The Difficulty Archives

[PunisherXD]

Hi all!

Me, @Enzo_0684, @Destructor-8, @Prometheous101 and @CatLord732 have been working on compiling a list of every game that is a difficulty of 8/10 or over, in aim to have all the hard games on PlayStation compiled into one neat and organised list!

 

Along with the actual list, we also have three sub-sections:
One of these is the "Removed Games" section, where games that are rated an 8/10 or higher by the guide/guides but in reality are lower than that reside. Reason why games can be here can be for being able to use glitches, exploits, save-scums, de-patches, version differences etc. You name it. And just a note: A game that is rated a 6/10 or 7/10 is still meant to be a challenge, so there isn't anything wrong with a game being called that. Try to not take these ratings to heart too much, obviously not everything in this list will be accurate, but we're trying our best  

The second sub-section is for the Unobtainable Games. This is nowhere near as interesting, and it just serves as a way to include games that would be difficult to complete, but are impossible to complete for one reason or another. Most of these are server shutdowns, but there are some more unique ones too.

The third sub-section is for Games Under Discussion. This is where undecided games are moved to. These could be unknown games that we just need more estimates/info on, or games that have been suggested to be removed/added onto the list for varying reason. This section serves as a way to tell people what we desperately need information on, so if you have done any of the games on there, feel free to tell us how hard it was, we'll appreciate the input as long as it has a good reason  

Obviously, difficulty is a topic that nobody can agree on, due to how people view difficulty in games differently, so I'm gonna have to clear up a few things as to how we want people to rate them for this list:

• Try not to take prior experience into account, and judge the difficulty based on how someone with little experience would find it. However, if you have a lot of experience in the genre, then comparing the game in question to others from the genre would probably result in a more accurate estimate, so please do that if or when possible.
• Please try to take mentality and enjoyment out of the core difficulty rating. This leads to a lot of "Personal Ratings" and so people start arguing because well, if there is one thing more subjective than difficulty, that would be enjoyment. So, try and give an unbiased rating of the game that solely focuses on its difficulty, rather than how unenjoyable or frustrating the game is, because this won't always be the case for others who have played that same game.
• This is an obvious one, but I have to say it anyway. If you give really inaccurate ratings like "Trackmania Turbo is a 3/10" with 0 viable reason to back it up, your comment will be ignored by the editors of the sheet. Again, we want to make as accurate estimates as possible, so trying to be funny with sarcastic comments isn't gonna lead anywhere.
• RNG will usually not be factored into the difficulty, although this will be dependent on the game. Games that completely rely on the difficulty to be raised by RNG (example: Crypt of the Necrodancer, Nuclear Throne, Binding Of Isaac etc.) will be allowed to have it factor, but other games where RNG is just a roadblock that doesn't require you to be at a higher level of skill (example: Surgeon Sim, specifically ambulance and corridor missions) shouldn't have RNG factored in, as it won't be a pure reflection of its difficulty, especially compared to other games of the difficulty. We do understand that this is a very grey area though, so try not to overly rely on this if possible.
• GRIND DOES NOT EQUAL DIFFICULTY. I've seen a few people on forums say games are really hard because they take a long time to complete, even if the skill required isn't necessarily a lot. Therefore, try and refrain from suggesting said games. Obviously, if the game is mainly grind but does have actual difficulty that could push the game into the 8/10+ range, feel free to suggest it as it will be counted.

 

I'm really hoping everyone will be respectful towards this and add suggestions accordingly. The spreadsheet link is below, so everyone is free to view the list itself and what is on it. If you wish to make any suggestions about games that could be on the list or games that shouldn't be there, feel free to post down below with what that game should be and why.

The List:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AZ7d7L6pp3R4YyYvdyN9QC2E7wJhWDhdR84D-zu-pjY/edit?usp=sharing

Edited November 12, 2023 by PunisherXD2006

[Enzo]

Super excited about this! Hopefully, we'll be able to cover every 8/10+ game possible! Once again, we'd like to encourage the community to make suggestions, it will help us immensely in making this spreadsheet the best it can be.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Enzo_0684

[RedDevil757]

Interesting.

[Natt5kift]

I hate to be first to suggest ... but will do it and move on.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Platinum percentage on PSNProfiles 1.13%.  Mein Leben difficulty is PermaDeath restarts from beginning of game. I haven't attempted it.

