Stressful Moments In Games That We'll Never Play Again

For many gamers, the act of playing a video game is a form of escapism. It's a way to block out and forget, just for a moment, the challenges faced in every day life. Much like one might read a book to relax or watch a TV show to unwind, video games can serve as a path toward peace — a way to find calm and leave stress behind.

That is, until stress once again presents itself in the form of an infuriating video game obstacle.

For every serene gaming moment — like a soothing journey through the waters of Sea of Thieves — there's a yin to the yang, such as a challenging platforming obstacle or an impossible boss. Lots of video games are built to test the player, but it's undeniable that some of these trials are frustrating to the point of feeling unfair. And there are a number of reasons the encounter can be difficult, whether it be unforgiving controls, difficult AI, or quite simply, bad design.

We've put together a list of some of the most stressful moments in gaming. In these moments, video game success or failure rests in your ability to complete the task at hand. The pressure is immense, and should you come up short, your reward is the chance to try it all over again.

Here they are.

If you grew up in the early '90s, you probably had some affinity for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They were everywhere, from the big screen to comic book shops to toy stores. Which is why many who owned the Nintendo Entertainment System leapt at the chance to play as their favorite half-shelled heroes in the official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game.

The TMNT game contained a lot of variety. It was a side-scrolling beat 'em up. It featured an overworld — complete with the Turtle Van — that players could use to travel from level to level. And it rather infamously included a water level that undoubtedly caused many gamers to throw their controllers in disgust.

The mission of the water level involved diffusing bombs. You, as your turtle of choice, swam through underwater caverns that not only had the bombs in question, but also live wires that shocked you on contact. To add stress to the situation, you had to complete the level in a specific amount of time, and the game's audio did its part to build tension. And the swimming controls were bad — you essentially had to Flappy Bird your way through to avoid obstacles and finish before time ran out.

There was a bright side, though. If you were able to complete the water level, you'd basically beaten the hardest part of the game. It was smooth sailing from there.

The first Destiny game was chock full of secrets. There was the quest for the Sleeper Simulant, for starters. The math-laden riddle for the Outbreak Prime is also a fan favorite. But neither of those was as cleverly sprung upon the Destiny community as the hidden mission for the Black Spindle, an exotic sniper rifle modeled after an old legendary weapon found in the game's 2014 Crota's End raid.

The key to acquiring the Black Spindle involved taking a divergent path in the Daily Heroic version of Destiny's "Lost to Light" mission. If players were able to reach a certain point without dying, a previously unlocked door would open up, and players could take a lift to a Fallen Ketch, now overrun with Taken enemies.

And wow, was the encounter stressful.

First off, it took playing through a good chunk of an entirely different mission just to access the hidden area. Because you were playing on Heroic difficulty, enemies were stronger and tougher to kill. Once you reached the Fallen Ketch, the sheer amount of Taken enemies could overwhelm you if you didn't play carefully. And to add to all that, a ten-minute timer continuously showed on the screen to let you know that if you didn't make it to the final boss and kill him before time ran out, you'd lose.

The Black Spindle mission was fun in the moment, but once you got the gun, you probably weren't in a big hurry to do it again.

In the Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Link is tasked in one area of the world to scale a tower in order to face that dungeon's boss. The location is called the Tower of Hera, and as you can imagine, clearing it involves making your way past several floors of enemies and puzzles. Once you're able to climb the final set of stairs, you get to face off against Moldorm, a centipede-looking boss that you fight on a floating platform.

What makes this boss battle so stressful? You can be easily knocked off of the platform by Moldorm. And if you're knocked off, there's a good chance you'll be sent all the way back to the Tower of Hera's first floor.

As you can see in the gameplay video above, the streamer taking Moldorm on is experiencing this exact phenomenon. Getting knocked off the sides of the platform means getting sent down one floor. However, the hole in the middle platform reaches all the way to the tower's ground level. The chance that you could be forced to slog your way back up to the top of the tower makes the fight a high stakes affair — one that you won't be in any hurry to replay once you've finished it.

Battling your way through the many opponents in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! is as much an exercise in puzzle solving as it is in reaction time and reflexes. Once you reach the World Title Circuit, the boxers you face off against become progressively harder, preparing you for your final fight against the man with his name on the cartridge: Iron Mike Tyson.

And wow, is he tough.

Mike Tyson in Punch-Out! throws quick jabs and lightning fast uppercuts. He regularly changes up the cadence at which he punches, which can cause you to dodge at the wrong time and catch an Iron Mike fist in Little Mac's face. And Mike hits hard, with a single uppercut capable of doing enough damage to send Mac to the mat.

The fight is a tense endeavor due to all of the above. It's the combination of Mike's quickness, unpredictability, and power that can leave you flat-footed at the worst possible moment. Catching a punch from Mike can throw you off your game plan and leave you scrambling to recover, and if you get TKO-ed or lose by decision, you're either pushed down in the ranks or forced to enter a password to restart the fight.

Cuphead is known for more than just its impressive hand-drawn art. It also has a reputation for being incredibly difficult. In fact, several of the boss fights in Cuphead could have made this list over some of the other items — they're that intense. But one really takes the cake when it comes to cranking your stress up through the roof, and it's the fight against Dr. Kahl's robot, a hectic fight that can last just a bit over two minutes but still manages to cause sensory overload.

There's a good chance you can watch the above video and still feel stressed out even though you're not actually playing. There's so much going on, from the movement required by the player to dodge flying objects, to the frenzied soundtrack, to the maniacal laughter of Dr. Kahl ringing in your ears. In order to best this boss, you'll need to keep a laser focus on what's flying at you while also laying down fire. It's a challenge and a half, but if you're able to tough it out and defeat Dr. Kahl and his robot, you'll have beaten the hardest enemy Cuphead has to throw at you.