Video games are a popular form of entertainment because they’re enjoyable to play, but they can tackle so many different genres in a way that exceeds television or film, which is also a big deal. The science-fiction genre can mesh together naturally with video games and it’s led to some extremely satisfying titles.
At the same time, there are also some games that find a level of pride in how punishingly difficult they are to beat. A high difficulty level can often accompany the sci-fi genre, and it’s a strong way to make a player’s experience in space even more stressful. There are a lot of great science fiction games out there, but many of them aren’t easy.
10 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
The Oddworld series has been able to find an audience over the years, but the first entry in the unconventional platformer series makes for a very difficult entry point into the franchise. Abe’s Oddysee throws a lot of mechanics at the player and even incorporates stealth aspects into the platforming. In addition to the complicated gameplay, it’s also just unforgiving with its use of enemies and level design. It’s a lofty task to simply complete Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, but those that want to rescue all 99 of the Mudokons in the game have an extremely difficult task ahead of them.
9 Alien: Isolation
The Alien series has made its mark on cinema and for decades video games have been trying to properly translate the tense films over to their medium. Alien: Isolation isn’t just by the far the scariest entry in the series, but it’s also incredibly difficult. The game’s difficulty largely stems over the game’s most impressive feature, which is the complex AI that’s present in the marauding Xenomorph. It’s possible for some players to possibly run through Alien: Isolation and get the minimum experience, but the strong mix of science fiction aesthetics with horror mechanics results in the game’s challenging difficulty.
8 Control
Control is a third-person shooter that definitely leans into the action genre, but its premise which involves an increase in cases of phenomenon that defy the laws of reality is science fiction at its best. The game's use of supernatural abilities is a fresh change of pace for a shooter and the increasing tears in reality are fascinating.
Control boasts tons of creativity, but it's also very punishing with its difficulty and the onslaught of enemies that it can throw at the audience. Players have intense powers in Control, but they'll still feel weak and small at times.
7 X-COM: UFO Defense
Big fans of the strategy genre know that the XCOM franchise is one of its most groundbreaking series. For over two decades the XCOM games have been blending together strategy gameplay with science fiction that actually creates a sense of dread. All of the games in the franchise are strong, but the first title, X-COM: UFO Defense (also called UFO: Enemy Unknown), is also the most difficult. UFO Defense has very high expectations of its players and it's incredibly easy to get a game over. Victory here is only slightly less difficult than against an actual alien invasion.
6 Dead Space 3
For a while the Dead Space franchise was positioned to take over the survival horror genre, but not the games have died off and chances of another entry in the series seem grim. The games do an excellent job with finding the terror and isolation in outer space and it’s approach to enemy dismemberment with the Necromorphs is a creative twist. Dead Space 3’s core gameplay isn’t too difficult, but it’s the Hardcore Mode that’s the challenge. Checkpoints are removed and death means a return to the game’s very beginning, which adds a whole new level of strategy and difficulty.
5 Fade To Black
Fade to Black is a more obscure science fiction series from the '90s that came out for both PlayStation and PC. It features a renegade alien species known as Morphs and the protagonist's escape from a space prison to overpower this growing danger.
Fade to Black conjures a tense environment and it effectively balances sci-fi with action staples. Fade to Black contains enemies that will come out of nowhere and instantly kill the player, whereas other Super Morphs are invincible. It's a game where the enemies actually feel dangerous.
4 Mega Man 3
Capcom’s Mega Man series has become one of the biggest successes in gaming, but the first entries in the franchise are a reminder of how difficult video games used to be back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Any of the earliest Mega Man games could appropriately qualify here, but Mega Man 3 is an extra pain because it makes the player face off against every Robot Master from the first two games, in addition to the new ones. It tests the player’s limits, and patience, more than any other Mega Man game.
3 Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a cosmic superhero that hasn't become a mainstream success in either film or video games, but there have still been attempts to do something with the character. 1990's Silver Surfer for the NES is notoriously one of the most difficult games on the console. It takes a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up approach to the character and it doesn't allow for a single moment where the superhero isn't getting blasted by intergalactic enemies. The extreme difficulty in Silver Surfer feels especially unfair since it's likely a game that a lot of children will play.
2 Contra
Contra is one of Konami’s most beloved franchises and even though it may seem like it’s more representative of the action genre or films like Rambo, it’s easy to forget that the Contra games are about an alien invasion and that there’s a very science fiction-based threat here, which only becomes more pronounced in later games in the series. Contra throws relentless waves of enemies and bullets at the player and it never slows down. Tactics like the Konami Code were specifically created to reward extra lives in games like Contra because they’re just too hard without extra help.
1 Battletoads
Battletoads is a franchise that premiered on the original Nintendo system that’s practically made a reputation based off of how difficult the games are. There are plenty of NES titles that are frustrating because of their older gaming sensibilities, but Battletoads is one of the few that feels designed to create anger. The amount of enemies and the level of life that the player has are completely skewed and the title is quite long for what it expects from the audience. The beat-‘em-up segments are difficult enough, but the fast-paced vehicle segments feel like they’re practically impossible.