10 Perfect Examples Of Level Design In Video Games

10. Ravenholm (Half-Life 2)

Ravenholm – once a mining town, repurposed as a resistance stronghold – isn’t anywhere you would want to find yourself. In recent years, it’s become deserted, overrun with legions of the undead; the only known survivor, a priest with a psychotic disposition, guiding the player through the nightmarish town, across rooftops and through buildings, the previous inhabitants lurking behind every corner, and countless hazards blocking your progression.

Ravenholm is an expansive environment, but the level designers do an excellent job of quarantining the action, maintaining a sense of cohesion, and keeping the player moving forward. Throughout, enemies are used sparingly but effectively, pushing the player onward through the town, maintaining a crucial sense of urgency, itself emphasised by the tight corridors, winding streets and branching pathways, most of which lead to disaster.

Visually, Ravenholm is incredibly memorable, but it’s the layout and structure of the town that cement its status as a standout location from the series, controlling the player’s movements through the otherwise cluttered environment, dragging them towards the relative safety of a distant graveyard.