The 5 Best Difficult Games that Don’t Punish Mistakes

I have a certain fascination with difficult games. We play games because we want to have fun, but some games are so difficult that they become more of a stress inducer than a stress relief. Yet we press on, eager to try one more time to overcome the challenge. So what makes us keep coming back? Let’s take a look at five difficult games that manage to challenge the player without punishing their failures.

5 Best Difficult Games that Don’t Punish Mistakes

 

1. VVVVVV

This is both one of the greatest 2D platformers of all time and one of the most difficult games of all time. VVVVVV uses a gravity-flipping mechanic instead of regular jumping. You leap from the floor to the ceiling and back again to avoid spikes and other obstacles. Sometimes there’s only a tiny margin for error, but thanks to frequent checkpoints, you’re able to practice each section without the frustration of having to start the whole level over. Oh, and the awesome music makes trying again extra fun.

2. Celeste

Mental health is one of this game’s central themes, and although this game tests your mental health with spikes, spikes, and more spikes, it still cares about making the journey fair. It offers an assist mode that makes the game easier without penalizing you in any way. The temptation to turn it on is there, but even if you’re challenging yourself not to turn on assist mode, the game plays fair. You get unlimited lives and frequent autosave, letting you work through the platforming one room at a time.

3. Geometry Dash

This rhythm-based runner kills you in one hit, but in addition to unlimited lives, it has a very helpful feature. It has a practice mode that includes checkpoints that help you get through the long levels. You can jump into the normal mode if you want, but if it gives you trouble, you can take a few runs on the practice mode to get good. Then when you’re ready, you can dive into the checkpoint-free normal mode. There are no punishments for using the practice mode, meaning you can try it as much as you want without shame.

4. Super Meat Boy

Here we have another platformer that grants you unlimited lives. In addition, Super Meat Boy features short levels, and you can even skip certain levels that are giving you trouble. Moreover, the game actually rewards you for dying. The more times you die, the more little Meat Boys will be running around in the replay once you finally finish the level, adding to the entertainment factor. It’s always a treat when difficult games reward you for your failures.

5. Vampire Survivors

This is one of the more unusual difficult games. Vampire Survivors captures the old arcade mentality where it’s not about winning – instead it’s about lasting as long as you can. As you level up from fighting through masses of enemies, you can choose which upgrades to focus on and form a strategy that works for you. The gold you collect can also be used to buy permanent upgrades (that you can resell at any time) such as regenerating health. The game is also addictive enough that you’ll want to keep playing and see how well you do next time.

Conclusion

Of course, not everyone will enjoy difficult games, but if you like a challenge, any of these games are well worth recommending. An added bonus is that these games value your time while throwing insane challenges at you. Difficulty is an art form of maintaining the line between challenging and fair, and these games are fair. They also make you want to keep trying no matter how many obstacles are in your way.