The 20 HARDEST First Levels in Video Games

[@mojoplays]

Which of these did you power through? Are there any we missed? Share your painful memories in the comments below. Subscribe to MojoPlays for more gaming videos every day! wmojo.com/mojoplays-subscribe

[@UltraRage86]

Definitely would have to say the first levels of the Ninja Gaiden games and the first levels of the last three Tomb Raider games

[@carmawarlock8455]

Wheres Matthew?

[@Batcat-en6oe]

Doubt this counts but The Evil Within. You have to sneak past a chainsaw wielding maniac while Sebastian hoppling around a bad leg/ankle. I remember when I first played I had a real tough time getting past him. Nowadays it’s easier, but still stressful.

[@12thMandalorian]

Driver, it’s always Driver. Some people never even were able to play the game

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

@@12thMandalorian the cop chase.

[@FireBomberBassist]

Ninja Gaiden is what we played before Dark Souls.

[@laurenceholmes9011]

#1 gotta be Driver

[@jgm111796]

15:21 until prophecy fulfilled

[@jgm111796]

Lisan Al gaib!

[@rossfelhofer5369]

Fkn ridiculously tough.......

[@fgarcia2791]

The tutorial? I remember I was stuck on it because my 10 year old brain coulnt to the intermediate tricks 😂

[@laurenceholmes9011]

@@fgarcia2791 bruh! Same!

[@piercehubbard4086]

I forgot how hard that Empire Strikes Back game was while first starting. Those Star Wars games were freaking awesome though!! I wish I could replay them. I remember at the very end of one you had to fly the Millennium Falcon out of the exploding Death Star. That part took me two whole days to finally beat! I’d play for a couple hours, keep dying when I was just barely too slow, then go outside and play baseball for an hour, and try again. Life as a kid in the 90’s were great.

[@jekw23]

Remember I got quite far into the first one but Empire and Jedi? Given I only remember Hoth I don’t think I got very far at all.

[@lazydazey9282]

I played a demo of driver, loved it and bought the game. I spent a hour in rage trying to unlock the game. I finally passed the tutorial and invited my friends over to play it. My friends loved it too. The next day my friend calls me and is mad at me because of the horrible tutorial I failed to mention. I had to go to his house and beat it so he could play the game. So I had another raging hour with my friend legit mad because I couldn't beat it. I eventually did and had to repeat the experience with my other friend. Thanks Driver

[@kenterminateddq5311]

The first level of the 2004 Ninja Gaiden reboot isn't bad........until I fought the first boss. That was one of, if not, the first time where I broke my controller. :(

[@DanielHigbee-j8c]

Resident evil 4 first level is easy. You don't have to fight any one it is a timed event just keep running until church bell rings.

[@BadAssMacmillan]

Most people didn't know that on their first playthrough. I think this list is based on the first playthrough because obviously once you know how it works it will be easy (this applies to every game).

[@S.T.A.N.D_inspirational]

Not true.. it's been said you have to to kill a certain amount of villagers before the church bell rings

[@UltraRage86]

The beginning of the the last three Tomb Raider games took me forever to get through

[@yki7228]

Driver tutorial is a nightmare

[@tomgustafson132]

#1 The Opening To Stellar Blade With One Hand

[@prodigal_rebel_2062]

You missed The Great Wall of China from Tomb Raider 2, that first level is a nightmare with all the death traps but luckily there's Lara's tutorial manor for people to get used to the controls and her moves.

[@davidkozak9289]

I just played Tomb Raider 2 for the first time and Sen’s Fortress from Dark Souls has NOTHING on that game

[@roadtocosplayer205]

Forest Follies from Cuphead is even more difficult if you're doing a pacifist run. For those who haven't played it, that basically means that you have to get to the end of the stage without firing so much as a single shot. You are allowed to parry, and it's actually required near the end of the stage to get past a particularly tricky obstacle. If you REALLY want to make things interesting, try collecting all five coins WHILE attempting a pacifist run. It's super tough, but it can be done--I myself have done it a few times over.

[@revelationflap5887]

That's called self-hate.

[@roadtocosplayer205]

@@revelationflap5887 No, that's being either crazy or stupid. Or both. Either way, like I said, it can be done.

[@bearpoop720]

Don't over exaggerate how hard it is. Cuphead isn't actually that hard with practice, it is probably easier than many browser games. The actual hardest level to pacifist run is either the cliff level or the sea level.

