Dead in a flash: 5 of the most difficult Flash games you can play today

The gaming industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. But not everyone owns the means, such as a proper gaming PC or console, to experience the latest releases in gaming. Thankfully, almost every home has access to the great invention we know as internet, which in turn means that they have access to a form of gaming known as Flash-based web browser games. Even avid and experienced gamers find themselves playing these games. The more experienced you are, the greater the challenge you’re seeking, so in this list we’re looking at some of the most challenging Flash games the internet has to offer.

Karoshi Suicide Salaryman

The objective of this game is almost as ridiculous as its title. You are Koroshi the salary man and you are traversing various obstacles and solving puzzles in the hopes of… committing suicide. But the problem of this platform-dimension Karoshi finds himself in, is that not only do you respawn after you have finally achieved your bizarre and depressing goal, but each time you are respawned in a new world where suicide is even harder to commit. You are provided with many ways to end your life including a long fall into a pit of spikes and a being zapped into oblivion by a laser. This title was the work of Jesse Venbrux, a Dutch freelance game designer that is also known for other games such as Frozzd.

Tail

If you have ever tried rubbing your stomach while brushing your teeth then you already have a good idea of how Tail works. In this simple yet intensely frustrating and annoying game, you control two low-res “tails”. The screen is split in two, and in one half you control a tail going up and in the other half you control a tail going down. I think you can see where this is going. Let me give you a few seconds to let that sink in. Now that you’ve processed this madness, let me continue. Your objective is to avoid all red dots in both screens while aiming to collect green, and the occasional purple dots. All this gathers you points, which counts towards your high score. That sounds easy, you say? Well, please try out the game and then we’ll talk again so that I can satisfyingly say “I told you so”.

Poto and Cabenga

Poto and Cabenga continues the tradition of brain-splitting gaming. In this side-scroller you play as Poto, the rider, and Cabenga, his steed. It starts out pretty harmless with a brief introduction on how the controls work. You learn how to jump, dash and that collecting various object earns you points, with a beautiful song playing in the background as you do so. But then everything changes and you enter a schizophrenic world of mayhem. As you are casually riding in what seems like the Wild West on acid, a dragon suddenly comes into the screen swallows up Poto. Now the screen splits in two with you navigating Poto through the stomach of the dragon at the top and Cabenga frantically chasing after the dragon in the desert at the bottom. Just to add another brain teaser, this whole game is played by only using the spacebar. Enjoy

QWOP

Even as strange and ludicrous as this game might seem at first glance, after a few minutes of gameplay you will have forgotten about the outside world in consecutive frustrating attempts to achieve its objective. The aim is fairly simple. Make the athlete complete the 100m race. Yeah, I promise you, that’s it. There are no contenders and no obstacles, just you and the open race track. But now for the twist. The game name is derived from the buttons you use to control your player. Q and W are used to control your runner’s thighs while O and P control the calves. By using these buttons you have to make your player run the race without face-planting into the ground. The complexity of this game’s weirdly simplistic nature will push you to the highest levels of gaming addiction.

Meatboy

In my opinion, Meatboy is probably the most exciting game on this list. Although this game is popular for its Xbox Live and Steam versions, it was originally released as a Flash game, developed by Edmund McMillen and Jonathan McEntee, that described it as “tough as nails”. It undoubtedly lives up to this claim. In this 2D sidescroller, you navigate a meatball-person hybrid to reach his beloved Bandage Girl. On your quest to reach Bandage girl, you will encounter and have to pass obstacles such as lava, spikes, salt mines and hypodermic needles. The game is fast-paced, strategic and the sound effects of juicy meat slapping and sliding across floors and onto walls is highly entertaining. If you are a Flash-game connoisseur, Meatboy is definitely a title worth checking out.