11 Video Games That Require Hours To Master Their Mechanics
2. Ninja Gaiden
Long before FromSoftware released the painfully difficult Souls series, Ninja Gaiden was breaking the hearts and controllers of gamers around the world.
Ninja Gaiden requires players to master pinpoint precise movement, parrying, dodging and striking. The games many enemies and bosses will soon make mincemeat of players who make even the smallest misstep. Even the tutorial was an absolute slog to get through. Ninja Gaiden requires mastery; anything less than perfect will equal death.
The similarities to the Souls games are obvious. Where Ninja Gaiden, especially the 2004 edition for the original Xbox, stands out as particularly difficult is that it is on significantly older software and hardware. The original Xbox controller wasn't exactly the most ergonomic creation, and it took significant time to master the physical mechanics of using the controller itself even before being pounded in the game.
Ninja Gaiden was so difficult, players pleaded with developers Tecmo to release an easier difficulty setting, which they did in 2005 with the release of Ninja Gaiden Black. Tecmo did also release an even harder difficulty alongside Black, called Master Ninja, for those players who are truly masochistic.