10 Perfect Examples Of Level Design In Video Games

Dark Souls is positively packed with memorable locations – from Blight Town to Sen’s Fortress – but, only a handful could be considered genuinely well designed, despite their inherent visual appeal.

Anor Londo for instance is an outstanding environment, visually – complete with stunning architecture, and a perpetual sunset – however, design wise, it’s a little messy. Despite its scope, the city is unnecessarily restrictive, the player forced to alternate between indistinguishable rooms and corridors, and numerous narrow corridors, banisters and confining walkways.

By comparison, The Undead Burg – one of the earliest locations in the game – is varied without seeming overcomplicated, connecting several separate locations into a unified whole, gradually unfolding as the player circles backwards numerous times, lowering ladders and opening passageways to create further cohesion.

Moreover, there are secrets to discover and multiple levels to explore, each of which circles back to the central hub, creating a nice sense of structure. Visually, it isn’t as unique, but instead designed with far greater variation and spatial arrangement.