kaizo

noun[before a noun]1

1. •
   A philosophy of game design distinguished by very high difficulty levels and hidden traps that can only be solved by repeated deaths and trial and error, especially associated with romhacks of Super Mario games.

   • I recently played the kaizo hack known as Invictus.[…]As my sore hand recovers, I’m left asking this question: is “kaizo” good game design? — 2019