10 Absurdly Hard Games You Never Beat

Bullet-hells are in a whole other class of punishing games, since the genre involves being constantly bombarded by projectiles in every direction. Unless you have heightened co-ordination and a gift for multi-tasking, you don't a chance.

But even the biggest bullet-hell enthusiasts may not be cut out for Ikaruga. What makes Treasure's sci-fi blaster stand out from its peers is the fact you fly a ship that switches between black and white polarities, allowing you to absorb black and white projectiles. There are so many bullets onscreen at once, it's impossible to advance ahead through dodging alone. 

As such, you have to allow yourself to be hit while absorbing the appropriate projectile. This is a neat idea, since this puzzle-like element compels you have to be tactical when to reverse the polarity. 

Although Ikaruga can be completed in under half a hour, few people have reached the end credits, and even fewer have beaten it on higher difficulties. 

After all, when you're being blasted by nine trillion lasers simultaneously, it's easy to slip up. Sadly, a single mistake can spell instant doom, which is why many players gave up long before advancing to the later stages.