Typically, an RPG begins straightforward, making you suppose you are in for an informal expertise, after which out of nowhere, you may discover the sport stabbing you with a sharp, hard-to-overcome problem spike.
It may be startling and might even flip some gamers off of video games totally, however then there are the joys seekers who like to see a problem in an in any other case breezy expertise.
These RPGs do not appear too laborious on the floor however home among the craziest problem spikes in any online game. RPGs are the guiltiest of genres, so let’s get into it.
10 Black Fantasy: Wukong
Not a Souls Like, Or So We Thought
Black Fantasy: Wukong is without doubt one of the finest video games of 2024 and one of many strangest experiences on the market. Initially, the sport feels extremely linear and small, with little story and nothing however repetitive fight encounters to push you ahead.
That modifications in a rush as the sport opens up more and more as you progress, altering from small areas to sprawling Labrynthian places with tons of secrets and techniques and aspect quests to discover.
The massive problem spike is available in Chapter 2. In Chapter 1, you might be mowing down every thing in sight, taking down bosses in a single or two tries at most, after which the ultimate battle of Chapter 1 takes place to jack up the problem, however nothing prepares you for what’s ready in Chapter 2.
The Tiger Vanguard, Yellow Wind Sage, and different bosses there’ll drive you fully mad. Your reflexes and talent level allocation should be as much as par otherwise you’ll be retrying these fights repeatedly.
It will get crazier from there, with the following chapters upping the ante even additional.
They introduce fights with complicated mechanics, unstable hitboxes, and different growing moments of nonsense to get you to throw your controller out the window. It is all very rewarding, although, so it is value pushing by in the event you can deal with the warmth.
9 Closing Fantasy 10
I Hate You Seymour And For Good Purpose
Closing Fantasy 10 is a beloved basic, but when there may be one factor that stands out, it is the wild problem that takes place within the latter half of the sport.
The battle that encapsulates this finest is the battle towards the enduring and painfully troublesome Seymour Flux. This battle is so twisted that it does not make sense the primary time you play it.
Standing results are being thrown each which means, the boss’s HP is totally nuts, and you will find your get together being one-shotted each different flip in the event you’re not cautious.
If this looks like an outlier, it is not, because the boss fights begin to get much more difficult from there, with Yunalesca and among the last bosses being extremely powerful.
You would possibly anticipate a little bit of a problem from early 2000s JRPGs, however even with a sound technique and well-leveled get together, it is laborious to deal with simply how troublesome this recreation turns into, and that is with out even mentioning the assorted aspect quests you possibly can go on that result in fights with monsters with the HP into the hundreds of thousands.
It is an important recreation, however be prepared for a harsh actuality verify in its second half.
8 Divinity: Authentic Sin 2
So A lot Fireplace. It Feels Like It Will not Finish
Divinity: Authentic Sin 2 is a large RPG that means that you can play within the model and the way in which you need, however that freedom does not come low cost.
The start of the sport is decently powerful, however the actual problem spike comes from the Oil Slug battle in Act 2. Whereas it is a enjoyable battle, you might be tasked with preventing oil slugs in an area consistently on hearth.
It is a hilarious and brutally powerful battle as every thing in sight is burning, and that you must determine a approach to survive whereas taking out the enemies inflicting the hearth within the first place.
This battle was hellish in each means, forcing you to make use of your setting, tools, and thoughts to beat it. It is without doubt one of the hardest and most memorable moments within the 80+-hour recreation.
7 Sekiro
Genichiro Ended Many Playthroughs
Okay, so Sekiro is a tricky recreation in its personal proper. We all know this, however most bosses and challenges may be overcome with cautious preparation and tight reflexes.
That every one modifications when you face Genichiro for the primary time. This battle on the roof of a temple is called the litmus check in Sekiro, which challenges every thing you have discovered till that time.
The issue spike right here is past perception, particularly if you’ve already conquered such foes as Girl Butterfly.
The battle is blazing quick, with Genichiro providing you with barely any room to breathe, and all of it will get extra making an attempt in his second kind, which forces you to grasp the artwork of lightning deflect, which is a clumsy method to drag off.
The worst half is that after you have gained, you understand that the true challenges of the sport have solely simply begun.
6 Closing Fantasy 16
The DLCs Had been Brutal For A Recreation That Began On Straightforward
Closing Fantasy 16 is without doubt one of the best video games I’ve ever performed, plain and easy. The principle bosses provide you with checkpoints all through the fights that refill all your potions and objects to verify nothing ever will get too troublesome.
Whereas it is pleasing sufficient as a recreation, this lack of problem for the massive fights was irritating, and it diminished these gargantuan enemies that had been imagined to strike concern into you.
That every one modified when the Rising Tides DLC arrived, in addition to the Echoes of the Fallen.
First, the Echoes of the Fallen DLC introduces the primary tremendous boss of the sport, with a fierce showdown towards the enduring boss Omega that’s extremely lengthy, has bullet hell segments, and requires a wholesome heaping of potions to maintain you wholesome.
That problem comes out of nowhere, however the Leviathan battle takes the cake right here.
The ultimate battle of the Rising Tides DLC towards Leviathan begins straightforward sufficient, however the midpoint of the battle has a ridiculous DPS verify that’s fully off-brand in comparison with the remainder of the sport and never solely produces an instant-fail state, however even provides you a singular cutscene the place a terrifying tidal wave swallows you and the world.
Determining the proper sequence to assault right here is difficult, however the loopy variety of projectiles coming at you is difficult to dodge, too, and in the event you get hit, you can take fewer hits.
