# Design the worst game level ever
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [February 13, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250 "2011-02-13T22:33:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/1 "2011-02-13T22:33:36Z")
A timed escort mission in a sewer level. Getting through the level requires you to solve jumping puzzles from a first person perspective. Falling into or touching the water results in instant death for you or the NPC you’re escorting. Death of the escorted NPC results in instant mission failure.
Mission failure results in a loading sequence followed by an unskippable cutscene before you reappear at the beginning of the level.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/2 "2011-02-13T22:42:25Z")
… in order to complete the level, you must have pushed in a button, which is a 3 by 4 pixel square that is about 5% lighter than the surrounding wall, in the opening room. Failure to push the button will result in you walking into a deathtrap about 75% of the way through the level.
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### Author:  [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/3 "2011-02-13T22:45:05Z")
I believe that it looks something like [this](http://www.quixoticals.com/2007/04/most-frustrating-super-mario-mod-ever.html). The attempt at the 40 second mark is absolutely soul-crushing.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/4 "2011-02-13T22:48:11Z")
After you’ve gotten past a series of obstacles that can be overcome by various skills or knowledge there should be some obstacle controlled by a completely random event. (Ex. A die is rolled. If it comes up a one, you survive and move onward. Any other number and you die without any chance to save yourself.)
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### Author:  [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/5 "2011-02-13T22:55:21Z")
For some reason this reminds me of an online game you played where, if you got killed, the game ended. That’s it.
Finished.
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### Author:  [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/6 "2011-02-13T23:04:21Z")
> [@Rysto](#):
>
> I believe that it looks something like [this](http://www.quixoticals.com/2007/04/most-frustrating-super-mario-mod-ever.html). The attempt at the 40 second mark is absolutely soul-crushing.
Thread solved. That is the worst game level ever.
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### Author:  [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/7 "2011-02-13T23:08:30Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> Mission failure results in a loading sequence followed by an unskippable cutscene before you reappear at the beginning of the level.
As a variant: A long unskippable credits scene before you even start playing, or have an option to load a saved game. I’m looking at YOU, _Secret of Monkey Island_.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/8 "2011-02-13T23:42:23Z")
[This one gave me nightmares. It’s from Super Meat Boy.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2MZBq5Cm2U&feature=related#t=30s)
[Here is is being beat. Warning: NSFW language.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IalOIuEpvvk&feature=related#t=1m1s)
By the way, I love their reactions when they realize there is another level following it.
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### Author:  [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/9 "2011-02-14T00:49:41Z")
Platformer style game like Mario, where the level is completely, uniformly yellow. The platforms are scattered at various heights and with various sizes. Every few seconds (the interval changes randomly) the screen flashes bright white and for a split second after the white flash, the platforms are revealed in a color other than yellow. After that split second the entire level goes to yellow again.
Each new flash of color changes the sizes and positions of the platforms.
And the sound track is a baby crying over the sound of a fire alarm.
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### Author:  [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/10 "2011-02-14T01:10:11Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> A timed escort mission in a sewer level. Getting through the level requires you to solve jumping puzzles from a first person perspective. Falling into or touching the water results in instant death for you or the NPC you’re escorting. Death of the escorted NPC results in instant mission failure.
>
> Mission failure results in a loading sequence followed by an unskippable cutscene before you reappear at the beginning of the level.
You forgot the part where this is also a stealth mission. Despite the rest of the game not being stealth based at all.
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### Author:  [@xoferew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xoferew)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/11 "2011-02-14T01:18:28Z")
Add in the always-fun “You have been drugged/bewitched/poisoned and now your controller buttons all do the opposite of what they usually do.”
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/12 "2011-02-14T01:37:31Z")
> [@Electronic\_Chaos](#):
>
> You forgot the part where this is also a stealth mission. Despite the rest of the game not being stealth based at all.
In fact, the rest of the game is of a _completely different genre_; a driving game say.
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### Author:  [@xoferew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xoferew)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/13 "2011-02-14T01:59:11Z")
After the hour-long boss fight which you beat on your twentieth try, you are tricked into dying for some stupid reason, within sight of the save point. Next time you’ll know not to open that treasure chest with three hit points left!
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/14 "2011-02-14T02:10:22Z")
Of course, there has to be a save point halfway through the level. And it’s in an easily-accessible side corridor. Which fills up with lava two seconds after you go through it. And the save point saves the state of the lava, too.
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### Author:  [@xoferew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xoferew)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/15 "2011-02-14T02:42:59Z")
You also should spend hours trying to access a lever or control panel in a seemingly inaccessible area and finally, triumphantly, get to it, and discover that is non-functional. But just almost functional enough that in the next level when you hit that locked gate you will wonder if you need to slog back and try it again.
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### Author:  [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/16 "2011-02-14T02:53:35Z")
> [@Rysto](#):
>
> I believe that it looks something like [this](http://www.quixoticals.com/2007/04/most-frustrating-super-mario-mod-ever.html). The attempt at the 40 second mark is absolutely soul-crushing.
> [@Mince](#):
>
> Thread solved. That is the worst game level ever.
Looks like cake compared to **I Wanna Be the Guy: The Movie: The Game**. I wore out a lightly-used controller and got blisters on my thumbs playing that game, and still only made it about halfway through.
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/17 "2011-02-14T16:59:01Z")
No mention has been made yet of the camera that follows you for this level. You cannot control it, and it spends 45% of its time behind the geometry.
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### Author:  [@Uncle\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Goat)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/18 "2011-02-14T17:05:10Z")
It’s the game of Life! ::sob!::
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### Author:  [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/19 "2011-02-14T17:12:23Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> A timed escort mission in a sewer level. Getting through the level requires you to solve jumping puzzles from a first person perspective. Falling into or touching the water results in instant death for you or the NPC you’re escorting. Death of the escorted NPC results in instant mission failure.
>
> Mission failure results in a loading sequence followed by an unskippable cutscene before you reappear at the beginning of the level.
What’s the point of having a thread if you did all the work already?
That sounds like the worst level of any video game ever. Of course, the fact that it more or less exists in a few games is just proof that some game designers are morons.
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### Author:  [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/design-the-worst-game-level-ever/571250/20 "2011-02-14T17:17:01Z")
> [@Rysto](#):
>
> I believe that it looks something like [this](http://www.quixoticals.com/2007/04/most-frustrating-super-mario-mod-ever.html). The attempt at the 40 second mark is absolutely soul-crushing.
Here’s a much, much funnier version:
**Super Mario Bros. Frusteration**
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in6RZzdGki8)
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