Top 10 Worst Water Levels in Video Games

Top 10 Worst Water Levels in Video Games

Also in:

The 10 WORST Levels in GREAT Video Games

Dawww not a WATER LEVEL! Gawwwww…. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the Top 10 Worst Water Levels in Video Games. For this list, we’ve chosen the worst levels that are set in or around water. The lethargy, difficulty, confusion and gameplay changes that are sometimes a stigma of water levels are taken to an absurd extent with these soggy stages. For water levels that you would enjoy, be sure to check out our list on the Top 10 Video Game Water Levels.

Samus actually boards this space vessel in the game’s first level but after defeating a group of fairly weakened Space Pirates and the Parasite Queen, the ship crash lands into the waters of Tallon IV. When Samus returns to the frigate it is a submerged wreck, guarded by a few stragglers and shrouded in murky darkness. It’s this darkness that hurts what is an otherwise interesting level as it makes players all too reliant on the bright, fluorescent Thermal Visor to find anything. It’s also not a good idea to enter Orpheon without the Gravity Suit, an item that’s really easy to miss by the time you get here.

#9: The Combination “Conker's Bad Fur Day” (2001)

Also in:

Top 10 WORST Final Levels in Video Games

Upon meeting Mrs. Catfish and her school of catfishes, Conker reluctantly makes a deal with them to get back their fortune for them in exchange for 10%. Part of the insanity he has to deal with is diving into Clang’s Lair, dark, maze-like pipelines that are home to the titular Clangs, giant, metallic jaws with a green eyeball on the inside. Since Conker’s a slow swimmer, it’s difficult to balance his air supply with recharging his flashlight to keep the Clangs away. But worst of all, the animation that hints at how much air you’ve got left is not the most intuitive, so it’s basically a guessing game that’s keeping you from not drowning.

Monster Hunter Tri and its re-release Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate are the first and only games in the long-running RPG series to feature underwater battles, but not without good reason. There is the issue where monsters would be a cakewalk to battle on land become overpowered at sea. It doesn't help that certain weapons are near useless underwater. Altered controls compared to those on land makes these levels even more frustrating is moving the hunter and the camera underwater is a chore. Top it off with egregious collision detection and it’s enough to make you surface and kiss dry land. Great concept, not so great execution.

#7: 40 Fathoms “Tomb Raider 2” (1997)

Also in:

Top 10 Video Games Where the Main Character is Having the Worst Time

Hitching a ride on a sub, Lara travels to the wrecked cruise ship, the Maria Doria to recover an artifact. But Ms. Croft is left in a bit of a sticky wicket when a shark capsizes the sub. Most of the area is shrouded in darkness and it’s fairly easy to swim in circles. As Lara’s loses air, she must face two great whites with her fairly weak harpoon gun, as the other guns are useless. If she makes it into the ship, the worst is over, but it’s a big if and a lever-filled maze, an Italian cult, and more deadly sea life await.

#6: World 7-4 “Super Mario Bros 3” (1990)

Also in:

Another Top 10 Worst Open World Video Games

Since the very first Mario games, water levels have had a special place in our heart. That place is in a deep dark corner where Cheeps Cheeps tried to kill us. The sole water level of Pipe Land takes the cake as it mixes the standard hazards of water levels with autoscrolling. In short, the level literally pushes you ahead with little time to explore off fight off enemies. The real danger starts as a swarm of electric Jelectro appears. Since they are invincible to the Mario Brothers’ attacks, players must work quickly and precisely or they’ll end up on the Blooper reel.

In search of the Blue Moon Crystal, Vyse and his crew enter the underwater caves of Mount Kazai. Inside, they have to traverse a multi-tier maze and solve tricky puzzles to get the enchanted stone. This works against players, as the game’s random encounter system will spawn enemies every few steps. Diving underwater is enemy free, but it’s done in a clunky diving suit that slows movement to a crawl. The biggest annoyance of the lengthylevel is Tortigar. Not only can the flying sea turtle monster heal all its health, but has a technique that renders every attack but the team move, Prophecy, ineffective.

#4: Great Bay Temple “The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask” (2000)

Also in:

Top 10 Bad Parts That Ruined Great Games

Link travels to the cursed water temple to stop the pollution that has tainted the Great Bay. Similar to the Water Temple from Ocarina of Time, the Great Bay Temple can be an aggravating and tedious adventure. To get where he needs to go, Link must open valves into different pipes and do it in a somewhat specific order. This does include backtracking causing first-time players to get lost, especially when you factor in the inclusion of some really unforgiving currents. Upping the ante may be the most difficult boss and mid-bosses in the game. Link has to jump into the water to damage Gyrog, at the risk of the masked fish boss swallowing him whole.

#3: The Labyrinth Zone “Sonic the Hedgehog” (1991)

Also in:

Top 20 Worst Sonic Games

For as much as Sega gave their hedgehog loads of ATTITUDE and COOLNESS, they forgot to teach him how to swim. He’s totally the guy that wears socks and sneakers to the beach, aimiright? Anyway, Hydrocity Zone still to this day still irks fans of the blue blur, but that’s nothing compared to the unfathomable frustration that is the Labyrinth Zone. “An underwater maze”, need I say more? This stage is three acts of Sonic walking in water, climbing and avoiding every ridiculous badnick and death trap set in the place. Then there’s being stalked by the not Jaws theme when Sonic’s about to drown. Get an air bubble before it’s too late.

The last time Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in Atlantica, they battled some nasty underwater Heartless, it was a bit tedious but still enjoyable. This time around no Heartless are to be found, just a love story. This time around no Heartless are to be found, just a love story…. annnnd a quicktime rhythm game disguised as a musical. What? While the classic “Under the Sea”, is here, the rest of the songs are so unbearably bad, like, bad enough make those in Disney DTV sequels look Oscar worthy. All this is capped off with an anti-climactic “boss battle” with Ursula. We don’t want to be a part of this world. Before we dive right into our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions. Gloomy Galleon “Donkey Kong Land 64” (1999) The Drowned City “Uncharted: Drake’s Forture” (2007) Rusty Bucket Bay “Banjo-Kazooie” (1998)

#1: The Dam Level “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1989)

Also in:

The 10 BEST Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Video Games

Let’s be honest here, if Shredder and Krang were ever this clever in the show, the heroes on the half shell would have been turtle soup by now. Their evil plan is to spread time bombs near a dam and will flood New York if they blow. The turtles jump in the dam to defuse the bombs, only for it to be loaded with electric seaweed, underwater lightning, and other insanely cheap traps. Clunky swimming controls add yet another wrinkle to an already volatile scenario. With a whopping 2:20, to defuse all the bombs, it’s enough to make anyone scream “Dam!” Do you agree with our list? Which water level cramps your style? For more awesome top tens published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.