Top 15 Favorite Video Game Levels

This one's pretty self-explanatory. This is a list of my favorite levels in video games, which tends to be some of the best gaming in general has to offer:

1. The Summit (Celeste)
• The Summit is a perfect video game level, even more, it's a perfect final video game level. First, there's the fact that it tests on every single mechanic introduced throughout the game, as Madeline has to climb back up the entire mountain from scratch. Second, it adds its own twist on the game's formula by giving you an extra dash that can allow for even more complex level design. Third, there's the story significance of Madeline and Badeline finally getting along, and thus being able to finally make their way up the mountain. Fourth, there's the amazing music that brings all of the major motifs of the levels and characters together into one triumphant 15-minute-long track. And finally, there's that final countdown as you make your way through the last few checkpoints of the game. And when you finally reach the top of the mountain, it's beyond satisfying. The Summit is my favorite level because it bridges Celeste's gameplay, level design philosophy, story, themes, and musical motifs together perfectly, and the impact it's had on me personally is immense.
2. New Donk City (Super Mario Odyssey)
• Many people have said that Mario's platforming controls are so good that you can spend hours just playing around with his physics without any sort of concrete goal, and that's exactly why New Donk City is such a fantastic stage. It is a full-on playground for Mario to interact with, from knocking over cones, to jumping across cars and cabs, to wall-jumping up buildings, I could spend hours playing in New Donk City because the level design meshes so well with Mario's amazing controls. But even the mandatory story stuff is fantastic too. The MechaWiggler segment does a great job of taking you on a linear tour of the city before letting you run around freely, and ends with a fun boss fight. The powerplant area is a tough but fun platforming segment, and that final Jump Up, Super Star sequence is hands down the best moment in the entire game. You can tell Nintendo put the most work in New Donk City because it's easily the best and most fleshed-out location in Odyssey.
3. Sawmill Thrill (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze)
• Donkey Kong's Minecart levels are always a good time, but Sawmill Thrill is by far the most creative and impressive one in the series. It takes the concept of riding a cart through a sawmill and mines it for all its worth, not only tossing sawblades at the player like mad but playing around with the fact that these sawblades can pretty much destroy the level. The first third has you dodge wood that the sawblades can slide up into platforms for you to use, the second third has you pilot a newly-carved log boat in a massive departure from the standard minecart gameplay, and the final third has you hope across platforms that are being torn apart by a massive blade as you drive on them. Sawmill Thrill is fast-paced, chaotic, dynamic, and a ton of fun.
4. Snowpeak Ruins (Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
• While not one of the harder dungeons in the series, Snowpeak Ruins is easily the most unique. It doesn't take place in some ancient temple like so many Zelda dungeons do, it takes place in the mansion of a Yeti couple. It's really cool how each room in Snowpeak Ruins has to not only function like a dungeon room as well as look like a place someone would actually live, and the already great aesthetic is made even better by Twilight Princess's fantastic texturing and striking art direction. The Ball And Chain is a super fun item to use, the boss fights are some of the better ones in the game, and the overarching story of Yeto trying to reunite with Yeta adds a surprisingly heart-warming edge to the dungeon.
5. Murder On The Owl Express (A Hat In Time)
• I love it when games randomly insert "murder mystery" levels out of complete nowhere, and while I love said segments in the Paper Mario series, I think Murder On The Owl Express is my personal favorite execution of the concept. It perfectly blends gameplay and story, as not only does it task you with using the unique layout of a train to sneak around agents and avoid getting spotted while you search for evidence, but said evidence adds to the quirky but compelling mystery at the core of the level. There's also plenty of space for user input, like at the start of the level where the aforementioned agents ask you random questions allowing you to answer with pretty much anything.
6. Cortex Castle (Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time)
• I love final levels that feel like a test of all your abilities, and it's for that reason that Cortex Castle is the most satisfying level in the entire Crash Bandicoot series. After using the four masks throughout the game, Cortex Castle makes damn sure that you've mastered every single one of them, with each mask getting its own tough sequence. It all culminates in one of my favorite moments in any level, where you have to juggle using all of the masks in one brutal and near pixel perfect gauntlet. I get if some people find this one too hard, but I don't think it could have been more satisfying and rewarding.
7. Deepsea Metro Escape (Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion)
• Yep, it's another amazing final level. Deepsea Metro Escape is a fantastic and lengthy test of all of your abilities, capping off the Octo Expansion on a strong note. This sequence is tough, but it's also the most ambitious Splatoon level to date, and filled with a ton of fantastic setpieces. From having to sneak past enemies without any weapons, to doing tight platforming on falling platforms, to using the jetpack to fly around activating switches, to dodging lasers as if you're in a spy movie, culminating in a final battle with your player character in the previous game. It also helps that the dialogue between the characters is great, as is the music that plays all being some of the best the Octo Expansion has to offer.
