20 HARDEST Licensed Games

The 20 Hardest Licensed Games

Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re looking at the hardest licensed video games of all time!

“Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit!” (1994)

While it’s definitely better known for being one of the weirder licensed games on the Super Nintendo, “Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit!” is also pretty difficult. It follows sitcom dad Tim Taylor, tracking down his stolen tools across the different TV sets where he films his show, “Tool Time.” Bizarre justification for a tie-in game aside, you’ll realize quickly just how weak Tim is as a platform star. Slippery controls can send you plummeting off platforms at the worst possible moments, and object and enemy placement seems chosen specifically to annoy you. You’re given little to no direction in how to progress, with later labyrinthine levels leaving you to wander around until the time runs out.

“Gargoyles” (1995)

With its darker tone and subject matter, Disney’s “Gargoyles” seemed a perfect suit for a video game. Well, it got one, and it’s still one of the harder adaptations the House of Mouse ever put out. The biggest proponent in its difficulty is how frequently it seeks to overwhelm you. Tanky, hit-sponge enemies can often crowd you in a tight space, with you only able to meekly swipe at them. Each level is a maze of hallways, towers, and sections at different heights, easy to get lost in, and then cornered by said enemies. And par for the course, the game isn’t exactly gracious with its continues and check points.

“Batman Returns” (1992)

“Batman Returns” was brought to various consoles through different developers. Of the bunch, by far the hardest one was the one on the least popular platform, the Atari Lynx. Squashed onto a handheld with far less processing power, this version strips away much of the polish and replaces it with punishing difficulty spikes. The biggest issue is how little of your surroundings you can see. Groups of enemies will suddenly come from off-screen. If your reaction time isn’t perfect, there’s not much you can do to defend yourself. The limited screen real estate of the Lynx makes everything feel cramped and chaotic, and leaves the Dark Knight vulnerable to many, many defeats.

“X-Men” (1993)

The X-Men have gone through their fair share of challenging adventures. Released on the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive in 1993, this game became notorious for jumps that were insanely tough to make and its overwhelming enemies. Foes would be placed in such perfectly frustrating spots to make sure you always got hit when you weren’t expecting it. Worse were the bosses, who trounced every single playable character in power and tactics. Beyond this, it features a now-infamous moment in Mojo’s fortress where players were meant to physically reset their consoles, a level of meta that no one was prepared for at the time. As if the barrage of death preceding this wasn’t bad enough.

“Toy Story” (1995)

Most “Toy Story” games, and Pixar games for that matter, are fairly easy. But the first movie’s game was still released within the window of absurdly hard tie-ins. And while it isn’t on a level of unfairness as many games we’ll get to later, you better believe it deserves to be here. It joins many other platformers with punishing enemy placement, foes you will quickly grow to hate. But the biggest challenge is trying to get through the actual platforming while getting attacked. Poor controls make jumping hard enough, but certain levels demand near-flawless execution, or else you get used to seeing Woody fail. This all makes it really hard to appreciate any of the charm the developers tried to recreate.

“Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage” (1994)

Despite there being two names in the title, “Maximum Carnage” is a single player game. Which is a shame, because it would be really nice to have some back up. Though you can switch between Spider-Man and Venom, you endure this game’s hordes of minions alone. From the start, it’s an uphill battle. Enemies swarm the screen in numbers that feel genuinely unbalanced for one player. You need precise reaction time to bob and weave through all of them, and know the proper moment to land an attack. Naturally, the bosses are a completely different story. Carnage himself is still one of the toughest bosses in Spidey game history.

“Back to the Future” (1989)

A game whose reputation certainly precedes it, “Back to the Future” on the NES is a nightmare for fans of the movie. And for fans of games, for that matter. This game took one of cinema's most beloved time-travel stories and buried it under layers of incomprehensible design decisions, all of which make it extremely difficult to play. The top-down sections are absolutely brutal. The streets of Hill Valley overflow with hazards in the forms of puddles, holes, random citizens, and the quickest bees known to man. The mini-games that divide these portions are also absurdly hard, since they’re long sequences that require extreme speed and precision. This game has a legacy for good reason.