Edited September 22, 2023 by Natt5kift
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[PunisherXD]

3 minutes ago, Natt5kift said:

I hate to be first to suggest ... but will do it and move on.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Platinum percentage on PSNProfiles 1.13%.  Mein Leben difficulty is PermaDeath restarts from beginning of game. I haven't attempted it.

Thank you for the suggestion!

We do actually have Wolfenstein 2 under the "games that didn't make it" section, due how there are constant updates on what the safest and most consistent routes for the Mein Leben Trophy. We've been told the game now goes as low as a 6/10 depending on how safe and consistent your route is on the game, so we have decided not to put it in. If more people start saying that it should be in the main list then we will happily move it there though

[DeepEyes7]

Nice work, linking the trophy guides is very cool, hope you keep updating that too!

[Enzo]

2 minutes ago, DeepEyes7 said:

Nice work, linking the trophy guides is very cool, hope you keep updating that too!

Thanks, Deepeyes! We appreciate the support! We will try to update it as quickly as possible.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Enzo_0684

[Natt5kift]

6 minutes ago, PunisherXD2006 said:

Thank you for the suggestion!

We do actually have Wolfenstein 2 under the "games that didn't make it" section, due how there are constant updates on what the safest and most consistent routes for the Mein Leben Trophy. We've been told the game now goes as low as a 6/10 depending on how safe and consistent your route is on the game, so we have decided not to put it in. If more people start saying that it should be in the main list then we will happily move it there though

Fair Enough. 🫢

[Hitman_Spinksy1]

Really nice job. I will definitely look into some of these games as I try and ramp up my prowess  

I would add Downwell. I tried it for some time and couldn't get to grips with it at all and gave up in the end. I might go back to it but one of the most painful gaming experiences for sure. 

 

Also Furi, for anyone without much experience in them kinds of games are going to go through hell. Even experienced people are going to struggle through it. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Hitman_Spinksy1

[blue_blur_98]

One game worth considering is PAC-MAN Championship Edition 2. The guide posted on this site tags it as an 8/10, and while I don't have experience with the game's trophies myself, I've heard plenty of people say that it is, indeed, excruciatingly difficult.

[Baker]

Suggestion: Action Henk. That game had around the same difficulty for me as SMB.

 

I personally gave it a 8/10 and I rate difficulties pretty low normally.

[PunisherXD]

3 minutes ago, blue_blur_98 said:

One game worth considering is PAC-MAN Championship Edition 2. The guide posted on this site tags it as an 8/10, and while I don't have experience with the game's trophies myself, I've heard plenty of people say that it is, indeed, excruciatingly difficult.

I will add it right away considering people say that it is as difficult as it is, thanks for the suggestion

 

2 minutes ago, Baker said:

Suggestion: Action Henk. That game had around the same difficulty for me as SMB.

 

I personally gave it a 8/10 and I rate difficulties pretty low normally.

considering the guide for Action Henk is a 7/10 I didn't think it'd be that hard haha. I'm gonna put it under discussion for now now and try to gather a few more estimates from people, see what others say about it. Thank you for the suggestion as well

[Baker]

Just now, PunisherXD2006 said:

 

considering the guide for Action Henk is a 7/10 I didn't think it'd be that hard haha. I'm gonna put it under discussion for now now and try to gather a few more estimates from people, see what others say about it. Thank you for the suggestion as well

 

I can honestly say it’s much harder than many other titles on the list.

[DeepEyes7]

I would say that if you guys added Arcana Hearts 3, you should add Arcana Hearts 3 Love Max, imo is harder because of Parace.

[Enzo]

5 minutes ago, DeepEyes7 said:

I would say that if you guys added Arcana Hearts 3, you should add Arcana Hearts 3 Love Max, imo is harder because of Parace.

We added it to the games that need discussion section due to the Playstationtrophies guide rating it a 5/10. Thanks for the suggestion. What makes Parace so difficult?

[Wild-Arms-R]

Just a few random ones from me.

 

Ninja Gaiden Sigma-8/10, Master Rank on all chapters on Master Ninja difficulty.  Clear every single mission 4 times on each difficulty(normal, hard, very hard and Master Ninja) with the Reachel mission being the absolute worst.

