With this year's release of the punishingly difficult Elden Ring, players enjoy the challenge but often wish for a simpler and more relaxing playing experience. Even the easiest games can be shockingly hard at times, and the biggest challenges usually arise when facing bosses.
From Nintendo classics like Earthbound to modern-day epics like Skyrim, plenty of mostly easy games throw in a bevy of tough bosses to defeat as well. Though bosses aren't supposed to be easy, some games took things too far and have a wide difference of difficulty between their levels and their bosses.
Merco - Mischief Makers (1997)
Now mostly remembered as a fun hidden gem for the Nintendo 64, Mischief Makers has finally gotten the recognition it deserves among gaming circles online. The game follows a robotic maid named Marina who must go on an epic quest to save her creator from the clutches of the evil emperor of the planet Clancer.
The individual levels of the game are so-so in their difficulty, but everything changes once bosses are encountered. Most notably, Merco is far and above the usual difficulty of the rest of the game, and the fight with him in free fall will have some gamers rage-quitting long before he reaches his second phase.
Gunstar Green - Gunstar Heroes (1993)
The run-and-gun classic Gunstar Heroes is usually heralded as one of the best Sega Genesis games ever, and it is also noted for its tough boss battles. The game casts the player as one of two Gunstars who must stop an evil empire from collecting four powerful gems.
Though a mostly breezy playing experience throughout, the game pulls out all the stops when encountering its main villain. Gunstar Green has all the skills and abilities of the other Gunstars, and his quick movements are unbelievably challenging to predict. If the rest of the game was as challenging as the final boss, most players wouldn't be able to make it past the first stage.
Cletus - Dead Rising (2006)
Though it is remembered as one of the best zombie survival horror games in history, the classic game Dead Rising isn't usually considered very hard. The game follows a cynical journalist who finds himself in a shopping mall overrun with zombies.
Hacking down hordes of zombies is not only easy but a ton of fun as well. The game isn't very difficult until the player encounters the deranged human characters who constitute the bosses. Cletus is a particular boss that gave players fits, and his trigger-happy psychosis means that he could issue a large amount of damage quickly, and his enraged state made him difficult to predict.
Ahzidal - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
Bethesda's open-world fantasy masterpiece Skyrim is a beloved RPG institution and still has a thriving community over a decade after its initial release. The game follows the Dragonborn as he travels the land attempting to stop an evil dragon from destroying the world.
Like any open-world game, challenges can be avoided until the player is sufficiently leveled up, but some of the game's bosses are hard no matter what. Ahzidal is one such villain and will have the player spamming health potions and fire resists. Most bosses have a pattern, but Ahzidal not only requires skill, but a fair amount of patience to finally defeat as well.
Kraken - Earthbound (1994)
Earthbound is a Nintendo hidden gem that is no longer very hidden, and fans have finally come around to loving the RPG. The game follows Ness and his group of friends as they travel across the land to collect melodies in order to defeat Giygas.
Though Earthbound's final showdown is noted for being one of the most bizarre video game boss battles, the first boss that the player encounters is still one of the hardest. Earthbound is an easy and pleasant game to walk through, but it doesn't take long for the player to encounter the Kraken, and the difficulty increases exponentially. For a first boss, the mythical creature has a staggering amount of health points, and his sudden appearance is especially jarring.
Death Metal - No More Heroes (2007)
Hack-and-slash games finally found their perfect home with the release of the Nintendo Wii, and one of the shining examples of the genre on the console was No More Heroes. Heavily inspired by other media, the game follows a man who accidentally becomes an assassin, and must eliminate ten rival killers to avoid being offed.
The pseudo-open-world design of the game allowed players to hone their craft before taking on bosses, but the first challenge is nevertheless a tough one. Death Metal is the first assassin the player meets, and he puts up a tough fight for a first boss. His attacks are swift and dangerous, and he requires a lot of practice to master. No More Heroes isn't a hard game, but its bosses are where the challenge lies.
Azazel - Tekken 6 (2009)
Fighting games usually alternate between being too easy and being way too hard, and Tekken 6 mostly fell in the former category. After taking over the Mishima Zaibatsu special forces, Jin's actions cause the world to plunge into civil war, and a series of assassins are sent to kill him.
Flimsy plot aside, Tekken 6 featured the normal array of fights but wasn't very hard to play through. That all changes however when the player encounters Azazel in the final battle. The physical embodiment of the evil in Jin's soul, many players felt that Azazel offered too much challenge, and was mostly a difficult boss because he was so unfair.
Izual - Diablo III (2012)
Diablo III took what the previous installments had made and built upon them with reliable quality that fans had come to expect. Sporting a rather simple story, the game tasks the player with creating a character and journeying forth to defeat Diablo.
With its intuitive gameplay and over-the-top action, Diablo III wasn't all that challenging of a game. However, boss encounters such as the one with Izual are on an entirely different level of difficulty. Skilled players will no doubt put a dent in his health bar, but certain attacks like the frozen nova offer a frustration factor that even the best players can't get around.
Shredder - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game (1989)
Arcade games were usually designed to be quarter-eating machines, but TMNT: The Arcade Game had a relatively easy difficulty. Like a story ripped straight from the comics or cartoon series, the TMNT set out to do battle with the Foot Clan in order to defeat Shredder himself.
The stages are fun, if not too easy, but it is the bosses at the end that had players pumping the machine full of their parent's money. Naturally, Shredder is the most difficult villain and any player good enough to reach him found that he was somehow even harder than his sub-bosses. Between his high health bar and his ability to dish out crushing attacks, the best way to beat Shredder is to take advantage of the game's four player mode.
Tabuu - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)
Games like Super Smash Bros. aren't known for their challenge, and they mostly shine as perfect party games. Brawl was very much like its predecessors and featured an array of licensed Nintendo characters who do battle in arena style levels.
The game does feature a storyline, and Brawl's final boss Tabuu offers a challenge unlike anything before or since in the series. The mystical being can attack faster and stronger than any other boss, and the astoundingly sudden jump in difficulty had many players turning the game off out of frustration.