What's the closest thing to Dark Souls on the NES?

I know this is just a meme bait thread, but I'll bite. Your underage b& is showing. Haven't you ever heard the phrase "Nintendo hard" before? Easily at least a third of the NES library either matches or surpasses Dark Souls difficulty.

Castlevania III

File: crystalis_04.png (8KB, 256x240px) Image search: [Google]

8KB, 256x240px

>>3871450
No I mean, is there a top-down action RPG where you swing swords and shit.

Crystalis comes to mind, but I can't remember if you can pick out specific type of gear with different stats in that game.

We usually go with Faxanadu but fuck it I'll work in a recommendation for Legacy of the Wizard in this one.

>>3871450
wasn't that phrase "nintendo hard" something invented in the early 2000's when people were talking about old NES and SNES games with nostalgia?

File: gfs_46929_2_2[1].jpg (54KB, 800x600px) Image search: [Google]

54KB, 800x600px

The Immortal

I'm sure this thread is going to attract a lot of shitposting, but I think it's an interesting comparison, given the NES established the whole "Nintendo Hard" trope in the first place. There are quite a lot of NES games with unforgiving difficulty, RPGs being some of the most prominent examples.

So based on relative factors like genre, setting, toughness and mechanics, I'll pitch a few title that come to mind:

>Zombie Hunter
Japan exclusive, I think. It's an action RPG with a side-scrolling presentation. You run around forests and castles populated with overpowered foes, the objective being to gather keys needed to advance to the next area. Along the way, you gain experience levels and can purchase equipment upgrade from shops.

>Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
The game doesn't share Zombie Hunter's dark atmosphere, but the gameplay can be pretty brutal. Link gains experience levels and seeks out treasures that allow the player passage to new areas.

>Battle of Olympus
It's a blatant Zelda II clone, only it's set in Ancient Greece with heavy mythological elements. Unlike Zelda II though, there are no RPG elements in this game. You just grab linear upgrades as you advance to new areas.

>Faxandu
Another side-scrolling action RPG. Has a somewhat dark atmosphere. "Alien" may be a more accurate description. As far as the NES is concerned, I think Faxandu would be the most complimentary game to Dark Souls.

>Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
CV2's world has a rather gray "dying world" atmosphere to it. Too bad the dungeons are all sparsely populated. But that may be logically justified by the setting.

>Dungeon Magic: Sword of the Elements
I suppose this is only trivially similar, because it's a first-person dungeon crawler rather than an action RPG. Thing is, player and enemy movement all occur in real time rather than being turn-based. The game also places you in large open wilderness areas instead of claustrophobic tunnels.

File: Original Souls.png (390KB, 1728x960px) Image search: [Google]

390KB, 1728x960px

>he never played it

>>3871493
(continued)

>Wizard & Warriors series
Although more cartoonish in design than the previously listed games, this series has some steep difficulty. The first game's difficulty is offset by the fact that you have unlimited continues, but the second game limits your number of continues. I'm unsure if the third game has any continues at all. IronSword (W&W2) is probably the most "Souls-like" game in the series.

>Other vaguely Souls-like games?
Maybe look into Getsu Fuuma Den, Holy Diver, Demon Sword, Ghosts 'n Goblins, 8 Eye's, Deadly Tower and Frankenstein: The Monster Returns.

>>3871475
Nah, it surfaced in the mid 90s in reference exclusively to the NES.

>>3871468
Crystalis, Willow, and perhaps Hydlide qualify under those parameters.

File: Grand%20Master%20(J)[1].png (5KB, 256x240px) Image search: [Google]

5KB, 256x240px

You can't get more DS than this

Deadly Towers

Any game with a dungeons and dragon kind of lore?

Other than that, nothing as far as gameplay goes, NES is mostly 2D and Souls is 3D combat ala OOT.

>>3871689
Under that definition of new someone someone who was posting about video games online before 4chan was even created would count.

>>3871689
>ARGHAGHR!!1!! SPERG!!!

What the fuck dude

>>3871506
WHY DON'T INDIE GAMES-

>>3871489
this
thank you.

>>3871472
I'd take Legacy of the Wizard/Drasle Family over Faxanadu, but it's not quite as easy to get into (and block puzzles are a pain to learn in Drasle Family). Faxanadu plays the grimy-knight-adventure trope straightforward, too.

>>3871442
Castlevania

>>3871450
What makes you think OP is asking for a hard game? Maybe OP is just asking for a game with similar combat and atmosphere.

File: sorcerian-f[1].jpg (36KB, 365x312px) Image search: [Google]

36KB, 365x312px

>>3871926
I've been working on getting my moonballs steeled to give this a try

>>3871475
>>3871510

It came from people who didn't play arcade games or never had a Genesis/TG-16.

