After beating the game a couple years ago, I recently revisited the Dark Side in Super Mario Odyssey in my quest to get all 880 unique Power Moons in the game – and so far, my experience with it has been fun, but difficult.

The first thing you have to do is a boss rush of all the Broodal bosses. It’s tough, but if you take the time to buy or attain an extra life-heart for Mario, it’s a fun challenge. However, after that, a series of platform challenges await you. I took one of them on last night, and it was brutal.

On this particular challenge, Mario has to long jump his way along a rocky platform while Bullet Bill cannons are firing at him, taking out chunks of the platform he’s running on as he goes. There’s a key at the other end he needs to get. When you grab the key, a Power Moon appears where you began. You have to hurry, because a giant Bullet Bill comes crashing through the wall in front of you. Mario has to run away from the giant Bullet Bill back across the platform he came from (which has now been half-decimated by the smaller Bullet Bills blowing it up), long-jumping his way back to where he started to grab the Power Moon.

It’s a difficult challenge, but attainable.

However, the second trial on that course is a completely different story.

A giant Bullet Bill making my life miserable.

For your second Power Moon on that course, you run and long-jump your way back to where the key is. However, instead of grabbing the key, Mario has to hop down onto the lower-level platform. What’s waiting for him there is yet another giant Bullet Bill crashing through the wall chasing him. To get away this time, Mario has to do a series of about ten long jumps on a straight sequence of small stone pedestal platforms that stretch away back to his starting point. They require extreme jumping precision. Jump even a little too early and Mario falls. Jump a little too late and Mario rolls off the other side. The camera doesn’t always help you either. If the camera isn’t properly positioned behind Mario, it makes it more difficult.

The idea is for the giant Bullet Bill to follow Mario back and destroy a hidden wall near the starting point, behind which there is a Power Moon.

I died trying to accomplish this many, many times. Dozens, maybe even a couple hundred. When I was finally able to perfectly string together the required series of long-jumps, my hands hurt, my heart was beating fast, but I was so relieved. I positioned Mario off to the side a little so he wouldn’t get hit when the Bullet Bill plowed through the wall so I could get my precious Power Moon.

However, instead of crashing into the breakable part of the wall, the Bullet Bill veered off at the last second and tried to hit Mario.

Which meant it missed the part of the wall it needed to destroy. Which meant I couldn’t get my Power Moon. Which meant…

I had to do it over.

I stared at the screen in shock for a few long seconds. I didn’t even get mad. I was beyond anger at that point. I was in a state of numb resignation that this was only the beginning of what the Dark Side was going to offer me.

Have fun.

I dutifully went back and endured another 30-45 minutes of pain and failure as I died over and over, until I somehow accomplished the jumps again. I watched in tired triumph as the Bullet Bill crashed into the wall, in the right place this time. I saw my prize: it was one Power Moon. The game didn’t even have the decency to reward me with a multi-moon for all my effort.

(Since completing the challenge, I’ve looked at guides to see how other players completed this course. While some didn’t necessarily long jump on every pedestal the way I did, it’s still one of the most difficult challenges in the game however you approach it.)

I will admit, when it was over, it felt good knowing that I completed the challenge twice.

Without even trying the other levels available in the Dark Side, I already know pain and suffering await me. At least this time, I’ll know what I’m getting into. I’m on my way to 880 Power Moons, but I’m taking Mario somewhere else for a bit. I’ve had enough of the Dark Side for now.