Bubble Man – Mega Man 2
For the uninitiated, Bubble Man’s stage may appear sort of hellish. In spite of everything, though Mega Man strikes in the identical approach as when he is on land, the gravity when you’re underwater is totally out of whack. Which means that basic motion is slower than normal, and jumps can ship you skyrocketing into the air; a truth vastly exacerbated by the spikes lining the ceiling.
Once you’re clued up on the final format of the stage, nevertheless, it may be an absolute blast. What helps vastly (and will increase the potential enjoyment much more) is when you beat Steel Man’s stage first and use its weapon, the Steel Blade, throughout Bubble Man’s stage. These darn frogs, jellyfish, and shrimp develop into nothing greater than mere annoyances if you’re chucking round saws in each path. OR
The Crater Edge – Subnautica
Diving into the waters of Planet 4546B means you need to be fairly courageous, significantly as you discover The Crater Edge, which is a part of an enormous aquatic volcano. Sitting on the fringe of the map, The Crater Edge is filled with a few of the scariest and most harmful “fish” you will discover. However exploring this darkish dank ocean may be completely thrilling — if what you are doing.
Subnautica may be stress-free when you need it to be, however the darkish depths that await will nonetheless check your nerves. Do not mess with these Ghost Leviathan — when you see one thing glowing, steer clear of it. AH
Lake Kingdom – Tremendous Mario Odyssey
Mario is one other franchise that appears to know how one can make a superb water stage. Sure, Dire, Dire Rocks is iconic, and Tremendous Mario Galaxy has some glorious water-based ranges, however the serene, pastel Lake Kingdom needs to be my favorite.
Lake Lamode is dwelling to a few of the greatest style designers on this planet. The attire are stunning, the underwater flora is floaty, and the inhabitants are quirky. It is most likely some of the stress-free ranges in Tremendous Mario Odyssey — and I can not say that for a lot of water ranges. The underwater buildings, plaza, and even the shops are all submerged in pristine white-marbled buildings. Put merely, Lake Kingdom is a pleasure. AH
Tower of Antsudlo – Sea of Stars
Regardless of pulling collectively these beauties for this record, we’re effectively conscious that lots of water ranges generally is a little bit of a nightmare stuffed with difficult mechanics and tedious design. However this could not be farther from Sea of Stars’ Tower of Antsudlo, a dungeon so chilled that I nearly forgot the dreaded underwater theming whereas taking part in.
The fantastic thing about this one for me is in its simplicity. Tower of Antsudlo appears intimidating on the floor (or ‘beneath the floor,’ if we’re being choosy) with a large number of branching paths and shifting water pipes, nevertheless it’s truly pleasingly linear. You be taught the mechanic, you set it into apply, you repeat. Easy. There are not any nasty digicam controls or motion migraines to navigate, as an alternative you’ve got a delightful central puzzle which is kindly there to carry your hand all through.
Oh, additionally — shock! horror! — the music slaps. JN
Rapture – Bioshock
Sure mate, it counts. From the second you scramble as much as the lighthouse and step into the bathysphere till (spoilers) the tip, you are underwater! Bloody metropolis’s completely submerged, innit, and it is bought ranges. It is in.
The perfect factor I can say about Rapture is that regardless of it being a grimy, leaking hellscape full of ghoulish denizens turned insane by way of gene-splicing, some smooth Artwork Deco styling and a winsome ’40s playlist can actually work wonders. Add in dramatic uplighting and classic amusement arcade trappings and it is a marvel Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen did not co-opt this type for each room he ever modified. You already know, moderately than portray every part purple when the proprietor’s solitary stipulation was ‘no purple.’
Sure, Rapture is a horrible, horrible place, nevertheless it’s additionally certainly one of gaming’s most immersive locales. Or ought to that be subversive?… Oh, cease choosing holes and scroll right down to the subsequent entry. GL
20,000 Lums Underneath the Sea – Rayman Legends
20,000 Lums Underneath the Sea is among the extra distinctive entries on this record. When you’re questioning what you get when you cross underwater exploration with a spy novel, effectively, right here it’s.