>>3871981
Go with Sorcerian Original (first 15 scenarios + Sorcerian Forever) on Windows, then try the PC-88/Sharp X1 expansions if you end up liking Sorcerian. I've heard less enthusiastic things about the Dreamcast game which IIRC only has 5 scenarios.

>>3871450
>Haven't you ever heard the phrase "Nintendo hard" before?

Is nothing like Dark Souls. Dark Souls is fair and balanced. Nintendo "hard" is artificial shit made only to bloat game length cause developers were too fucking stupid to make an actual full lengthed game.

>>3871475
Nintendo means NES in that context, as opposed to Super Nintendo. People used to call the NES the Nintendo, Nintendo hard has always meant NES. It also wasn't "nostalgia" since it wasn't exactly a compliment, it was and is a neutral to negative term. So nice interpretation of it based on what you've seen people write on the internet over the past few years.

>>3872015
>Nintendo "hard" is artificial shit made only to bloat game length cause developers were too fucking stupid to make an actual full lengthed game.

Yes because developers were actually able to make games with a higher resolution, bigger sprites or even 3D models, more music, more levels and all of that at 60 fps while having a campaign that should last 30 hours but they didn't do that because they were too stupid but now all of a sudden they've become intelligent enough to do so.

It's not like the technology, time frame or budgets were smaller compared to 20 to 35 years later.

>>3871442
Why the hell is Dark Souls so popular? Is it just because it is perceived as difficult?

>>3872054
If you're gonna delete my post then delete the post of the asshole who can't mind their own god damn business as well...

>>3871442
Zelda II

>>3871510
That term was not said in the 90s. Stfu.

>>3872092
Pretty much, and even then it's difficulty is just so so. It's built around I frame abuse and one shot deaths.

I wouldn't call it hard tho. Might be for anyone that is a modern gamer tho.

>>3872092
>>3872224
Oh shut the fuck up /v/ you're not impressing anyone with your whole "I'm too cool for Dark Souls" shtick give it a fucking rest already!

>>3872092
No, causes its actually a good game, combat system is solid as fuck and takes getting good. Unlike say Skyrim which is more popular but has a terrible floaty combat system that will never get fixed.

>>3871468
>topdown
no idea
Sidescrolling? Take your pick. Ghost and Goblins, Wizards & Warriors series, Holy Diver if you want magic instead

Artificial difficulty tier? Double Dragon 3.

>>3872092
Probably only one of a few games in recent years to do cryptic shit right. Mixed with players not realizing that you have to level up constantly to be able to use your equipment effectively. Once you start to understand the mechanics, difficulty takes a massive nosedive.

>>3871506
fucking disgusting.

you subtier

File: Dark Souls.gif (1MB, 397x257px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 397x257px

>>3872224

>>3871509
>Wizard & Warriors
i agree

>>3871610
Wizardry games are basically D&D on conputers

>>3871450
But Nintendo systems are known for having generally easier games than other platforms of the time.

>>3873058
D&D with a really sadistic DM

Faxanadu and Zelda 2 come to mind.

>>3872015
That shitty opinion is how you tell apart actual oldfags from underage hipsters jumping on the retro bandwagon.

this is one of the stupidest fucking threads I've read on /vr/, and that's saying quite a lot

>>3871601
Oh the hate in my heart for that one

>>3872092
It has a lot more going for it. The combat is fun and the world and monsters are interesting.
The story isn't shoved in your face, the few NPCs are developed, and the multiplayer is executed in a unique way.

It's legit good, not just another meme game.

>>3872092

It was just the right balance of gameplay, freedom and atmosphere. Action RPGs are sometimes very linear, both in terms of level design and how you develop your character's abilities. DS gave the player a massive amount of freedom, didn't saturate the game with heavy cutscenes, didn't boggle the game down with turn-based combat or transitional battle scenes, and allowed the player to develop and specialize their skills however they wanted.

tl;dr - Very free and fluid movement without clanky mechanics, presented in a totally open game world with a spartan plot that doesn't force itself on you or interrupt your pacing.

On a related note, I wonder why the King's Field series wasn't nearly as popular. Although the pacing is a lot slower than Souls, the atmosphere, freedom and fluidity all feel the same. So why did Souls steal the spotlight?

>>3873601
>On a related note, I wonder why the King's Field series wasn't nearly as popular. Although the pacing is a lot slower than Souls, the atmosphere, freedom and fluidity all feel the same. So why did Souls steal the spotlight?
Because King's Field is clunky as shit, and I say that as a guy who loves it. It's slow, deliberate, the combat is pretty simple, and all of the PS1 ones go into slow motion whenever anything is on screen.

Souls took the good parts of King's Field and put a good combat engine into it, then sped it up a bunch and added a lot of style and good design.

