10 More Brutally Difficult First-Person Shooter Levels In Video Game History

Unlike its cousin DOOM, Wolfenstein as a series tends to lean more towards stealth than balls-to-the-wall action. A thoughtful approach is preferable to blazing away on pure instinct, and that is why the New Colossus’ Courtroom battle comes as such a nasty shock.

Caught in a seemingly hopeless situation protagonist BJ Blazkowicz suddenly frees himself. It’s not a pleasant twist: BJ is at low health, has no armour, and starts with only a basic sub-machine gun. The courtroom he’s trapped in is a cauldron from hell, with multiple entrances, an entire gallery to be shot from, and minimal – and destructible – cover to be had. And into this cauldron pour waves upon waves of Nazis.

It’s a savage encounter. Hunker down and you’ll be swiftly be flanked, have your cover shredded, or be bombarded with grenades. Move and you’re near instantly riddled by lethally accurate fire. The only means of surviving is to move so fast, to act with such god-like reflexes, that the AI simply can’t keep up.

Completing it without dying is the reserve of a superhuman elite. For mere mortals this level was like hitting a brick wall: abrupt, painful, and never to be repeated.