What are the best designed levels of all time?

One of my favorites is the the downtown Nepal level in Uncharted 2. It's simply stunning and fun to play through. Impressive even to this day. What about you, SW? What are the best designed levels of all time?

Any game that is not a Sony game. 😂🤣

I love these copium threads.

One thing for sure, you won't find anybody mention Halo Infinite when best designed levels are involed.

@hardwenzen: Great selection. Halo Infinite has some solid levels. I am surprised you didn't mention that other game. This is more proof that you are a closet Halo Infinite lover.🙂

@hardwenzen would own you in Halo Infinite 😆

@SolidGame_basic: Seeing get sadder every time my comments trigger you is pleasing. 😊

if you disagree, prove me wrong and play against him.

How can a corridor/set piece be one of the best level designs?

To me, good level design invites the player in, and is both intuitive but invites the player to make use of the surroundings in creative ways rather than just pressing X to proceed. My nominations would be Looking glass studio efforts like Thief and System Shock 2. Large open-ended levels that are usually NOT confusing and yet offer multiple creative paths to success

If you watch the rest of the video, it's a well flushed out level. I'm not talking about the cut scene.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Chemical Plant Zone

Streets of Rage 2 - Stage 2

Alundra - Kline's Nightmare

Metal Gear Solid 2 - Big Shell

Resident Evil 4 - Castle

As of recent its Mars core from Doom Eternal

The entirety of Black Mesa in Half Life.

The operations maps in Battlefield 1. I still remember conquest players hating them but they were just designed to be both linear and at the same time allow freedom of movement and flanking opportunities for attacking objectives.

As for Uncharted, I really liked the shipyard in Uncharted 3.

@SolidGame_basic: I've played it - the whole game is corridors with little combat rooms dressed up as something more complex. Other than choosing what weapons to use there's really only one way to beat UC2

Original Deus Ex.

There was a stretch of time where I played that game about 4-5 times per year for about five years. And then I went back and played it like 10 years after that and I still uncovered a new area I missed.

There are so many different ways to not only solve various encounters in that game, but ways to get through the level as well. None of them feel tokenized, either; each feels valid and worthy of being in the game, be it hacking your way through, blasting through enemies, picking locks, or going through air vents.

There is something to be said for instanced, large-but-not-too-huge level design. It has all the free, open feeling of an open-world game with all the focus and detail of a linear design.

Games like Deus Ex, Thief, System Shock 2, Dishonored, and so on...they have levels that I actually want to spend time in. I want to get cozy with them. I want to be like "Hey, girrrrrrl level, I want to get to know you". They're not so much something to get through as they are something to play with, something to learn, something to become familiar with.

You make it sound like it's a rail shooter lol. It's an action game, so yea, the whole point is BAM, BAM, BOOM, BOOM, keep it going lol. But they offer options to tackle levels by stealth, choose different cover spots, attack from different angles. The game keeps you on your toes. This level is pretty big too, with lots of space to maneuver around. Try playing it on a harder difficult if you think it's that simple.

I'm conflicted about Big Shell. I found it kind of bland. It is unique though.

@SolidGame_basic: it practically is a rail shooter. UC4 is much better in terms of opening up the level design. But either way, it's just my opinion. I enjoy UC for what they are - BANG BOOM, but I don't think they offer creative gameplay or strong level design. Much more focused on a cinematic experience

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots returning to Shadow Moses Island was pretty good for level design and it was almost a tease for possible MGS remake. Retuning to Shadow Moses from start to finished really had some great level designs IMO.

Did you find the Easter egg with the ghosts?

I feel like the only right answer here is The Clockwork Mansion in Dishonored 2. That level was absolutely brilliant.

The visual design is quite bland, I'll give you that. But from a game design standpoint, it's ingenious. The circular level structure combined with Metroidvania-style exploration. Going from strut to strut and then circling back to a previous area, where new items and keycards discovered along the way open up new areas and missions. And the whole environment was basically a sandbox, with multiple different ways to get through encounters and obstacles along the way. It was MGS level design at its peak.

My fav levels are

Perfect Hatred from Ultimate Doom,

Q3DM17: The Longest Yard

Q3DM6: The Camping Grounds

Q3DM7: Temple of Retribution

DM-Morpheus (UT99)

Surface Tension (Halflife)

More, but, top of the head.

Pretty much all of Dark Souls until you get to Lost Izalith.

The Silent Cartographer.

Truth and Reconciliation.

Halo (the 2nd level of CE).

Delta Halo

Regret

Quarantine Zone

Gravemind

Tsavo Highway

The Ark

The Covenant

The Long Night of Solace

The Longest Yard.

Kinda weird they completely failed to replicate this quality in subsequent titles. DkSII has nothing that comes close and DkSIII has only perhaps the Cathedral of the Deep.