I really would like to see King's Field come back. I want to see how From would handle its style in a post-Souls world.

>>3871489
this

>>3873614

I think "clunky" is a bit of a stretch. It's going to seem that way the first time you pick it up, but once you get used to holding down the dash button and R1 / L1 strafing your way around corners, you can zig-zag about without having your pace broken by the tank controls.

>slowdown
I just now finished King's Field III. I don't think I've experienced any slowdowns or frame drops with KF2 -or- 3. Granted, the games' framerate seems to be clocked around 20 FPS at all times, but you tend to get used to that.

>>3873630
I wouldn't say that just because you can use the controls effectively when you get used to them doesn't make them inherently clunky, particularly compared to modern or even post-PS1 gameplay.

>I don't think I've experienced any slowdowns or frame drops with KF2
Really? What were you doing that made it not slow down? Every version of the game I've played of 2 has had enormous slowdown when pretty much any creature is on screen.

Also, play Shadow Tower if you haven't. Really neat game there, just remember to hoard your weapons when possible to avoid running out of weapons due to the durability system.

>>3873638
>Every version of the game I've played of 2 has had enormous slowdown when pretty much any creature is on screen.

I'm playing the Japanese versions, particularly under the "The Best" re-release label. It's possible those printings may have bug fixes or other revisions. I don't know. I just know I've never noticed any slowdown in either game, and I've filled in 100% of every map.

I had no interest in the localized versions because frankly too many things were changed for no apparent reason.

>>3873638
>Also, play Shadow Tower if you haven't.

Forgot to reply to this part.

I own both Shadow Tower games. I'm just working my way through King's Field IV before I jump into another series.

>>3873224
Hey asshole mind your own fucking business this conversation doesn't concern you.

>>3873654
Shadow Tower is FROM's best. Abyss is a little casualized, but has lots of fun weapons and stuff to use. Monster designs aren't nearly as horrifying. Still a really cool game, though.

Probably Baby Boomer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nxyzrO-rAA

You can see that it has most of the classic Souls series elements: bonfires, giant monsters, backstabbing, and more.

If not that then probably either Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball or Magmax.

>>3871509

Wizards & Warriors III is actually a pretty strong candidate here. It lets you gradually grow from knighthood into magic and thievery, and it has a sprawling, open world, and it is... well, harder than Dark Souls is I'd say, albeit not by a lot.

>>3872092

Because it's a masterpiece. The difficulty is medium-high, but nothing very special; that part is just a bandwagon thing. You can grind past nearly all obstacles in it. With a little help from guides or other players here and there, even a poor player can get through it fairly easily, with enough persistence. Old games that don't have XP systems or unlimited continues can easily surpass this level of difficulty.

>>3872092
Its less about it being difficult, and more about it not holding the players hand. It can be very punishing if you make a mistake, but how little or often you make such mistakes depends a lot on whether the player actually figures out how to play or not.

>>3871442
Castlevania

>>3871450
>automatically assuming hes asking for hard games

You fell for the "dark souls is hard" meme, I'm afraid.

>>3871489
Is that a mace penis?

>>3875381
When the meme is literally all I ever see, can you blame me?

>>3875738
nah, a penis axe

>>3871450
>underage b&
There are people who were young enough to have the 360 as their first console that are now eligible to post on this website without being underage, anon.

>>3871450
>People can't discuss Dark Souls in a vidya board because autist turds will become upset

>>3876427
Yes. It is a meme, after all.

>>3871601
Just leveling up is a fucking chore. This game is impossibly hard.

>>3871595
For some reason my answer is being ignored when clearly it is the closest one to what op requested. Maybe a video will persuade you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b6Ct9bLI0Q

>>3871442
Honestly, the closest thing to DS is the first Zelda game. Dark Souls is the heir to the original Zelda. Since the first game, the series has veered much farther towards puzzles, and away from the exploration and maze/puzzles.

The original Legend of Zelda is constructed in a way that provides you with what, at the time, was a massive open overworld. The first of its kind. You could wander anywhere, and possibly even get into real trouble by going somewhere you weren't prepared for, just liek DS.

But this is the exploration. This is what makes exploration fun. If it wasn't dangerous, that area around the graveyards wouldn't seem so mysterious and alluring. That's really why the Master sword and Level 6 (quest 2) are there.

If you want nails hard, Dark Souls style, need a map and faq to get by the tricky bits, but otherwise skill and exploration will get you through-style gameplay, the Legend of Zelda is it. The second quest, even more so.

It's all skill. And even like DS, controlling the enemy farm is key: you can kill off all but 1 enemy in every overworld screen, and the fucking save state even remembers this, and thus, you can create a save state in the original zelda where you've got a much easier overworld to deal with. It literally saves the number of enemies remaining on each overworld screen.

