Top 10 Unexpected Stressful Moments in Video Games
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Just when you thought you were getting into your groove...all hell breaks loose. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 Stressful Parts in Relaxing Games.
For this list, we’re looking at those moments in gaming where a generally casual or low-stress experience is interrupted by sudden bouts of irritation, frustration and overwhelming tension. Be they brief scenes or drawn-out sequences, they share a tendency of disrupting what’s otherwise a rather chill game.
#10: The Lava Biome
Top 10 Most Stressful Moments in Video Games
“Subnautica” (2018)
Setting up an underwater base, exploring the depths of the sea – much of what “Subnautica” focuses on is relaxed and only progresses at a pace comfortable for all players. This is what makes the Lava Biome both fascinating and somewhat infuriating. To even enter areas such as the Inactive Lava Zone or the connected Lava Lakes, one needs to have obtained sufficiently advanced dive suits capable of reaching great depths. Even then, there’s still the possibility that a player might accidentally stumble into lava and quickly burn to death... or get teleported out of their suit by extraterrestrial fish.
#9: Vah Naboris
Top 20 Most Stressful Moments in Video Games
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)
You know how it is with these Zelda games - grand landscapes to explore, intriguing dungeons to plunder, and a whole lot of Link looking confused. For all its delightful world-building and playful adventuring, it can sometimes deliver frustrating endeavours, just look at the liberation of Vah Naboris. To even reach the sky-dwelling Divine Beast, the player has to undertake an entirely different quest in exchange for assistance from the chief of the Gerudo people. Within the beast is where the stress truly takes hold, what with various floors and multiple spinning mechanisms to account for. Between the puzzle design and the infamously difficult dungeon boss, Vah Naboris doesn’t lack for ways to push one’s buttons.
#8: Clock Puzzle
“Fez” (2012)
Sometimes it’s not the difficulty of a given challenge that causes problems, but rather how intuitive – or not – it ends up being. “Fez” runs into this issue with its Clock puzzle, in which the player must clamber up to the top of a tower in order to gather anti-cubes. There’s a catch, though: each of the cubes is tied to a specific hand on the clock, making it so that said cubes can only be accessed at certain intervals. As a result, one must determine how much time to wait – or adjust their game system’s clock accordingly – in order to progress. Tick tock.
#7: Stairway to Heaven
“Antichamber” (2013)
For those who’ve spent time with this minimalistic first-person puzzle game, it’s readily apparent exactly how committed “Antichamber” is to withholding specific information and being purposefully obtuse. Sometimes this approach works to reinforce outside-the-box thinking, other times it results in puzzles such as Stairway to Heaven. Initially seeming mundane, the section soon gives way to various branching paths – a vanishing staircase, even a floor panel that doubles as a bounce pad which lead to separate locales. It’s a clever bit of level design that nevertheless feels as though it undermines the fun of truly understanding and surpassing a puzzle.
#6: Rainbow Cloud
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“Pokemon Snap” (1999)
Did you think you were just going to have a fun time capturing photos of various Pokemon and taking in the charming sights? Well tough, because “Snap” opted to veer into outright challenging territory for its final level. Unlocked by photographing several hidden Pokemon signs, this concluding stage has the player attempting to get a clear, unobstructed photo of the legendary Pokemon known as Mew. The catch: Mew surrounds itself with a defensive shield that needs to be pelted with Pester Balls for a good photo to be taken – otherwise, your photos are rendered unusable. We understand the mindset of making an encounter with Mew memorable, but this seems excessive.
#5: Traffic
“Cities: Skylines” (2015)
As is the case with many a city development simulator, “Cities: Skylines” is at its best when it enables the player to build and expand at a leisurely pace. Unfortunately, it’s only a matter of time before the issue of traffic jams arises to infringe on all those good vibes. Roads into and out of cities, much like the real world, can become utterly crammed with cars. Adding to the stress is that, as many players have discovered, a solution to such traffic problems takes great effort and significant time commitment. Points for authenticity, certainly, but is it worth the toll it takes on engagement?
#4: CowBear Level
“We Love Katamari” (2005)
If this game hadn't already pushed players towards a fixation with perfectionism, this stage certainly did. As with the other entries in the series, “We Love Katamari” has you travelling from level to level rolling up and collecting everything you can get your hands on in order to construct new planets. Most of the time it’s a delightfully absurd experience – but then comes the CowBear. Set on an island containing a large race track that surrounds a large hill, the level expects you to find the largest cow or bear-themed creature possible. The problem is that the island is littered with objects and creatures fitting that description, some of which are constantly in motion and can immediately cause the level to end if touched! Damn you CowBear!
#3: Getting Past the War Machines
Top 20 Most Stressful Video Games
“Journey” (2012)
Wandering the ruins of an ancient desert-dwelling civilization rarely ceases to be spectacular, particularly given the game embracing an atmosphere of introspection and player-guided pacing. Occasionally, however, the experience is disrupted by the appearance of giant stone Guardians which attack your character, the Traveler, on sight. These beings, incapable of suffering injury, can only be evaded, which is easier said than done given their tendency to tear away parts of the Traveler’s scarf, thus reducing your ability to fly. What’s worse is the Guardians appear twice, once in the Tunnels and again on the Mountain, yet never cease to be a nuisance in either case.
#2: Staying Out Past Midnight
“Stardew Valley” (2016)
There’s a reason folks say to get a good night’s rest. For much of one’s run in “Stardew Valley”, using up your character’s daily Energy isn’t so stressful; it just puts a firm limit on how much gardening and assorted work can be done in a day. This changes should you stay out past midnight, however, as further activity after that time results in extreme exhaustion. In the likely event that they pass out before returning home, the player fortunately gets dragged back to their house and awakens unharmed... but loses ten percent of their gold in the process. I'm a grown-ass man and I still have to obey a curfew?!
#1: The Creeper Sound
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“Minecraft” (2011)
Imagine for a second you’re building your block-house, generally relaxed and confident in your ability to survive in the game's cubic world... and then the hissing starts. The sound means only one thing - the arrival of a Creeper. Given that Creepers can explode when close to players and may pursue them indefinitely, it makes sense why people have come to fear that distinctive hiss. After all, this is a creature that can appear without warning, wrecking one’s property and potentially ending one’s run in “Minecraft” within moments.
