The 10 HARDEST Sega Dreamcast Games

The 10 Hardest Sega Dreamcast Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re counting down our picks for the ten hardest games for the Sega Dreamcast, covering a wide variety of genres to keep things fun and interesting.

“Skies of Arcadia” (2000)

This beloved cult classic RPG from the year 2000 is equal parts thrilling and challenging. Stepping into the sky pirate shoes of Vyse, it’s up to you and your companions to soar the skies on your flying ship, take on foes, and ultimately put a stop to the nefarious shenanigans of the Valuan Empire. Don’t expect this RPG to be a cake walk since, while it may have a cartoony veneer, it’s held up by punishing mid to late-game random, drawn-out, turn-based battles, a plethora of instant death scenarios, punishing sky ship fights, and often just a tedious grind in order to get you and your party strong enough to eke out an existence here. It’s a great game to be sure, but it’s littered with challenging aspects around every corner that will test your RPG mettle.

“Shenmue” (1999)

Ah yes, “Shenmue.” You either love this game or greatly dislike it. There’s hardly a middle ground when it comes to “Shenmue’s” gameplay experience. This groundbreaking game throws a lot at the ball but not all of it sticks, depending on the type of gamer you are. Now, “Shenmue” isn’t difficult in the way many other games on this list are where your gaming skills are constantly barraged and pummeled, but more so because it’s a very, very slow burn game that requires the utmost patience to get past its tedium and more mundane parts (which is honestly putting it lightly). It’s a game crafted with obtuse and nonsensical experiences (like having to balance books on your head or drive a wonky forklift); made even more challenging by tough controls. The fact that many important scenarios in the game can lock you out if you don’t plan accordingly, makes “Shenmue” a tough game to play, even for those with a zen-like gaming mindset. Oh, and let’s not forget the staggering number of quick-time events that don’t allow any room for error.

“MDK2” (2000)

We rarely ever hear people discuss “MDK2” when it comes to early 2000s era video games. This is a shame because it’s actually a very fun action-adventure title…but my goodness, this game is stepped in brutal difficulty for myriad reasons. For one, the platforming is highly inconsistent and janky, even for the time. The game has seemingly random difficulty spikes that can make you pull your hair out, often due to tough controls to get a grasp of. One of the game’s abilities, being able to swap between three playable characters (Kurt, Dr. Hawkins, and Max), while cool and unique, often means you never have time to get used to any one character’s moves and abilities. Combine these aspects with an often cruel checkpoint system and you will find yourself repeating many sections of this game.

“Sega Rally 2” (1999)

Rally racing games, by their very nature, are generally quite punishing; even the arcade-style ones. Precision driving is hyper-critical in rally racing games if you hope to make it around every bend, corner, and switchback, all while hoping to shave a few seconds off your time. Well, “Sega Rally 2” from 1999 might be the epitome of these aspects, and then some. Now, it doesn’t help that the game has an inconsistent frame rate, meaning your racing line could be a bit wonkier when frames dip down. However, even if the frame rate was consistent, “Sega Rally 2” demands mastery of each vehicle and track if you hope to progress. It’s a game dripping with racing nuance and depth that is certainly enjoyable but only for those of you with incredible skill and patience.

“Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike” (2000)

Now, I’m not at all going to pretend like I have any experience with fighting games, because I don’t. However, I do at least understand that fighting game difficulty is subjective when it comes to facing other real-life players, because it obviously depends on your opponent. But, what if you are playing alone against the AI? That is a whole different story, especially in the case of “Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike.” While there are myriad brutal fighting games on the Dreamcase, “3rd Strike” is easily the hardest of the bunch due to unforgiving AI. Plus, the game requires technical mastery of each character’s moves and combos as well as its punishing-to-learn parry system. The learning curve here, in general, is really what makes “Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike” so darn hard.

“Resident Evil - Code: Veronica” (2000)

This highly beloved entry in the venerable “Resident Evil” franchise is both fun and brutal (and scary of course). A good survival horror game tows the line between making the player feel just empowered enough to overcome the horrifying odds while still holding back resources so you aren’t overpowered, thus making survival too easy. Well, “Code: Veronica,” unfortunately, is way too stingy on its resources, often softlocking many players if they happen to run out of crucial ammo or healing supplies, for example. Plus, you typically have to split said resources between Claire and Chris. It doesn’t help that the game has very limited saves, a metric ton of backtracking, and some unavoidable fights. Again, it’s a really good “RE” game but it’s easily one of the hardest in the franchise, and not always for the best reasons.

“Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future” (2000)

For those of you who aren’t familiar with any of the “Ecco the Dolphin” games, it might seem silly and out-of-place to have a game about a dolphin on a list like this. However, for those of us who have played the Sega Genesis games, it’s honestly no surprise at all that Ecco’s outing on the Dreamcast, “Defender of the Future” is here. This might be one of the most confusingly laid-out games where you never really know where you are going. Navigating through the game’s many stages without a guide is an exercise in pure tedium and frustration. Add in some obtuse puzzles, unclear map, and overall vague clues, and you have a recipe for a unique game, yes, but one that will make you throw your Dreamcast controller at the wall.

“Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice” (2000)

Random difficulty spikes might be the bane of many gamers out there, myself included. You think you know the game, your character, the enemies, and your loadout, but then the game just tosses you nilly-willy into seemingly unwillable scenarios. Well, enter “Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice” from the year 2000. This action-RPG does offer a lot of enjoyment, but it’s often bogged down by frustrating design choices such as stun-locking, a necessity to hoard items, an obtuse resource system, a general lack of guidance through the semi-linear world, and, to top it all of, brutal boss battles. Many 2000s era RPGs had similar issues, but it seems like “Advent of Cardice” actively seeks to make a chore out of playing this otherwise unique and compelling RPG.

“Illbleed” (2001)

Are you a fan of trial-and-error gameplay where your actual skill may or may not matter? How about the fact that death can come around every corner, even unexpectedly, even when you thought you were doing the right things? If you happened to answer “yes” to those hyper-specific questions than 2001’s survival horror experience, “Illbleed” might just be for you. There’s a community of horror fans (and Dreamcast fans) out there who adore this game. But, it takes intentionality to get the most out of this game since it’s punishing by nature. Between a pulse system, bleeding system, various death/fail states, adrenaline management, and more, protagonist Eriko Christy, has the ultimate fight for her life in this game, and by extension, you the player. This is pure, unforgiving survival horror with permadeath, random traps, and more. Ya, good luck!

“Ikaruga” (2001)

We easily could have just filled this entire list with schmup/bullet hell games since the Dreamcast is a sheer cornucopia of them. But, in order to just keep it to one here, we went with the absolute hardest out there, “Ikaruga.” Many a player out there will tell tales of their brutal experiences with this incredibly fun, engaging, and thrilling, yet endlessly challenging shmup. The game’s super unique polarity mechanic whereby you swap your ship’s light and darkness to either absorb or take hits is both mesmerizing and tough to grasp. What this means is that prompt decision-making and tactical thinking for each level is of the utmost importance, especially since there isn’t the boon of power-ups, like many other shmups have. Plus, the multiple cherries on top come in the form of brutal bosses, puzzle-like level layouts, and the necessity to chain scores together. It’s a heck of a fun game, but my goodness will it test your skills.

So, do you agree with our picks for this? What are some of the hardest Sega Dreamcast games you have played? Let us know in the comments.