So, briefly, it’s a simple recreation general however has among the hardest, most brutal DLC fights you may doubtless come throughout in gaming.
5 Tales of Come up
We Did not Anticipate What Occurs With Ganabelt
On the floor, Tales of Come up seems like a joyful, lighthearted journey. However in the event you dig somewhat deeper, it is about slavery, existentialism, and eventually with the ability to really feel ache, so let’s throw that notion out the window.
To accompany the mature themes, there’s a large problem spike about 10 hours into the sport. The boss, Ganabelt, has an unlimited build-up, and the battle does not disappoint.
This battle is excessive visually and mechanically, and retaining observe of what’s occurring on display screen is as powerful a job as any.
Ganabelt has arena-wide assaults that require you to interrupt him out of his assault animation to outlive or DPS checks, and his well being pool is big.
Until you come prepared with many well being and CP potions, this battle will blow you away difficulty-wise.
The remainder of the sport has comparable spikes for every boss, with the ultimate stretch of the sport being a singular and sadistic model of brutal design that nearly calls for you buy the sport’s DLC objects or decrease the brutality, which is reasonable, however it’s what it’s.
4 Xenogears
Existence is Futile Thanks To Deus
Xenogears is a basic for its story and epic scale, however there comes some extent within the recreation the place it is virtually unplayable in the event you do not put together correctly.
That time is the ultimate boss, Deus. Sure, last bosses are imagined to be powerful, however Deus presents a problem that does not make sense. See, your huge robotic autos known as Gears want gasoline to work.
At this level within the recreation, there’s a save level earlier than the ultimate battle, after which, an enormous multi-phase battle performs out that requires all your get together to take part.
Your whole get together means all of your Gears, and, doubtless, you have not developed everybody as most gamers decide favorites, so your injury will not be nice. You will even have a restricted quantity of gasoline; if you do not have sufficient, it is curtains to your Xenogears journey.
Suppose you may have earlier saves earlier than the ultimate dungeon. In that case, you possibly can return and get this gasoline, however that is a lot progress misplaced, and it is a irritating, sudden, last problem spike created from rushed recreation design quite than a troublesome battle.
3 Darkest Dungeon
Hope You Like Despair As a result of There Is Loads
Darkest Dungeon was a breath of recent air when launched in 2016, but it surely was additionally a recreation with one of many craziest problem spikes round.
The sport begins off straightforward sufficient, taking your group of adventurers by numerous dungeons to seek out treasure and battle bosses, however the problem spike comes shortly after you have accomplished the opening missions.
Because the missions get harder, your staff might rapidly begin turning on one another, your heroes might get wired, and typically, they may simply have a coronary heart assault and die. That is proper, in a online game, your characters can simply drop useless from a coronary heart assault, by no means to return. Enjoyable, proper?
After all, there are methods to mitigate this, however that features selecting up victories over enemies all through the dungeons, which solely get more and more more difficult. If that does not sound laborious sufficient, typically, your heroes will merely refuse to assault. They are going to refuse to obey the assault command, and if that occurs, effectively, that is simply life in Darkest Dungeon.
One explicit problem spike comes from a witch boss often called the Hag, the place she cooks your get together one after the other in her cauldron, not permitting herself to be attacked except you wish to kill your staff. This battle drew a selected ire in a recreation that shortly reveals its merciless face.
2 Misplaced Odyssey
How Laborious Can An Electrical Eel be to defeat?
Misplaced Odyssey is a basic JRPG, and plenty of contemplate it the true Closing Fantasy 13.
The battle in query is known as Bogimoray and this battle is completely brutal in each means. It is a number of phases, it is early within the recreation, and basically requires you to seek out an merchandise that’s obscurely hidden within the space prior, and it comes after an unskippable story scene.
With that enjoyable medley in thoughts, you are tasked with killing off two gigantic monster eels that feed off bug companions. The battle is good in its creativity however a nightmare in its execution.
The bugs cost up the Bogimorays, and once they cost totally, they unleash an assault that usually one-shots everybody except you are extremely ready with protecting and therapeutic magic.
I revisited this one lately, and regardless of understanding the way in which to beat it, Bogimoray was an absolute ache to get by. Contemplating how breezy many of the recreation’s challenges really feel after and earlier than it, it is fairly the outlier.
1 Elden Ring
Put your silly ambitions to relaxation
Elden Ring is a tough recreation, but it surely provides you a wealth of choices to negate that problem, such because the Mimic Tear, with the ability to summon buddies or strangers to assist, and creating completely damaged builds to take down the horrors of this world.
That problem hits a spike early on within the type of now-legendary boss Margit. At this level within the recreation, you doubtless have no excellent summons, and your capability to summon buddies is probably going in low provide.
That leaves you, presumably a Jellyfish and your low-level rubbish tools, versus a boss that neatly warns you to place these silly ambitions to relaxation.
Margit introduces the participant to the brutal, delayed, and near-infinite seeming combos that the remainder of the bosses will make use of, and that introduction is tough.
Margit is so overpowered, shredding your well being in mere seconds, and has short- and long-range assault choices that make you nowhere secure on the battlefield.
You will discover your self scrambling all through this battle in a comparatively small area. Regardless of Margit seeming giant, he strikes so quick that you’re going to barely have the ability to get distance earlier than he unleashes his subsequent assault.
Different fights within the recreation are arguably harder (Malenia), however within the early hours, Margit has turn into one of the crucial legendary problem spikes within the historical past of gaming, and for that, he takes the primary spot.