From nostalgic beginnings to challenging favorites, join us as we explore the gaming stages that players just can't stop revisiting! Whether it's for the thrill of mastery, the joy of discovery, or simply because they're forced to keep trying, these levels have left an indelible mark on gaming history.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the video game stages,
00:13levels, and areas that gamers revisited the most often, whether out of enjoyment, frustration,
00:18or nostalgia.
00:27Number 10, Fort Frolic, Bioshock Franchise.
00:37The retro-futuristic underwater city of Rapture has many creepy and fascinating environments.
00:42However, few are as talked about or revisited as Fort Frolic.
00:46The area is essentially Rapture's shopping and entertainment district.
00:49However, it's been taken over by the unhinged artist Sander Cohen, whose idea of art is
00:54decidedly violent.
01:04Between the spider slicers crawling the ceiling and the plastered splicers acting like statues,
01:09and then moving when you look away, the level ups the scare factor quite a bit.
01:13Additionally, the macabre artwork and violent ballet you're forced to perform are especially
01:17memorable.
01:18It's no wonder why Fort Frolic is so much fun to revisit, whether it's in single-player
01:22or multiplayer.
01:32Number 9, The Silent Cartographer, Halo Combat Evolved.
01:45There are many fantastic Halo levels, but The Silent Cartographer has a dedicated fan
01:50base that is anything but silent.
01:52The first game's fourth level sees Master Chief and a group of Marines rock up to an
01:56island to assault a Covenant position.
01:59From the initial beach landings, you transition freely between vehicle sections, infiltrating
02:03tight corridors, and taking on tough enemies such as the Hunters.
02:12Everything about the level, from its variety to the electric guitar themes, to the weapon
02:16variety seems designed to make you feel like a badass.
02:20It's like if the Normandy beach landings had a rock soundtrack and a smaller death
02:23toll.
02:24Speaking of which...
02:32Number 8, Omaha Beach, Medal of Honor Allied Assault.
02:41As immersive as war films like Saving Private Ryan can be with their depiction of the Normandy
02:46landings, Medal of Honor Allied Assault takes things one step further by truly dropping
02:50players into the middle of the action.
02:52The initial scripted sequence sees the front lines drop as the boats hit the beach, and
02:56things only get more chaotic from there.
03:08Graphical limitations aside, the level still manages to capture the terror and chaos of
03:12the historical landings.
03:14Whether players replay the level to experience the intensity again, or to further appreciate
03:18the real men who fought in this dangerous battle, Omaha Beach is a level gamers pay
03:22their respects to time and time again.
03:33Number 7, Effect & Cause, Titanfall 2.
03:44This sci-fi shooter has a ton of cool mechanics, but this level features arguably the coolest
03:49one in any FPS, time shifting.
03:52Throughout the level, you'll transition between a ruined facility in the present and the untarnished
03:56location in the past.
03:57The time swapping is incredibly seamless here, and is incorporated in so many fun ways into
04:02the gameplay.
04:12You use it to solve puzzles, progress through areas that are closed off in one time period,
04:16and in combat to dodge your foes who think you're somehow just teleporting.
04:20It's such an amazing mechanic that we'd play an entire game just like this.
04:33Number 6, Rainbow Road, Mario Kart Franchise.
04:39Yeah, okay, technically there are multiple Rainbow Road levels out there, but they all
04:46have a common theme, so yeah, let's go with it.
04:48They're usually the final track in every Mario Kart game.
04:51They're set in space, or a black void, with a brightly colored road of many colors.
04:55Oh, and they're usually extremely difficult to say the least.
05:07You don't even need to get hit by a Koopa shell to get knocked off, because chances
05:10are you'll fall off on your own accord.
05:12A feast for the eyes and a challenge for racers, Rainbow Road never fails to attract gamers
05:17through its enticing combo of dazzling visuals and expert challenge.
05:26Number 5, Warehouse, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Franchise.
05:36First levels in video games tend to be some of the most replayed, particularly if they
05:40feature in multiple games.
05:42The iconic Warehouse in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games is one such great example.
05:47It's the perfect introduction to the series' skating-focused gameplay, with plenty of half-pipes,
05:51rails, and other things to grind on, with most of the collectibles pretty easy to find.
05:58However, there are still enough secrets to find that the Warehouse still feels fresh
06:06whether it's your first time playing it or your hundredth.
06:09Much like the early 2000s soundtrack, going through the glass to get that tape just never
06:13gets old.
06:15Number 4, Hidden Plain Sight, Uncharted 4, A Thief's End.
06:32This level is practically a work of art.
06:34It starts off simple enough, sure.
06:36You explore a marketplace, do a little haggling.
06:38Then you're exploring a church, platforming up the massive gears.
06:41Next there's a puzzle to solve.
06:43The chapter then transitions to a shootout, which develops into a massive car chase that
06:47sees you smashing through neighborhoods and driving on rooftops.
06:57Then you're jumping between cars as everything crescendos into a crazy action sequence.
07:02And that's not even touching on the story beats and great acting that are going on during
07:06all of this either.
07:07There's more gameplay variety and thrills packed into this single level than you'll
07:10find in entire games.
07:20Number 3, Turbo Tunnel, Battletoads.
07:30Sometimes you replay a level because it's just that good, and sometimes you replay a
07:34level because it's literally impossible to complete on the first time.
07:37Or the second.
07:38Or, well, you know, the thousands.
07:40Or never if you're like me.
07:41Turbo Tunnel is among the most infamous levels in gaming, simply because of just how much
07:45of a bottleneck it is for progression in the game.
07:54Turbo Tunnel requires precise timing and memorization of the obstacles in your way as you drive
07:59a speeder bike at breakneck speeds down a blind corridor.
08:02It's only the third level in the game, and yet most players will probably never see what
08:06happens beyond it, because we all gave up repeatedly after failing to defeat it.
08:15Number 2, Green Hill Zone Act 1, Sonic the Hedgehog.
08:28The Blue Blur's first game's first stage remains one of the most iconic video game
08:32levels ever made.
08:33That infectiously catchy tune has lived in all of our heads rent-free since the day the
08:37game debuted.
08:38Likewise, Sonic bouncing off enemies' heads and running up those loop-de-loops has been
08:42ingrained in pop culture.
08:44Like most Sonic levels, there's a surprising degree of depth that adds to its replayability.
08:52Sure, you can just blast through it as fast as you can, but taking it slow can yield alternate
09:00past and unfamiliar areas years after you first played it.
09:03And even if you've never played the original, the series' many remixed versions in later
09:07games ensure that Green Hill Zone will be revisited endlessly.
09:32Number 1, Bom-Bom Battlefield, Super Mario 64.
09:42Of course, we know there are tons of replayable Mario levels, so many, yet if we have to nail
09:47down which has been replayed the most out of all of them, we're gonna probably go
09:51with Bom-Bom Battlefield.
09:52Sure, it's a first level, but it's also the first level of the first 3D Mario title.
10:03The whole stage is a veritable platforming playground and gives off a wonderful sense
10:07of freedom.
10:08Collecting all the stars is fun, but the open design and minor details invite so much experimentation.
10:14There are multiple warps to discover, you can tool around on a Koopa shell, or soar
10:18over everything with the wing cap.
10:20Bom-Bom Battlefield was the first taste of 3D gameplay for many players, and it's a
10:24flavor we continue to savor repeatedly, even decades later.
10:31So is there a video game stage you can't stop playing?
10:34Roll with us in the comments and come out swinging with your favorites!