Top 10 Hardest Video Game Sequels
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If the first game was already a challenge, what made us think the sequel would be any easier? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Video Game Sequels WAY Harder Than the Original!
For this list, we’re taking a look at video game sequels that were immensely more challenging than their predecessors.
#10: “Fallout 2” (1998)
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Before “Fallout” became the first-person RPG shooter we know today, it was a turn-based RPG with an isometric 2D view...and it was freakin’ hard! As if the first game wasn’t difficult already, “Fallout 2” remembered it was set in a post-apocalyptic world and decided that everything should try to kill you. In other words, there were more random encounters with tougher enemies. Obviously, having a solid character build wasn’t going to be enough, and you likely had to do some grinding to survive the hostile wasteland.
#9: “Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (1993)
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Remember how unreasonably hard “Super Star Wars” was? Well, guess what! They made a sequel! It may have reused most of the same tricks its predecessor employed, but it also decided to make them ten times more frustrating. Enemies rapidly spawn from outside the screen, and even as you’re hitting them, they can still attack you. That Wampa should not be able to freeze us after getting struck with a lightsaber! In the end, progression all depends on your reflexes and memorization of the level’s layout. You know what... on second thought, “Dark Souls” is starting to seem way more fair.
#8: “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link” (1988)
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One of the most exciting, yet challenging parts of the first “Legend of Zelda” was not knowing where to go. This allowed the player to explore on their own and figure things out for themselves. “Zelda II" similarly left players to find their own way, but also upped the difficulty of the map with the addition of enemy encounters that can randomly spawn. Not every encounter is overwhelming, but when it is, you’ll be dead within seconds. You don’t wanna hear me rant about how much B.S. you have to go through in Death Mountain!
#7: “Resident Evil 2” (1998)
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As if our favorite zombie shooter wasn’t stressful enough (what with all the puzzles, scarce ammunition, and jump scares), “Resident Evil 2” just had to go and push us to our limits. Seriously, if we could barely hold our own against a couple of zombies, what made Capcom think we could handle even more of them? Adding to the distress is just how claustrophobic the areas can get. Your constantly under the risk of getting trapped in a corner and possibly wasting precious ammunition. So, you’re going to need to decide when to shoot and when to simply run past everything - which is not always an easy choice to make.
#6: “Middle-Earth: Shadow of War” (2017)
Ignoring the lootbox elephant in the room, “Middle-Earth: Shadow of War” turned out to be much harder than its predecessor. We mean that in a good way! When you’re invading a fortress, you are constantly being bombarded by minions. No matter how many you kill, they just keep on coming! The Nemesis feature, on the other hand, makes fights against captains especially grueling. When you encounter someone you’ve fought before, they’ll return at a higher level along with a few new upgrades. This forces the player to rethink strategies while keeping fights tough, but fair...for the most part. At least there’s more enemy variety than there was in “Shadow of Mordor”!
#5: “System Shock 2” (1999)
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Between the original and its iconic sequel, most “System Shock” fans will tell you the second game is an absolute nightmare! Just how difficult is this sci-fi horror-fest? Well, let’s just say that you need to be really damn good at shooters! Even when it's set to the easiest difficulty, “System Shock 2” is taxing. For starters, it’s going to take more than a single headshot to keep enemies at bay. Oh, and did we mention that you won’t have much ammo to work with? Ammunition is insanely hard to come by, and it’s difficult figuring out how to conserve bullets when enemies are assaulting you! Jeez SHODAN can you let up for just a second?!
#4: “XCOM 2” (2016)
This is a game that’s guaranteed to turn the happiest person into a living hurricane of rage and fury! Whether you’re playing offense or defense, your soldiers will constantly be at the mercy of RN-Jesus. Think that enemy can’t hit you from that distance? Well, there goes half of your health! Think you can get a guaranteed hit by standing next to an enemy? Nah, you’ll only have fifty percent chance to land a hit. Needless to say, the RNG is so relentless and unforgiving that you’ll be throwing the controller by your third mission. Hope you enjoy getting your ass handed to you by aliens, because the punishment just does not stop!
#3: “Ninja Gaiden II” (2008)
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The name alone says it all. We mean, come on...this is the sequel to Ninja freakin’ Gaiden we’re talking about! While the 1990 platformer of the same name was insanely challenging, its modern duplicate is on a whole other astral plane of hack and slash madness. After all, you had to really work for your kills in this game! Dismemberment did not mean death, and ignoring crippled enemies left you liable for an insta-kill sucker punch! It certainly didn’t help that the camera was occasionally frustrating in how it focused on Ryu. Occasionally having to guess where your enemies were coming from was a real hassle.
#2: “Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest” (1988)
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As we’ve seen from the likes of “Zelda II”, a change in gameplay style can certainly up the difficulty. “Castlevania” went through a similar phase, whereas the first game kept things linear, “Simon’s Quest” went for an open world-like design. As interesting as this was, it left many players lost in the dark. The game gives very little guidance as to where you’re supposed to go, which may lead you to start wandering aimlessly or talking to every NPC you meet. Basically… you’re going to need to do some thorough exploration in order to progress. Of course, there’s always the Internet, but it was a different time back then!
#1: “Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels” aka “Super Mario Bros. 2” (1986)
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It's perhaps the most infamous game under the “Super Mario” banner. While originally set to be the official, global sequel to the iconic plumber's debut, the game didn’t end up get a Western due to Nintendo feeling like audiences wouldn't be able to wrap their head around it. They...may have had a point. “The Lost Levels” throws everything it can at the player and then some! You can expect warp pipes that may set you back further from the goal, bottomless pits that required pixel-perfect jumps to pass, not to mention constantly being pressed for time. So instead… we got the “Doki Doki Panic” version instead! Thanks for the save, Nintendo!
