Playing With / Harder Than Hard

Basic Trope: A difficulty harder than the 'Hard' difficulty

• Straight: Tales of Troperia has a 'Very Hard' difficulty, which is harder than the 'Hard' difficulty
• Exaggerated:
  • Tales of Troperia has several difficulty levels above Hard including 'Very Hard', 'Expert','Insane', 'Extreme', 'Impossible', 'Ultimate Impossible', Ultimate Impossible EX(treme)' and 'Ultimate Impossible EX(treme)Apocalypse Ω+'.
  • The 'Normal' difficuty is already Nintendo Hard.
  • The hardest difficulty has you die as soon as you start the game.
  • Unwinnable Joke Game
• Downplayed: Tales of Troperia has a 'Very Hard' setting, but it's actually not much more difficult than the already challenging Hard mode.
• Justified: The game is very easy on the easier difficulty ratings.
  • The harder difficulty options allow Tales of Troperia to retain its challenge on New Game Plus, and each of them require you to complete the game on the previous difficulty to unlock them to extend the total gameplay hours.
  • The player has an incentive to play on the hardest difficulty because the Golden Ending is unlocked by simply beating the game whereas you'd have to do a tedious Collection Sidequest and complete the Brutal Bonus Level on the easier difficulties for the same reward.
  • The True Final Boss can only be fought on Very Hard and above, and has 4 forms on Very Hard. Each difficulty above Very Hard adds an additional form, clocking in at 11 forms if you fight them on Ultimate Impossible EX(treme)Apocalypse Ω+. A truly dedicated player will play on each difficulty just to see and fight each form for themselves, greatly increasing the game's replay value and the promise of an Old Save Bonus once they start up an New Game on Tales of Troperia II.
  • The hardest difficulty exists solely to troll players and is impossible to complete.
• Inverted:
  • Easier Than Easy
• Subverted: Tales of Troperia has Normal, Hard, and Very Hard, but Hard is considered the main difficulty, as Normal contains Easy-Mode Mockery.
• Double Subverted: However, beating Very Hard unlocks Expert, which is harder. Completing the current hardest difficultly unlocks a harder one until you unlock the TRUE final difficulty Ultimate Impossible EX(treme)Apocalypse Ω+.
• Parodied: Tales of Troperia has a secret 'Impossible' difficulty that kills you right at the beginning.
• Zig Zagged: 'Very Hard' is Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Until you come across Hard Mode Perks like extra money, experience, etc. Until you reach That One Level, which is frustrating on any difficulty. The boss of that level opens the way to a Game-Breaker that makes the rest of the game easy. Until the Final Boss. Then New Game Plus is available, which starts out easier than before...but you're roped into Expert mode early into this playthrough.
• Averted:
  • The hardest difficulty level is 'Hard'.
  • There are no difficulty levels.
• Enforced: Hardcore players wanted a difficulty that would challenge them.
  • Tales of Troperia ended up getting an Updated Re-release which adds several new difficulty modes in order to increase the replay value of the game.
• Lampshaded:
  • "Insane is just pummelling us left and right! What the Hell, Player? Why didn't you just pick 'Hard'!?"
  • The in-game description for the 'Very Hard' difficulty promotes that it's tailor-made for masochistic players, or players who hate themselves.
• Implied: The moment the player engages the Opening Boss Battle, they take damage and die before immediately seeing the Game Over screen. Bob complains that he got killed in the tutorial fight.
• Invoked:
  • "This game needs a harder difficulty!"
  • "How do we convince players to endure the hardest difficulty? Allow them to unlock everything after beating it or at least let them watch the secret ending.
  • "You know what would increase the replay of this game? Harder difficulty levels."
• Exploited: The extra gold allows you to buy Deflector Shields sooner, allowing you to defeat That One Boss more easily on Very Hard and above by defeating it with its own attacks, thanks to the enemies' increased damage output.
• Defied: The devs intentionally invert this trope, as the game is already Nintendo Hard.
  • Rather than adding in a more difficult difficulty to hard they make the old Hard Medium-Hard and add a new harder Hard.
  • Remakes of Tales of Troperia simply rebalance the difficulties instead of adding new ones. As a result, the game's difficulties are now Easier Than Easy, Normal and Harder Than Hard respectively.
• Discussed:
  • "Hard is tough." "This is harder. Good Luck, troper!"
  (Very Hard)
  Bob: I've come this far! Emperor Evulz has fallen, as will you. Nothing can stop me now!
  Enhdithall: Is that it? Your empty bluster won't save you! I shall crush you and this entire world asunder!