Dark Souls is the direct inheritor of the original Zelda. No, there's no armor or weapons or anything like that. But the sense of exploration, of losing something when you've gone far and die, and of barely beating a boss with 1/2 a heart left are all here.

NoClip really gets this and lays it out well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2g_0QQRjYY&t=93s

>>3878075
You haven't played BotW yet have you?

>>3878080
Nope.

>>3876930
Cock axe.
That is, Coxe to be precise

In terms of difficulty and frustration ... Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

As some one mentioned Hydlide, the Famicom version of Hydlide 3 was recently translated.
It's a much better game, still not for every one, but you need to learn how everything works and it didn't have a save battery.

Loved it on the MSX2 and I plan on giving this version a run soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HutD8ZXZucY
faxandu?

>>3878697
Hydlide 1 gave me AIDS. Just horrible. You just walk into shit and die all the fucking time. When you get big in anyway, the next level of baddies just eat you alive. No skill. No actual real game play. Just ram 2 sprites together and hope you live.

>>3872092
Dark souls literally saved the seventh gen. Bloodborne is also current gen 8 gotg.

t. 30 year old og

>nintendo hard
I never heard this until i started posting here. A lot of games from all systems were hard during that time. And most of the nintendo developed games were the easiest to beat. Nintendo games have only gotten easier since then.

File: 1473879606188.jpg (51KB, 257x225px) Image search: [Google]

51KB, 257x225px

>>3879531
>You just walk into shit and die all the fucking time.

Bokosuka Wars was this, although much more hilarious in execution. I think they even managed to fuck up the Famicom version by adding input lag for additional bullshit difficulty.

Souls games aren't even hard. You fags need to man up.

>>3880772
Bokosuka is a strategy game tho, also it totally kicks ass, even on the Fami. not retro sequel is really fun too.

>>3880791

What? There was actually a sequel to this?

>>3871442

Since everyone has already answered your question on soulslikes on the NES, you may also want to give roguelikes a try. Like PC games from the same era. Nethack would be a very good one to start with. You can get it here: http://www.thegreatestgameyouwilleverplay.com

Nethack and Dark Souls are my two all time favorite games. Roguelikes are turn-based top-down games, but they usually have unforgiving difficulty. It took me 300+ hours to beat Nethack, and that was with the easiest character class. It's without a doubt the hardest game I've ever beaten.

File: bokosuka.jpg (79KB, 620x349px) Image search: [Google]

79KB, 620x349px

>>3880813
Yeah dude! It literally came out in the west on the Xbone and PS4 (not positive on PS4 version since I have an Xbone) digitally like last month, it's awesome. I couldn't even believe it got localized, I was planning on importing it. You can play it with original graphics or crazy weird modern ones. It even keeps the WOW YOU LOSE screen (now in glorious HD.)

>>3871450
damn. i wish i could be as cool as you.

>>3871450
We desperately need a /nint/ board to contain people like you.

File: NESfag.jpg (103KB, 652x762px) Image search: [Google]

103KB, 652x762px

>>3881163

>>3871918
they did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcUA1c8yqsg

File: Demons'n Souls.jpg (105KB, 580x580px) Image search: [Google]

105KB, 580x580px

>>3871442

>>3871601
Precisely this game.
Deadly towers.

>>3878051
I don't remember this level of Zelda.

>>3880814
Yeah, I'm well aware of rougelikes, I play Rogue for the DOS every now and then, but I could do with more familiarity in the inventory(that most potions are unidentified I think is kinda bullshit).

How do Moria and Angband compare?

>>3871442
Zelda II.

I loved Zelda II to bit when I played it a few years back, and asked quite a few forums what the most similar games was. They nearly always said Dark Souls.

Needless to say I love Dark Souls to bits.

>>3882457

I am a different anon from that other one and I like roguelikes, but I got tired of NetHack and ADOM (the only other one I played extensively) and their various quirks and limitations and eventually moved on to friendlier games. These included FTL and Risk of Rain, both of which are good but not "true" roguelikes, and Tales of Maj'Eyal, which you should definitely try because it is a full roguelike yet also a friendly modern game (by some standards anyway). Dunno whether you'd like it but you should try it.

>>3883014

(Note that ToME is not retro, but if you turn on the ASCII tileset, which you should do because the graphical tiles are ugly, it looks about as retro as anything... aside from the screen resolution and the occasional particle effect etc.)

>>3881163
we need /v2k/ first

>>3881163
>>3883023
this will be the death of /vr/ if fags like you keep asking for retro related boards just fuck you already

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ2qj5UMDgk
>and then, le Dark Souls it darks souls that holy shit dark souls!

>>3871442
Astyanax
>Similar aesthetic
>Stamina bar
>More methodical combat in which you have to carefully approach every encounter
>Decent boss battles