At their core, games are supposed to be fun. Like any branch of the entertainment industry, they’re a means to escape reality’s annoyances and relax. Sometimes, though, that annoyance seeps its way into the game.
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Many titles test the limits of players' patience. The causes are various. The frustration could stem from questionable mechanics, nonsensical design, or the game’s style. On the other hand, an enjoyable game could simply wear out its welcome. Whatever the reason, these titles make even the hardiest fans put down their controllers.
6Getting Over It
Indie titles oftenfashion addictive gameplay from simple concepts. Such is the case withGetting Over It. On the surface, it’s a 2D platformer. Unfortunately, that’s only a facade to hide the sadism underneath.
The game sees players traverse mountains and other obstacles using only a pickaxe. The going is slow. Gaining a few feet takes an eternity, especially with the wonky physics. Even worse, those physics can easily trip people up. Misjudging an angle can send the hero tumbling back down the hill. He doesn’t sustain damage, but it’s absolutely soul-crushing to climb so high and fall so far.
5Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
The folks atUbisoftpromised that the nextAssassin’s Creedentry wouldn’t be as bloated asOdyssey, but that’s not exactly accurate.Valhallais enormous. That sounds appealing for an RPG, and the game definitely starts out strong with the freedom and openness. Sadly, it doesn’t remain that way.
Over seventy hours, it slowly wears down fans' excitement. In that, it forces them to do the same repetitive combat and tailing missions over and over again. The story misguidedly ties into forging alliances with various English territories. These regions all have their own bland narratives, none of which have anything to do with the main one. The game’s shallowness becomes apparent as players work their way through them. Even worse, the lack of level scaling means they must go in the order that the developers intended. In short, the plot forces fans to grind an excessive 200 to 300 levels, each presenting only minute boosts onan obscenely large skill tree.
How fitting for an obscenely large map. Medieval England is a colossal realm with the depth of a puddle. It’s filled with typical Ubisoft busywork like enemy camps, boring collectibles, and climbable viewpoints. The sheer scope amounts to five-minute loading times on last-gen consoles. These waits feel utterly unnecessary because the substance doesn’t justify the game being this gargantuan.Valhallais a time-sink for all the wrong reasons, and players will likely clock off long before the credits roll.
4Crash Bandicoot 4
The old-schoolCrash Bandicootgames are hard, but the belatedfourth entrytakes that to a new extreme. The gameplay is tighter and more intuitive than ever. However,it’s also more difficult. The dimension-hopping antics add fresh depth to the platforming, but that depth means players' reactions must be lightning-fast. That’s just to get through the game normally.
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Completionists have it far rougher. Each stage has a ludicrous amount of crates to smash, many of them hidden in places no one would check. In addition, the conditions for challenge runs and bonus rooms are as merciless as ever. Plus, every level has variations, such as different aesthetics and alternate characters. These variations all have their own sets of collectibles. Fans who want to unlock the extras will spend hours replaying the same unforgiving stages over and over again. It’s enough to drive the most die-hardCrashdevotees crazy.
3Death Stranding
Hideo Kojima has repeatedly stretched what players are willing to accept, both in gameplay and story.Death Strandingis the zenith of that. Right from the initial trailers, it was clear that the story would be pretentious and nonsensical.It takes a random collection of strange visuals and flimsily strings them together with the thinnest possible meaning. As infuriating as that sounds, it’s nothing compared to the format.
The game is essentially a walking simulator. The hero is a glorified delivery boy, carrying his cumbersome cargo across the harsh wilderness. The heavy load is difficult to deal with on its own, but the uneven terrain ensures players fall down every five feet. They then keep this plodding pace for miles, all while marveling at how anyone thought this could be remotely fun or engaging.
2Sonic The Hedgehog
EquatingSonic the Hedgehogwith patience might seem counterintuitive. After all, speed is his specialty.He runs through danger without a care in the world. Sadly, the same doesn’t go for those controlling him.
Sonic’s speed is a double-edged sword. The developers stuff the labyrinthine levels with obstacles, enemies, and hazards. The hedgehog moves so quickly that players don’t have time to react before they slam headlong into harm. As weird as it sounds, the natural inclination is to take it slow and steady.
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Unfortunately, that doesn’t work, either. Even with reduced speed, the slippery controls make precise platforming a pipe dream. Plus, Sonic can’t clear parts of the path which require momentum, such as hills and loops. These issues trap players between two extremes, making simple navigation needlessly complicated.
1Every Souls Game
The guys atFromSoftwarepractically built an entire subgenre on frustration. They’ve accumulated innumerable deaths inDemon’s Souls,Dark Souls,Bloodborne,Sekiro, andElden Ring. All of these games have the same problem: they derive their difficulty from handicapping players.
The issue stems from the slow movement. The sluggish responses hamper one’s maneuverability, making it hard to dodge effectively.Enemies can then drain one’s whole health bar in a few hits. That goes for both melee and ranged attacks. Worse, they often hide around corners or in other concealed places, waiting to jump out and score a cheap shot.
Players can’t even retaliate against these unfair hits. Their own attacks have a painfully long windup and deal minimal damage. In this way, the developers stack the deck against gamers. Getting the precise inputs down requires hours of painstaking study. Even then, it might not be enough. Thus, theSoulstitles live up to their reputation for misery.