I found NGS2 a 7/10 in comparsion.

 

Splasher-9/10, Pretty much a known hard game. Earning a platinum medal on all 22 levels in it's self is like a 7 right there. But then you gotta platinum medal the full game 3 time with runs that go up to or over a hr.

With conditions like 100%, 50% and a any %. Let's also not forget the 45min no death run too....

 

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3-8/10, I technically haven't unlocked this one yet but I already earned the hardest trophy(clearing 480 missions) and this is a difficult platinum trophy but very slightly over hyped. Due in part to having the ability to skip 20 missions. This carries really hard here because you can avoid the missions that would push the game to a legit 10/10.

 

Super Meat Boy-9/10, Everything that needs to be said has be said about why this game is hard as a t rex's shit. So I won't bother explaining it. I will stay that I personnelly do not see it as a 10/10 because you canuse the kid and the leave mid level trick to leavate some difficulty.

Any game that has a some type of exploit can't reasonably be 10/10(imo) 

Saying Meat Boy is a 8 seems silly though, I did the game in sub 90hr's and I still found it a 9.

 

Doom 2-9/10, Ok so after putting in a 100hr's into this game. 50 or so of my play time was spent doing a challenge run on Nightmare, practicing the game and getting insanely good(or as good as you can on console) I still can not beat lv.29 without at least playing it for 30mins to a hr. Thats how brutal it is. Having to get tru Nightmare mode alone is crazy but the fact that you gotta no death the hardest and longest stage at the end is madness.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Wild-Arms-R

[Baker]

While I’m at it let’s make another suggestion as I see CoD: Black Ops III is on the list.

 

I think, and I assume most people would agree here, that CoD: Black Ops 4 is, by quite the margin, the hardest CoD out there. I would not rate both games an 8/10 by any means but you could swap them.
 

[PunisherXD]

12 minutes ago, Baker said:

While I’m at it let’s make another suggestion as I see CoD: Black Ops III is on the list.

 

I think, and I assume most people would agree here, that CoD: Black Ops 4 is, by quite the margin, the hardest CoD out there. I would not rate both games an 8/10 by any means but you could swap them.
 

Yeah this is why we have colour coding for games with guide-ratings and other for estimates for now, as we knew that Black Ops 4 was the harder one although you can get boosted through that very easily from what I've heard, which isn't as severe of a case as BO3. Realistically we've been told BO3 is not an 8/10 either, so we're probably going to end up removing that one 🙂

[Baker]

Just now, PunisherXD2006 said:

Yeah this is why we have colour coding for games with guide-ratings and other for estimates for now, as we knew that Black Ops 4 was the harder one although you can get boosted through that very easily from what I've heard, which isn't as severe of a case as BO3. Realistically we've been told BO3 is not an 8/10 either, so we're probably going to end up removing that one 🙂

Yeah. You can get carried through Blackout. I’ve seen many boosting sessions where someone offers the help for money and many people have made use of that. But doing Blackout legit is much harder than anything BO3 throws at you. But removing BO3 is the thing to do. 

 

Also: Hard Reset Redux is harder than Shadow Warrior. That’s it for now. 😅

[PunisherXD]

18 minutes ago, Wild-Arms-R said:

Just a few random ones from me.

 

Ninja Gaiden Sigma-8/10

I found NGS2 a 7/10 in comparison.

 

Splasher-9/10

 

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3-8/10

 

Super Meat Boy-9/10

 

Doom 2-9/10

 

Thank you for your personal estimations of these games, they're very appreciated.

 

Im assuming for Doom 2 the 9/10 would be if done solo? Because with co-op I haven't heard many rate it as high 🤔

1 minute ago, Baker said:

But doing Blackout legit is much harder than anything BO3 throws at you. But removing BO3 is the thing to do. 

 

Also: Hard Reset Redux is harder than Shadow Warrior. That’s it for now. 😅

Yeah removing BO3 and adding both that and BO4 to the removed section will be the way to go hah. 

 

I will also take a note of Hard Reset Redux

[Wild-Arms-R]

4 minutes ago, PunisherXD2006 said:

Thank you for your personal estimations of these games, they're very appreciated.