  (Expert)
  Bob: I've come this far! Emperor Evulz has fallen, as will you. Nothing can stop me now!
  Enhdithall: Pathetic creature! You fight against me, the embodiment of perfection! Your empty bluster won't save you! I shall crush you and this entire world asunder!

  (Insane)
  Bob: I've come this far! Emperor Evulz has fallen, as will you. Nothing can stop me now!
  Enhdithall: Pathetic, worthless creature! You fight against me, the embodiment of perfection! Your futile attempts at combat and empty bluster won't save you! I shall destroy you and tear this entire world asunder!

  (Extreme)
  Bob: I've come this far! Emperor Evulz has fallen, as will you. Nothing can stop me now!
  Enhdithall: No matter how many times you continue this folly, I shall tear you and this world apart. You are a pathetic, sad little ant that dares to walk towards the blazing sun!

  (Impossible)
  Bob: I've come this far! Emperor Evulz has fallen, as will you. Nothing can stop me now!
  Enhdithall: How many times do you intend to continue this pathetic resistance against me? Who do you hope to gain from your repeated attempts at destroying me, the one destined to destroy everything?! You are nothing to me. DIE!

  (Ultimate Impossible EX(treme))
  Bob: I've come this far! Emperor Evulz has fallen, as will you. Nothing can stop me now!
  Enhdithall: Over and over again! I shall destroy your world and all of creation. No matter how you much you try, you will never truly win! You will never be satisfied until you can finally convince yourself that you're anything but a worthless, pathetic failure who cannot avert the inevitable. Time wears everything to dust and I too shall eradicate everything. Death is your only option against me! DIE!

  (Ultimate Impossible EX(treme Apocalypse Ω+)) (Humorously, instead of Enhdithall, it's Clay).
  Bob: I've come this far! Emperor Evulz has fallen, Enhditall has fallen, and now, you will too, Clay. Nothing can stop me now!
  Clay: Funny that ya say that, Bob. I've been goin' on me own adventures too; Seems like ya've been through hell. So was I, ya know? I honestly believe that yer finally deservin' of some respect, even after all the shite we put each other through. Then again, yer takin' that from me; Someone who's pretty reviled himself. Although, I'm definitely sure I've been through worse than ya; Evulz, Enhditall? Bloody fuckin' amateurs in comparison tae the gods I've picked a fight with, an' felled. Wanna hear the names of the most fearsome foes I've felled? T'Veah Tir'opius, an' the bloody Goddess Troperia herself. Enhditall and Evulz aren't that big of a deal, at least tae me. Sure, it might not please ya, Bob, but ya've probably gone down the easier road. Although, don't ya dare consider yerself any lesser than me, I know yer capable of so much more. So let this fight not be one of malice, or hatred; This fight will be of respect, and love. Ya've gone through too much shite tae be belittled by the man ya've fought with most, Bob; We shall fight each other, AS WARRIORS! Come, take up arms, Bob! LET'S FINISH THIS, ONCE AN' FOR ALL!!!

• Conversed: "Why do so many games have a difficulty above Hard if Hard is pretty difficult?"
• Deconstructed:
  • After defeating Emperor Evulz, Bob feels unchallenged and decides to relive his adventure on a harder difficulty. This "Groundhog Day" Loop gradually causes Bob to become more and more unhinged as he seeks to relive his adventure, causing him to go insane by the time he's on a Ultimate Impossible EX(treme)Apocalypse Ω+ playthrough.
  • If you unlock the True Final Boss, their dialogue becomes more and more insulting on harder difficulties. If you beat them on the hardest difficulty, the game will spite you by revealing that the entire game is a "Shaggy Dog" Story and that you've wasted countless hours just to Earn Your Bad Ending. Suffice to say, Tales of Troperia becomes infamous in the gaming community for it's spitefulness to players who play on the hardest difficulty.
• Reconstructed: However, it wasn't a complete waste. The player unlocks the final set of concept art and music, and if they start a new game on Tales of Troperia II, they'll be a rewarded with a Old Save Bonus that allows them to demolish the game with their maxed out character.

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