[@BladeITguy]

i came here knowing it would be driver

[@acestreamline7024]

The beginning of Armored Core 6 was freaking brutal being one of those situations where if you didn't beat the super hard boss at the start of the game, you would never be able to customize your mech and give it upgrades.

[@billdonahue3765]

Ninja gaiden xbox..i remember "journalists" complaining they couldnt beat first area

[@bearpoop720]

Could you beat the first area?

[@arnaudmermod]

U forgot Wo Long

[@zachtwilightwindwaker596]

I remember my first playthrough of RE4 being miserable. I was relying on my knife since I ran out of bullets. I think I got beheaded too. In the remake demo I was running for my life. 6:30 The AVGN never got far in this game.

[@DustinKopperman]

No we missed any of these power through on the PS3 or on the PS4 or on the switch like Angry Villagers Resident Evil 4 and Forest Follies Cuphead and The Beginning Of The Hunt Bloodborne

[@creekandseminole]

The Rogue Squadron games were fantastic and still look amazing. 60fps too I think.

[@Swordslinger-hb1ns]

The temple of trials in Fallout 2 is a cakewalk for me. Then again, you can ramp up the difficulty in the options menu to your liking. So I won’t hold that against anyone.

[@EjaygamZ]

Superman had such horrible mechanics. I remember being furious when I realized I wasted 2 months worth of allowance on it

[@JacobLasher]

Tomb Raider 2, The Great Wall... It's mainly difficult for new players who got into the series with the first game. I love it though lol

[@gofezproductions2024]

I like when a game opens with a level that nearly breaks you. Self-confidence is overrated ;)

[@awesometagbros1798]

Awesome list

[@zoelindwall637]

The intro level of crash 4 should be mentioned.

[@Leopez02]

Yes even the start of Crash 4 is that hard I died at the first level! 😂

[@SuperRangerGuy1]

on the NES: Ninja Guiden Series; Nintendo Switch: Bayonetta (remake of 01, & 02); Not a fan of any of these games on this list; due to no interest in either playing said game

[@notvillain]

I love and respect how it’s not just surface-level picks and some only a true gamer would know of.

[@bearpoop720]

These are surface level picks, what you talking about

[@johnsesia9050]

Drop "Super" from the #3 entry. The Ghouls 'n Ghosts incarnation is way harder. Also, I'd have included Moscow from Konami's Mission: Impossible.

[@piercehubbard4086]

I remember when Driver came out for PC when I was like 14, and I went out and bought a brand new top of the line video card so I could play it. Once I finally got it working I was so pissed at how I couldn’t skip the stupid tutorial! I don’t remember spending THAT much time on it, but it soured me from the start. I ended up beating the game and had lots of fun with it, but I couldn’t anymore. Now it would just feel like GTA without doing all the fun stuff, just driving!

[@dkrattrap1802]

Fallout 4 with a damn death claw in the first hour

[@Nix_Abyss]

If you think that’s hard you’re homeless

[@dkrattrap1802]

@@Nix_Abyss shows what you know, I am homeless right now

[@dkrattrap1802]

Also I have played bloodborne as well, but found it less frustrating because I actually knew I was going to die a lot

[@randomcat3053]

Jedi knight 2 Infiltrate an empire base - No force powers - No lightsaber - And it's an escort mission - also you fight a powerfull sith lord as a bonus Awesome game though

[@MattsFreeChannel1]

Compliments for getting "fauna" right. Thank you.

[@jekw23]

Hmm. Temple of trials. Done it so many times it doesn’t feel like a challenge now but it’s definitely not a great way to start a game.

[@WhatTheFirstAidSpray]

To be fair, older sequels tended to make the assumption that you've played the preceding game and therefore know at least the basic controls, so there's not the same need for a lengthy tutorial.

[@schwindsichtigaderechte5293]

Edit 2: Golden armor in Super Ghouls N# Ghosts doesn't allow you to take one more hit, but its shield "might" block a projectile, but only if you actually block it with the shield. Otherwise it's just like any other armor, one hit you're naked, two hits you're dead. My pick: The Guardian Legend, a lesser known absolute gem for the NES, a mix between vertical shmup and a zeldaesque scifi overworld. Even after playing through the game multiple times, if the opening level, the flight to Planet Naju and its outer security system, wants to kill you, it will kill you. For a novice, the relatively fast-paced vertical shooter level with all random enemies, a massive bosss that requires some strategy to beat and no upgrades at all can be a complete nightmare. Edit: It's abit cheap to add so many bad games. There are plenty of good games that are hard.

