entremet You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge Member Oct 26, 2017 70,440 I've also loved this troupe. It's like a fun fakeout lol. My pick: Monster World IV, the last Genesis installment of the installment of the excellent, and confusing Monster World/Wonder Boy series. It also got a remake a few years ago as well, which I haven't played. End game just goes crazy while you basically coast for 75 percent of the game. It's not crazy, but a nice jump in difficulty.  Last edited: Yesterday at 10:21 PM PlanetSmasher The Abominable Showman Member Oct 25, 2017 132,547 The last few missions of Super Robot Wars OG: Moon Dwellers are nuts. The game is like "we're going to give you one of the most powerful mechas in the entire multiverse! so now we need to make every fight 2-3x harder to compensate!" The Neo Granzon is an absolute monster, but even that thing can't solve an entire mission by itself if the rest of your units get killed.  shadowman16 Member Oct 25, 2017 41,370 Ill be honest the remake of MWIV didnt really feel like it had a difficulty spike aside that darned quiz that popped up mid? way through the game. Its basically a knowledge check, in a game which Id been sleeping through the story. That'll teach me to pay more attention next time lol. Ones that hit me personally: Ninja Gaiden (NES) - That darned bird in stage... 7-2? Its actually not just the bird but rather a combo of the bird and other enemies that constantly respawn. The level actually wouldnt be as bad if the respawning was more lenient. Or you know, the checkpointing after that point was solid instead of kicking you back to 7-1 if you lose to the boss' multiple phases! Ninja Gaiden (Black/Sigma) - Bump the difficulty all the way up to Very Hard/Master Ninja, then play the penultimate stage and do the boss rush run toward the end of the penultimate chapter... when the Alma like bosses show up, it can become a real test of skill just to hit the bosses, let alone win! TMNT NES - No, not the over rated dam level, Im talking level 6 - the finale. And specifically, the long corridor section right before Shredder - the game basically over and over spawns these flying dudes with guns that decimate your health and take far too many hits to defeat... they dont stop coming and are just a hastle to deal with. Hope for scrolls or at least limp to Shredder's boss room with Don and Leo intact for the fight, as you'll need their reach to cheese Shredder (thankfully said boss is much easier than the journey to him)  DrForester Mod of the Year 2006 Member Oct 25, 2017 24,538 Breath of the Wild, but only because I was so engrossed during the game of exploring on foot that having to do mounted combat for the final battle was not something I was prepared for at all.   OP OP entremet You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge Member Oct 26, 2017 70,440 shadowman16 said: Ill be honest the remake of MWIV didnt really feel like it had a difficulty spike aside that darned quiz that popped up mid? way through the game. Its basically a knowledge check, in a game which Id been sleeping through the story. That'll teach me to pay more attention next time lol. Ones that hit me personally: Ninja Gaiden (NES) - That darned bird in stage... 7-2? Its actually not just the bird but rather a combo of the bird and other enemies that constantly respawn. The level actually wouldnt be as bad if the respawning was more lenient. Or you know, the checkpointing after that point was solid instead of kicking you back to 7-1 if you lose to the boss' multiple phases! Ninja Gaiden (Black/Sigma) - Bump the difficulty all the way up to Very Hard/Master Ninja, then play the penultimate stage and do the boss rush run toward the end of the penultimate chapter... when the Alma like bosses show up, it can become a real test of skill just to hit the bosses, let alone win! TMNT NES - No, not the over rated dam level, Im talking level 6 - the finale. And specifically, the long corridor section right before Shredder - the game basically over and over spawns these flying dudes with guns that decimate your health and take far too many hits to defeat... they dont stop coming and are just a hastle to deal with. Hope for scrolls or at least limp to Shredder's boss room with Don and Leo intact for the fight, as you'll need their reach to cheese Shredder (thankfully said boss is much easier than the journey to him) Click to expand... Click to shrink... I heard the remake is much easier than the Genesis original.   BennyWhatever Member Oct 27, 2017 5,485 US The Last Story for the Wii, I remember the very last fight being a huuuuge difficulty spike. I breezed through most of the game but the final boss took me hours.   JaseMath Member Oct 27, 2017 11,422 Denver, CO The endgame of FFIV (Lunar Subterranean) can be pretty brutal if you're not grinding it.   shadowman16 Member Oct 25, 2017 41,370 entremet said: I heard the remake is much easier than the Genesis original. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Ive not played the original yet, but yeah I can believe it. Still I really liked the remake for what its worth.   Tenck Member Oct 27, 2017 684 Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I almost dropped the game because of it, but because I was so close to the end I was stubborn and pushed through the difficulty spike. That game all around had some bad moments when it came to difficulty, but the ending was on a whole different level.   BranCrackr Member Oct 4, 2019 1,260 Not a complaint for me, but Stellar Blade's last few bosses will beat your ass if you haven't gotten good at parrying and perfect dodging   MimicBox82 Member Jan 9, 2018 5,406 Sweden Elden Ring. Those last few bosses are brutal.   intradictus Member Sep 17, 2023 567 Senator Armstrong in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, you can make it to him without mastering the combat system, but he will beat your ass if you have any weaknesses   sukitakit4 Member Aug 2, 2022 25 intradictus said: Senator Armstrong in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, you can make it to him without mastering the combat system, but he will beat your ass if you have any weaknesses Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yep...pretty much.  thetrin Member Oct 26, 2017 10,581 Grand Junction, CO Tenck said: Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I almost dropped the game because of it, but because I was so close to the end I was stubborn and pushed through the difficulty spike. That game all around had some bad moments when it came to difficulty, but the ending was on a whole different level. Click to expand... Click to shrink... IF I am thinking of the same part of the game, the difficulty spikes in a really stupid way too. Its not that the enemies are at your level but more difficult. If you dont grind before this point (something you never really need to do up to this point), everything out levels you i that section by several levels. It's bizarre balancing.  cubicle47b Member Aug 9, 2019 921 The real final boss of Octopath Traveler.   JohnTruckasaurus Member Oct 27, 2017 308 The last level of Streets of Rage 4 on a higher difficulty is pretty much designed to make your palms sweat.   3bada The Fallen Oct 27, 2017 512 Kena is a chill adventure game until the final act where it becomes dark souls   Listai 50¢ - "This guy are sick" Member Oct 27, 2017 6,819 Final Fantasy III. I was overlevelled the whole game but that final dungeon was brutal.  Tavernade Tavernade Moderator Sep 18, 2018 11,609 The final boss of the first Mario and Luigi game is total nonsense compared to the rest of the game. Two phases, the second of which resets your HP to zero and then sends you through a gauntlet.   sillyGecko Member Mar 14, 2025 1,262 Does Astrobot count? Those challenge levels are brutal