Ah, the eternal dance of gaming masochism! One moment players crave soul-crushing challenges that leave controllers embedded in drywall, the next they're curled up with cozy farming sims to recover their shattered nerves. This beautiful oscillation exists thanks to merciful difficulty options – but some developers apparently missed that memo. These digital sadists serve up a single brutal flavor, leaving casual gamers weeping into their energy drinks. Why must we 'git gud' or get out? Here are ten titles where an easy mode wouldn't just be nice – it'd be an act of mercy.

10 Cronos: The New Dawn

Don't Let Them Merge!

Cronos arrived in 2025 as a glorious horror renaissance, dripping with eerie atmosphere and Dead Space-inspired dread. But its survival mechanics? Pure punishment. Bullets vanish faster than pizza at a LAN party, while enemies perform corpse-merging power-ups mid-fight like some grotesque Voltron. That clumsy gunplay isn't a bug – it's a feature designed to watch you suffer. Turning up auto-aim barely helps; it's like putting bandaids on a bullet wound. Who actually enjoys replaying the same checkpoint seventeen times? Maybe the devs thought frustration was scarier than the actual monsters.

9 Returnal

A Planet That Pulls No Punches

Roguelikes usually get a pass for their inherent cruelty – 'git gud through repetition' is practically genre scripture. But Returnal? This bullet-hell nightmare takes 'unforgiving' to cosmic levels. Permanent upgrades feel rarer than honest politicians, while neon death projectiles swarm like angry bees on espresso. Sure, they added a Suspend Cycle feature so you can cry between sessions, but who wants their gaming breaks filled with existential dread? Imagine a casual mode where you could actually admire those gorgeous alien landscapes instead of permanently ducking for cover. Heresy? Or basic human decency?

8 Don't Starve

Spoilers: You Will Starve

Adorable Tim Burton aesthetics? Check. Ruthless survival mechanics that punish breathing? Double check. Don't Starve treats tutorials like a taboo subject – why explain anything when players can just die from eating the wrong berry? New players inevitably become wiki archaeologists, digging through fan sites just to learn basic fire-building. Death isn't a setback; it's a full reset button. Would a guided 'Survival 101' mode really ruin the experience? Or just prevent controllers from becoming wall art? The game's brilliance shines brightest when you're not starving to death by day three.

7 FTL: Faster Than Light

The Final Frontier

Space! The final frontier... of unfair RNG disasters. FTL masterfully distills epic space opera into addictive rogue-lite sessions... until the dice gods decide your run ends NOW. One random solar flare? Suddenly your ship's burning, your crew's suffocating, and you're watching hours of progress evaporate faster than a puddle on Mercury. And that real-time ship management? Pure panic-attack fuel when fires spread and boarders attack simultaneously. Would sliders for enemy aggression or resource abundance hurt anyone? Apparently the devs thought player tears were essential lubricant for the spaceship engines.

6 Hollow Knight: Silksong

Less Than Silky-Smooth Progression

Look, we all knew Silksong wouldn't be a cakewalk – but did it need to sharpen Hollow Knight's already brutal challenge into a razor's edge? The original offered clever skips and cheese strategies for us mere mortals. Silksong? It feels like the devs studied speedrunners and designed obstacles specifically to crush their spirits. Even veterans hit walls of frustration in Pharloom's opening hours. What about players who struggled through the first game? They deserve to see this masterpiece too! Maybe Hornet could occasionally whisper, "Try dodging left, dummy"? Just a thought.

5 Outward

Stealth Archer Builds Won't Save You Now

For years, gamers starved for that hardcore Elder Scrolls vibe flocked to Outward – then promptly got eaten by wolves. This fantasy RPG doesn't just lack hand-holding; it actively sabotages you. Forget difficulty settings; even basic survival requires spreadsheets for resource management. Planning a simple fetch quest? Better pack rations, bandages, and a therapist. Co-op helps, but why does 'fun' require recruiting a buddy as your emotional support tank? An easy mode could've transformed this cult gem into mainstream glory. Instead, it remains the gaming equivalent of eating glass to prove your toughness.

4 The Witness

Perplexing Puzzles

Puzzle games thrive on eureka moments – that glorious click when solutions emerge. The Witness? It replaces 'click' with skull-crushing against brick walls. Jonathan Blow's island paradise hides puzzles so diabolical, most players quit before uncovering its breathtaking narrative layers. Yes, you can wander elsewhere when stumped, but eventually every path leads to migraine-inducing glyphs. Would contextual hints really spoil the magic? Or just prevent players from trading $60 for a permanent sense of inadequacy? Sometimes, genius needs a gentler introduction.

3 Kingdom Come Deliverance

A Peasant's Life

Historical accuracy! That noble pursuit justifying why Henry can't swing a sword without collapsing like a drunk toddler. The sequel finally balanced realism with fun, but the original remains a medieval misery simulator. Combat feels like wrestling a greased pig, quests hide fail-states like traps, and your only 'difficulty option' is a masochistic hardcore mode. Why must players endure 40 hours of frustration to experience its brilliant story? Maybe Warhorse Studios feared players might enjoy themselves? Heretical thought indeed.

2 Pathologic 2

Plague, Pain & Punishment

Let's be clear: Pathologic 2's soul-crushing difficulty perfectly complements its bleak narrative. But should experiencing a storytelling masterpiece require ninja-like precision? Most players watch their town burn once, shrug, and assume the game was rigged (spoiler: it kinda was). The genius branching paths and mind-blowing endings remain locked behind skill walls taller than the Polyhedron itself. Would an 'easy mode' dilute the despair? Or just let more people appreciate this dark gem without needing a stress ball IV drip?

1 Super Meat Boy

The Meat Grinder

Celeste speedrunner? Hollow Knight conqueror? Super Meat Boy laughs at your credentials before shredding you into deli slices. This platformer starts innocently enough – then rapidly escalates into pixel-perfect torture. That first boss already demands godlike reflexes; later levels look like abstract art painted with player corpses. The devs clearly worship at the altar of 'tough but fair'... if your definition of 'fair' includes buzzsaws occupying 90% of the screen. Couldn't they add... gasp... checkpoints? Or is witnessing Bandage Girl's rescue reserved for the elite few with robot thumbs?