Ghosts ‘n Goblins
All of the games on this list are demanding on a scale unheard of by today’s standard, but Ghosts ‘n Goblins was actually considered extremely hard even by 1980s arcade standards. In fact, the game is often slated as one of the most challenging ever released.
If you’re proud of beating Dark Souls III, then attempting Ghosts ‘n Goblins would provide a sharp reality check. This game is no joke; a single hit will remove Arthur’s armor, forcing players to continue with nothing but underwear as protection. A second hit and it’s all over, returning players right to start of each arduous level. If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, a three minute timer adds an extra pressure to complete each level, giving players little to no time to study attack patterns or memorize platforming sections.
Any single stage in Ghosts ‘n Goblins is probably harder than the entirety of most modern AAA games, but perhaps the most soul crushing moment in the game occurs right at its conclusion; after beating the final boss players are told the first encounter was merely “a trap devised by Satan,” and are then required to play the entire game again on a higher difficulty.