Video game tutorials serve to teach you about the game. Typically, they involve a light survey of mechanics, as well as tips that will help you in the future. Sometimes, tutorials can be simple and to the point, but other times, a tutorial can be highly convoluted and not make sense.
Here, we are going to take a look at some of the hardest video game tutorials out there. Overall, these tutorials have stumped gamers across the internet, and may still even cause some confusion. Additionally, these games are presented in no particular order. Now, let’s take it back in time and look at the first entry on our list.
8 Driver
Driver is an older game, first released in 1999. In this tutorial, you are given a list of driving ‘tricks’, but there are no instructions on how to do them. Rather than taking you through each move, you are pretty much left to your own devices.
Since this game came out in the late 90s, many gamers were young and didn’t even know what these tasks meant. On top of not knowing what a slalom is, they had to then perform it correctly. Overall, this tutorial has united gamers, all claiming that they couldn’t continue on with the game due to its difficulty.
7 Monster Hunter Series
Monster Hunter is a long-running series, with the most recent title being Monster Hunter Rise. This monster-hunting game can be quite a text-box overload. Information is flung at you in text boxes when you are running around the world. This isn’t necessarily hard, it just makes the game hard to get a grasp on quickly.
Instead of learning as you go, the text boxes provide the information you need, even if you decide to switch weapons. Additional weapon choices don’t have a tutorial section, you just need to read. Overall, it’s a lot of information that can be hard to digest.
6 Nier Automata
The prologue of Nier Automata serves as the ‘tutorial’, taking you through basic flying and combat. Your first experience in Nier Automata will probably be met with a death or two, as you get a grasp on what is going on. This intro mission is pretty rough, especially if you are new to Platinum Games.
To make matters more difficult, the tutorial of the game is notoriously very long. New players are looking at well over 30 minutes of gameplay with no save or checkpoints (and this is only if you make it through without failing). This means that if you die, you will be brought back to the start. Nier’s prologue is strangely unforgiving compared to the rest of the game.
5 Twilight Princess
Next up, we have The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Like Nier Automata, Twilight Princess has a very long tutorial, that can often deter players from jumping in. The tutorial takes several hours; yes, you read that right. It takes hours to get through the mandatory tutorial that involves things like fishing or herding animals.
While this tutorial may not be hard, it’s definitely a bit boring to play through. Instead of exploring the world and moving on with the story, you are stuck doing menial tasks. Due to the lengthy tutorial, you may find it hard to focus and keep playing.
4 Shin Megami Tensei 4
Shin Megami Tensei games are notable for their difficulty, especially when compared to the Persona series. Shin Megami Tensei 4 is no exception; the enemies start off difficult right at the start of the game. There is no ‘easing’ into the game. You are flung in and expected to survive.
This goes for every game in the Shin Megami Tensei series too. Instead of taking baby steps, you leap into gameplay. If you’ve never played a ShinMegami Tensei game, this tutorial can be very jarring.
3 The Witcher 2
The Witcher series consists of three games following Geralt of Rivia. The second game in the series, titled Assassins of Kings, has a notoriously difficult tutorial. First, if you have come from The Witcher 1 straight into this second game, the controls and combat can catch you off guard.
Additionally, The Witcher 2 has some bugs that can cause some frustration. This is expected, due to the fact that the game came out in 2011, but it can still be quite annoying to deal with. Thankfully, you can completely skip the tutorial.
2 Jet Set Radio
Jet Set Radio is a classic game that was first released on the Sega Dreamcast in 2000. In the game, you can skate and graffiti your way around Tokyo. The tutorial of this game is presented in ‘lessons’, each one teaching you about the mechanics. You’d expect just a few lessons, but the tutorial has a grand total of 22 lessons that need to be completed.
The most difficult part of the tutorial for many players is to get 50 tricks in a combo. This isn’t something that can just be done though; there is an exact method to completing this lesson, and if you don’t read a guide or watch a video explaining what to do, then it’s very hard to complete.
1 Dark Souls
It’s just a fact that Dark Souls games are difficult. Dark Souls isn’t unfair, but the games in the series can definitely prove to be a challenge. Like Shin Megami Tensei, Dark Souls throws you right into the action.
For new players, this instant action can be overwhelming. Fortunately for you, there are tons of guides and walkthroughs for those that are new to Dark Souls. In addition to Dark Souls, you can find difficult starts in other Soulsborne games, such as Bloodborne or Elden Ring.
