10 Video Game Levels That Gave You Anxiety
3. Half-Life 2 - We Don't Want To Go To Ravenholm
The Half-Life series, for the most part, is a rollercoaster of interwoven narrative and top-notch first-person shooter gameplay. Physics puzzles, mysterious men in suits, portals to other worlds and such. It's not, usually, remembered for being a scary game.
Except for that bit in Half-Life 2.
The part where Freeman has to divert through Ravenholm, the once-peaceful town now ravaged by headcrabs and zombie-type nasties. Gordon may have an arsenal, but he (and vicariously the player) need nerves of steel to make it through here.
Wailing corpses and monkey-like corpse are one thing, but worse are the headcrabs. Looming in the dark, these little buggers will stop at nothing to try and munch on Gordon's grey matter. But they're nothing compared to the poisonous ones.
Nothing triggers the anxiety like hearing the screech as one rears up behind you, before eliminating that health bar down to one point. Having to avoid another attack before the suit's antitoxin protection kicks in is not what a Black Mesa scientist is trained for.
More so, neither were the gamers who were enjoying a nice, colourful shooter up to that point.