The 10 HARDEST Marvel Video Games

The 10 Hardest Marvel Video Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at the 10 toughest Marvel games to play whether it's because of technical instability, high demand from the player, or unfair balancing.

“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023)

Between all of Insomniac’s “Spider-Man” games, “Spider-Man 2” is undoubtedly the toughest of them just because of how much combat demands from the player. Unlike the first game from 2018, gadgets are no longer based on ammunition and are instead restricted to cooldowns. On top of that, in normal combat, the window to parry can sometimes feel a bit stingy especially when fighting the Symbiotes. Don’t get us wrong - “Spider-Man 2” is a great game, but it can get unnecessarily difficult at times. We came to be Spider-Man, not play “Dark Souls”.

“Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (2006)

Now, “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance” isn’t a super rough game to play, at least in the first third of the campaign. However, the difficulty is all going to depend on which version of the game you’re playing. What most folks don’t know is that the first prints of the game were pretty broken as you got deeper into the game. These first prints featured glitches where certain characters wouldn’t unlock, bosses were significantly harder to beat, and other severe problems that could compromise your playthrough. That said, if you didn’t have any problems yourself, you most likely picked up a different print.

“Marvel Super Heroes” (1995)

Look, “Marvel Super Heroes” is an incredible game! Any fighting game fan ought to play it not just for knowledge of gaming history, but also the unique playstyles of each character. While you’re studying each character, you’ll find that “Marvel Super Heroes” isn’t exactly well-balanced. Out of the thirteen characters, Doctor Doom and Thanos are the two regarded as the most oppressive on account of their zoning abilities and potential to inflict insane damage at close range. In other words, it does not matter where on the stage you are at. Far, mid, or close, you’re gonna have a rough time going against these guys. Spidey, Wolverine, and Iron Man can be just as grueling to face as well.

“Deadpool” (2013)

In all fairness, “Deadpool” gives the player many ways to dispose of enemies. Katanas, pistols, shotguns, hammers, sai, plasma rifles, grenades, cartoonishly big bear traps - it's all what you would expect from the Merc With a Mouth. However, if you choose to play on Ultra-Violence difficulty, you’re in for a rough ride. Enemies hit harder, weapons do less damage, and you’ll want to use Momentum attacks a lot more often than the lower difficulties would require you to. Needless to say, you’ll have to prioritize which enemies to take out first, which might be easier said than done once Mister Sinister’s more elite forces start appearing as common enemies.

“X-Men: Children of the Atom” (1995)

Though it’s only older than “Marvel Super Heroes” by a little less than a year, “Children of the Atom” might be a bit harder to tolerate with its unbalanced gameplay. Hey, what else would you expect from an arcade fighting game from the 90’s? Colossus, Wolverine, Sentinel, and Omega Red can make quick work of your health bar with their absurd rushdown and range. But if you’re up for the challenge, you could try to unlock the secret fight against “Street Fighter’s” own raging demon, Akuma. Akuma is the most busted character in the game with his ridiculous speed and obscene amount of blockstunning attacks. Yeah, this might be the toughest game of the Capcom-developed Marvel games.

“Marvel’s Midnight Suns” (2022)

It’s a real shame that so many people dismissed “Midnight Suns” purely because of it being a card game. Between the combat mechanics, Heroism, and how you spend time with your fellow heroes outside of battles, there are a lot of neat ideas that work very well together. That isn’t to say this game is easy, though. You can only play three cards per turn, and if executed in a particular order, you can find ways to wipe out at least half of the enemy force in a single turn. A lot easier said than done, though, especially if you go through all your discards and can’t get the cards you want. Trust us - the challenge makes the victories feel all the more rewarding.

“Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro” (2001)

“Enter Electro” was already facing some problems that were featured in the first “Spider-Man” game for PS1. The thing is that the clunky crawling mechanics will be the least of your concerns once you encounter Shocker and Lizard, both of which are considered to be the worst designed boss fights of any Spidey game. Some will dismiss people’s troubles with “just git gud, bruh”, but when so many people consistently have trouble against the same two bosses, “getting good” isn’t going to magically solve the real problem at hand.

“The Uncanny X-Men” (1989)

Obviously, any self-respecting game starring the X-Men would give players the ability to play as each mutant. And the least that LJN and its external developer did was give every mutant an ability appropriate to the source material. Unfortunately, you will find most of these powers totally useless. Storm’s flight just lets her ignore pits, Nightcrawler can walk through walls, and Colossus…can’t jump. Plus, using your character’s special move can actually kill them if used too much. Amazing.

“Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety” (1995)

Hard, or just plain unfair? We’re more than willing to believe the latter as “Separation Anxiety” is the hardest “Spider-Man” game we have ever played. It’s bad enough that both Spidey and Venom have such lackluster movesets, so neither feel particularly good to play with. What makes the whole game worse is how utterly nonsensical and inconsistent the hitboxes are. Enemies seem to land hits all the way from Mars while Pete and Eddie have to invade their personal space just to land a poke. Really, the whole “I grew up with this, therefore it's good” argument holds no weight when the game is this ridiculously oppressive towards the player.

“Silver Surfer” (1990)

Honestly, there may never be another superhero game that will ever be as tormenting as “Silver Surfer” for the NES. While every other game has been difficult because of broken hitboxes, busted gameplay, and even some glitching, “Silver Surfer” feels like it is out to get us. Everything in this game can insta-kill you. Any projectile, any obstacle, even objects that seem like they are a part of the background can and will kill you. It makes us curious as to who greenlit this game and thought “this is totally fine to ship”.

What’s the hardest Marvel game you’ve played? Did it make our list? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!