8 Most Beautiful (But Deadly) Areas In Video Games

8. Ash Lake - Dark Souls

Ash Lake is one of the most atmospheric and visually impressive areas in any Soulsborne game to date - though you'll need to work for it by traipsing through The Great Hollow to get there.

Those who bother to do so will be rewarded with a seemingly endless expanse of water and staggeringly huge archtrees, evoking an almost overwhelming sense of scale, abetted by goosebump-inducing choral music.

It's at once haunting and awe-inspiring, but that S-tier level design and atmosphere eventually gives way to probably the most memorable part of Ash Lake - that damn, dirty Black Hydra.

It goes without saying that this many-headed serpent will make short work of unprepared players, though honestly, if you're committed enough to reach Ash Lake in the first place, you should have some idea of what you're doing.

It was, apparently, too much to ask for Ash Lake to just be a nice meditation spot for dedicated players to enjoy - it just had to contain a vicious monster that can turn you into a red smudge in record time.