The Tutorial Is Too Hard Review: Why the Hell Mode Works

The Tutorial Is Too Hard review is, appropriately, a bit harder than most. The series doesn't make its case immediately.

TL;DR: This The Tutorial Is Too Hard review rates it 8.0/10. Ho-Jae Lee, a former pro-gamer, selects Hell difficulty in a tutorial tower and proceeds to survive something the system never expected him to. Ongoing since January 2021 with an active reader community. Recommended for readers who want system manhwa to be about something.

Key Takeaways

• Platform: Tapas (English), Kakao Page (Korean)
• Status: Ongoing since January 2021
• Authors: Gandara (story); Imae Daiki (art)
• Genre: Tower system manhwa with dark comedy
• Requires patience: Slow-burn progression by design

The Tutorial Is Too Hard Review: What Is This

The Tutorial Is Too Hard (Korean: 튜토리얼이 너무 어렵다) is a manhwa adaptation of a web novel by Gandara, with art by Imae Daiki, publishing since January 2021 on Kakao Page. The English version runs on Tapas.

The premise is simple: a system appears and people are pulled into a tutorial tower to level up before entering a world of dungeons and monsters. The tutorial is meant to be a safety net -- a place for weak, unprepared people to gain basic stats before they're thrown into something that would kill them. There are different difficulty levels. Normal, Hard, and Hell.

Ho-Jae Lee, 26, former pro-gamer, picks Hell.

He's the only person who picks Hell. The system wasn't designed for this. Hell mode was presumably placed there as a theoretical maximum, not an actual option. The first floor throws enemies at him that would be endgame threats in Hard mode. He survives.

What the series is actually about is why someone like Ho-Jae makes that choice. Not the plot answer -- the character answer. That's where The Tutorial Is Too Hard separates itself from the rest of the tower-system genre. Our SSS-Class Suicide Hunter review covers another series that works similarly in this genre, though with a different mechanical approach.

Why the Hell Mode Premise Actually Works

Here's what most reviews get wrong: they describe Ho-Jae as a masochist. He picks Hell mode because he wants to suffer. That's... not quite it.

Ho-Jae is a former pro-gamer. That means he's spent years competing at the highest level, optimizing under pressure, treating difficulty as data to process rather than an obstacle to avoid. The Normal and Hard modes of the tutorial are insultingly easy for someone with that background. Not because he's OP -- he's not, when he enters Hell mode the difficulty genuinely exceeds his current ability. But because he's someone who has internalized the logic of systems. He looks at Hell mode and sees the version of this game worth playing.

That distinction matters. The masochist reading is "he suffers because he likes it." The pro-gamer reading is "he picked the difficulty that respects what he brings to the table." The suffering isn't the point. The genuine challenge is.

The series earns this distinction by keeping Ho-Jae grounded throughout. He calculates. He adapts. He has limits. When he fails, it reads as strategic setback rather than punishment. The dark comedy of the series comes from the contrast between his analytical composure and the absolute brutality of what the system is throwing at him.

For another system manhwa that builds its protagonist around psychology rather than raw power, see our -- which takes the opposite approach and still works.

Solo Leveling review

Art & Story

Imae Daiki's art makes each tutorial floor feel like its own space. The floors don't look interchangeable -- each has a distinct visual logic that actually reinforces why Hell mode is different from what other players experience. Fight choreography is readable and the decision to depict damage accumulation on Ho-Jae (rather than the typical shonen approach of showing nothing wrong until a dramatic reveal) gives the battles real weight.

The story structure is deliberately contained. This is a tower series that stays in the tower. That's both a constraint and a strength. The claustrophobia of the setting mirrors Ho-Jae's situation -- isolated, relentless, no exit. Readers who want open-world exploration or large casts of characters will find this limiting. Readers who appreciate a tight premise executed without distraction will find it freeing.

