Natural biomes and video game levels or areas go together like butter and warm toast — they just make sense when paired with one another. Biomes in video games are practically cliches at this point — we all know what a for🐼est, fire, or water level looks and plays like, but when creative developers🍒 work their magic within these cliches, it reminds us why biomes can be such amazing building blocks for a game’s setting.

With that said, some biomes are always going to be more memorable than others in video games. Whether it’s be🐽cause their natural qualities are more appealing, or games tend to get more inventive with certain biomes over others, there are always going to be certain level types that elicit a greater sense of excitement and anticipation over others.

10 Grasslaꦚnds 🌞

An Open Field Of Possibilities

Iconic grassland levels and areas in video games include:

• Hyrule Field (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Legend of Zelda)
• Bionis’ Leg (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Xenoblade Chronicles)
• Green Hill Zone (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Sonic The Hedgehog)

Grasslands are often used in video games to convey a sense of peace and tranquillity. There’s a reason why grasslands are common🍃ly the first level o♋r world of a video game. By design, they are non-threatening, evoking calm within as you begin your grand adventure.

The other main use for grasslands — particular𝐆ly in open-world games and RPGs — is to act as a connecting region between towns, dungeons, and other points of interests. Their long stretches of grassy plains make them the ideal biome for filling up a lot of space without having to commit to excessive amounts of detail.

9 Caves

What We Find Down Below

Iconic cave levels and areas in video games include:

• The caves in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Minecraft
• Sellia Hideaway (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Elden Ring)
• Hazy Maze Cave (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Super Mario 64)

Caves can be difficult biomes to make interesting as they are, in reality, little more than just some really dark holes in the rock. The best 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:video game cave levels are the ones that use this sense of the unknওown to evoke dread, mystery, or wonder.

Enemies are always a lot 🐼scarier when you can’t see them coming, and ancient ruins feel so much more mystifying when they are found underground. Caves are all about discovering the hidden and the unseen andꦜ, when done well, can unearth some of the most memorable moments in a video game.

8 Swamp /🔥 Marsh ❀

The Levels That Suck You Right In

Iconic swamp/marsh levels and areas in video games include:

• Satorl Marsh (Xenoblade Chronicles)
• Point Lookout (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Fallout 3)
• Deep Darkness (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Earthbound)

Swamps and marshes aren’t as commonly used as a level type in video g🦩ames as other biomes, but when they do get featured, they often leave their mark. Swamp levels and areas are typically places found deep within the wilderness of a game’s world, far away from any semblance of civilization or safety.

Their murky aesthetics ooze a sense of dread and their layouts and obstacles are often intentionally designed to disorient you. While rarely the prettiest area of a game, swamps and marshes have nonetheless carved out their 💜own special place in the repertoire of video game levels.

7 Desert

The Biome That Can Really Heat Things Up

Iconic desert levels and areas in video games include:

• Chapter 18: The Rub’ Al Khali (Uncharted 3)
• Sand Kingdom (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Super Mario Odyssey)
• The Wasteland (Jak 3)

There is perhaps no greater disparity between the best and the worst examples of any other video game biome than with desert levels (although, water levels are a close second). When executed poorly, deserts in games are boring expanses of endless sand that do little to inspire the imagination or encoura👍ge interesting gameplay.

But when they are done well, a video game desert level can be the ultimate sand﷽box (pun intended), filled with fascinating discoveries and hidden treasures. Desert🐠s ignite your adventurous spirit in a way few other biomes can, capturing the scale and majesty of the wilderness through its sweeping landscapes and palpable call of what lies beyond.

6 Ocean / Unde🐽rwater

You Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Get A Little Wet

Iconic ocean/underwater levels and areas in video games include:

• Coral Capers (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Donkey Kong Country)
• Rapture (BioShock)
• The Great Sea (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)

Water and ocean levels get a bad rap in video game circles, as the very act of being in or on top of a body of water is likely going to augment your character’s movement in ways that are often restrictive and not enjoyable. However, whether you’re going for a swim🍰 or sailing across the open sea, there is still somet♉hing magical about taking to the water in a video game.

