Most of us were introduced to the world of gaming at a young age, and, despite popular opinion, most games aren't made with a very young audience in mind—particularly older ones. While games like The Lion King on SNES or Battletoads on Nintendo's original console may seem child-friendly, the reality was that most of the kids who played those games struggled to surmount the first few levels.
We've all, at some point, returned to the games that totally beat us into submission back in the day years or decades later and wondered how we could possibly have found them difficult. Here are 10 games that were impossible when we were children (but we can fly through now).
10 The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda was totally revolutionary when it released to North American markets in 1987. The first game to truly evoke a sense of adventure, it has gone down in history as one of the most important digital experiences of all time.
That said, the game could be incredibly cryptic, and finding all of the dungeons—let alone conquering them—was next to impossible without a guide. Those who didn't have a copy of Nintendo Power on-hand likely struggled to get anywhere. While it may be much easier today thanks to the advent of the Internet, back int he late 80s, beating Zelda would have been a major feat.
9 Resident Evil
The original Resident Evil wasn't exactly the most difficult game released for the PS1, but it was certainly one of the most frightening. In fact, we're willing to bet the graphic themes and mature rating prompted plenty of parents to ban the thing from their children.
Those who did get a chance to play through it likely didn't get far, as, for the 90s, this was about as scary as it could get. Encountering that first zombie in the Spencer Mansion likely caused more than a few sleepless nights, and, while it's downright laughable today, it was nothing to sneeze at two decades ago.
8 Frogger: He's Back!
1997's excessively polygonal rendition of the 1981 arcade classic Frogger isn't widely remembered, but those who played it will doubtlessly remember exactly how infuriating it could be, particularly during the later stages. Requiring near frame-perfect timing and extensive knowledge of each level, Frogger: He's Back was perhaps the most harrowing Frogger title ever released.
Today, most gamers would likely be able to fly through this thing in under two hours, give or take a few extra for those opting to collect all of the game's optional golden frogs. While it only requires a bit of memorization and some adept motor skills, it's very much the sort of game that makes us question our gaming aptitudes as kids.
7 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
We'd be willing to bet that this was the first true RPG title many Gamecube owners experienced back in the day. Nintendo was not—and still isn't—particularly well known for first-party RPGs, and unsuspecting kids were likely suckered in, expecting it to be a platformer. How wrong we were.
In reality, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door works as an excellent introduction to the genre. Unfortunately, it's rather long, even by today's standards, and it's likely that younger players simply lacked the wherewithal to get through it. Though few adult gamers would find it difficult today, younger audiences certainly struggled to slog through its thirty-hour campaign when it released in 2004.
6 Crash Bandicoot
When most PlayStation fans reminisce upon games that gave them trouble as a kid, they'll doubtlessly think of the first Crash Bandicoot title. A tough-as-nails platformer that demanded quite a bit from the player, it was as difficult as it was iconic, and we'd be willing to bet that most younger gamers never quite managed to take down Cortex.
Plenty went back to re-experience the original Crash trilogy when Activision re-mastered it in 2017, and most likely found that it wasn't nearly as difficult as they remember. In fact, the average gamer could probably plow through the first title in less than five hours... though the new Stormy Ascent level would make anyone's teeth grind.
5 Kingdom Hearts
Featuring everyone's favorite Disney characters and spanning a series of iconic kingdoms, the original Kingdom Hearts was a must-have for younger PS2 owners. That said, while it wasn't necessarily difficult, it took a bit of know-how to progress in the game, and the twenty-five to thiry-hour main story was likely far too lengthy for the average youngster back in the mid-2000s. Plus, the convoluted story and difficult final boss fight definitely made it a struggle
That said, it's not exactly a complex RPG compared to complete today for patient players, and, though there's no real way to speed through such a long game, most wouldn't have much trouble sticking it out to the end.
4 Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
Really, any of the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games could fill this slot, but we'll guess that most teens and twenty-somethings will remember 2003's A Wonderful Life. Though the minute-to-minute gameplay wasn't particularly challenging, making a schedule and sticking to it in a cartoony simulation of real farm life was difficult to manage for many younger players back in the day.
Tasking players with living out multiple years of a farm owner's life, A Wonderful Life was likely just a bit too much for an audience that had yet to develop any real time management skills.
3 Myst
Released all the way back in 1993, Myst was—and still is—celebrated as a graphical benchmark for the era, and, while the pre-rendered 3D landscapes aren't particularly awe-inspiring two-and-a-half decades later, they were downright jaw-dropping when the game first released.
That said, pretty though the game surely was, it likely stumped many a younger player in the mid-90s. Some of the puzzles are extremely obtuse and require endless sessions of trial and error to overcome. Today, of course, we can simply bring up a walkthrough and fly through the game in mere minutes, but, at one point, this would have been a real brain-buster.
2 Sonic The Hedgehog
Plenty of kids who grew up in the 1990s will remember the cultural impact of Sonic the Hedgehog. Though he's since fallen far from grace, it's tough to forget just how much fun blasting through Green Hill Zone was back in 1991.
Yet, we'd hazard a guess that most don't remember much of the game following those initial few levels. That's because Sonic the Hedgehog really ramps up in difficulty after the introduction. Ironically, most kids likely had a hard time keeping up as things slowed down and demanded a more careful, methodical pace. Though it's not exactly difficult today, it would have been a real gauntlet for young Genesis owners in the early 90s.
1 Driver
The original Driver title allowed players to enact all sorts of vehicular chaos upon a 3D city two years before Grand Theft Auto hit the scene, and it's often celebrated as something of a sleeper hit on the PlayStation.
That said, most younger gamers likely found completing the title's introductory mission to be nearly impossible. Tasked with performing a series of tricks and stunts in a fairly scathing timelimit, some players were effectively locked out of the game almost entirely. The game still isn't a walk in the park, though any seasoned gamer will at least be able to make it through that god-forsaken first parking garage mission.