15 BRUTALLY Hard Video Games (That Are Actually Fun)

The adage: curiosity killed the cat has never felt more literal than when playing Spelunky. The four unique mines that our intrepid explorer finds themself in are packed full of secrets to discover, enemies to slay and treasures to loot. The real difficulty comes from when to call it quits and head back to safety, and when to push forward for the next big reward. Though the rewards are always worth it, the price of failure is high.

If your explorer ends up being slain, whether through the mines vast menagerie of enemies or the many traps and falls, your progress is lost. Your loot is gone. You are sent back to the beginning of that section. The price of failure is harsh, but by no means unfair. The sheer joy of exploring, finding your way through the mazes or blowing your way through tricky spots with bombs makes the randomly generated mines feel like a wonderland. Even if you pay the ultimate price for your greed, which will certainly happen because there are a lot of shiny things, the journey itself makes it worth doing all over again.