10 Brutal Difficulty Spikes In Recent Video Games

Everyone knows that the arcade era of video gaming liked to make its games blisteringly hard. And for good reason - the more you die, the more money you shell out trying to beat that one dastardly level, right?

By the time home consoles took over the scene, however, high difficultly seemed to mostly fall out of fashion. You can see the rationale behind this; no one wants to spend their hard-earned cash on a game they'll never be able to finish, after all.

But fear not, all ye challenge seekers out there, because are all modern games a walk in the park now? Heeeeeeell no!

Some of these games, the likes of Cuphead and Celeste, are pretty consistently gruelling all the way through. Others, meanwhile, may ease you in under the false pretence of an easy ride, when suddenly the difficultly level skyrockets without any prior warning.

Suddenly it's time to deal with whatever's coming your way, and you can practically hear your controller screaming from that iron-clad grip.

2018's Spider-Man is a great balance of fast-paced, energetic combat, and laid-back web-swinging that lets you soak up the gorgeous sights of the open world at your own leisure. Taking an unsubtle leaf out of the Batman: Arkham series' book, the combat is that now-classic combination of combos, gadgets, and perfectly timed counters, which you may well expect to get harder the further you get in the game.

Bet you weren't expecting this, though!

The level, 'Into The Fire,' has Spidey battle Electro by destroying a handful of generators around the area. Halfway through the level, his web-shooting spree is halted by Sable International, many of whom are now kitted out in jetpacks and thick armour.

It's these very enemies that give us the difficulty spike here. Not only will you have to change up your tactics in favour of more aerial manoeuvres, you'll also have to dodge their ridiculously powerful attacks - in particular, the sweeping laser mines that cover a huge chunk of ground in front of them.

Needless to say, when you're embroiled in a hefty action sequence from now on, these guys are absolutely your first priority.