 

Im assuming for Doom 2 the 9/10 would be if done solo? Because with co-op I haven't heard many rate it as high 🤔

Yeah removing BO3 and adding both that and BO4 to the removed section will be the way to go hah. 

 

I will also take a note of Hard Reset Redux

Solo vs coop is more less the same. Level 29 is a very in closed Level so running it with two players is gonna do more harm then good.

Have player 2 or a second controller lure the caco demons away at the end can make the run to the exist easier but it barley affect's the difficulty tbh.

[Flubberwunked]

I'll throw some suggestions in here

Kyurinaga's Revenge (10/10 or 9/10 difficulty / 40 hours? / Platformer) - Hard 2D platformer with a permadeath playthrough that's required for the Platinum. The game is about 1h 40 minutes long, but you'll have to sit through 40 minutes of easy levels to get to the hard stuff. Only 4 achievers in like 5+ years.

Okunoka Maddness (8/10 or 9/10 / 20 or 25 hours? / Platformer ) - Super Meat Boy clone with only 5 worlds you need to beat without dying. You can't quit to menu to save yourself from death and you have to the levels in order from 1 - 19. The controls are really sensitive and require a good amount of time to get the hang of. Wall jumping inputs are also verrrrrrry consistent

La-Mulana EX (8/10 or 9/10 / 40 or 50 hours / Platformer) - Haven't fully beat this one yet, but it's been pretty difficult so far. A very confusing and punishing metroidvania that wants you to do a 100% speedrun. There are guides that you can follow (mainly from GreenZSaber), but it's still not the easiest game to Platinum. 

Toro Let's Party (8/10 or 9/10 / 30 hours / Arcade or Party Game) - An old minigame collection featuring characters from Doko Demo Issyo. You need to earn a SSS rank in every minigame, which is very frustrating. Quite a few mini-games use the PS3's long forgotten six-asis motion thingy, which makes them really difficult. The "Free Throw" mini-game would put this game up to an 8/10 alone lmao.

I'm gonna agree with @Baker for putting Action Henk on the list. While I do think the game is a 7/10 in my opinion, there are likely many other players who would really struggle with this one. That difficulty estimate was made by Smzthyy who is an extremely good player, so Action Henk would be a 7/10 for him and not for many others. 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Flubberwunked
added game genres

[Enzo]

13 minutes ago, Flubberwunked said:

I'll throw some suggestions in here

Kyurinaga's Revenge (10/10 or 9/10 difficulty / 40 hours?) - Hard 2D platformer with a permadeath playthrough that's required for the Platinum. The game is about 1h 40 minutes long, but you'll have to sit through 40 minutes of easy levels to get to the hard stuff. Only 4 achievers in like 5+ years.

Okunoka Maddness (8/10 or 9/10 / 20 or 25 hours?) - Super Meat Boy clone with only 5 worlds you need to beat without dying. You can't quit to menu to save yourself from death and you have to the levels in order from 1 - 19. The controls are really sensitive and require a good amount of time to get the hang of. Wall jumping inputs are also verrrrrrry consistent

La-Mulana EX (8/10 or 9/10 / 40 or 50 hours) - Haven't fully beat this one yet, but it's been pretty difficult so far. A very confusing and punishing metroidvania that wants you to do a 100% speedrun. There are guides that you can follow (mainly from GreenZSaber), but it's still not the easiest game to Platinum. 

Toro Let's Party (8/10 or 9/10 / 30 hours) - An old minigame collection featuring characters from Doko Demo Issyo. You need to earn a SSS rank in every minigame, which is very frustrating. Quite a few mini-games use the PS3's long forgotten six-asis motion thingy, which makes them really difficult. The "Free Throw" mini-game would put this game up to an 8/10 alone lmao.

I'm gonna agree with @Baker for putting Action Henk on the list. While I do think the game is a 7/10 in my opinion, there are likely many other players who would really struggle with this one. That difficulty estimate was made by Smzthyy who is an extremely good player, so Action Henk would be a 7/10 for him and not for many others. 

I have added all of these, thank you very much for the suggestions. I'm honestly more shocked anyone has managed to even find a copy of Toro Let's Party. 

[JohnCenaSong-]

Okay, I'm going to have a crack at looking at this and see what hot takes I've got on any inclusions whilst seeing if I have anything to add. I'll stick only to games I have a good amount of personal experience of.

