10 Final Levels That Ruined Great Video Games

5. Sky Keep - The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword

LA Noire Cole Phelps Interrogation
Nintendo

Although Skyward Sword was criticised for its imprecise controls and backtracking, it has among the most creative dungeons in Legend of Zelda history. Rolling through lava on a giant orb in the Earth Temple is delightfully addictive. Switching timelines to navigate through the Lanaryu Mining Facility never gets old.

With that said, the Sky Keep at the end is unbearably tedious. The dungeon recycles puzzles and motifs from previous levels, making it feel like a rehash rather than an arduous challenge.

However, it's not Sky Keep's contents that make it infuriating but its structure. To enter each section, Link must slide the rooms around on a grid in order to connect them. 

If done incorrectly, you'll march into a dead end, forcing you to go back to the start and try a different pattern. If you can't figure it out, you have to go through this stage over and over... and over. Because of this, The Sky Keep turns exploration into a logistical exercise, making it feel more like a puzzle gauntlet than a dungeon.

It can become so aggravating, nobody will blame you if you look up the pattern online since it'll save you hours of tedium.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows