5 First Levels That Almost Made Us Quit the Game

Hard games have always existed, but most developers tend to give you a gentle nudge before the real challenge arrives. A few, however, decide to throw you straight into the deep end, hoping you’ll either rise to the occasion or quit in frustration. Below are five opening stages that have become legends for their sheer, almost unforgivable difficulty.

5. Contra – Level 1
If you ever typed the Konami Code, you already know why. The very first level of Contra feels like a blur of enemy fire, endless marching troops and a barrage of bullets that leaves almost no breathing room. You can snag a couple of weapon upgrades, but the pattern of the enemy projectiles is relentless. Without the infamous 30‑lives cheat, many players threw in the towel after a handful of attempts. Those who stuck around were rewarded with one of the era’s most beloved run‑and‑gun experiences—though the difficulty never really lets up.

4. Ikaruga – Chapter 1
Treasure’s Ikaruga adds a twist to the bullet‑hell formula: polarity. Black bullets are harmless if you’re black, white bullets are harmless if you’re white. Switching colors at the right moment while dodging a cascade of multicolored projectiles is a headache‑inducing dance. The first stage is marketed as the “easy” one, yet it still manages to make many newcomers dissolve into tears. Survive to the final stage, however, and the game rewards you with a satisfying sense of mastery.

3. Ninja Gaiden (2004) – The Way of the Ninja
The 2004 reboot of Ninja Gaiden is notorious for its punishing combat, and the opening level sets the bar alarmingly high. There’s no hand‑holding tutorial; you’re dropped into a rain of enemies and forced to learn Ryu’s combos, blocks and rolls on the fly. After a few harmless foes, the pressure spikes, and an aggressive boss wielding a nunchaku appears, using unblockable grabs that can end your run in an instant. It’s a brutal welcome that separates the determined from the easily discouraged.

2. Superman 64 – The Rings
Even by the broken‑game standards of Superman 64, the very first mission is a nightmare. Lex Luthor forces Superman to fly through a series of floating rings while the clock ticks down. The controls feel sluggish, the camera jumps, and the graphics are so garish they’re almost painful to look at. Miss a ring or wobble the flight path, and you’re forced to start over. It’s a perfect storm of bad design and maddening difficulty that made many players give up before the story even began.

1. Driver – Parking Garage Tutorial
Tutorials are usually the place where developers say, “Hey, here’s how it works,” but Driver decided to make its first mission a high‑pressure time trial. You’re dropped into a cramped parking garage and asked to complete a series of maneuvers without any on‑screen instructions. The timer is unforgiving, and every collision chips away at your limited health. Survive this gauntlet, and the rest of the game feels relatively forgiving—something the developers clearly didn’t anticipate.

These opening levels have earned a reputation for testing patience more than skill. Whether you conquered them or walked away, they’ve become part of video‑gaming folklore—a reminder that sometimes the hardest battles start before the first checkpoint.