Surreal stages, events, or gameplay that somehow just don’t fit have always been present, and even expected. Their crazy graphics, weird aesthetics and ideas make sure that we have absolutely no idea what’s going on. But they have their charm, they are funny, or they’re simply part of the experience — and so we love them.
We collected a bunch of them below.
Bad News in DmC
source: DmC Chapter 10
The Cardbridge In Alice: Madness Returns
source: Alice Wiki
The Nightmare Scenes In Max Payne
source: Max Payne’s first nightmare
LSD Dream Emulator
source: LSD Dream Emulator Wiki
Inside The Red Dragon In Rayman Origins
source: Rayman Origins Dragon Trailer
Yume Nikki
source: Yume Nikki Wiki
The Space Harrier Stages In Bayonetta
source: Bayonetta Chapter 14
The Final Stage In Beautiful Katamari
source: superadamsworld’s LP
Goro Majima’s Karaoke Minigame In Yakuza: Dead Souls
source: Yakuza: Dead Souls – Goro Majima Karaoke
Stage 7 In Parodius
source: cubex55’s LP
There are probably a lot more mind-cracking levels or games, so you should submit your own picks below (with visual support)!
Milk Man Conspiracy in Psychonauts! So damn trippy, so damn funny!
Definitely this. So trippy to run around in, but damn, it was fun.
Yeah, and also Lungfishopolis!
I think you meant to type “all of Psychonauts“!
All of The Stanley Project!
Also I found the Silver Sachs Tower levels in DmC to be much tripper than the Raptor News Network. But it was pretty good all around!
The Scarecrow level in Batman Askham Asylum
Oh man, that part was brilliant. I think they tried to do something similar with the Mad Hatter in Arkham City, but it wasn’t quite as good.
Also, No More Heroes. Either the unexpected arcade shoot-em-up or the part where….. screw it. The whole game.
Not a level, but the entirety of Antichamber.
Most Silent Hill ‘alternate reality’ levels.
Also the build-up to the alternate realities, as you never really knew when it would happen. When it did, I would think to myself, “Oh shit, here we go.” An entire world covered, Rusted & decayed, is truly a freaky thing! And what’s really mindblowing, is that Silent Hill goes from evil, to pure terror. Where most games have a sort of ‘safe-haven’ structure, Silent Hills ‘safe-haven’ is making you feel that evil is safer than pure terror! All I can say is hearing rusted-sentient-wheelchairs up a dark hall, in the direction you are going is such a mindf**K!
You nailed it. 🙂
I don’t know if it counts because Katamari has already been mentioned, but playing Noby Noby Boy drunk late on a Friday night was one of the wierdest experiences I had for a long time.
Rainbow track Mario kart 64.
I swear I almost had a seizure with that one. so many colours, so many ways to fall off the track. quickly turned from rainbow track to god-damn not that bloody track again my eyes only just recovered track
Mohawk and Headphone Jack
Warning: Vomit Inducing
http://youtu.be/eYOXyRv3Z4Q?t=33m13sEarthbound. nuff said.
The final fight with Vaas in FC3 and when you fight the giant.tribal monster after drinking that poison!
Max Paynes (1 & 2) scenes were mind-bending. Only Remedy can do it exactly like that. Alan Wake being an excellent example. Also, the Pink Flamingo from Max Payne 2 is psychological horror at it’s best! “She. Has. Dyed. Her. Hair. Red.” waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
http://youtu.be/_wM38QNsSG8
Example from Alan Wake “Quantum Suicide” http://youtu.be/50V3eA2YYFI
I know it gets a pretty rough ride but Silent Hill: Downpour had some great moments. Hansel & Gretel scene needs to be experienced in the dark, alone and in 5.1 (as all of the game should be).
The asylum level from Painkiller. Everything about it, from the warped sound to the monsters in straight jacks crawling along the ceiling was just perfect. The best part of the thing is the entrance is also the exit, so as far as Daniel’s little adventure goes, he could have skipped that one entirely.
One of the coolest ive played has to be the club level in DmC right before you fight the demon kings whore.