Getting stuck on a level or quest in a game you’ve otherwise enjoyed is one of the worst things. It can really drag you down, whether you encounter a sudden difficulty spike or your character lacks the proper equipment. So, let me share some levels in games that made me want to pull my hair out.
1. The Meat Circus – Psychonauts
Psychonauts has to be one of my favourite games of all time. But eff the Meat Circus. While not enough to fully dampen my love for this game overall, it does put a sour note at the end of an otherwise perfect title. While not impossible, The Meat Circus has to be one of the most frustrating levels to get through. The platforming is just incredibly tiresome. The entire rest of the game I found the platforming either fine or even sometimes actually enjoyable, all that is out the window here. The camera angles absolutely screw you over and you are constantly punished by having to restart entire sections of the platforming again and again until you’re ready to jump off a high wire IRL yourself. And on TOP of that, Little Oli is just so darn annoying. Sometimes I just stand there and let him get punched to death to let a bit of frustration out because honestly!
2. Escorting The Baron and The Botchling back to Crows Perch – The Witcher 3
While I know lifting the curse is the better option, boy do I regret making it every playthrough. During this stage of the questline, you simply have to help the Baron carry the Botchling baby back up to the manor. But of course, it isn’t that simple. Not only does the Baron randomly decide to move at about 0.5 mph all of a sudden, but the Botching occasionally sends out loud squeals, drawing wraiths to them. You then of course have to fend of the wraiths until the Baron will start moving again. This section is honestly so annoying, because the manor is like RIGHT THERE! Why is this taking SO LONG! Give me the damn Botchling, I’ll yeet it up there in five seconds flat. But instead, we’re stuck slowly crawling on up this small incline and having to take down wave after wave of annoying wraiths until finally the game allows us to reach the manor. While not an entire quest length of annoyance, it causes me to groan with despair every time I get to it, so that’s why it made my list.
3. Follow the Train CJ – GTA: San Andreas
This level is a meme for a good reason. It’s SO annoying. The Wrong Side of the Tracks mission starts out simple enough. You get to the train station intending to crash a deal but it all goes wrong. Queue, you having to chase down the train and kill some thugs, while meanwhile you’ve got cars to avoid AND the potential of being slammed into by an oncoming train. Additionally, if you slow down too much, BAM mission failed train has got away. If Big Smoke is flung off the motorbike by something entirely unrelated to you, BAM mission failed. If you cough without covering your mouth – well, you won’t get a mission failed, but it’s nasty don’t do that. Anyway, like I mentioned a line from this mission became such a big meme because any gamer who has tried to do it knows the pain of hearing it again and AGAIN. I need a serious trip to Cluckin’ Bell after relieving the trauma of this mission…
4. Command Deck – Bioshock: Infinite
As the last major fight of the game, you do expect it to be tough. But it didn’t have to be THIS tough. This level honestly always leaves me needing to lay down afterwards on account of all the micromanaging you need to do. You’ve got gunships to the left, gunships to the right, Motorised Patriots rocking up, more goons arriving, MORE zeppelins, Songbird to command AND of course, trying to keep on top of your health, salts and ammo. Like, I consider myself to be fairly decent at multitasking, but even I struggle to get through this level with my dignity intact. The only advice I have here is just use and abuse everything you have, not just your weapons. The Vigors can come in clutch at times. But even so, this level is quite a workout for the old heart rate, that’s for sure!
5. Broodmother Boss Battle – Dragon Age: Origins
Ah, the level that almost made me never finish one of my other favourite games of all time. Through my entire first run of Dragon Age: Origins I never really got stuck anywhere. Until… the Brood Mother. During the Paragon of her Kind Questline you find yourself in the Deep Roads to search for a missing dwarf called Branka. After making your way deep deeeep down and fighting of endless enemies and dealing with all sorts of creepy Dawnspawn stuff, you’re faced with one of the most annoying boss battles in the entire game. The Broodmother. Although she doesn’t really move, this battle honestly drove me to seriously consider quitting the game and I think I took a solid few weeks before trying my next attempt. Eventually I beat the level, but by the Maker it was tedious.
6. The Journey through the Nosferatu Warrens – Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
This game has a couple of particularly painful sections, but this HAS to be the most painful. While on the search for the Ankaran Saprophagous, you’re tasked with tracking down Gary, the Nosferatu Primogen. But of course, Gary isn’t just anywhere. As a Nosferatu, he lives with his other beastly looking brethren deep under the city. Which leads you down a section of the game well known for being a pain in the butt. The trip through the Nosferatu Warrens is long, tedious and incredibly confusing. It’s hard to know which way is what and there is a LOT of enemies meaning if you don’t come equipped with a butt tone of blood packs, you’re going to have a tough time. Gary is an amazing character though to be honest, so I do think he’s worth the frustrating journey. But it doesn’t make the journey itself any less painful while you’re doing it.
So, those were some levels in games that made me want to pull my hair out.
Are you sitting there thinking, “Hey, what about these levels in games that made ME want to pull my hair out?’ Well, then share them in the comments below! And before you go why not check out some of our other awesome list type posts here, or even leap over to our YouTube channel for more awesome content from us.