[@TE-eq1dc]

Darksiders 3 specifically the first boss. I’ve played and beat most of the first levels on this list with relative ease. Maybe I’m just bad. Anyone else?

[@dreamguardian8320]

The Hoth level in Star Wars hard, but so was the Tatooine level in the first game.

[@EldenRinging]

Returnal. Almost gave up after about 10 hours without making it to the first boss. Now I got the platinum.

[@D45M00S3]

Golden armour gives you a special attack, not three hits.

[@liublanka3925]

I would put Batman and robin Sega genesis on here. The first level is pretty hard, it’s funny because the other levels give you way more hearts and become easier because of it

[@vocalstrike]

I honestly don't know why the Death Star from Rougue Leader is one here, it's not hard. Even as a kid, I never had trouble with the level, the turrets and Tie Fighters were virtually no threat to me and the only time I ran out of time, and discovered there was a hidden time limit in the level they don't tell you about was when I was just goofing off. I honestly didn't start having an actual challenge until the level where you fly a B-Wing for the first time against your first Star Destroyer at the earliest, but I don't remember what the level is called.

[@Arthur-jp4lo]

Cuphead was forgiving went back and added levels when it was supposed to be only bosses and they added in stuff to make it easier

[@RemyThaGreat]

Boy that driver joint was something different

[@billdonahue3765]

And driver is such a good game!!! Once out of garage sooo good

[@overlordseniukas181]

Im literally impressed that theres people who dont know what slalom is

[@andrewhaase1826]

Honorable Mentions: *Village of Calamity - Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty -This us due in large part to the boss at the end: Zhang Liang, General of Man. He's unrelentingly aggressive, barely gives you a moment to breathe, the deflection timing DEMANDS perfection, your AI partner is practically useless since he barely ever attacks him to draw his aggro, and as if that weren't bad enough, there's a second phase where he becomes a monster.

[@ryandavid1277]

He whipped me so bad. I had to change my strategy

[@mrnukes797]

You meant lu biu or lu bu

[@andrewhaase1826]

@@mrnukes797 No, the Lu Bu boss doesn't happen until later.

[@ryandavid1277]

@@mrnukes797 the category is first levels

[@mrnukes797]

@@ryandavid1277 dynasty warriors:

[@Somemessdude]

U should’ve included Twisted Metal, especially the 2012 one 😅

[@urkrass1581]

Nah. Most of the Nes games got way more difficult first lvl then the most showed ips here. Cuz i nearly first tried 80% of ur list. But it's still a great Video and good Contend ❤

[@Leopez02]

A Souls-like games like Bloodborne, Dark Souls, Demon Souls, Elden Rings, Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen and a Boss Rush games like Cuphead have the HARDEST first levels in video games defienitily Elden Ring and Cuphead, but the HARD levels in games makes the game to be fun that's why I LOVE and i'm interested about a Souls-like games like Bloodborne, Dark Souls, Demon Souls, Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen and a Boss Rush game Cuphead! But about Cuphead is it really possible to play a full game without haven't tryed it never before? I really wan't to try Cuphead defienitily after watching the Cuphead Show on NETFLIX? That video was good I wan't more this like videos thank you MojoPlays would you like to have some coffee? ☕️

[@Rogerian2012]

I fast forwarded through this just to confirm that Driver was included! lol

[@donald347]

Please use chapters markers Mojo! People who want to avoid spoilers don't need to look but it makes it a more convenient viewing experience.

[@ramrodbldm9876]

Bozo watch the video

[@MuteyBabe]

Glad super ghouls and ghosts, hardest first level i remember ever trying.

[@EsmeAmelia]

The Dragon's Lair footage wasn't from the drawbridge.

[@josh6453]

Y’all forgot the Underworld from Kid Icarus.

[@vierkilau]

Nier Automata must be up there

[@ThePhysicalReaction]

Temple of trials fallout 2 was an important lesson. It taught players how to save scum

[@oriecameron]

Now if these games were made today, everyone would cry about it and the games would get patches to slowly make it easier for everyone to enjoy lol.

