History Main / GimmickLevel

* In every ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}'' incarnation, there was a "warthog level". Not necessarily needing to actually have a warthog, some missions (such as the trendsetting last mission in HaloCombatEvolved) have long driving sequences where the main obstacles are the terrain, not the enemy.

** The entirety of ''Super Mario LD'', which (until the author vanished off the internet) was basically a long string of gimmick levels and bosses, including the somewhat infamous {{Gradius}} inspired stage shown [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIi1kwKgS0U here]].

** ''Notedrop'' outright averts this by normalizing all charts to scroll at a set tempo; the scroll speed is influenced purely by how much you increase the speed multiplier.

* ''Franchise/CrashBandicoot'' (and too many 3d platformers to name) have levels where the player has to run away from a rolling object of death and [[CameraScrew towards the camera]]. Worst. Idea. Ever. The series also had the character riding atop ever-running animals, and vehicle levels. Incidentally, many people consider that when the games moved to Playstation 2 and the amount of Gimmick Levels overrode that of normal levels, the series JumpedTheShark.

* Quite a few examples across the FinalFantasy series:

** ''Super Mario :p:p:p'', which had a weird puzzle game like level and a ''FinalFantasy'' inspired Iggy Koopa battle.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' had a'plenty:

* {{Rhythm Game}}s with falling notes[[note]]or notes that scroll sideways or upwards, which are the same in concept, just in a different direction[[/note]] have some charts in which the scroll BPM changes. Sometimes it's justified, as the song actually does change tempo, but other times, the song isn't actually changing speed at all and the BPM changes are just there to screw with the player. Some examples:

* {{Rhythm Game}}s with falling notes[[note]]or notes that scroll sideways or upwards, which are the same in concept, just in a different direction[[/note]] have some charts in which the BPM changes. Sometimes it's justified, as the song actually does change tempo, but other times, the song isn't actually changing speed at all and the BPM changes are just there to screw with the player. Some examples:

* ''WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne'' has a bonus level inspired by the custom-made "Tower Defense" maps. Instead of building a base as normal, you had to line up special towers only available in that mission along a maze to shoot down attackers. 2 regular levels also took inspiration from custom maps to mix things up. And then there was the Orc campaign, which was an RPG. A rather simple one since it still used the same interface, but still pretty good.

* While most WorldOfWarcraft bosses have somewhat unique combination of abilities very few manage to get to the level of "gimmicky". The list for Wrath of The Lich King:

* Pretty much the point of the classic platformer ''JumpMan'' and ''JumpManJunior'' - every single level would have a unique gimmick for you to deal with, from floating platforms to invisible floors to moving bombs to an alien invasion.

* ''{{Rayman}}''

* ''{{Gauntlet}} II'' sometimes had stages where the walls were invisible.

* The final case of the first ''PhoenixWright'' game is a bonus stage of sorts; it wasn't included in the original GameBoyAdvance version. When AceAttorney was planned to be re-released for the NintendoDS, the fifth case was added and it had many new features. For example, players can now dust for prints and closely examine evidence.

* The level "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." from ''{{Half-Life}} 2''. Designed primarily to show off your shiny new [[WreakingHavok Gravity Gun]] (though it's also a pretty good SurvivalHorror-style level). There's even an achievement for beating it using nothing but the Gravity Gun.

** Malygos - at the end of encounter all the raid gets on red dragons and you have to use dragons' skills to finish him off. For some reason[[hottip:*: UnexpectedGamePlayChange from a 2.5d game to a 3d flight one requiring precision positioning using new skills with no chance to practice.]] a lot of people suck at that and the fight ends up as a ScrappyLevel.

# The "Technique level". This forces you to master a little-used or barely challenged ability to get through the stage. Some examples would be utilizing {{Wall Jump}}s to scale a tall cliff, or using a sonar sensor to find your way through a pitch-black maze. This is different (at least, it should be in most cases) from a CardboardObstacle, as you actually have to be good at said ability, not just able to use it. This form of GimmickLevel doesn't require a change in coding or visuals, just a change in the layout and placement of objects.
# Some aspect of normal gameplay is twisted or altered, such as super-bouncy platforms, [[GravityScrew reverse-gravity levels]] (in games where this would be more complex than just turning the screen upside down), or your weapon being replaced with a whip. If taken too far, the GimmickLevel may end up being an UnexpectedGameplayChange.

* Pretty much the point of the classic platformer ''JumpMan'' and ''JumpManJunior'' - every single level would have a unique gimmick for you to deal with, from floating platforms to invisible floors to moving bombs to an alien invasion. At least one remake CompletelyMissedThePoint by turning all the gimmicks into stock objects so they could be reused.

* The inverted floating castle in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', where the only weapons that do any real damage are the ones each character starts out with.

* ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' can be described as a typical early 1990s JRPG made in Germany. Only the visuals keep switching between usual 3rd person sprite JRPG and 1st person pseudo-3D à la VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D or TheElderScrollsArena. Oh, and there are several sets of sprites for different areas. It's as if several unrelated games were being written in parallel and then were stitched together with a surprisingly strong plot. At least the game mechanics stay consistent through the game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' can be described as a typical early 1990s JRPG made in Germany. Only the visuals keep switching between usual 3rd person sprite JRPG and 1st person pseudo-3D à la Wolfenstein3D or TheElderScrollsArena. Oh, and there are several sets of sprites for different areas. It's as if several unrelated games were being written in parallel and then were stitched together with a surprisingly strong plot. At least the game mechanics stay consistent through the game.

* In KingdomHearts Re:Coded, every pre-boss level plays as a different video game genre. For instance, in the [[Disney/{{Hercules}} Mount Olympus level]], fights are turn-based RPG-style.

* In every ''VideoGame/Halo'' incarnation, there was a "warthog level". Not necessarily needing to actually have a warthog, some missions (such as the trendsetting last mission in HaloCombatEvolved) have long driving sequences where the main obstacles are the terrain, not the enemy.