Maybe it’s because diving beneath the waves opens up a whole new world to explore and interact with that can be drastically different from the rest of the game. Or maybe it’s because168澳洲幸运5开奖网: water levels can so effortlessly switch from calming to destructive in a heartbeat. Whatever it is, and as easy as they are to complai🦋n about, a well-designed o꧙cean or underwater level can easily become the highlight of a game.

5 Mountains

Reaching New Heights

Iconic mountain levels and areas in video games include:

• The Throat of the World (Skyrim)
• Mount Celeste (Celeste)
• Death Mountain (The Legend of Zelda)

Mountains, much like in real life, are co🌱mmonly used in video games to signal the ultimate challenge. There🅘 is a natural urge in most players to ascend mountains you can see on the horizon, and whether that climb is a part of the game’s narrative or is an optional quest, reaching the summit is often a hugely rewarding achievement.

Mountains can also play a big role in the lore of a game — whether they are home to an ancient civilization or are occupied by a dragon or two.ꦏ There’s always something that draws you to mountains in video games, meaning whenever you spot one, you’re going to want to find out what’s on its peak.

4 Fire /♉ Lava 🔯

Time To Fire Things Up

Iconic fire/lava levels and areas in video games include:

• Norfair (Super Metroid)
• Iron Keep (Dark Souls 2)
• Old Smoky (Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch)

No other video game level biome gives as much intensity as fire or lava levels. By theiܫr nature, there is a destructive force behind these environments that manifests in both the aesthetics and gameplay.

You do not want to mess around in these areas, as failure can often lead to your character getting a nasty burn. Still, the heightened state you get in while playing a fire or lava level is what makes them so fun, as you get a rush of a🐼drenaline any time you step into the flames.

3 Sky

The Levels That Go Sky High

Iconic sky levels and areas in video games include:

• Colombia (Bioshock Infinite)
• The Kingdom of Zeal (Chrono Trigger)
• Cloud Cuckooland (Banjo-Tooie)

Sky levels are ethereal places in video games that place you amongst the clouds and offer you a sense of freed🎃om that other biomes can’t quite capture. This freedom is often expressed in some interesting form of traversal — whether it’s flying through the air or gliding across a zipline, getting around a sky level is always a blast.

A lot of sky levels also lean into their surreal and fantastical nature, offering some of the most creative level designs and aesthetics we have seen in gaming. Regardless of genre or developer, the🦩re’s always something delightfully otherworldly about being taken to the sky in a video game.

2 💖 Ice / Snow

A Cool Biome All Around

Iconic ice/snow levels and areas in video games include:

• Phendrana Drifts (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metroid Prime)
• Ice Cap Zone (Sonic The Hedgehog 3)
• Lakeside Resort (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Last Of Us)

Ice and snow levels hold a🐻 special place in the heart o♏f many gamers. While their ice physics can be a bit tricky — especially with precision platformers — their wintery vibes are so endearing that it nearly completely makes up for any unintentional slipping or sliding that takes place.

Whether these levels are whimsical and cosy or bleak and terrifying, they always elicit strong feelings and ensure you remember your time spent there. After all, if you want ♒t🌸o make a cool video game level, just add a touch of ice or snow.

1 🍌🔯 Forests / Woods / Jungles

It’s Easy To Get Lost In The Woods

Iconic forest/woods/jungle levels and areas in video games include:

• Wood Man’s Stage (Mega Man 2)
• Sokrovenno (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
• Forest Maze (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Super Mario RPG)

Regardless of if they are forests, woods, or jungles, there always seems to be something special when you go searching amongst the trees in a video g🐬ame. Perhaps it’s the almost mythic quality that forests take on through fairytales or maybe these biomes lend themselves really well to immersive level design in a video game.

Whatever their appeal is, forest levels have long been a staple of video games with many of them garnering their own legendary status over the years. Mysterious forests, whimsical forests, wild forests, or dangerous forests — they almost always deliver the goods when chosen as🎃 a level type in a video game.