10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

As someone who grew up in the ’90s, I can attest to the fact that these infamous quests have left indelible marks on my gaming memories – some good, some bad, but mostly bad!


In an informal and understandable style: Quests serve as the main filling in the sandwich of role-playing games (RPGs), while gameplay acts as the bread that holds everything together. Quests can range from saving the world to something simple like chasing rats out of a cellar, but they’re what keeps us moving forward in RPGs.

Regrettably, it’s true that not every mission offers a fair balance of challenge and enjoyment. Some missions, unfortunately, appear to be intentionally frustrating and serve no purpose other than prolonging gameplay.

Gather around, everyone! It seems as though those perplexing questions about life’s purpose – the ones that have you scratching your head and asking “what’s the point?” – are converging upon us, right here, right now. Here is a collection of 10 challenges so frustratingly difficult, you might question their very existence within a game.

10 The Crown of Barenziah

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim stands among the greatest video games ever crafted, offering a wealth of adventures that can captivate players for years on end, continually unveiling fresh discoveries.

While it’s all fine and dandy discussing grand adventures, hidden within those are smaller tasks specifically intended to frustrate you. Take the Crown of Barenziah as an example.

This quest tasks you with finding gems for a crown that are randomly scattered across the world.

As a dedicated fan, I can tell you that the strategic positioning of these treasures isn’t just haphazard; it’s more like an intricate puzzle that needs to be unraveled. To ensure you find them all, prepare yourself for a global quest, exploring every nook and cranny of our beautiful world.

The worst part of it all, is that there is barely any reward for finding them all.

For all your tireless exploration, spanning countless corners of the globe, this is your reward: a glimpse at the regal ornament. However, bear in mind that it’s not yours to don; it merely stands as a symbol of your journey’s end.

9 Dinner Date

Marvel’s Spider-Man

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

2018’s Spider-Man was a spectacular comeback for our friendly neighborhood hero, yet it encountered a few design issues along the way.

As a dedicated gamer, I must admit, the Mary Jane missions were a real letdown. They were tedious, painfully slow, and there seemed to be an endless amount of them. Frankly, it’s hard to fathom that these tasks were something Insomniac believed gamers would find engaging.

All of them are terrible, but Dinner Date, in particular, was among the worst.

This task involves moving stealthily among a gang of motorcycle enthusiasts to collect data and snap some photos.

If that doesn’t sound thrilling enough, there is an Insta-fail state if you get caught. Not to mention, the enemy AI ranges from completely brain-dead to super-human, depending on what you’re doing at a particular moment.

Instead of revisiting the negative aspects that caused a strong reaction, Insomniac chose to amplify those questionable sections in the sequel, resulting in them remaining just as problematic.

Sometimes, the fans do know what they’re talking about.

8 Sequence 4

Assassin’s Creed 3

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

In the series, Assassin’s Creed 3 was well-received by many even after it had been released, however, it may not initially grab one’s attention with an outstanding first impression.

Starting the game with an advantageous position, you control Haytham Kenway for the first time as a Templar. Immediately, things are heating up!

Regrettably, the storyline progresses rapidly, with you finding yourself in the role of Connor Kenway, his offspring, without much gradual development.

Everything seems good, with the exception of the series of initial quests in sequence 4. These tasks include some exciting activities like locating lost children in a forest, scaling trees, and soaring through the air as if you were a bird.

You open the game expecting brutal action and serious stakes, and then you’re given this.

It’s not even a short sequence, as you’ll find yourself as child Connor for quite a bit of time.

After Connor grows up, it regains its ground again, but that entire section is dreadful and widely disliked, making it one of the least favorite aspects in an otherwise enjoyable game.

7 Lightning Dodger

Final Fantasy X

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

As a dedicated Final Fantasy X player, I’ve got to say this game is phenomenal, yet just like many other titles from the series, there are some quests that can leave me cursing the heavens and wanting to toss my controller across the room!

At the forefront is the task requiring you to dodge 200 consecutive lightning bolts, a prerequisite for acquiring Lulu’s Celestial Weapon.

In this exceptional game design challenge, you’re required to skillfully dodge a series of 200 consecutive lightning bolts. This is accomplished by repeatedly pressing a button 200 times consecutively.

As a gamer, I can’t help but shudder at the mere mention of this quest. I find myself questioning their creative process; surely there was a better way to accomplish this task? It’s so convoluted and tedious that it seems like the game is purposely trying to frustrate me.

As a passionate gamer, I can’t help but wonder if Square Enix could’ve dialed back the number of dodges from 20 or even 50 to a more manageable 200. Facing Ozma ten times in a row seems like a walk in the park compared to this quest that has me dodging non-stop!

6 Fairplay

Mafia: Definitive Edition

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

In Mafia: Definitive Edition, you get the chance to experience an immersive journey through the life of a mafia member, rising from humble beginnings.

Overall, the game is remarkable, and it maintains its authenticity well, introducing beneficial quality-of-life enhancements along the way.

One thing, however, that hasn’t changed a ton, is the game’s most infamous mission.

In the original game, the mission Fairplay was known as being nearly impossible to complete.

In this round, it remains challenging, but by adjusting a few parameters, you can manage to finish it successfully.

The idea of the mission is simple. Win the race. We’ve seen it in tons of games, but here, for whatever reason, it is brutally difficult.

