Secret Revealed – Why Old Nintendo Games Are Infamously Difficult?

Published 10/20/2023, 7:58 AM EDT

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Do you remember ‘Punch-Out!!’? Or Mega Man? These NES titles kept older gamers busy for hours and even days trying to get past the final bosses. However, that didn’t stop players from trying out the super-fun games published by the company. For those who are curious about why old Nintendo games take so much time to finish, look no further.

From Mario to Pikmin, Nintendo always entertained fans with its super amazing characters. However, as entertaining as these games might be, they can take a hard time for the players to get to the end credits. And there is a reason these famous old Nintendo games appeared so difficult for players which has been shared.

What made old Nintendo games tough to beat?

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From Yacht Club Games’ Cyber Shadow to old 2D Mario Games, old Nintendo titles didn’t always play like how they looked. But there are certain reasons for that.

Firstly, the Nintendo games in question are the old arcade games. Players already know about the clunky control factors and difficult saving options for these games. This improper saving feature, hard controls, and harder level designs surely affected the gameplay of the players by adding a lot of difficulty to the gameplay. But that is not the only case here!

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NES and SNES games are also difficult since it wasn’t made for a device like Switch. It is because the developers can’t just put games with an average of 20 to 50 hours of gameplay. So, being the genius that Nintendo is, it just made the gameplay difficult, so they took more time than usual. Since developers want maximum engagement for gamers, making the gameplay difficult probably seemed like the only option. Now who can blame this brilliant move by the gaming giants?

In fact, this weird Nintendo strategy went so overboard that Super Mario Bros. became an insanely difficult game to play. However, people will be intrigued to know that Nintendo went so crazy with this title that it wasn’t even released in the US. Feeling surprised much?

What are some most difficult Nintendo games of all time?

Now that we already know about Nintendo’s strategy, let’s take a look at some of the insanely difficult Nintendo titles. The first name on the list is definitely Punch-Out!! Players have to bump up to a new set of fighters, which truly makes the gameplay harder for anyone to understand the strategy at a good pace.

Top Nintendo Games That Got Forgotten, But Are Actually Gems In Disguise

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Then there is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which stunned fans with its difficult gameplay along with pathetic game resources, bad FPS, and difficult jump options. Not just these two, the list contains more popular titles like Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom to Ikari Warriors, Mega Man, The Adventures of Bayou Billy, and the super popular Final Fantasy franchise.

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Then there is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which stunned fans with its difficult gameplay, bad FPS, and difficult jump options. Further, the list contains more popular titles like Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom to Ikari Warriors, Mega Man, The Adventures of Bayou Billy, and the super popular Final Fantasy franchise.

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Despite the difficulty, players can’t really deny the element of nostalgia that Nintendo offered with these titles. So, if you feel super inclined to Nintendo and have a knack for difficult yet vintage gameplay, try these NES titles. And do share your experiences with us in the comments!

Watch this story: Highest-rated Nintendo Games of All Time.

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Written by:

Diptarko Paul

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Diptarko is an eSports writer at EssentiallySports. He’s particularly curious about video game development. His interest in gaming can be traced back to his childhood days, where he spent a significant amount of time playing Road Rash, Contra, FIFA, GTA Vice City and GTA V.
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Edited by:

Rohan Karnad