@xantufrog: You forgot who you are speaking to. TC cares about linear experiences.

@Jendeh: Dishonored has some exceptional levels.

I would love to see you beat Uncharted above Explorer difficulty 😎

@SolidGame_basic: TBH, Uncharted's approach to difficulty isn't even good. They basically increase the bullet sponge level of the combatants. Lurching around like Quasimodo from one point of cover to the next doesn't get more fun or inspired when you're forced to do it for longer because the enemies take longer to clear out. That isn't a patch for level design

I'd argue UC is best enjoyed at moderate difficulty levels where it doesn't bog you down from the cinematic experience. Keep it light and fun

Ok, I get it, you don't like cover shooters lol.

@SolidGame_basic: I like UC fine, but I think they are easily surpassed by RotTR and Shadow of the TR at their own game when it comes to the fundamentals of the gameplay. UC for me shines more on the sense of adventure with a fun cast of characters

• Condemned Criminal Origins, Chapter 5- Bart's department store
• SWAT 4- Mission 2: Fairfax Residence
• Resident Evil 4- Village

@xantufrog: Gotta disagree, I played the original trilogy last year and beat each game on crushing. The enemies aren't buffed that much, they're just better shots and you take way less damage. It makes every encounter (at least in the first two games) crazy with you needing precision aim and knowing each area so you can plan your attacks. I do think the level design in the first two games is really good, best ever no but definitely good.

Central Yharnam in Bloodborne. It is personally the best map layout in a Soulsborne game. it is a "tutorial" level that teaches players all you need to know in a soulsborne game - hidden NPC questline, optional boss, alternate paths, farming routes and gank squads.

It's been a while since I played Tomb Raider, and up until a week ago, same could be said about Uncharted until I started this trilogy play through. I think for me, Uncharted 2 has an incredible level of detail and art that I just love. Also, OST is incredible. Maybe it's not the most 'clever' design that maximizes the most of player choice, but the environment and layout of the level along with the intricate design is what I appreciate the most. It really adds to the adventure aspect that you mention.

I would say that those from Mario in the NES/SNES era; no need for explanation and you get the rules of the game by simple logic.

I'd say all of Half-Life prior to Xen. Standout levels include 'Questionable Ethics' and 'Surface Tension'. I'd say Half-Life 2 followed up quite well too, especially in Episode 2.

Always easy to point out some FromSoftware games as they are built around some tight level design (except for Dark Souls 2). Undead Burg, Painting of Ariamis, Anor Londo, Sen's Fortress, High Wall of Lothric, Ringed City, Fume Tower, etc. Plenty to name. But I'd say Central Yarnham is their crowning jewel for intro levels.

I'll also throw in a curveball and say Visage. The layout of the house and differences they employ when doing different stories keeps it varied.

You are really trying. I platinum Uncharted 1 and 2 and completed it on the hardest difficult. 🥱 You should stick to making your copium threads.😂

Fosho, one of the best levels of all time imo also. The one where you look through the past through a glass device is great also. Damn, Dishonored 2 is such an underrated game... almost criminal

I'd say they certainly did. Although Dark Souls 2 lacked quality level design in the base game, the DLC addons returned with some great verticality and loop backs. Dark Souls 3 certainly did MOST levels better.

Dark Souls itself had some good design, but what people generally loved, was the interconnected levels themselves. Even when said interconnected levels weren't great. I think they are two different concepts.

@HoolaHoopMan: No one agrees with that. Dark Souls III’s levels were nowhere near as awful as Dark Souls III, but none reached the quality of Anor Londo or the Painted World. The best two are probably Irythill Dungeon and the Cathedral, but suggesting it did levels better than DkS is nothing short of a farce.

Last time I checked, 'Easy' isn't considered the hardest difficulty 😎

@vfighter: according to the Wiki, Crushing does the following (a combo of what we were both saying):

You have 50% health

You you do 50% damage to enemies (aka, they become 2x as spongy)

You take 2x damage

Sure they did. Ringed City and Painted world of Ariandel are better than both.

This is probably an unpopular opinion given its rep, but I think the level design (set pieces) and what not in Episode 1 are better than Halflife 2s, barring the final padded out escort section.

For example, the opening citadel sequence has more verticality and generally more going on than Halflife 2's final god mode section.

When operating with Alyx she's kinda just "around" in Halflife 2, whereas in Episode 1 she's used directly as a means of light in conjunction with the gravity gun.

The hospital sequence as well I think is better than any of the later Halflife 2 street sections.

But, final section, bad.

Just did the Train level in Uncharted 2. Another great level!

That's a very interesting analysis, never thought of that. I really enjoyed replaying it this year, so much nostalgia.

Another sony praise thread in disguise.

I actually agree. Episode 1 is generally seen as the weakest part but I loved having to reroute back into the Citadel. Those sequences getting back their are pretty good.