10 Most Annoying Video Game Levels Ever Made

10. Rusty Bucket Bay (Banjo-Kazooie)

Rusty Bucket Bay is a masterclass in how to turn a delightfully-fun game into an overly-stressful nightmare.

The most prevalent annoyance in Rusty Bucket Bay is, of course, the oily water. This thick, viscous gunge surrounds the entire stage and quickly depletes Banjo's oxygen whenever he's in it, regardless of whether his head is above water. When you inevitably end up in the water, whether its to complete an underwater mission or just to traverse the annoyingly-spread-out stage, you're bound to have a hard time leaving, as the escape ladders are roughly the same color as the walls.

Oh, and the ship itself isn't much better.

*Everything* on this ship wants Banjo dead, from the cowl vents to the life rafts. Within the ship is a mini-boss, who's quite easy if you have 10 Golden Feathers but overwhelming if you don't. But the real terror lies deep within, in the Engine Room.

Good God, the Engine Room...

The objective of the Engine Room is to traverse your way across rotating pipes to hit two switches that will stop the rear propellers of the ship. Not only will falling off the pipes result in instant death, but they give you an insulting 65 seconds to backtrack through the entire room, ascend the ladder, run to the other side of the ship, plunge into the disgusting water, and swim behind the rear propellers to get the Jiggy.

This level is a frustrating, unforgiving, filthy blemish on an otherwise-perfect game.