10 Video Game Levels That Gave You Anxiety

And finally, what list would be complete without the entry that gave young gamers anxiety before they knew what the word meant? If there was a "picture you could hear", then this would be it.

Sonic games are all about that fast paced platforming, largely. Broken up with the occasional backtrack and block jumping section, it's all pretty straightforward as a concept. That is until players get to an underwater section, and all calm goes out of the window.

Unlike Mario, Sonic can't hold his breath indefinitely (like a real hedgehog, presumably). He needs air, which comes in the form of strategically placed air bubble pockets. Which is fine, mostly.

But not when that dreaded countdown starts and the haunting, pounding timer music sets gamers off. Seeing a large, decreasing number on screen doesn't help. The musical intensity doesn't help.

Put them together and you've got a recipe for some absolute panic and anxiety that overrides any common sense to keep on climbing for air.

That it still puts the heeby-jeebies into gamers some thirty years on is a testament to how terrifying those moments are.