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Considering just how arduous a lot of Rare's earlier games actually were, it seems highly likely that if they were to be re-released, they would need to be toned down in one way or another to make them more accessible, which gives a good idea of just how challenging these titles can be. To understand what actually made them so unforgiving though, this list is going to take a deeper look at Rare's most difficult games to date, and why so many longtime fans find them so hard to fully complete and master.
6 Diddy Kong Racing
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.32
- Release Date: November 1997
- Platform :Nintendo 64
- Developer: Rare
Although Diddy Kong Racing is an incredibly charming game with a plethora of content and a very vibrant art visual style, the core gameplay can be a little hit or miss, primarily because of how clunky the actual karts themselves can feel while driving. Since physics in Diddy Kong Racing are pretty much non-existent, it means that karts can easily fly across the map while drifting, or if they're hit by a much bigger vehicle, which can easily mess up a race.
The lack of tutorials also means that most players will go through the game completely unaware of some of the gameplay's core mechanics, such as how a kart can move faster by letting go of the acceleration button before hitting a speed boost, or holding down the break button while drifting to turn around tighter corners. This isn't even mentioning the fearsome boss enemies who all vary greatly in their difficulty, with Wizpig being a particularly annoying example since he's able to fly across the map at a blistering pace, making it very hard to keep up with him.
5 Conker's Bad Fur Day
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.37
- Release Date: March 2001
- Platform: Nintendo 64
- Developer: Rare
Upon first glance, Conker's Bad Fur Day can seem like little more than a crude and humorous parody of games that were being released at the time, but in truth, it actually provides a very difficult overall experience which only gets harder the more it goes on. Although the game is full of tricky platforming sections, the level design will often try to make each of these areas harder than the last, such as the grueling underwater section in the Catfish Vault where players will need to carefully pass through a large trap-infested maze, all while keeping an eye on Conker's draining stamina.
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There are also admittedly a handful of sections which feel like they could have done with just a bit of extra balancing because of how unfair they can be, especially the levels where Conker is tasked with running through a barrage of bullets and missiles without getting his head blown off. It's still well worth finishing Conker's Bad Fur Day to witness the game's hilarious story and cast of characters, but actually achieving this is much easier said than done.
4 Donkey Kong Country
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.44
- Release Date: November 1994
- Platforms: SNES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance
- Developer: Rare
At a time when first party Nintendo titles were seen as being simple platformers that anyone could jump into, Rare went in a drastically different direction by releasing what many consider to be one of the hardest games in its respective genre ever made; Donkey Kong Country. A big reason why the game ended up being so incredibly difficult to complete was because of how much it relied on the player having quick reactions and extremely precise movements to make it through each area in one piece.
There are at least a few systems and mechanics that can make the game much easier, such as the roll jump, which can help to bridge gaps that are a little too far away for a regular jump, but pulling this off effectively takes quite a bit of practice, since it's still very risky to use. What also made the game feel especially difficult to many players is the fact that the first world is actually very straightforward, making players think that they've mastered the controls and movement, only for World 2 to then ramp up the difficulty by a considerable degree.
3 Jet Force Gemini
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.55
- Release Date: October 1999
- Platform: Nintendo 64
- Developer: Rare
Unlike a lot of Rare's early titles which were rooted in the platforming genre, Jet Force Gemini instead took a third-person action-adventure angle to its gameplay, with players blasting enemies to smithereens as they progress through each of the 15 unique stages. Even though the game features far less platforming than Rare's other games, it still manages to be downright brutal in almost every aspect of its gameplay.
For example, because of how stiff and unresponsive the shooting can be, and the bizarre control scheme that makes things much harder than they need to be, it means that actually targeting an enemy is a difficult task in and of itself, let alone actually defeating them. The lackluster mini-map also makes it all so easy to get completely lost in an area, especially when each of the stages are so open-ended in their design. What really takes the difficulty to a whole new level though is how, in order to complete the game, the player will need to find each and every Tribal, which are the game's collectibles, and considering that there are over 200 of them, it can be a true test of patience trying to seek them all out.
2 Perfect Dark
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.65
- Release Date: May 2000
- Platform: Nintendo 64
- Developer: Rare
Perfect Dark is undoubtedly a game that was far ahead of its time, becoming a huge influence on the wildly popular FPS genre, but it was also well known for its absurd difficulty, which often came as a result of the lack of hand-holding. Even in the very first mission, the game provides no information to the player on where to go, and what items and buttons they might want to be looking for to move through to the next area. A lot of people actually do enjoy this aspect since it does add to the overall immersion of the experience, but from a gameplay standpoint, it means that getting needlessly lost is much easier than it realistically should be.
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Speaking of immersion, there's also a few smaller mechanics built into the game which are intended to add some more realism to the overall gameplay, such as being able to shoot a gun out of an enemy's hand, for example, but performing these sorts of tricks is usually reserved for only the most skilled of players. Pair all of this with a formidable roster of bosses and objectives that become more complicated with each difficulty level, and it results in what many consider to be one of the hardest, but also most important FPS games ever created.
1 Battletoads
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 4.67
- Release Date: June 1991
- Platforms: NES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear
- Developer: Rare
There have been a few games released over the years that are regarded as being so challenging to beat that actually finishing them is considered a huge achievement. Some examples of this include the TMNT game for the NES or Castlevania: Haunted Castle, but another was Battletoads, a beat em' up style game that was released back in 1991 to critical acclaim. Limited lives and continues, merciless enemy types, and difficult boss battles all contribute to the game's infamously unforgiving difficulty, but what also makes it so hard is the fact that it's virtually impossible to get familiar with the game because of how different each area is.
When entering a new level, the mechanics, enemies, and obstacles will all be entirely different, meaning that players can't simply get into a familiar groove, and must instead always be fully prepared for what they could encounter next. In most beat em' up games, the player always feels like they're able to hold their own against anything that comes their way, but in stark contrast, Battletoads can feel more like a desperate fight for survival, especially when entering the latter stages of the game.
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