This task isn’t a quick fix; if you don’t win the competition, you’ll be starting from scratch again, struggling to outsmart some of the brilliant racers from the early 1900s, much like trying to crack a tough nut.

Here, the challenge demands a high level of precision in your driving abilities, which is more crucial at no other moment during the game.

It’s just too hard, and the remake doesn’t make it all that much better.

5 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The Long Shadow of Shinra

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

It’s quite possible that “Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth” will be the standout game of 2024, however, this doesn’t diminish the fact that it had some less-than-stellar instances.

Easily the worst offender and most annoying quest in the game is the Long Shadow of Shinra.

Instead of exploring Shinra’s questionable past at Shinra Manor seeming like an engaging experience, Square Enix opted for a less enjoyable period by incorporating the most frustrating mini-games conceivable, with the least likable character in the game (exceeded only by Chadley).

The goal of this task is to guide yourself through the labs situated beneath the manor, and for that, you need to toss boxes.

In the year 2024, I’m playing “Final Fantasy 7”, but instead of enjoying it, I’m just tossing around boxes. It’s clear that I’m not having a great experience with the game.

The experience isn’t limited to a single mini-game here, instead, it persists across the whole dungeon. To put it mildly, it’s quite tedious, and I’m using ‘kind’ to describe it.

In the game setup, it wasn’t designed for Cait Sith to repeatedly toss items into a vat with surgical precision. It’s as if you’re playing Madden, except instead of having a skilled quarterback, you’re using boxing gloves.

You’ve got roughly the same influence on Cait Sith’s passes as a kitten has on a ball of yarn – it’s amusing initially, but quickly becomes frustrating once the novelty wears off.

4 A Princess in Distress

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

Wild Hunt” ranks among the greatest games ever made. Regrettably, its most disappointing mission revolves around an unusual goat.

The quest “princess in distress” has you herding a beloved goat back to its owner.

You’ll need to jingle a bell to guide the goat towards you, but this action also attracts adversaries. Consequently, your goat tending is frequently disrupted by battles at regular intervals.

This, of course, makes the goat run off, and the goat isn’t particularly easy to keep in line, so expect to repeat this sequence multiple times.

It’s funny at first, then frustrating, then completely annoying.

Fortunately, the journey isn’t excessively prolonged, thus it remains frustrating rather than escalating into a disastrously unbalancing phase of the game.

3 Watch Dogs

Planting a Bug

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

In the game Watch Dogs, many of the missions are intriguing, yet some tend to border on being irritating.

Installing a tracking device or spyware is certainly one example, and though the initial setup is captivating, the subsequent performance leaves much to be desired.

Aiden coerces a gang member into assisting him by threatening to reveal sensitive information, guiding the individual around a complex using surveillance cameras strategically placed within it.

The concept is intriguing, but it drastically changes the usual gameplay dynamics, requiring pinpoint accuracy in switching between camera angles to ensure that the character, Bed Bug, survives.

Enemy AI is clever, but our character, Bed Bug, moves at a snail’s pace, leading to excessive trial and error, and the missions drag on for extended periods without much gameplay diversity.

It’s one of those quests that meant well, but failed badly in the gameplay.

2 The Cloudburst Tank

Batman: Arkham Knight

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

In most instances, Batman: Arkham Knight is an exceptional game, with occasional lapses that mainly involve driving the Batmobile.

This most challenging situation arises during the confrontation with the Cloudburst Tank, which is operated by the game’s principal antagonist.

As I engage in this lengthy battle, I can’t help but feel the frustration creep in if I haven’t taken the time to upgrade my trusty Batmobile. It’s about to become a real nuisance!

Besides finding the controls in the Batmobile rather uncomfortable, you should also brace yourself for a long, grueling battle ahead.

Dealing with the Cloudburst Tank and its followers is a real headache, and it’s frustrating not to have the option to exit the Batmobile and fight them off like the Caped Crusader does. It feels unfair.

As a gaming enthusiast, I can tell you that this perfect location is just begging for some Batman-style action, and nothing beats the thrill of battling against the Cloudburst Tank!

It’s infuriatingly annoying and a mandatory roadblock of the worst variety.

1 Control

Goldeneye 007

10 Video Game Quests Designed To Annoy You

Goldeneye 007” holds a prestigious reputation within the gaming world and is arguably the pioneer of one particularly frustrating quest design.

The “defend your alliance” mission or task. This kind of quest has been a staple in gaming for quite some time now, but the most challenging among them is the “Control Operation”.

In this scenario, it’s crucial for you to safeguard Natalya. It might seem straightforward, but allow me to share my experiences with the challenging control scheme of the Nintendo 64 console.

These aren’t the precise, modern FPS controls we have now. Instead, they hark back to the problematic controls of yesteryears, where trying to aim down sights could give you a headache and hit detection was often off-target.

From every direction, your adversaries storm in, leaving you utterly vulnerable. Hopefully, the N64 won’t malfunction under pressure as you strive to shield Natalya, whose resistance is an astonishingly low -1,000,000.

That is to say, she dies easily, and if she dies, it’s game over.

Here starts the challenge that made numerous kids pass on their video game carts to the local gaming expert, hoping he could conquer this seemingly cursed level.

The level of frustration reached such extremes that numerous players chose to abandon the game altogether. If you persevered and successfully completed it without resorting to cheats, congratulations! You’ve truly earned your 007 status.

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2024-11-08 21:09