Top 10 Hardest Characters To Unlock In Video Games
#10: Iron Checkpoint Crate
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“Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled” (2019) When Crash Bandicoot’s first racer was remasted for the modern era, it brought together characters from across the entire franchise, including some no one expected to see. Within the main platformers, the iron checkpoint crate is exactly what it sounds like: a checkpoint. But in a post-launch update for “Nitro-Fueled,” the developer included it as a silly unlockable character. In order to earn it, you have to find all 39 hidden Beenox crates, one for each level save for the PS4 exclusive Retro Stadium. That’s already a tall order, but some of these crates are hard to find and even harder to break while barreling through courses at high speeds.
#9: Stefan
“Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance” (2005) There are some characters whose method of unlocking is not something the average player would ever think to do. In “Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance,” Stefan is one of the strongest fighters you can add to your party. Unfortunately, it’s highly likely that you’ll miss the chance to unlock him. He can only join in Chapter 15, and you have to unlock him on the battlefield. But that’s not the tough part. The player must have either Lethe or Mordecai step on a specific square, away from the fight, in order to speak with him. If it’s any other character, they’ll get his sword but Stefan will forever be lost.
#8: The Forgotten
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“The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth” (2014) Although the story follows the unfortunate Isaac, there are still plenty of other characters to find. Added through an expansion, The Forgotten is a skeleton that fights with a bone club and has a laundry list of tasks in order to unlock. After defeating the first boss in under a minute, you’ll get a broken shovel. You’ll then need to survive as Mom stomps at you from above, though using your shabby prize will at least stop her from attacking in the current room. Eventually making it through a boss rush, you’ll repair the shovel. Then just keep surviving waves of enemies until you reach the Dark Room where you can dig up the Forgotten’s remains. Hope it was worth it.
#7: Skelly
“Chrono Cross” (1999) As you’ll see, some of the hardest characters to unlock can be found in RPGs. “Chrono Cross” features a surprising 45 possible party members and Skelly is, without a doubt, the hardest to unlock. You’ll come across his lone skull in Fossil Valley, where he’ll ask you to track down his remaining parts. You’ll then have to track down those parts across 6 different locations of its fairly large world. While it’s possible to find some before coming across Skelly, others are pretty challenging to find and hidden in obscure areas. But after bringing them all together, and watching him reunite with his Grandma back in Termina, Skelly will head out on your adventure.
#6: Reiji Kido
“Revelations: Persona” (1996) These days, players can simply look up guides on how to unlock characters. But in 1996, you had to follow a set of specific, obscure decisions in order to earn Reiji in the first “Persona.” You’d have to know to start the process right at the beginning, heading from the infirmary to the teacher’s lounge. Talking to a certain teacher would lead you to a classroom on the second floor, where you’d meet Reiji. From there, it took following a set path, including finding and talking to his mother only once and declining specific characters when they wanted to join. If you did any number of things incorrectly, one of the best possible party members would be lost for good.
#5: William Bordin
“Urban Reign” (2005) Going through the process of unlocking a character isn’t always worth it. This beat ‘em up’s story mode follows Brad Hawk, a hired muscle caught in the middle of a gang war. The villain is corrupt politician William Bordin, who is behind the city’s state and craves even more power. Players can unlock him, though it takes a lot of dedication. You have to get an S-rank on every stage, which can be ridiculously tough. There’s a number of characters and difficulty levels to consider to find the right balance so you can earn your trophy. But Bordin sucks anyway, from his stats to his attacks, so you may as well not even bother.
#4: Zero
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“Bayonetta” (2009) In the original “Bayonetta,” you could unlock an additional Hard Mode in the form of a character named Zero. Essentially controlling the same as the main character, Zero can only handle a couple of hits before he goes down. As you might expect, unlocking him is no small feat either. After finishing every Alfheim mission, you can try your hand at a special survival chapter consisting of 51 fights. The first ten are on Normal Mode, the next 20 on Hard, and the next 20 on Non-Stop Climax. It culminates in a clash with Bayonetta herself, who has five health bars and naturally puts up a mighty fight.
#3: The Crystalmen
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“FTL: Faster Than Light” (2012) With a procedurally generated solar system’s worth of encounters, “FTL” provides a ton of possible allies. But the Crystalmen are both the hardest to recruit and the ones most worth doing so. First, you’ll need to be lucky enough to encounter a randomized event where a distress call leads you to an asteroid field. There, you’ll find a damaged stasis pod you must get repaired at a specific facility, which holds your first Crystal crew member. Then you must wait for another random event to happen, which gets you a device that teleports you to a hidden sector. Only then will you be able to recruit more Crystalmen, who have great weapons and one of the best ships in the game.
#2: Cloud Strife
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“Final Fantasy Tactics” (1997) Although he’s arguably the most famous “Final Fantasy” protagonist, Cloud takes a ton of work to unlock in this spin-off. Like several others, it requires following a very specific path within the story. You must have kept Mustadio in your party and completed Chapter 4, after which you must know to return to his hometown. There, you can aid his father in completing his portal device through a lengthy side quest that includes recruiting other party members and a secret boss fight. You’ll also have to have bought a flower from a girl in Sal Ghidos. Afterwards, Cloud will be summoned to this world, and he’ll join your party the next time you return. How anyone could’ve known to do all this is beyond us.
#1: Nordom
“Planescape: Torment” (1999) Not only does unlocking Nordom take some major outside-the-box thinking, but it takes completing an infamously tough dungeon. First, you have to buy what seems like an ordinary cube from the Curiosity Shop. Turns out this is a figurine of a Modron, one of Nordom’s mechanical race. But you can only find this out by speaking to some real Modrons or Yvana, the Galleria owner. Only then can you get a chance to solve the cube’s puzzle, which will then teleport you to a maze. This labyrinth is one of the most difficult levels the game has to offer, with plenty of strong enemies and shifting parts. Nordom stands as your prize for making it through it all.
