18 Greatest Last Levels In Gaming History

12. Kiln Of The First Flame - Dark Souls

skyrim dragonslayer
Bethesda

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.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.