8 Beloved Video Game Levels That Have Aged Terribly
Do yourself a favour and never revisit these classic levels.
It's truly incredible how far video games have come over a relatively small span of time compared to all other art forms, but to the same token, this can also result in some previously cherished games feeling a little crusty on a revisit years later.
And that's unfortunately true of these video game levels in particular, each of which is iconic and was beloved by the great many on initial release, but as ever, Father Time hasn't been massively kind to them.
Perhaps the aesthetics simply don't work anymore, the level design is obtuse to the point of intense frustration, or it's tough not to view it as problematic through today's eyes.
Whatever the reason, these classic levels are all much tougher to stomach for gamers today, if at all, because the medium as a whole has just moved on.
So in that respect, it's a sign of progress that these levels have aged like milk left out in the hot summer sun, even if we certainly all wish that our most beloved childhood levels would still be a sure joy to play well into adulthood. Them's the breaks, sadly...
8. Tick Tock Clock - Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64's late-game level Tick Tock Clock is, in a word, insane.
A gruelling test of every skill the player has amassed up to this point, it requires pin-point precision as players ascend the innards of a grandfather clock while circumventing all manner of obstacles.
Back in the late '90s, when players en masse were still in slack-jawed awe of Mario's glorious leap to 3D platforming, it was decidedly easier to embrace Tick Tock Clock for what it was than what it wasn't.
But the near-30 years since release haven't been majorly kind to this level above all others, which simply feels like an exercise in Nintendo actively chastising their own paying customers.
Modern players simply aren't used to platformers punishing them quite this egregiously for minor mistakes, especially with the sheer amount of Things Happening throughout the level.
Tick Tock Clock admittedly still has its defenders to this day, but even if you can contend with the maddening level of difficulty, it's also arguably the visually blandest level in the entire game. There, we said it.