Ghosts 'n Goblins

There are hard games, and then there's Ghosts 'n Goblins, a title whose name became a synonym for sheer gaming frustration. In 1986 Capcom sent knight Arthur onto the NES to rescue an abducted princess, and the very first enemy hit strips off his armor: Arthur finds himself in nothing but white underpants, and a second hit means death. This merciless two-hit logic sets the tone for the whole game.

You fight your way through graveyards, burning villages and icy caves full of zombies, demons and flying bird-monsters, throwing spears, daggers or torches. Enemies keep pouring in without pause, and precisely timed jumps across disappearing platforms will test even seasoned players. The peak of sadism is the ending: after finishing the game, it tells you it was all "a trap of the devil," and you have to play the whole run again and harder to reach the true ending.

And yet, or perhaps precisely because of that, retro gamers keep coming back to Ghosts 'n Goblins. The game has an irresistible gothic charm, a catchy soundtrack and that addictive "just one more try" loop. It spawned a famous series (Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts) and to this day remains a badge of honor for anyone who beats it.