Water levels are truly unique. All that water, having to swim in it with controls that usually work flawlessly, and don't forget trying to avoid enemies and traps along the way. That's almost always a breeze, especially when you are often slowed by the swimming mechanics. It would be difficult to find a water level that isn't close to perfection. They almost always offer a deep-sea adventure full of some combination of aquatic enemies, puzzles you can't get enough of, and controls that mimic swimming and moving in the water to the tee.
What makes water levels the most fun is the often added challenge of trying to do things before your air timer runs out and your character drowns. While not implemented in all flooded areas, the ones that have that going for it are some of the best. In fact, there should be more water levels in all games with slow-moving controls and air timers! Here are some of the very best water levels that we definitely don’t hate.
7 Super Mario Bros 3 - Level 7-4
Can you call a platformer a platformer if it doesn’t include a water level? Well luckily, Level 7-4 in Super Mario Bros 3 is a masterclass in water worlds, and it's also one of the hardest Super Mario Levels. This is one of those water worlds that allows you to breathe underwater as long as you want, but there are a ton of enemies to try and out-swim.
Of course, many of the enemies in this level cannot be harmed, and instead, you get to swim with these flashing jellyfish-like creatures that will hurt you. What an experience! Who needs a beach vacation with snorkeling when you can swim with dangerous creatures?
6 The Water Temple - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
So many people loved this level when Ocarina of Time was released in 1998. It’s definitely someone’s favorite Temple in the game. It might even be the best level in the entire Legend of Zelda series. Although, Link can breathe underwater thanks to his trusty Zora Tunic, so there is no timer counting down until he drowns. Sad times.
Fortunately, the best part of The Water Temple comes in the form of Link’s Iron Boots. Link is unable to swim up or down and so in order to move in those directions, you must go into the menu and equip or unequip the most fashionable boots in gaming history to slowly sink or float upward. Then, once you are walking, Link moves so incredibly slowly. It’s like playing the game in slow motion while also struggling to figure out where to go in a very confusingly designed dungeon. All the hallmarks of a not at all frustrating experience.
5 Star Fox 64 - Aquas Ocean
Most water levels have you controlling a character, but in Star Fox, you’re a character piloting a ship, so it’s a nice break from the norm. To really ramp up the challenge, though, you get to experience the level with a very limited amount of light. It's all in the name of realism, right?
It’s hard to see much of anything as you maneuver your large underwater ship in minimal lighting. Thankfully you have the ability to fire torpedoes to see which seems like a completely foolproof idea with no drawbacks at all. You’ll probably run into a few things, but honestly, it’s just going to make you stronger and more resilient!
4 Sonic the Hedgehog - Labyrinth Zone 1
Sonic has always been about going as fast as you can while collecting goodies and everything in the series is a colorful blur. However, some people don’t enjoy going fast all the time. Sonic deserves a break, and that’s why the water levels in the Sonic series are great for taking a moment to sit back and just slow down. Especially in Labyrinth Zone 1. Some people say it is nightmare-inducing, while others count it as one of the best gaming levels in history.
Who doesn’t love going from running at a breakneck speed to having to swim slowly from air bubble to air bubble, so you don’t drown? Throw in moving and jumping really slowly, and you’ll have no choice but to sit and meditate on why you’re playing such a fantastic water level. Does that not sound like fun?
3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Water Dam
While it came out on the NES, the Water Dam level still holds up today. It, like so many games that came after, implements the ability to not breathe underwater. We definitely don’t hate that part.
You’ll make your way from contraption to contraption that lets you breathe for whole seconds at a time, all while avoiding electric currents and wild, glowing seaweed that will sap your health. Oh, and once you use the machines that give you air, they break! That adds an extra layer of strategy as you move slowly through the level to try and reach some bombs to disable. Fun times.
2 Metal Gear Solid 2 - Big Shell
It’s a fact that most gamers love an escort mission. Having to shield and save a usually defenseless person who likes to move really slowly just makes a game more fun. But what about when that escort mission takes place underwater? You’re merging two perfect worlds.
In Metal Gear Solid 2, a game full of hidden details, you’re tasked with rescuing Emma. She can’t swim and the building you’re in is flooding, so she gets to cling to you for dear life as you clumsily maneuver underwater in the smallest of hallways. All while, you guessed it, looking out for both your own and her oxygen meter. Double the breath-holding fun!
1 Skies of Arcadia - Mount Kazai
It’s not often you encounter a water level in a turn-based role-playing game, but Skies of Arcadia includes one of the best that we definitely don’t hate.
You get to move underwater and look almost like an astronaut and because you move slower, you’ll encounter enemies with the game’s random enemy encounters more often, which means you can level up faster. While some might say the layout is confusing and there are too many puzzles, just know they’re wrong. Mount Kazai is perfect, just the way it is.