10 Video Games You Have To Punish Yourself To Play

It's not a list on punishing games without mentioning one of FromSoft's collection of masochistic treats.

Of them, Demon's Souls is perhaps the most punishing for two reasons. The first, and perhaps most obvious, is that it's the first in the series, meaning people going into it weren't yet as aware of how hard the experience would be - whereas if you're picking up a copy of Dark Souls 3, you likely know what you're getting into.

Secondly, Demon's Souls is just crueller than other entries of the franchise. They all share the same premise - suffer and die a lot until you are able to overcome your enemies - but Demon's Souls takes it just that step further.

Because no other instalment contains a boss battle that can permanently take away your levels if you get hit with a certain move. No other instalment has a boss fight that involves taking on another, potentially OP, other human player.

None of these additions make the game impossible - as a fair number of people have completed it. But it's undeniable that Demon's Souls takes a little extra joy in punishing you in weird and unusual ways.