18 Greatest Last Levels In Gaming History

10. World 8-4 - Super Mario Bros

At first glance it might seem that Bowser's impenetrable maze that makes up World 8-4 would be just like every other Super Mario level. While that's true to an extent, the sheer intensity that comes with trying to find the right pipe to escape down under a severe time limit made for some of the most controller-throwing near-misses in all of gaming history.

Even worse, make a mistake or go the wrong way and you get sent straight back to the start of the stage, gaining nothing other than a debilitating sense of frustration and despair for all of the hard work you thought you had put into beating the level.

While the overbearing challenge might not seem like the perfect end to a game, the iconic platformer's final stage tests everything you've learned in the game so thoroughly, throwing you through the ringer of so many different and distinct challenges that finally completing the level always came with an incomparable satisfying sigh of relief.