Summary
Despite being one of the most rancid, disgusting places to spend more than a second in on the entire planet, video games have (for some reason) had a long love affair with sewers. Something about sending their players to wade through putrid water in dark, confined spaces really lights up the average game developer’s eyes.
It might have something to do with the horror potential and how easy it is to create a winding, labyrinthian tunnel system with copy-pasted assets. Whatever the case, there are now countless examples of sewer stages, and some games, the ones that have unique, memorable moments, eerie atmospheres, interesting geographies, or creative art behind them, have even managed to turn these excremental excursions into exciting experiences.
Few sewer levels are as tense as Killer Croc’s lair inBatman: Arkham Asylum. The dimly lit tunnels, the eerie silence punctuated by Croc’s growls, and the constant threat of being dragged into the murky depths would send a slimy tingle down anygadget-clad vigilante’s spine.
Croc has conveniently (or inconveniently for Batman) made his underground lair right under the asylum, where the Caped Crusader needs to collect Titan spore samples for his antidote. The entire level has Batman sneaking around and countering Croc’s snapping with a well-placed batarang to the throat in a tense game of bat and croc.
It is hard to imagine Gruntilda the Witch having good hygiene habits, especially considering the state of Clanker’s Cavern,Banjo-Kazooie’s mold-infested pool level containing many angry green crabs, floating trash, and a poor, agonized shark.
Clanker’s place at the center of the watery garbage recycling center helps tie the level together. Helping Clanker with his toothache, freeing him from his chains, and taking care of the parasites in his stomach makes his cavern one ofBanjo Kazooie’s more memorable levels, even if it is gross to trudge around in.
Any good, Gwyn-fearing chosen undead would appreciate that if the above-ground world is so wretched and ruined, running around an old sewer system couldn’t be much worse. However, no matter how bleak things can seem at any given moment inDark Souls, players can be sure they can and will get a lot worse. The Depths is one of those places.
Situated below Undead Burg, is not just a place to send unmentionables but those who have become societal trash as well. Thieves and cannibals share a living space with some ofDark Souls' most annoying enemies, including gelatinous slimes, curse-spreading basilisks, gigantic rats, and a mutated dragon descendant known as the Gaping Dragon, which looks as bad as it sounds.
Although it is hardly the most glamorous entrance into Cyrodiil, it is through its forgotten caves, eerie escape routes, and finally, a series of grandiose waste disposal flows, that the would-be Hero of Kvatch snatches their first glimmer of freedom.The Elder Scrollsgames are famously replayable, and it is for this reason that mostOblivionfans will have the layout of this sewer-cum-secret passageway burnt into their minds.
These passageways return later if the player decides to explore their networks beneath the Imperial City. From the detritus found scattered all around, its citizens use the various sewer openings across the metropolis to dispose of all kinds of waste, including (for some reason) fresh cheese and vegetables, which the player character is free to consume, should they so wish.
With autonomous turrets, motion-detection lighting, water level controls, and elevators feature throughout, the sewers beneaththe dystopian streetsof Haven City inJak 2are surprisingly technologically advanced, considering their primary purpose, even if the lights occasionally flicker off mid-battle, with horrific results.
However, the coolest thing about this sludge slide is its potential as a skating (or, more accurately, a jetboard) arena. Half pipes, rails, ramps, and chutes make getting around a joy, and as an added bonus, the jetboard allows Jak to cross those pools of chunky water undampened.
Riften’s Ratway inSkyrimis the coolest place the Thieves Guild could think of to put their headquarters, and as such, it is furnished with everything a secretive group of penny-pinchers would need to make their outfit a success: a lockpick and pickpocketing training area, storage, a bad, and beds (that are disgustingly close to open sewage).
These sewers are not just home to thieves, but to the mad, the lost, and the paranoid. Connected to the Ratway is the Ratway Warrens, an area that the Last Dragonborn must traverse as part of a main story mission. Only masters of stealth will slip by unnoticed, but a good axe arm ora potent destruction spellis highly recommended for the clumsy-footed urban explorer.
While the series would be known for practically inventing the side-scrolling platformer, the originalMario Bros.arcade game is essentially a giant, looping sewer level, with the titular brothers battling enemies across a series of increasingly difficult phases.
Besides being one of the earliest examples of a sewer level in video game history, the endless phases depicting a sewer full of floating platforms and semi-aquatic pests was an important milestone inMario’shistory. It introducedmanyMariostaples, including flipping enemies, coins, and Shell Creepers (which would later be known as Koopa Troopas), and, perhaps most importantly, pipes.
It would normally be difficult to get players excited for another dose of sewer sleuthing, regardless of the story or gameplay. However, one thing bringsCrashfans back for more slopping and sliding inCrash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and that’sthe catchy sewer-level music.
The metallic echo of pipes, the smooth industrial fry drops, dope bass, and the twangy tubulum pipe pluck make dodging the soap-sud robots, electrified water, and inexplicable lava tubes in “The Eel Deal,” “Sewer or Later,” and “Hangin' Out” a grand old time, despite the stink.
