Very hard games that were intended for young children

[mbd36]

This post was inspired by the Critic's review of Despicable Me for the Playstation 2. I find it hilarious that it has the "suitable for children" teddy bear right next to the Arthur award for extreme difficulty. Can you think of other similar examples?

[CaptainCruch]

nearly all 8-bit games... (Mega Man, Super Mario Lost Levels etc)

[mbd36]

nearly all 8-bit games... (Mega Man, Super Mario Lost Levels etc)

I'm thinking of games that are more specifically intended for younger children, such as based on children's movies and TV shows. But they're surprisingly hard given the intended audience.

[CharlieR]

The first one that came to mind was Tiny Toon adventures: Buster Busts Loose for the SNES

[ActRaiser]

There was a really good article a few days ago on Kotaku, I think, about how Sega tried to get more girls involved in gaming in the early Genesis days.

There's one particular person in charge, she goes and meets with the developers of Aladdin.

The first thing they say is, "We are going to make the world's hardest game!"

She tells them the target audience is for kids, not teenagers. Tone it down, the people going to see the movie and those interested in buying it don't want a hard game.

It made me realize the people that made the game were trying to make it for themselves and not for the actual buying audience. The developers didn't get it until she had to explain it to them.

[goldenband]

There was a really good article a few days ago on Kotaku, I think, about how Sega tried to get more girls involved in gaming in the early Genesis days.

Just found it -- it's on Polygon:

https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/5 ... le-players

Speaking of the Genesis (and returning to the title question):

TaleSpin, Marsupilami, and The Lion King are a few examples that come to mind. I also remember hearing that Barbie on the NES is unexpectedly difficult.

[mbd36]

There was a really good article a few days ago on Kotaku, I think, about how Sega tried to get more girls involved in gaming in the early Genesis days.

Just found it -- it's on Polygon:

https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/5 ... le-players

Speaking of the Genesis (and returning to the title question):

TaleSpin, Marsupilami, and The Lion King are a few examples that come to mind. I also remember hearing that Barbie on the NES is unexpectedly difficult.

Never played Barbie, but I am impressed by the size of the player sprite. It looks like it's using the Dragons Lair engine.

[Luigi & Peach]

TaleSpin, Marsupilami, and The Lion King are a few examples that come to mind. I also remember hearing that Barbie on the NES is unexpectedly difficult.

Never played Barbie, but I am impressed by the size of the player sprite. It looks like it's using the Dragons Lair engine.[/quote]

My wife owned Barbie for the NES as a child and was convinced that the game wouldn't allow you to get past a certain point. After we were married she had me beat it for her so she could see the ending.

[eneuman96]

Not a retail title, but a Winnie the Pooh Flash game made the rounds on the Internet some years ago for its difficulty being hilariously inappropriate for children:

https://youtu.be/rmSyvHus1SE

[ThePixelatedGenocide]

Western developers were always the worst offenders, back in the day. When Ghouls N' Ghosts, designed to humiliate the player while stealing their quarters, still offers the player more power fantasy than Simba's big "I can't wait to be King" musical number?

It's a clear inability to understand the source material, or even the basic foundations of professional level design. Today, you can get a more polished experience from almost any hack of Jet Set Willy.