“The Adventures of Batman & Robin” (1994)

Based on the universally beloved “Batman: The Animated Series,” “The Adventures of Batman & Robin” understandably looks great. And particularly on the Sega Genesis, it is also maddeningly hard. This version is a ruthless run and gunner; keeping aim at the outpour of enemies from every side of the screen quickly grows into a Herculean task. Between all of the goons and their various projectiles, it’s a lot to dodge. Add on some expectedly tough boss fights, and damage can quickly rack up and take one of your precious lives. Even the co-op in this version doesn’t help much, since power-ups are split between both players, which can make it even harder to contend with the onslaught.

“Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (1993)

Each game in the “Super Star Wars” series is a big challenge, but “The Empire Strikes Back” brings a higher level of pain than the other two. From the beginning on Hoth, the difficulty is piled on. This game has some of the most aggressive enemy spawn rates on the Super Nintendo, making it feel like you almost never have a chance to breathe. And every one of their hits knocks you back, possibly into a pit or one of the other hazards. Levels are huge mazes, built with platforming that demands pinpoint accuracy. Some of the trickier designed sections even have some blind jumps for extra fun. As if trudging through all of this wasn’t bad enough, checkpoints are also few and far between.

“Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge” (1992)

Released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo and later ported to other platforms, “Arcade's Revenge” assembled some of Marvel's most iconic characters and then proceeded to punish the player mercilessly for having the audacity to pick it up. Each of the five heroes, Spidey, Gambit, Cyclops, Storm, and Wolverine, have their own abilities and stages designed for them. Each stage has its own annoying gimmick; Cyclops having to navigate some really tricky obstacles, and Storm’s level being underwater. But each features extremely cheap enemy and trap placement. Worse, not only are there no checkpoints within individual levels, but there are also no Continues. The heroes all share lives, too, so it’s only a matter of time before you have to start all over with Spidey.

“RoboCop” (1989)

Based on the first movie in the “RoboCop” series, this licensed game adapts its plot into a series of run-and-gun, beat ‘em up levels. As is the case with others at the time, what makes this game so hard are the overwhelming enemies. They often spawn at inopportune moments or places, dashing directly at you to catch you off guard. Even if you have quick enough reflexes to react in time, the controls, which were stiff even at release, makes doing so incredibly difficult. We knew that serving justice in dystopian Detroit was never going to be easy. But the challenge level here is absurd.

“The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants” (1991)

Fans of “The Simpsons” have enjoyed different types of games at different eras of the show’s fame. But for anyone who picked up “Bart vs. the Space Mutants” back in the day, hoping for a whacky adventure with the family’s scene stealer, you have our sympathies. Because this is not some silly romp, but a lesson in pain. Levels are ridiculously long, with unpredictable enemies and no checkpoints in between them. So, if you die, you have to start each frustrating stage from the beginning. This game is also infamous for its unclear objectives, like having to spray paint certain items purple in the first level to move on. It’s an awful lot of work for someone who’s meant to be a slacker.

“X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse” (1994)

Capcom knows a thing or two about making hard games. And that was particularly true during the 80s and 90s. “Mutant Apocalypse” is a pretty enjoyable X-Men adventure; it looks great, sounds great, and has five unique heroes to choose from, each getting their own stage. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard as hell. It combines your lives across all characters, some of which are harder to use than others. But you also have to deal with huge difficulty spikes and bullet-sponge enemies, depending on the level. And when you lose all of your lives, you lose your progress and have to redo levels you’ve already completed. Needless to say, that’s pretty aggravating.

“Jurassic Park” (1993)

Depending on whether you play it on Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo, “Jurassic Park” offers a different experience. And wouldn’t you know it? Both are pretty tough. Genesis offered two campaigns; one as Alan Grant and one as a raptor. Grant’s sections see you swarmed with relentless enemies, but both are brought down, and made difficult, by fairly poor controls. The Super Nintendo version is even harder. It’s mostly composed of tedious overworld sections that lack clarity in what to do, and awkward first-person sequences. But by the far the hardest aspect is the questionable lack of any way to save. You have one life, one sitting, one chance to beat it, and that’s all.

