It’s misogynistic in this current year to declare that, “you’re not a man until you’ve beaten Ocarina‘s Water Temple.” So it’s probably best to just say you’re not a person worth having a conversation with if you haven’t beaten Ocarina of Time‘s Water Temple. It’s a right of passage for every human on this earth. I still have scar tissue from my run in the late 90’s. What would we ever talk about if we can’t connect over our Water Temple angst?
There are plenty of other games out there that aren’t quite as difficult on a design level as the Water Temple, but they are ridiculously hard thanks to the era they’re from. Take The Dam, from the NES release of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. It’s a game that would cause blisters on your thumb and mind.
And of course, no list discussing the most difficult levels in history could ever be complete without a mention of the Souls series. We have Ornstein and Smough at #3 on the list, and they deserve it.
Finally, in spot numero uno, the most evil video game level ever created — the Turbo Tunnel from Battletoads. May God have mercy on the souls of the people who created this nightmare. This isn’t even difficult game design, it’s just a simple impossibility.