Capcom was at the height of its power in the 90s. They were firing on all cylinders in the arcades and on consoles like the SNES. Some games exploded on both scenes likeStreet Fighter 2which help define a genre.
One of the best deals Capcom struck was with Disney, as they helped make some truly beloved platformers. This deal began on the NES with titles likeDuckTalesandChip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers. There were plenty more on the SNES and they weren’t easy either. A lot of Capcom games beyond Disney tie-ins were quite tricky and caused many players to tear their hair out because of the high difficulty of these titles.
Updated on Jun 04, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:The term Nintendo Hard didn’t spring up out of nowhere. Old-school games on Nintendo’s groundbreaking consoles didn’t shake off their arcade roots all that much, meaning that players had to fight against the odds time and time again across most games on the Super Nintendo as they tried to improve their skills and best the foes who were giving them a tough time. Out of the many third-party publishers who had the green light to release their games on this console, Capcom was notorious for introducing a ridiculous level of difficulty in their games that made the vast majority of these titles a nightmare to make meaningful progress unless players were willing to find a guide (a tough ask at the time) or improve their skills to godlike levels.
There were two major console games based around Disney’s hit animated action-adventure comedy,Aladdin, bothcalledDisney’s Aladdin. Capcom made the SNES version, while Virgin Interactive made the Sega Genesis version. Some prefer the Sega Genesis game because Aladdin got a sword, whereas the SNES counterpart could throw apples like Mickey.
Both games have high challenge ratings, though, no matter what Aladdin uses for a weapon. The hardest part has to be the platforming on SNES because it can be unforgiving.
Disney’s Goof Troopis the final Disney-backed Capcom game worth discussing on the SNES. It’s significantbecause Shinji Mikamiworked on it, who most may know as one of the core creators of theResident Evilfranchise. The DNA can be seen blatantly inDisney’s Goof Troopbecause there are puzzles galore in this one. They’re what makes the game hard, although the combat is weak, too, making it hard to take out the game’s many pirates. Internet guides can alleviate some of the challenge now, but that defeats the purpose of a puzzle adventure like this.
Capcom made a lot ofgreat games starring Mickey Mouseduring this generation, includingThe Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse, which was the first in an SNES trilogy. Mickey can pick up objects and toss them at enemies, like boxes or apples, but his main power can be found at dressing kiosks.
Players can transform into various costumes and get powers like the firefighter costume which gives Mickey a hose to spray water with. It’s another game that doesn’t have a brutal challenge, but Mickey’s health isn’t that high, and some of the platforming segments can be tricky.
Breath of Fireis one of Capcom’s forgotten RPG franchises which they have very little of. The hardest game in the series is on PS2,Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, which is borderline unfair. With the original game, it’s just a bit difficult to get used to the grinding. Like any good RPG, it can become easier the more time players put into it. Battles aside, sometimes the quests are a bit obtuse, but thankfully, there are plenty of modern guides and videos to help with that.
TheMega Mangames are the poster child of what Nintendo Hard is all about, with each and every game in the series boasting a ridiculous level of difficulty that made these stages daunting to make progress in. Unless players followed a guide and figured out the weaknesses every boss possessed, trying to get past the first few stages with limited weaponry was a tall order.
Mega Man 7is no exception here, with players having to battle against the odds to ensure that everyone’s favorite robot didn’t bite the dust before they could even reach the boss fight of a particular stage. With limited lives and the challenge being overbearing in some levels, it’s easy to see why some people preferred to just give up instead of trying to figure out the optimal path through each stage before eventually duking it out with Dr. Wily himself.
X-Men: Mutant Apocalypseis a great gameto bring up now since Disney started the X-Men animated reboot. While this game wasn’t directly a tie-in to the 1992 cartoon, it was certainly inspired by it. Players could begin with a wide assortment of X-Men, from Wolverine to Psylocke, who had introductory levels.
If a hero lost all of their lives, then players could move on to someone else. If played poorly, it would be hard to finish the game without a big party. So, there was effectively a permadeath feature implemented to keep things interesting.
Final Fightis a classic beat-‘em-up game that fans of the genre are quite familiar with. Making the most of the SNES’s improved graphics,Final Fight’s visuals were a treat to behold as players took control of the character of their choice and lay waste to the enemies that stood in their way in every stage. This was easier said than done, with players having to manage their health and lives to ensure that they could beat the bosses of every stage without failing at the final hurdle.
Mike Haggar, Cody Travers, and Guy feature unique movesets and are equally fun to control, but players need to be careful when tackling every stage. The arcade roots of this series are quite evident and will pummel players to oblivion if they don’t manage enemy groups properly. One slip-up is all it takes for players to lose their health or watch on helplessly as they run out of time in each stage.
4Knights Of The Round
GameFAQs Difficulty: 3.69/5
The legend of the Knights of the Round Table is something a lot of players are familiar with, so it’s easy to see why a beat-‘em-up title that lets players take on the role of one of these legendary knights as they lay waste to their opponents is something that will entice many fans. This is precisely what players can accomplish inKnights of the Round, a simple and engaging title that covers the broad strokes of this story with a healthy dose of action.
Players can control King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, and Sir Perceval as they embark on a quest to liberate Britain from the evil king Garibaldi’s rule. Along with regular attacks, players must pull off perfect blocks to become invincible and dish out a ton of damage in no time while also resorting to desperation attacks if the screen is crowded with too many enemies that may force players to lose a precious life if they aren’t careful. This, coupled with the horseback combat sections, make for a challenging title where death awaits unsuspecting players who have no idea just how hard this arcade title is.
Demon’s Crestis a spinoff of theGhosts ‘n Goblinsseries and not the first either. This one starred the Red Arremer, which was a gargoyle-like enemy found in most of the games. It could fly and shoot fire, and players could collect new powers for it.
All in all, it offered players more gameplay options for combat and exploration than the mainline games. In some ways, these features made it easier, but it still had the brutal lining of aGhosts ‘n Goblinsgame, especially when it came to boss battles.
Mega Man & Basswas originally released late into the SNES’ life cycle in 1998. This was in Japan only, but the West eventually got it in 2003 on the Game Boy Advance and the difficulty was lowered a bit. The controls weren’t as stiff, and there were some other balance changes as well, like for damage counters.
Mega Man & Bass, like most games in the series, saw Mega Man fighting bosses and collecting various upgrades as usual. The big gimmick behind this spinoff was Bass being added as a playable character, and his mode was the hardest in the game.