“Friday the 13th” (1989)

To players familiar with retro games, LJN is a notorious publisher, responsible for some of the most unfairly difficult games of the NES era. And as far as licensed games go, “Friday the 13th” is one of its most brutal. Not for the violence of its namesake, of course, but for a myriad of obstacles seemingly designed to eliminate fun. It is not only extremely unclear about what you’re meant to do, but simply how you’re meant to play. Mechanics and objectives aren’t properly explained, so players would spend time wandering around identical forest and cabin areas, being attacked by wildlife…and zombies, for some reason. All while being stalked by Jason, who would likely defeat you due to your limited options.

“Silver Surfer” (1990)

Another famously challenging NES game, of which we’re obviously covering a few of today, “Silver Surfer” honestly feels like it’s actively trying to hurt you. It doesn’t matter how powerful the comic character is; the video game counterpart is a giant wuss. Even the slightest graze of a bullet will put him down, or if you simply brush up against the environment. This is made all the more maddening by the Surfer’s giant hitbox, and the fact that every level, whether side-scrolling or top-down, is flooded with enemies, projectiles, and hazards. You die over and over again, which earned this game a strong reputation. But it wasn’t fun then, and it isn’t fun now.

“Alien Trilogy” (1996)

In an effort for this list to feature something other than old Nintendo and Sega games, we have to pay tribute to this FPS classic that originally launched on PlayStation. Obviously inspired by the first three movies in the “Alien” series, it appropriately adapts the action and terror viewers felt while watching them. Emphasis on the terror, though, because these Xenomorphs are relentless. And remarkably strong, too. Labyrinthine and often confusing level layouts don’t help; you can get distracted by figuring out where you’re going, only for enemies to keep popping out from any direction to take you out in mere moments. It isn’t quite on the level of unfair difficulty as others on the list. But the tough enemies and infrequent saves definitely pose a challenge.

“Predator” (1987)

And now, back to the days of the NES. Another violent 80s film to be turned into a video game was “Predator.” Only this version of Dutch has a lot more to go up against than just the titular alien. Cheap deaths become incredibly common in a playthrough, whether they come from enemies strategically placed to ruin your day or tricky platforming with stupidly tough jumps to make. As is to be expected from the time period, it’s also very easy to lose progress. There are no checkpoints within levels, so you start them over when you die. And while you do have lives and unlimited continues, overall progression checkpoints are only kept at every five levels. You can only take so much dying and repeating before you’re ready to give up.

“The Lion King” (1994)

Released on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, “The Lion King” is one of the most commonly mentioned names when it comes to nightmarishly hard licensed games. And there's a good reason for it. At the time, Disney required its games to be longer to deal with rental prices, which led to some artificially inflated difficulty. The second level, recreating the “Can’t Wait to be King” sequence, famously had its difficulty raised, particularly with an annoying puzzle featuring a group of monkeys throwing Simba between them. Other moments of player frustration came during the stampede section that requires perfect reaction time, and the increasingly more aggravating platforming that comes with adult Simba. We know, it’s tough to be king.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1989)

Like “The Lion King,” there’s a specific level in the NES “TMNT” whose fame has long since taken on another life, as one of the most notoriously unfair levels in gaming: the Dam. And yeah, the harmful seaweed and unforgiving time limit are hard to top. Still, the rest of the game is no walk in the park either. When the health of each Turtle runs out, they’re locked from play. You can save them later. But only one per level, and chances are good you’ll need more than that. Some of the platforming here is some of the most diabolical of the NES. As you continue to miss jumps, you’ve also got the many hearty members of the Foot Clan to face, with tactics and placement appropriately infuriating for the era.

What are some of the hardest licensed games you’ve ever tried to play through? Share your thoughts in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!