8. Stage EX (Touhou: Subterranean Animism)
• The extra stage of Touhou 11 is the series at its story-telling and atmospheric best. There's something so ominous about returning to the Moriya Shrine especially if you've played the previous game, as the never-ending snow-covered path sways back and forth in the background and Sanae returns with some of her toughest attacks yet despite only being the mid-boss. And then there's the extra boss herself, Koishi Komeiji, probably the most well-designed in the series. Her bullet patterns (and names) do a great job of subtly revealing the tragic layers of her character while also being creative and difficult, with that survival spell in particular being just ridiculously fun to dodge. Not to mention, of course, the music in this extra stage is amazing, haunting and beautiful in equal measures. I can't praise this stage enough, it's easily the best Touhou has to offer.
9. Lava Reef/Hidden Palace Zone (Sonic & Knuckles/Sonic Mania)
• I was really close to putting in Hang Castle from Sonic Heroes for its gravity flipping shenanigans, but Lava Reef surpasses pretty much every level in the series for me. On its own, it's a fun lava level with a bunch of neat gimmicks that create a sense of challenge without slowing things down (and the usage of conveyor belts in the Mania version only make it more fun, but where it really excels is in its story. I love how both acts are drastically different in terms of music and aesthetic, with the shift really making you feel like the game is coming to the end. Act 2 in particular ends with a chase scene unlike anything in the game, and we even get a third act of sorts that contains a boss fight with Knuckles and quite possibly the game's biggest turning point.
10. Fortune Night (Freedom Planet)
• Fortune Night is the most iconic Freedom Planet level, an honor that it absolutely deserves. Obviously, the stage's oriental aesthetic is absolutely stunning, especially that part with the lanterns, but it's made better by the fact that this is just a damn fun stage. The first act is filled to the brim with loops, curvy paths, and loads of springs that really encourage blasting through it as fast as you can. But it's the second act that takes place in a mall that really brings this stage up for me, which is filled with ziplines, pianos to bounce on, and a ton of cute easter eggs. Add in one of the game's best boss fights and you get easily my favorite stage in a game filled with strong platformer stages.
11. Freezeezy Peak (Banjo-Kazooie)
• Freezeezy Peak is the ideal Christmas level. On an aesthetic level, it's super cheery and detailed to an impressive degree for an N64 game. There's a big Christmas tree, presents scattered all over the level for you to platform on, a huge snowman, a cute village, and several ice caves. On a gameplay level, Freezeezy Peak is filled to the brim with fun activities, varied biomes, and creative missions. You can partake in a sled race, climb up a Christmas tree from the inside, search for presents for polar bear cubs, and fly around shooting down evil snowmen. It's not just a great Chrismtas level, it's Banjo-Kazooie at its absolute best.
12. Tallon Overworld (Metroid Prime)
• While Phendrana Drifts' diverse areas and beautiful music almost made it my pick, there's just something so magical about Tallon Overworld, especially when it comes to the ambience. It does a fantastic job of showcasing Prime's amazing art direction and attention to detail, from the rain that drips on your mask to the dark caves with light peaking through a little hole in the roof. I love how terrifying the place seems when you first arrive, but eventually it becomes a comforting homebase at which all roads lead. The thing that really solidifies this area as my favorite though is the fact that it has easily the game's best boss, Meta Ridley.
13. The Stopped Gear (Klonoa: Door To Phantomile)
• Klonoa's level design continues to impress me to this day. The usage of 2.5D level design basically means the game's stages let you explore a full-on 3D environment by just moving left and right. Vision 3-2, also known as The Stopped Gear, is probably the best instance of this, essentially turning into a Zelda dungeon with locks, keys, and a big switch that activates all the machinery in the level. But while the structure is definitely the coolest aspect of this stage, the fun gear-heavy platforming, fantastic music, colorful architecture, and entertaining boss fight makes this the highlight of Klonoa and a stage I'm always excited to start playing. Honorable mention goes to the second game's Maze Of Memories which is just as mind-bending and fun.
14. Rhythm Route (Kirby: Planet Robobot)
• While Planet Robobot isn't one of my favorite Kirby games, Rhythm Route is a perfect encapsulation of pretty much everything I do love about the game. The sheer inventiveness of the level design in this level is impressive for any game, let alone Kirby. We've got multiple stages using platforms that sync to the amazing music, an autoscroller that rewinds and fast-forwards using teleporters, harder versions of the casino and Wheel Robobot levels from earlier worlds, all capping off with a fun boss fight with three King Dededes at the same time. If that description doesn't make you want to pick up this game and play it right now, I don't know what will.
15. Fireworks Factory (Spyro 3: Year Of The Dragon)
• Fireworks Factory is quite possibly the most iconic level in the entire Spyro trilogy, and for good reason. Everything about it works. The oriental aesthetic is visually striking especially in the Reignited trilogy, the gimmicks with shooting yourself out of cannons and spitting out rockets that burst into fireworks are fun, the side missions where you get to fight dragons and play a first-person shooter are creative (if a bit tough), and the main premise about fighting ninjas with a Matrix-manipulating Greta is so hilariously charming. And don't even get me started on that fantastic music.