 

First up I appreciate the games that didn't make it just because there's games on there that I'm glad to see be slapped down. Games like WipEout which I needlessly preach has an outdated and overrated difficulty reputation. Also Wolfenstein 2 and DMC5 I'm glad to see not make the list too.

 

In the games that need discussion I'll say Mighty No9 shouldn't make the list, it's the only one on there I have played so I can't offer anything to the other discussions  I do hear Amplitude might be worthy though but I haven't played it.

 

Now for the main list.

 

My first eyebrow raise starts quite early in the 'A's and that's Alien vs Predator, this is another example of an outdated PS3 era rating. The most difficult elements are the chapter permadeaths (well, just the Marine campaign really as Predator is a joke and Alien is not bad). If Wolfenstein 2 can't make the list with an arguably harder campaign with full length permadeath then an easier campaign with only a chapter by chapter permadeath shouldn't.

 

Atari Flashbacks, I don't have a problem with their inclusion since you specified no save scumming but I have a small gripe seeing Volume 3s rating being 9/10 and Volume 2 being 10/10. Volume 3 makes Volume 2 look like My Name is Mayo. Xari without save scumming is the hardest trophy in the trilogy of collections and it's not even close IMO. I know a few of the 100% achievers who did everything in 1,2&3 without save scumming... except for Xari, it's a different beast entirely.

 

Bleed, I'm surprised to see Bleed make the list but also surprised that Bleed 2 isn't there with it as it seems the consensus is (thanks to Bleed 1 having a small cheese with the slow-mo usage) that 2 is the harder of them. Even without the cheese though I'd say these are on a similar level and even then I might still edge 2 ahead of 1 for difficulty.

 

Doom 1993, I can understand Doom 2 making the cut but not the first one. The first one just doesn't really get crazy at any point.

 

I am Bread, not disagreeing but maybe add a note for doing it glitchless as you did with the likes of Hollow Knight above because there's a glitch in IAB that makes it a lot easier. I believe it's called 'small item flying' or something like that, basically you can play almost as if you're on the moon and fling yourself easily across large areas if you're holding a small item making getting the ranks below an 8/10 for sure.

 

Injustice, I will constantly rant and rave about how this has a massively inflated rating. Genuinely don't believe it should make the list, 6/10 at best. This is another WipEout situation where it's inflated reputation bugs me more than it should

 

While I'm on 'I' a suggestion potentially for this letter would be I Hate Running Backwards. The challenge mostly coming from beating a run without taking damage will all the curses active.

 

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, I haven't actually played this one (I'm late to the party on NG, will play them soon I promise ) but I stumbled across a video by some dude whining about its reputation and explaining all the exploits and cheeses for this game (might just be the PS3 vers.) so maybe this might need a note too about doing it legit because from what I saw the exploits made what he claimed to be some of the hardest parts of the game a case of literally spamming a move while out of bounds etc. lol

 

The Binding of Isaac, I'm not sure about this one, I don't think base game Rebirth alone qualifies IMO. Maybe doing the entirety of the DLC but not base game.

 

Vanquish, same issue I had with WipEout here. Outdated, will die on that hill

 

As for any additions, with the caveat of not using the cheat menus/save scumming I'd maybe throw a shout to Rain World Downpour expansion which could be a contender to make the cut. It's one I've only just played somewhat recently and I think it can hang with a lot of the mentions on the list so far.

 

I have a dozen other possible contenders but I don't have enough personal experience to vouch for some of them and if I'm honest I started to lose steam whilst typing and looking at other lists to pull from so that's all my contribution is going to be for now.

[Baker]

23 minutes ago, Flubberwunked said:

I'm gonna agree with @Baker for putting Action Henk on the list. While I do think the game is a 7/10 in my opinion, there are likely many other players who would really struggle with this one. That difficulty estimate was made by Smzthyy who is an extremely good player, so Action Henk would be a 7/10 for him and not for many others. 

I can see a 7/10 coming from you. You are also a platforming wizard. 😀

 

But that’s always the hard part with lists like these. Difficulty is subjective. I went through the list one more time. I played 18 games from the list and I think 12 of them should be removed.

 

(At least remove Yakuza 3. That’s just an insult to difficult games)