18 Greatest Last Levels In Gaming History

12. Kiln Of The First Flame - Dark Souls

There's something so fitting about the overbearing, apocalyptic gloom of Dark Souls' final stage. Not that the rest of the game was full of sunshine and rainbows, but The Kiln of the First Flame just pulsates with a sense of poetic artistry that makes the decaying fortress such a perfect setting for the title's final encounter.

In fact, the gloomy sense of desperate isolation more or less embodies everything Dark Souls is all about.

Not only that, but the long slog to face off with the final boss feels as punishing and as drawn out as you'd expect from a From Software game. Although it should be debilitating making the same long journey, fighting your way through the same Black Knights over and over again to reach the Lord of Cinder because he keeps sending you right back to the start after annihilating you with a few powerful strikes, Dark Soul's final level never loses its gloomy, inspiring charm even after 30 attempts at it.