Even Great Games Can Have An Awful Part
Some video games are so good that their rough spots become even harder to ignore—but never impossible. You can adore the combat, story, characters, and world while still groaning when that one level pops up. From endless escort missions to water temples nobody asked for, these 20 beloved games all contain a stretch many of us would happily skip.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — Water Temple
Ocarina of Time remains one of Nintendo's most celebrated games, but let’s call a spade a spade here: the original Water Temple has tested our patience. Constantly changing the water level means repeatedly navigating the same rooms while equipping and removing the Iron Boots from the pause menu. Later versions made the process less irritating, but we’ll never forget.
Francisco Gonzalez Romanelli on Unsplash
2. Halo: Combat Evolved — The Library
Few Halo fans forget their first trip through The Library, but that’s not always a good thing. The reason we all remembered was because Master Chief spends most of the level moving through similar-looking corridors while fighting wave after wave of Flood with very little visual variety. Guilty Spark's pace only made the trek exhausting.
3. Half-Life — Xen
Half-Life spends most of its runtime delivering tightly designed environments before suddenly sending Gordon into Xen. All of a sudden, we’re now in low-gravity platforming. Who asked for awkward jumping to replace the grounded combat? Certainly not us, and Valve later even acknowledged Xen's shortcomings.
Long Zheng from Melbourne, Australia on Wikimedia
4. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — Supply Lines...
Flying normally feels mighty liberating, even in in San Andreas, but "Supply Lines..." turned into micromanagement. You’re asked to control a tiny RC plane for Zero while destroying delivery vehicles before the aircraft runs out of fuel. The original PS2 version was especially unforgiving, too; fuel drained constantly, even when you were just gliding.
5. Dragon Age: Origins — The Fade
"Lost in Dreams" sends the Warden into the Fade during the Circle Tower quest, and it has inspired an impressive amount of skipping. Instead of traveling with your normal party, you explore maze-like dream areas to collect abilities you need to advance. It's such a notorious interruption that the PC mod "Skip the Fade" became one of the game's best additions.
6. Max Payne — The Nightmare
The tricky thing with this one is that Max’s surreal nightmares are memorable pieces of storytelling that aren't nearly as fun to control. For example, one section forces you to follow a thin trail of blood in darkness while listening to freaky cries in the background. But missing a jump sends you right into the void, so replaying the sequence quickly drains its impact.
7. Super Mario Sunshine — Pachinko Machine
Super Mario Sunshine has plenty of unusual Shine Sprites, but there’s a reason why the pachinko challenge has a nasty reputation. Mario gets launched into a giant machine where the game's physics send him sailing past the slot you're obviously aiming for. Precision is more than fine everywhere else in Sunshine, so what gives with this section? Exactly.
8. Dark Souls — Lost Izalith
Forget about the interconnected world for a second—Lost Izalith is noticeably less polished than Anor Londo or Undead Burg. Between huge stretches of lava and the infamous Bed of Chaos boss, all the hiccups make the late-game area feel unfinished. Even if you happily endure Blighttown, this mission is no picnic.
9. Kingdom Hearts — Atlantica
Swimming through Atlantica sounds fine until you’re asked to fight enemies and manage wonky underwater controls. Sora can move vertically and horizontally, making targeting much clumsier than they are on land. The Ursula fights don't help, either, especially when the camera assumes you’d rather stare at a wall.
10. Mass Effect — UNC: Lost Module
Mass Effect's original Mako has its defenders, but we’re not one of them. "UNC: Lost Module" puts its rougher qualities on full display, meaning Shepard has to drive across Eletania for a data module that was carried off by a space monkey. Checking individual creatures for the missing item isn't exactly the adventure we signed up for.
Alex from Calgary, Canada on Wikimedia
11. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword — The Imprisoned
Skyward Sword doesn't make you fight The Imprisoned once. Oh, no; Link battles the enormous creature three times at the Sealed Grounds, with each encounter forcing you to stop it from reaching the temple. By the third round, it’s hard to see why Hyrule needed another rematch.
12. BioShock — Proving Grounds
BioShock's final stretch briefly turns Jack into an escort for a Little Sister as she moves through Proving Grounds. Though you’d think we wanted a break from all the chaos, it’s hardly a simple mission. Protecting her from waves of Splicers is more restrictive than the everyday gameplay, so keeping her alive makes the section feel longer than it actually is.
13. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic — Manaan's Underwater Section
Manaan itself is one of KOTOR's most distinctive planets, so it's easy to assume missions would be a cakewalk. However, walking across the ocean floor isn't its strongest attraction. Wearing the environmental suit reduces you to a shuffle, so once you throw in hostile firaxa sharks, suddenly every doorway feels like it’s miles away.
14. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — The Dam
Alright, we’ll be honest: the 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is still loved despite a difficulty curve that shows no mercy. You know of which we speak: the dam stage that asks you to swim through electrified seaweed and disarm eight bombs before a timer expires. The turtles aren't exactly graceful swimmers, so good luck to you.
15. God of War — Hades
The original God of War has some pretty spectacular combat…until Hades. Rotating columns of blades require careful climbing, and getting hit sends you painfully far downward. Any player who spent hours mastering hordes of monsters will still be humbled by those spinning pillars.
Paulo Guereta from São Paulo on Wikimedia
16. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — Metropolis Zone
It’s obvious that Sonic games reward speed, but Metropolis Zone was determined to punish anyone who went too fast. Crushing platforms, explosive enemies, mantises, and those infamous Slicers? Yeah, those can all stop Sonic with almost no warning.
17. Final Fantasy VII — Great Glacier
Great Glacier arrives during an exciting pursuit of Sephiroth, but just before you get excited, you see that the level actually slows everything down. Cloud wanders through snowy screens that are difficult to distinguish, and his body temperature gradually drops if he climbs too long. Getting turned around isn't dangerous so much as annoying.
18. GoldenEye 007 — Control
GoldenEye 007's Control mission asks Mr. Bond to protect Natalya while she hacks a computer in the control room. Even casual gamers know what protection missions mean. Guards pour in, Natalya isn't durable, and losing her means starting the mission again. Yes, it’s as annoying as it sounds.
19. Psychonauts — Meat Circus
Psychonauts makes the difficulty spike in Meat Circus particularly jarring, and it’s not fun to play. Raz has to combine platforming, escort work, climbing, and timed challenges while dealing with hazards that punish small mistakes. Later releases softened some of its elements, but we’re still haunted by the original.
20. The Simpsons: Hit & Run — Set to Kill
What’s funny is that The Simpsons: Hit & Run begins as a breezy Springfield driving game. But its later missions get weirdly tough. "Set to Kill" requires Bart to collect laser guns, destroy delivery trucks, and return to the Android's Dungeon under a strict time limit. One traffic jam can ruin the attempt, making an otherwise funny game suddenly serious.
