Consistency can be hard to achieve, particularly in video game design. There are so many moving parts in the average video game level, whatever the genre, that it is easy for one level to be out-of-touch with the quality of others, whether accidentally or intentionally.
Sometimes, a developer wants to really test a player's skills with a level or has a lengthy bit of expositional storytelling included that is only interesting on the first playthrough. In other levels, the difficulty is accidentally too high, or the mechanics of a level are tedious or unenjoyable. Whatever drags a level down, there are some in otherwise excellent games that the prospect of returning to makes even the most dedicated player hesitate to begin another playthrough.
10 The Collectors Make An Unfun First Impression On Horizon (Mass Effect 2)
In the eyes of many, Mass Effect 2 is the best game in the Mass Effect series, perfectly balancing engaging and entertaining gameplay with an enjoyable and meaningful story. Nonetheless, particularly on its main questline, there are some places where its quality is considered to dip.
All levels featuring the Collectors — the game's main antagonist — are difficult, but many of the later ones are considered entertaining because of their difficulty. However, their first appearance on Horizon has an underleveled and underequipped player fighting hordes of them in tedious and grindy gun battles. In addition, there are several unpopular story beats to ensure it is the low point of a great game.
9 The Hand Of The Prophet Is A Tedious Horde Battle (Bioshock Infinite)
Especially disappointing is when an otherwise excellent game is let down with its final battle. After most of Bioshock Infinite is spent on entertaining and fast-paced run-and-gun segments, the final gameplay section sees the player defending the airship Hand of the Prophet against wave after wave of Vox Populi rebels.
With limited ammo, limited mobility, and a need to protect an airship, the player is much more limited in this battle than the rest of the game, and the fight goes on for a long time. Even the ability to use the Songbird as a weapon doesn't ease the frustration for some. Many find the only reason for fighting through this section is to see the game's widely-beloved ending.
8 Jelanda And Arngrim's Recruitments Involve Many Many Unskippable Cutscenes (Valkyrie Profile)
Valkyrie Profile is a classic RPG putting the player in the role of Lenneth, a Norse Valkyrie who has to recruit dead warriors — Einherjar — to battle in Ragnarok. The game is considered ahead of its time and very well-made, with many interesting design choices and plenty of fodder for replayability.
Its opening, detailing Lenneth recruiting her first two Einherjar in the princess Jelanda and the mercenary Arngrim, is incredibly long and consists primarily of unskippable cutscenes telling a self-contained story. This can already be tedious on a first playthrough, but it is a massive blow to the game's replayability and poorly stands out in an otherwise player-driven story.
7 The Star Forge Forces You Into A Long Slog Of Combat (Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic)
Knights of the Old Republic is typically considered one of the finest video game RPGs of all time and one of the best Star Wars games ever made. Nonetheless, its fans recognize that it ends on a far weaker note than the rest of the game, with its final level, the Star Forge.
After a game of explorable environments, fun and intriguing NPCs to talk to, plentiful sidequests, and many ways of handling problems, the Star Forge resembles a linear corridor with hundreds of droids and Sith Troopers between the player and the end of the game. With its disappointing design and severe uptick in difficulty, the Star Forge provides a disappointing finale for a great game.
6 Creepy Steeple Takes Away Your Party And Forces You To Backtrack (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)
Many consider Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door to be the best game in the Paper Mario series, with an entertaining story and surprisingly deep RPG gameplay. The game is clever, funny, and for the most part, tightly designed.
The main section that drags is the game's fourth chapter, Creepy Steeple. After a fairly conventional (if atmospheric) dungeon crawl, the chapter reveals its main twist: the villain takes Mario's appearance and name, leaving him as a shadow abandoned by his party. From there, the player has to backtrack numerous times across difficult areas, sometimes without any party members, to do the remaining two-thirds of the chapter. For some, it kills the game's pacing and slips past the point of fun.
5 The Tanker Gives You A Pea-Shooter Against Giants (Resident Evil 7: Biohazard)
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is typically considered a return to form for the ailing Resident Evil series and one of the best games in the franchise overall. Its acclaim is partly because of its tight gameplay, including brutal but enjoyable battles with the Molded.
The Tanker sections take the player away from protagonist Ethan and give them control of his wife, Mia. Mia is primarily armed with a machine gun. This seems like it should be a better weapon than Ethan's shotgun and handgun, but it does very little damage to most enemies, and the area is swarming with the hugely tough Fat Molded. The result is two difficult and frustrating sections that detract from the game experience.
4 Waylon Flies Again Is A Grindy, Unpredictable War Of Attrition (Advance Wars: Days Of Ruin)
Despite its cute aesthetic and generally cartoony gameplay and story, the Advance Wars games are known for being distinctly challenging tactics games that can test a player to their limits. Sometimes the balance of difficulty is misjudged, creating a level that is a major roadblock.
In Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, this roadblock takes the form of a level called 'Waylon Flies Again.' The player starts at a disadvantage, outnumbered, and with more ground to defend against an enemy who will take immediate aerial superiority. Adding insult to injury, the enemy commander is widely-agreed to be one of the most dislikable enemies in the entire franchise, and he remains painfully smug throughout.
3 The Great Maze Is Long And Convoluted (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)
In retrospect, the story mode of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, 'The Subspace Emissary,' has received more appreciation, with many agreeing that it is a fun and enjoyable story mode, albeit with some flaws. One flaw that stands out, in particular, is the final section of the game, the Great Maze.
Aptly named, the Great Maze is a confused jumble of rooms that the player has to traverse to fight and restore their party members one by one. Aside from being hard to navigate, it is monstrously long, taking up as much of a third of the game's length and being all but impossible to complete in one sitting. With no way to shorten or skip it, it is held to be a major drag on the entire Subspace Emissary.
2 The Tomb Of Giants Is Pitch-Black And Teeming With Foes (Dark Souls)
It's no secret that Dark Souls is a difficult game. With the sprawling level design, challenging enemies, and tight resource management, there is plenty to hinder the player on their quest to Link the Fire. The game's difficulty is one of the many reasons for its widespread acclaim.
Not all of the game's difficulty is well-received, however. One of the most reviled sections is the Tomb of Giants, for one reason in particular: it is pitch black. Generating light is often annoying in Dark Souls, and the darkness makes navigating the Tomb almost impossible. In addition, it is filled with powerful skeletal foes that would be dangerous in a well-lit, wide-open environment. As such, many consider the Tomb to be a mandatory low-point that weakens the game as a whole.
1 The Library Is An Hours-Long, Repetitive Slog (Halo: Combat Evolved)
Although relatively humble compared to the later games in the series, Halo: Combat Evolved remains an exceedingly well-received game, considered by some to be one of the best games ever made. Its main campaign is still thought to hold up by fans of the series and still be entertaining — aside from one level at its midpoint.
'The Library' is one of the most infamous levels in Halo history. Its gameplay consists of walking down long corridors filled with Flood, before holding an area against hordes of Flood that surround the player. With limited ammo, thousands of enemies, and nothing to differentiate it, the level is an exercise in tedium in an otherwise fast-paced and enjoyable campaign.