10 Brutally Difficult Opening Levels In Video Games
3. Mega Man
As with Contra, Mega Man is a franchise notorious for being less than accessible. Simple controls and gameplay ideals bely the absolutely relentless difficulty that’s staring you in the face right from the get-go.
As such, everyone will have their own personal picks for most difficult game in the series, and the most challenging stage within it. You can pick your poison, really: if you have traumatic memories of a Mega Man stage or boss that left you a shattered shell of your former self, we can empathize with you.
A popular pick for most difficult of all, however, is the original game, which first released for the NES in Japan in 1987. Right from the off, the central tenets of the series’ gameplay were established: you could take on the Robot Masters in any order you like.
Needless to say, whichever stage you pick first, it’s going to be a baptism of fire. Ice Man’s stage gets our vote for most brutal, though, largely because those Foot Holders are an absolute nightmare to traverse.