10 TERRIBLE Levels In Great Video Games
From web-swinging to... stealth?!
Ever since the birth of the video game industry, levels have been at the cornerstones of any acclaimed title's success. From the likes of Whomp's Fortress in Super Mario 64, the Midnight Run in Crash Bandicoot: Warped, that very first heist job in any Grand Theft Auto, all the way to the very first Colossus in Shadow of the Colossus, a well crafted level can be legendary if all the boxes are ticked.
However, ticking every single one of those boxes across every single level in a game can be no easy feat to accomplish. Balancing the difficulty so that it's rewarding but challenging enough to keep people interested and ensuring the level's designs showcase all of the game's features are two of the most common criticisms critics and fans have for certain levels, though there can be reasons behind the scenes for how these shortcomings come about.
Rushed levels at the end of a development circuit, inconsistent difficulty in terms of mechanics, or just general fatigue in conjuring new ideas can all play a part in a game's levels standing out for all the wrong reasons.
Here are ten terrible levels that stood out in otherwise legendary video games.
10. Rainbow Ride: Super Mario 64
Nintendo's Super Mario 64 is a phenomenal games and one that absolutely deserves its legacy as one of the most influential titles of its day. Its visuals, gameplay and ambition were unlike anything else around at the time, with Mario's jump from 2D platformer to exploration-based 3D open worlds bringing with it plenty of levels that would go down as some of the finest Nintendo have ever created.
From Bob-Omb Battlefield all the way to Tick-Tock Clock, all of the levels in Super Mario 64 have their charms and at least a handful of stars that are fun to work at getting. That is until players reach Rainbow Ride at least.
The supposed finale to the castle's levels before the big showdown with Bowser, Rainbow Ride is just an absolute let-down on every front. The floating carpets players need to hitch a ride on move at the pace of a snail, there are only 146 coins to collect which means doing the 100 coins star can be unfairly cruel and the whole look of the level is just so threadbare in comparison to the others in the game.
If Super Mario 64 has one issue, it's the camera. Luckily for Rainbow Ride, it's the absolute worst level in the game for awkward camera movements that make the intricate movements needed to get around the map all the more harder to complete properly.