10 Scariest Water Levels In Video Games

5: Labyrinth Zone - Sonic The Hedgehog (1991)

Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega

Sonic’s gotta go fast, but in the water Sonic is very, very slow. Coupled with what well might be the most horrifying death track in video games, Labyrinth Zone will absolutely fry your nerves.

What makes this particular water level so scary is the persistent fear of drowning. Sonic needs to make his way between sparsely located air pockets to survive and there’s very little margin for error as you move between them. Step a foot wrong and there’s a good chance you’ll be listening to this horribly unsettling underscore to our favourite blue hedgehog meeting a watery grave.

On top of that, the water keeps rising, so you have no choice but to go as fast as your little waterlogged sneakers will take you.

The dread you get from the constant stress of where your next breath is going to come from coupled with the nature of the timed mission is just awful. No big toothy monsters required.

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Contributor

Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.