Impressed by Mission: Unattainable, James Bond, and Splinter Cell (by way of Polygon), 20,000 Lums is a foreboding world that follows a whole spy mission. Some ranges are above-ground, some contain you swimming and infiltrating a base, and others have you ever sneaking by way of corridors and fixing puzzles. It is a unbelievable twist on the standard water stage, and modifications issues up simply sufficient so you are not driving your self mad swimming round as Rayman. AH
Aquas – Star Fox 64
As certainly one of two oceanic planets within the Lylat System, Aquas is a fairly distinctive and memorable world in Star Fox. You may go to Aquas in the course of the “onerous” route and allows you to pilot the Blue Marine. When you like energy kicks, you then’ll love this submarine with its limitless homing torpedoes.
You may want to make use of these torpedoes to make your approach by way of what generally is a fairly troublesome stage. there are ruins to destroy to open up paths and loads of unknown creatures to keep away from. And to high all of it off, a large mutant clam lies in wait on the finish. Going by this record, house and water makes for some fairly scary locales. AH
Aquarium Park – Sonic Colours Final
Take every part that makes Hydrocity Zone enjoyable and put it into an underwater park. That is oversimplifying issues a little, however Aquarium Park is all about stunning surroundings and fast-paced water platforming.
Adorned with East Asian-inspired buildings and lined with a dome, Aquarium Park weaves paths above and under water, main Sonic down a Dragon Street-style runway. It teaches you new methods to make use of the Drill Wisp, providing you with much more pace and adaptability beneath the water. It is that blend of the factitious park and the attractive, serene underwater areas that depart an enduring impression, and it is simply top-of-the-line water ranges in a 3D Sonic recreation. AH
Blue Gap – Dave The Diver
Dave loves nothing greater than spending time within the Blue Gap, and I can not blame him. Upon the primary dive, I used to be enraptured with the attractive, peaceable nature of the ocean. Even with risks lurking within the depths of the ocean, I used to be comfortable to swim round and take my time gathering fish.
You see, the Blue Gap is extra than simply an ocean. It is dwelling to the Sea Folks, and homes many historic ruins from a long-gone time. A complete glacial area is hidden deep, deep past the traditional depth ranges. The ocean creatures get scarier — however you additionally get extra highly effective. Even with the specter of hazard, there’s nothing extra thrilling than leaping into the ocean and gathering fish. Combating sharks is much less annoying than the sushi enterprise, okay? AH
Ocean – Abzû
Abzû might be probably the most stunning recreation on this record. It is also probably the most chill. When you do not wish to swim away from sharks or fish, then Abzu is completely the sport for you — significantly when you take pleasure in discovering issues. Though it is impressed by the cosmic ocean and Sumerian fable, Abzu’s ethereal world is extra welcoming than a few of these different legendary, magical oceans.
Identical to Journey — which lots of the builders at Large Squid labored on earlier than — Abzu is considerate, easy, and methodical. It is all about taking issues at your individual tempo. Plus, who would not with these sea-green waters, blossoming pink seaweed, and an array of beautiful, vibrant fish? Is that this dishonest? Possibly. However Abzû’s underwater marvel is a sight to behold. AH
Labyrinth Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog
This makes my private picks as a result of, even with its many spikes, badniks, spiked badniks, and the existential dread that comes from that five-beat countdown to demise by drowning, it is simply so nice to have a look at.
The nice and cozy stone blocks, hanging vines, crystalline growths, and clear inexperienced waters of this zone make for a refreshing combo after Spring Yard. Throw in some cascading falls, just a few historic mechanisms, and a fantastically bouncy loop from Masato Nakamura, and it is a pretty place to get misplaced. If you are going to die frantically shifting left and proper making an attempt to summon a bubble from a tiny crack, it could as effectively be someplace fairly. GL
Do you’ve got a favorite underwater stage? Are you itching to dive into Limitless Ocean Luminous? Tell us within the feedback.