There’s something about difficult video games that presents a strange, intrinsic allure to a certain subsection of players. Maybe it’s the feeling of relief, or accomplishment, that comes with jumping clear of a particularly large hurdle, or maybe some people just enjoy running into a brick wall over and over to see what breaks first — them, or the wall.
Even then, within this subsection of people who love difficulty, there are those who say “not enough”. From horror games to RPGs, difficulty to these players can just be a light breeze pushing them back to the last checkpoint. Dying in real life though, that’s it, you’re done. What’s this un-immersive nonsense they call “respawning”? For gamers who think second chances are for chumps, here are some games with the option to turn on permadeath.
5 Pillars Of Eternity
A Fantastic CRPG That Doesn’t Pull Punches
The writing in Pillars of Eternity is sublime. Richly detailed paragraphs pull together the world of Eora, and on top of this writerly fantasy world that strives to evoke a classic high fantasy tone (and then subvert it), the game is also incredibly fun. The multitude of unique classes and races allow for a broad array of unique character combinations — especially with Avowed set to make a splash next year. People looking to get immersed in the world of Eora before the next game’s release should absolutely give this title and its sequel a try.
For those who truly want to feel immersed in this game, there is an optional permadeath mode for extra realism (and extra difficulty, of course, but the permadeath selection is separate to the available difficulty modes). There’s no revival magic in Pillars of Eternity, so once a character is dead, that’s it. They’re not coming back.
4 Tales Of Maj’Eyal 4
A High-Fantasy Roguelike Where Death Is Common
Tales of Maj’Eyal is already a game that more people should play. Fans of building characters, lore-heavy fantasy worlds, and extremely difficult gameplay would find so much to love in this indie-developed marvel. The game’s broad array of skill trees, dependent on an even broader array of possible classes that can be unlocked over the course of a game, leave players with a multitude of character building options to help them get through this difficult title.
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Amping up the difficulty, however, is the option of permadeath modes when making a character. “Adventurer Mode” gives players a finite number of lives to keep track of before they’re properly dead, and Roguelike Mode simply leaves them on one life for the entire playthrough.
3 Star Traders: Frontiers
An Expansive Space-Sim RPG
So much in Star Traders: Frontiers is up to player discretion. What does the player want their experience to be? Do they want to be a captain skilled in intrigue and diplomacy, leaving their mark on galactic politics? Or a rugged bounty hunter? An opportunistic merchant? Or some guy who goes around to uncolonized planets and searches for buried pirate treasure? It really all comes down to what skills the player takes, how they mod out their ship, and the individual choices they make when an entire procedurally generated galaxy is their domain.
The difficulty in this game is just one more part of the experience that can be modified. Permadeath is an option for those who want their space-faring adventure to have some higher stakes, with characters not simply getting injured, but becoming one with the stars once more upon their defeat.
2 No Man’s Sky
Up The Intensity In This Space Exploration Game
No Man’s Sky offers a brutal permadeath mode that keeps the high stakes and high difficulty of its Survivor Mode, with the added caveat that now any death will force a complete wipe of the player’s save. Similar to Star Traders: Frontiers, this game’s difficulty is really down to the player’s decisions and how deep into uncharted space they wish to venture. It’s important to get the basics down before trying this mode, though, as even something as innocent as an improperly built base can spell doom in this mode.
Anyone who has this game should try its permadeath mode at least once, however. The breathtaking sights and moments in this game feel that much more special for players who’ve risked their single life to see them.
1 Minecraft
A Legendary Measure Of Survival Skill
With the steady stream of updates that has come through Minecraft of late, there’s now a host of unrelenting mobs that are very capable of killing the player. Gone are the days when the only thing players had to be mindful of were creepers and those inhumanly fast baby zombies. For those who believe they’ve mastered Minecraft‘s challenges, Hardcore Mode exists to remind them that even this blocky paradise can swing pretty hard.
Locked at the hardest difficulty, and with one life that separates the player from a wiped save, hardcore mode has been a legendary bracket of difficulty for players to challenge for years now, as Minecraft continues to take the world by storm.
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