10 Platformer Video Games Nobody Admits Are Better Than Mario
9. Super Meat Boy
As one of the OG digital-only games, 2010's Super Meat Boy was the poster-child for crushing difficulty before Dark Souls.
Clearly inspired by classic titles like Mega Man and Battle Kid: Fortress of Terror, Super Meat Boy tested the mental fortitude of even the most battle-hardened of platforming veterans. To this day it's one of the most difficult platformers of all time, and is nigh on inaccessible to casual gamers. You'll sprint, slide, and leap across chasms and spinning saw blades as you attempt to retrieve your girlfriend in a clearly Mario-inspired set-up. Though the similarities end there as Meat Boy is more a descent into hell than a romp through the clouds.
As is the case with any great game however, the difficulty is not manufactured, it's genuine. The levels are designed to look borderline impossible to complete but as you continue to play, and die, you gain a mastery over Meat Boy that few other platformers could ever hope to offer. And the difficulty scales in a way that feels fair, albeit no less infuriating.
Super Meat Boy is not for the faint of heart but if you can dedicate yourself to it you'll find an incredible fun and rewarding experience in return.