[@allfun9876]

Resident Evil Village too

[@Eggman_92]

Ahh ninja gaiden how you crushed me

[@Luix]

#1 Driver #2 Dark Souls

[@phillymoss2986]

Some of these games are like where did you find these awful games

[@NathanCundiff]

Poppa G is easy once you know the stairs trick 😊

[@catlover7466]

In Resident Evil 4 the 19th entry is crazy how the npc says cabron, that is a mexican insult they dont have tHat word in spain lol never noticed that mistake before

[@BladeMaster84]

Urizen's Lair (Prologue) - Devil May Cry 5

[@PK-se2jh]

thankyou i love u

[@evolancer211]

Nah Nier's opening was a simple tutorial. Nothing more, nothing less

[@Chuyitohhh]

How is sifu not on this list

[@jeffreydean5112]

Ninja gaiden on Xbox is still amazing. I master ninja’d that game bc I beat it 100 times lol

[@LordMembrane]

Duesey aparently comes from Duesenberg, the car brand, and is supposed to mean the Best among the Best.

[@bodacious117]

Driver number 1 I bet

[@UltraRage86]

The dot hack games I have quite a few hard levels

[@WhatTheFirstAidSpray]

I think you mean Nier AWW-TOE-MAH-TAH (potato-potata) #TheChurchoftheEgg

[@freddehultman1717]

Came here for Driver

[@KickItDangerousTV]

Y'all forgot bout echo

[@miahnowdie2072]

Fallout 2. Hands down.

[@jessemasters1446]

Yeah. Driver. Driver stunk.

[@2r0phy]

Bart vs the space mutants wasnt hard in the least

[@d-fyant1925]

The first level of Contra is very easy. Who writes these vidz?

[@shigshug8581]

Space Ace SNES

[@markduarte5531]

I was going to say if driver wasn't on it this was a dumb list of course it's number one so many people couldn't pass the first level lmao

[@prescreta7722]

The rocketeer is the hardest of then all

[@eksdeetheemoji]

Played 10 hours of that fukin tutorial thinking maybe i can get it this time And an 8 year old me never did

[@_OCPGAMING]

I'm sorry but the first level of Contra IS NOT HARD. Super C, yeah, but not Contra.

[@Animeguy300]

I try to beat the first level of cuphead

[@cjmcdowell3308]

Batman nes

[@RobinsonV007]

I love Cuphead but the only “hard” levels are some plane levels. The rest is kinda watch and learn after that you can defeat them easily over and over again. Still I love Cuphead even got the collectors edition years later when they released a physical edition. With the marionet and everything.

[@hashiramasenju1839]

same dude the plane levels are the hardest by far such dr kahls robot and mermaid fight i 300% it a while ago and it was a blast

[@oosmosmoo]

Gameranx light

[@FrankyMangal]

RE4 has no place on this list, ever. Nothing hard about the opening sequence.

[@BadAssMacmillan]

I do remember a lot of people struggling with it when it was first released back in 2005. It was probably because of the new mechanics introduced to the series, the large amount of enemies on screen and the aspect of crowd control was pretty challenging on the first playthrough since there weren't a lot of games like that back in the day.

[@MartinGonzalez-lj7ev]

Trying to get first base with my now girlfriend please take her

[@MRFROGHELLO]

RE4 first level is not hard.

[@Dupontman627]

Driver (1999) is #1

[@jimbo9208]

there is not ranking

[@chrisenochs1189]

as it should be, ranking video or not.

[@antonyjames4698]

I LOVE souls games and souls likes, ive beaten every fromsoft souls game.. but nioh 2.. is not a good game, nor a good time. its just arbitrarily hard for the sake of being hard, even the weakest enemies in the entire game can basically 2 shot you if you arent careful. the whole design of that game is just trash.

[@javiertrevino127]

It is a difficult game with a lot of button combinations with its combat system that is one of the best, if not the best can frustrate you but from that to it being a bad game it is very different

[@bradglew1106]

Think yall need to think before putting titles like this on your videos lol no one was shocked for a lot of these

[@jf683]

Just say Snes or Super Nintendo not ess en ee ess

[@chrisrj9871]

How about "Top 10 Franchises That Always Have Good Games"? I nominate Batman, Disney and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[@billdonahue3765]

If your a millenial, ill tell you this, older gen games ul be pissy nonstop