The Good

• The premise holds up: Many tower manhwa have a good hook in chapter 1 that the series can't sustain. Tutorial Is Too Hard's Hell mode concept stays generative because the gap between what Ho-Jae should be able to do and what he actually does keeps producing new situations.
• Ho-Jae as a protagonist: He's analytical and deadpan without being a blank. His internal monologue during fights is some of the most specific character writing in the system genre -- he's not narrating his own coolness, he's solving problems.
• Kirikiri: The series' other significant character, a guide entity attached to Ho-Jae, provides the series' warmth without softening the premise. The dynamic between them is one of the better companion relationships in tower manhwa.
• Tonal balance: The dark comedy doesn't undermine the difficulty, and the genuine danger doesn't eliminate the humor. Getting this balance right is harder than it sounds.

The Cons

• Pacing by design: Hell mode means gradual, earned progress. If you're reading for fast power scaling and satisfying stat dumps every chapter, this series will frustrate you. That's intentional, but it's still a real limit on who the series works for.
• Narrow scope: The tower setting keeps things focused but limits the kinds of stories the series can tell. After 200+ chapters, the variation comes from floor design rather than world expansion.
• No endpoint in sight: Started January 2021, still ongoing. No announced completion. For readers burned by long-running manhwa that never resolve, this is a real risk to consider before starting.

Verdict

The Tutorial Is Too Hard is the system tower genre turned inward. The dungeon floors matter. The stat increases matter. But what the series cares about most is what it reveals about Ho-Jae Lee that he picked Hell difficulty when everyone else picked something survivable.

The rating is 8.0/10. The series is for readers who want the protagonist's backstory to actually explain something, not just flavor his stat sheet. It's slower than most system manhwa, more psychologically specific, and less interested in the spectacle of power. Those aren't weaknesses here -- they're what make it worth reading.

If you're new to the system manhwa genre, starting here will raise the bar. Most other series in the genre will feel shallower after spending time in the tutorial. If you're already deep in the genre and looking for something that uses the same vocabulary to say something different, this is the one. Our The Beginning After the End review covers another long-running system series for comparison.

Rating: 8.0/10

Related Reading

• SSS-Class Suicide Hunter Review, another tower manhwa that prioritizes protagonist psychology
• Solo Leveling Review, the genre contrast that makes Tutorial's approach clearer
• The Beginning After the End Review, for another long-form system manhwa commitment

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Tutorial Is Too Hard manhwa completed?

No. The Tutorial Is Too Hard has been ongoing since January 2021. As of mid-2026 it continues publishing new chapters with no announced completion date.

Who is the main character of The Tutorial Is Too Hard?

Ho-Jae Lee, 26, a former pro-gamer who selects Hell difficulty in the tutorial tower. His competitive gaming background is central to understanding why he makes that choice -- it's not masochism, it's competitive instinct.

Where can I read The Tutorial Is Too Hard in English?

The Tutorial Is Too Hard is available in English on Tapas. The original Korean version runs on Kakao Page.

How many chapters does The Tutorial Is Too Hard have?

The series started in January 2021 and is ongoing. Community discussions from early 2025 reference chapters 230 and above. The chapter count as of mid-2026 is higher, but no official count is published.

Is The Tutorial Is Too Hard worth reading?

Yes, if you want system manhwa that uses the tower premise to explore character psychology as much as power progression. The pacing is slower than the genre average, which is part of the premise, not a flaw. Start with the first 20 chapters to assess whether the tone works for you.

How does The Tutorial Is Too Hard compare to Solo Leveling?

Both feature isolated protagonists growing within a dungeon system, but they're near-opposites in execution. Solo Leveling gives the MC overwhelming power quickly. Tutorial Is Too Hard keeps Ho-Jae in genuine danger much longer. Same genre, very different games.

References

• The Tutorial Is Too Hard on AniList -- series metadata, staff credits, publication status
• r/manhwa community discussion -- The Tutorial is Too Hard -- reader discovery thread with community context