After the breathtaking trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was shown off during September’s Nintendo Direct and its release date was confirmed for May 12th of next year, fans have been reinvigorated, especially since the title was already delayed once before. Exhibiting the puzzle-solving that the franchise is known for, players can barely wait to crack even the most laborious ones.

Though Zelda fans may be extra talented at completing the most strenuous games in the series, like Majora’s Mask, one can only wonder how well they would fair against even rougher N64 titles. From Doom 64 to Perfect Dark, N64 players have tested their skills and patience against a number of exhausting games. But which are considered the absolute hardest?

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

A promo shot from Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask

Anyone who has ever played Majora’s Mask can attest to how difficult it truly is to complete. Though the exploitable time-looping songs made the game much easier to beat as Link races to save the world yet again, some players find it too much of a hassle compared to previous Legend of Zelda installments.

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The mechanics of the time loop in the game made its dungeons much more complicated and put the pressure on when having to pay close attention to time running out. Not only that, but needing to complete complicated puzzles under the same stress often made for a less fun gaming experience for fans.

Perfect Dark

Joanna Dark on the cover of the original Perfect Dark for N64.

As one of the best cyberpunk-themed video games, Perfect Dark combined many elements of stealth games with a first-person shooter which gave it a slower pace, winning praise from fans and critics alike.

Despite its steady progression, Perfect Dark had players shivering in their boots, especially during levels that required night vision. No matter the difficulty it is played on, the game is a huge challenge, since most things can kill the player instantly. On top of this, its level designs were perplexing and a pain to navigate, only made worse by its sheer amount of rigorous objectives.

Turok 2: Seeds Of Evil

Gameplay from Turok 2 Seeds Of Evil

The savage first-person shooter that is Turok 2 gave the N64 a challenge, pushing its hardware to achieve things no other game on the console ever had before. As one of the scariest games on the N64, the control style is much like its predecessor, but completing this title is no easy feat.

Turok 2’s enormous levels are perfect for getting lost, and the overlay map system does little to help. Finishing each level takes even more time since the player must solve all objectives before it is considered complete. Combining this with dropping frame rates and absurdly hard boss battles takes the stakes even higher. However, these factors are also what makes the game special, since the frame rate is due to the heavily detailed environments.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day

Conker in a army helmet with a pair of machine guns in Conker's Bad Fur Day

Conker’s Bad Fur Day may mislead players into thinking the game is harmless and silly fun, but those who underestimate it will quickly learn that it is a force to be reckoned with.

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The 3D platformer is quite grueling to beat, and not just because of its infamous Bats Tower underwater maze section. Firstly, the action-adventure game requires Conker to vault over obstacles, and one misstep could have the squirrel falling to his death... from a just 4-foot drop. Also, the game’s rising difficulty as it progresses is entirely anger-inducing.

F-Zero X

Gameplay from F Zero X

In terms of futuristic racing games, F-Zero X has always been a fan-favorite for its 24 distinct tracks and 30 hover-cars that are seemingly inspired by the 60s. However, its simple control scheme doesn’t change the fact that it is one of the most strenuous N64 games to beat.

F-Zero X’s steep learning curve will give racing buffs a run for their money, taking loads of practice to perfect drift techniques and really move forward in the game. Becoming bumped off the track into lethal boundaries is far too easy and can happen with the smallest slip of the finger. Beating the toughest races, like the hidden X-Cup, is strenuous even for seasoned players.

Donkey Kong 64

Title card shot of Donkey Kong 64

Infamous for its ridiculous yet necessary backtracking to complete its seemingly unending number of requirements to beat the game, playing Donkey Kong 64 means embracing all the madness that come along with it.

Using item collecting as its backbone may just have been the downfall of its enjoyability, as it is mandatory to gather items like bananas and blueprint puzzle pieces with each character. What makes it more infuriating is that without Banana medals, new weapons and abilities are unusable. The game may have maximized its replay value astoundingly, but at the cost of deterring the fun of past Donkey Kong games.

Castlevania 64

The title card for Castlevania N64

Focusing on Dracula’s re-awakening once again, Castlevania 64 released two years after the fan-favorite Symphony of the Night, and was heavily praised for being the first 3D game in the series. Following two vampire hunters, AKA the newest son in the Belmont line, Reinhardt, and the psychic magic-user, Carrie, the games controls were definitely not the best of the franchise.

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The camera was not very reliable and movement felt a bit too floaty. But what was worse was the classic whip, which only worked on nearby enemies and lost all its alternate uses, making it almost impossible to beat the game as Reinhardt alone unless on easy mode. Furthermore, the Tower of Sorcery and the hedge maze are infamous for being astoundingly difficult to beat.

Doom 64

Doom 64 gameplay

Doom 64 isn’t just one of the hardest games to speedrun, but was the most graphically advanced installment of Doom at the time, naturally becoming a huge hit and earning its still-phenomenal reputation.

As if being a horrifying title wasn’t enough, the game’s rigorous puzzles and wholly strong enemies make it that much more frightening. Though there aren’t as many foes as one would think, Doom 64 makes up for it with some awesome monster designs and hard-hitting offenses. Unfortunately, the frame rate is prone to dipping during fast-paced fights and death animations.

Sin And Punishment

A promo shot for Sin And Punishment N64

Earning itself a cult following and a long-awaited localized release, Sin and Punishment was once an import-only N64 shooter with an arcade style, featuring fast-paced action that challenged players tremendously.

Playing as the gun and sword-wielding Saki, the player must dodge obstacles by jumping and rolling while being attacked by foes. With complex controls that make anything above the default difficulty setting a pain to complete, the game becomes almost unplayable on Turbo Hard, where even blinking can mean sudden doom from environmental hazards and charging enemies.

Superman 64

Gameplay from Superman 64

Quite possibly the most despised and taxing N64 game is none other than Superman 64, which is daunting for all the wrong reasons. Technical difficulties make the game downright unbeatable in most cases, as it is legitimately a broken and bugged game.

Through 14 missions of many sizes, gamers can suffer like they never have before while playing as Superman, who should be called Subpar-man in this context. The hero moves like a stepped-on slug, taking at least 5 seconds just to turn around, with both inconsistent take-offs and landings. As if it couldn’t get any worse, the objectives are confusing and the time limits are utterly excruciating. Just ask the “Angry Video Game Nerd” (via YouTube), who reviewed the horrid game and brought it into the spotlight long ago.

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