Summary
Before the companies merged to becomeSquare Enixin 2003, Square and Enix were separately the biggest RPG developers for early video game consoles. The companies together have been responsible for some of the most iconic video game franchises of all time, dating back to Nintendo’s first console, theNintendo Entertainment System.
Given their expertise in the RPG genre, Square and Enix have also mastered creating some of the most difficult RPGs of all time. As was the case for many NES titles, their difficulty allowed players to get the most out of each game, even for non-RPG titles. Square Enix published several titles for the NES, but not all of them were as easy to beat as others.
Updated June 04, 2025 by Blaise Santi: Separately and together, Square and Enix have been known to create some of the most ambitious and complex role-playing games in the history of video games. However, back in the NES days, the two companies also explored other genres to varying levels of success.
Whether it was intentional or not, Square and Enix made these additional four games with an attempt to branch out in some way from their typical bread-and-butter, but their difficulty level didn’t just come from the games themselves, but from the frustration some players felt upon trying them out.
Genre
Puzzle
Door Dooris certainly the most unique game here, especially coming from a company like Enix. It exists in the strange space of Famicom released in 1985, when arcade classics were ported to the home console, though this game never even had an arcade release. Still, it’s reminiscent of games likeBurger TimeorDonkey Kongin terms of its gameplay.
Players control Chun, an egg-shaped creature attempting to trap adorable aliens behind open doors. It’s an easy game to fail at, as a game over will result if even one alien is left wandering with all the doors closed. The game has up to 50 levels, with the final one being nearly impossible to win if one’s timing isn’t exact to the millisecond.
Tactical RPG
Just Breedis a more typical affair for Enix, as a tactical RPG featuring six characters each of a different fixed class. Players control a customized Hero as they adventure with a small army to rescue a kidnapped priestess, with the battle system reminiscent of turn-based strategy likeFire Emblem, having control over many units at once.
It’s been noted as one of the largest RPGs on the NES, requiring a 144-page strategy guide that’s pretty atypical of that era’s games. That ambition may have been its Achilles' heel, as the hardware seems incapable of handling multi-tasking on the field of battle, making most of the gaming experience quite tedious and frankly, annoying.
Of all the RPGs that have been produced by Square,Tom Sawyermay be the one that’s remembered for all the wrong reasons. The JRPG adaptation of Mark Twain’s famous novel would’ve been a home run for the company at branching out of the typical fantasy genre, but the game’s interpretation of Southern America ended up as problematic as one would expect.
Aside from its troublesome depiction of certain characters from the story, the game isn’t exactly an appealing RPG on its own. For starters, many of the possible party members other than Tom are forgettable or useless, while the lack of a leveling system can be confusing to those who are used to Square’s usual JRPG formula, resulting in a rather frustrating experience.
When it comes to Square’s bread-and-butter franchise,Final Fantasy 3is a charming entry that often gets overlooked in favor of more popularFFinstallments. It’s also one of the more difficult games in the series, a reputation that followed the game even to its remakes on the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Switch. That said, it also introduced a lot of first-time mechanics to the franchise.
Final Fantasy 3was the first in the series toinclude a job system, allowing players to mix and match the various roles of their party members. This is a huge way to complicate, while also personalizing, each and every character in the game, though seasoned RPG veterans these days are probably used to having to make these complex decisions. The game featured several level spikes throughout, forcing players to either come up with new strategies, grind, or give up.
Square releasedRad Racer, another stereoscopic 3D non-RPG game, in 1987. This racing game wasn’t incredibly different from otherracers on the Nintendo Entertainment System, allowing players to drive sports cars across worldwide landmarks, including American cities and even other countries. However, its difficulty takes inspiration from elsewhere.
In retrospective reviews of Square’sRad Racer, the game was credited with having arcade difficulty. Oftentimes, arcade games were harder considering they made their money off players having to retry levels over and over again. Its driving mechanics tested what players were used to in racing games at the time, especially with the NES' limited controls.
Dragon Questis one of thelongest-running RPG franchisesof all time, initially developed by Chunsoft and Enix before being localized asDragon Warriorfor North American audiences by Nintendo. The game trailblazed many traditional RPG elements, from its fantasy-inspired storyline to the introduction of sub-quests and experience points.
However, this firstDragon Questgame was also quite a challenge, even for RPG veterans. In the game, enemy power increases the further players get from the game’s starting point, meaning that those who venture too far past where they’re supposed to go can be met with some seriously difficult turn-based battles. Still, it made the RPG the genre it is today.
Square releasedThe 3-D Battles of WorldRunnerfor the Famicom and NES in 1987 as one of their few non-RPG releases for the console. The game lives up to its title as a stereoscopic 3D rail shooter, one of the first of its kind. However, the game has one detrimental quality that many players found difficult: the protagonist’s movement.
Given its status asa rail shooter, players are unable to stop the main character from running forward and are only able to control his horizontal movement. Many reviewers at the time complained about the disorienting visuals, while others declared the game a knock-off of Sega’sSpace Harrier,which was seen as better and more difficult thanWorldRunner. Still,The 3-D Battle of WorldRunneroffers a challenging experience for those brave enough to dive in.
Even though theFinal Fantasyfranchise has released titles for decades to come, it doesn’t get much harder than the veryfirst game in the series. Released in 1987,Final Fantasy 1was a Hail Mary from Square at the time, with the company nearing bankruptcy before the game’s release and success, but it came at the cost of players' love of breezy RPGs.
For what it’s worth, the firstFinal Fantasyestablished a lot of normsin the RPG genre, from randomized encounters to a turn-based battle system. Whether it was high-level encounters that players weren’t prepared for or indistinguishable NPCs who are vital to continuing the story,Final Fantasy 1not only tested players' patience but also made them hunger for more.
Dragon Quest 2was released by Enix in 1987, and since then, it’s had the reputation of being one of the hardestgames in theDragon Questseries. The game was even deemed too difficult by its development team, resulting in it being delayed to accommodate changes. Even so, the game didn’t get easier until its port for the Game Boy.
The Famicom version of the game is notably the most difficult version, with critics citing the final boss' ability to heal itself and its allies as frustrating. The game also incorporated exploration of a large open world, making it hard to streamline and too non-linear for some players. Still, manyDragon Questfans favored the game for that very reason.
Shoot ‘em up
WhileKing’s Knightis aesthetically familiar territory for Square, it’s not an RPG at all, instead letting players control a knight in an auto-scrolling shoot ‘em up. It therefore has the typical difficulty level of shmups, though with the added difficulty of being able to change characters mid-level to overcome various obstacles.
However, its poor design is its biggest flaw, resulting in lots of levels feeling like frustrating messes to slog through rather than fast-paced adventures through magical lands. Even though this game has been ported to Wii and 3DS Virtual Consoles in the past, it’s not worth checking out unless players are dying to rip their hair out.
