Video games are an art form, and the levels used to build many of them can be thought of as the brush strokes that make it all possible. And yet, as with any medium, there are moments that don’t go quite right. Even fantastic games feature stretches where design principles falter or potential remains unmet.
Thankfully, there are plenty of welcome exceptions to the rule, too. Such games linger in our memory, long after we’ve forgotten their minor imperfections. They never stop calling us to return to them once more. Here are 10 such games from across generations and platforms that offer an unbroken string of levels that are genuine masterpieces.
1
The Legend of Zelda (NES)
Released: Feb. 21, 1986
By today’s standards, the levels in The Legend of Zelda might not seem like much. Puzzles were simplistic, and the actions necessary to advance through them could get repetitive. However, those seemingly basic designs hit a lot differently in the mid 1980s, thanks to a few important factors. For starters, the templates featured a different hue for each dungeon, which really impacted the sense of atmosphere. The music changed only once, for the final stage, but there were other elements to keep things fresh, from enemies to environmental barriers and traps. After players cleared the first quest, they discovered a second one waiting with false walls and bubbles that robbed hero Link of his ability to swing a sword.
2
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (PS1)
Released: Sep. 20, 2000
Video game characters need not be plumbers, elves, or hedgehogs to navigate interesting levels. They don’t even have to be in the hero business, as Tony Hawk proved with his successful series of skating games featuring professional athletes thrashing their way through popular locations in America and beyond. The compact settings were the perfect playgrounds for skaters to perform tricks and catch air, all while racking up ridiculous scores to unlock still more destinations. A new location felt like a true gift, because you just knew it would offer new thrills and opportunities. Players spent dozens of hours finding the best lines and bragging to their friends. Five years ago, a new generation of players got the chance to do the same thing again, when Activision released Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 for PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
3
Mega Man X (SNES)
Released: Dec. 17, 1993
The early Mega Man games on the NES were packed with levels we’ll never forget. Several of them might easily have appeared on this list. But the original Mega Man X used the additional power of the Super Nintendo hardware to elevate the experience. After a memorable stage that found X jumping along the crumbling remains of a ruined highway, the game presented the usual eight robot foes to tackle in any order. Actions taken in one stage might impact another, which was cool all on its own. The sheer variety on display was another high point. X raided underground mines, swam through waterlogged passages, scaled towers, and negotiated frozen tundra while riding in mechs. Taken individually and as a whole, the levels make us excited to see what Capcom manages with Mega Man: Dual Override, which is due to launch in 2027 for Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
4
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
Released: Oct. 23, 1988
Nintendo’s developers have had level design down for a long time, and the Super Mario series proves it. Numerous games featuring Mario might easily have claimed a spot on a list like this one, but none of them deserve it more than Super Mario Bros. 3. It divides those levels among worlds, as usual, but with maps to let players follow preferred routes to remote castles. Tellingly, players may find themselves playing levels they don’t need to clear to progress through the game, simply because they’re so much fun. Almost every new stage brings something new to the table, whether introducing a new mechanic or enemy, or asking players to deal with hazards in new ways. Other games in the series got more ambitious with the same design philosophy, but none of them have ever done it better.
5
Celeste (multiplatform)
Released: Jan. 25, 2018
Designed in ways that feel immediately reminiscent of Super Meat Boy, but with a message respectful of the player’s mental health, Celeste presents challenging set pieces from its opening moments. The hero jumps to avoid crumbling blocks, air dashes to safety when the ground falls into one abyss or another, and climbs along walls over beds of spikes — and that’s just within the first few bite-sized segments. An homage to the design principles of older platformers, new challenges come organically, allowing players who have persevered over similar challenges to triumph yet again. Deviously placed strawberries add to the difficulty for those who want to acquire them, but they’re not necessary. With enough practice and determination, players may develop the razor-sharp skills necessary to someday say the adventure was easy as pie… or perhaps not.
6
Astro Bot (PS5)
Released: Sep. 6, 2024
Mario is the king of the 3D platforming genre he first made popular. But that doesn’t mean there will be no rival contenders for the crown. Sony’s various development teams have tried to usurp him several times, producing many great games in the process. None of them come closer than Team Asobi did with Astro Bot, however. It delights in its variety, with levels that feel like they might have been ripped right out of Super Mario Galaxy. There’s no filler. A new delight waits around every corner. And while some of the optional challenges get extremely difficult, there’s no rule saying you have to conquer them. They’re still very good, just designed to appeal to a different audience. Together, the varied stages and the challenges some of them pose ensure there’s something cool for everyone who likes platformers.
7
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)
Released: Mar. 25, 2022
Traditional Kirby games show the action from the side, but Hal Laboratory tried something a little different with Kirby and the Forgotten Land. A shift in presentation allowed it to pack the stages full of alternate routes, hidden loot, and fun little challenges that let the pink puffball play around with new abilities while navigating the same (mostly) relaxing environments as always. The approach wasn’t purely 3D, instead adopting a hybrid approach like Super Mario 3D World, and it worked beautifully on the Switch. Then it came to Switch 2, where it improved thanks to DLC that added 12 new levels and other extras. Because the only thing better than a bunch of nearly perfect levels is more of them.
8
Super Monkey Ball (GameCube)
Released: May 2001
Originally released in arcades in early 2001 before heading to GameCube as a launch title later that same year, Super Monkey Ball has a variety of compelling modes that made it a standout title on Nintendo’s new hardware. The main game comprises a variety of tight levels spread across three difficulty settings. Players are dropped on an island hanging in space, and they must tilt the platform so a ball rolls to a goal line, collecting tantalizing bananas along the way. Additional rules encourage complete mastery of the stages, which quickly grow demanding in a way that makes you want to try them again and again. The stages are too brief to grow tiresome, and each one conquered feels like an accomplishment — especially deeper in the game.
9
Pizza Tower (Switch, PC)
Released: Jan. 26, 2023
If you like your games a bit like Wario Land, there’s good news for you in Pizza Tower. Suddenly, you can survive falling into pits and brushing against enemies. You just won’t score as high. But there’s freedom in that design, and plenty of motivation too. Stages that might have been something to survive are now a place to thrive, especially while utilizing new transformations. Players will come to appreciate each twisting corridor and wily adversary, eventually viewing them as opportunities rather than impediments. The same might not be said of the boss battles (which do incorporate a life meter and require a different sort of skill), particularly near the end of the adventure. But even if you decide the bosses aren’t your cup of tea, it’s difficult to find fault with the levels. You’ll probably want to experience them over and over again.
10
Battletoads (NES)
Released: June 1991
On the one hand, Battletoads is more difficult than most games have the right to ever be. On the other, each new level is cool enough that you’ll want to develop the skills necessary to see it. From a pit loaded with spikes and giant snakes, to a rocket ride over a lake of lava, to a wild set of rapids and whirlpools navigated on a flimsy surfboard, the game had it all. The speed tunnel stage early in the proceedings was where a lot of players hit a wall, due to the ramped up difficulty. But even that level wasn’t bad, especially once you played enough to memorize what was coming next. It just demanded more than some of us were prepared to give. And still we played, because there was so much to see and do — and we didn’t want to miss any of it.
