History Main / GimmickLevel

** The [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1 first one]] has some gimmick levels, but they are mostly in the minority. The [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest second]] is roughly half-and-half (half gimmick levels, half traditional levels), and by the time the [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble third]] came out, the traditional levels were in the minority. Some of the more memorable examples are: A mostly swimming level where your left/right controls are reversed while in the water, a level with significantly decreased gravity, a level where through the entire thing an offscreen enemy is shooting at you, a difficult level where lightning is constantly trying to strike you, and a level where a hungry fish is constantly following you and have to feed normal fish enemies to him to keep him from attacking.

** World 5-3 of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', also known as "TheOneWith The Shoe". There are a few more levels with the shoe that didn't make it into the final game, but [[DummiedOut can be accessed]] through hacking. There are also levels that rely on solving some sort of puzzle (such as taking a Koopa Shell at the top of World 6-5 to break the blocks that obstruct the exit, or looking for a Tanooki Suit to fly to the boss area of World 7's first Fortress).

* The middle section of ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' LicensedGame is a series of boxing matches. However, these can be bypassed in a few ways, one of which was the source of the "I'm selling fine leather jackets." line used in many later LucasArts games.
* ''VideoGame/TheImmortal'' has a level with flame jets emerging from the floor and fireballs shooting from the walls - all relatively easy to avoid on foot - but you can't traverse the level on foot. The floor is infested with giant sandworms, so you have to fly on an insanely difficult to control FlyingCarpet.

* ''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 ''VideoGame/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/FinalFantasyV'' has an underwater level. You have 20 minutes to finish it.

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

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

** Pharaoh Man's stage has the pyramid's curse.

# 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 form of Gimmick Level doesn't require a change in coding or visuals, just a change in the layout and placement of objects.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' has ther Captain Toad stages and the Mystery House challenges. In the former, you have to guide Captain Toad through a diorama-like stage as he collect stars; in the latter, you have to complete several successive minigames based on a particular topic (like an A-to-B RacingMinigame or a MultiMookMelee).

* This turns up fairly frequently in the main ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series.

** World 6-2 of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' is based on a bird-mounting ride, instead of the usual platforming.
** World 5-3 of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', also known as "TheOneWith The Shoe". There are a few more levels with the shoe that didn't make it into the final game, but [[DummiedOut can be accessed]] through hacking.
** Several of the Star World and Special Zone levels in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' have unique gameplay mechanics to increase the challenge. There's one level where Mario has to use the spin jump to drill through a large body of blocks until reaching the bottom (which leads to the exit). There's also the level Tubular, where Mario needs to be in balloon form through the whole level or die very, very quickly. Yet another level, Mondo, revolves around the water's level rising and lowering periodically.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'', being a GameMaker, is naturally chock-full of them. Even the built-in levels have a few gimmicks.

* Eventide Island in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''. Upon landing on the shore, the voice of the resident Sheikah monk informs you that in order to access the shrine, you must activate the three keys while deprived of all the weapons, armor, and other items you have collected up to that point (though you keep the Sheikah Slate and its runes). This means you must forage and steal items from enemies just like the Great Plateau at the beginning of the game. This is especially tricky when getting the key from the resident [[EliteMook Hynox]]. Once you activate the keys, you get all your stuff back.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'' loved these sorts of stages.
** The first game, along with several genre changes, features levels where you lost your power suit and have to crawl around as an earthworm, a level where you were in pitch blackness, and could only see the eyes of the hero and his enemies, and the first part of the final stage has you slow-fall (by using your head as a helicopter) down a long, narrow spiked chasm. The Bungee-Jumping level, and the Bathysphere portion of the Water Level border more on You-know-what.
** ''Earthworm Jim 2'' has many other variations, such as a level where you play a blind cave salamander swimming through an intestinal tract (and briefly [[PopQuiz answering nonsensical questions in a mock quiz-show]] at one point), a level where you have to burrow underground with your modified gun, an isometric shooter level where you push a crate of dynamite tied to a balloon so you can use it on the level's boss and one where you inflate your head to float upwards through the level. The ''Earthworm Jim'' series is known for its surreal craziness.
* The ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' series has had more and more of these as it went on.
** The [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1 first one]] has some gimmick levels, but they are mostly in the minority. The [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest second]] is roughly half-and-half (half gimmick levels, half traditional levels), and by the time the [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble third]] came out, the traditional levels were in the minority. Some of the more memorable examples are: A mostly swimming level where your left/right controls are reversed while in the water, a level with significantly decreased gravity, a level where through the entire thing an offscreen enemy is shooting at you, a difficult level where lightning is constantly trying to strike you, and a level where a hungry fish is constantly following you and have to feed normal fish enemies to him to keep him from attacking.
** The UsefulNotes/GameBoy GaidenGame, ''Donkey Kong Land III'', averts this by having no gimmick levels at all, possibly due to engine limitations.
** In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'', World 4 is notoriously dedicated to levels based on MinecartMadness and RocketRide. These levels appear much less often in the other worlds in comparison, including the sequel ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze''.
* Every ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' game has had at least one "Freaking Huge Spiderball Maze" that the player must navigate.

* ''VideoGame/{{Metro 2033}}'' has the "Child" level, where a kid is riding on your back, making your look controls drift strongly. By the way, there are ''still'' plenty of mutants around, and they ''still'' want to eat you.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}'' series was largely built around rapid-fire Gimmick Levels, where the titular amphibians do anything from rappel down pits, to climb giant snakes, to ride wall-clinging unicycles while being hotly pursued by a NegativeSpaceWedgie. And there there's the speeder bikes. The damn speeder bikes...

* ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage 3'' had plans for a a level where the cast rode on motorcycles; this was scrapped during development, but through cheat codes the level can still be partially accessed.
* ''VideoGame/FutureWars'', an adventure game, ends with two lengthy arcade sequences instead of further puzzles.
* The middle section of ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' LicensedGame is a series of boxing matches. However, these can be bypassed in a few ways, one of which was the source of the "I'm selling fine leather jackets." line used in many later Lucas Arts games.

* Quite a few examples across the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series:
** There were a couple of "miniature dungeons" in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' which the characters could only enter with the "mini" [[StandardStatusEffects status effect]], which aside from making them small reduced their attack and defense stats to 1. Thus, it became a lot more beneficial to make everybody a mage.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' has plenty:
*** Multi-party battles. Different mechanics for them. In the first half of the game, if you die, you return to the beginning with one hit point for everyone, and the real goal is to keep the enemies from reaching Terra or Banon. In the second half, one party has to hit switches for the other party(s).
*** Fanatic's tower, where you can only use magic. Did we mention many enemies have auto-reflect? DemonicSpiders ahoy!
*** The Zone Eater, a WombLevel complete with a rising and falling ceiling with holes in it. If you get crushed, it's a NonstandardGameOver. Lots of those in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. Another obstacle is a series of bridges with guards that knock you off if you touch them. Naturally, you don't take damage, and there are actually good items down there.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' has an underwater level. You have 20 minutes to finish it.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' has a few multi-party levels, including TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon.
** 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/FinalFantasyXII'' has the evil, ''evil'' Demon Wall battle. Not often do you get to run away from a boss. And unless you're power-leveled, it's the ''only way to win.'' Also, any optional Esper.
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII: The Frozen Throne'' has a bonus level inspired by the custom-made "Tower Defense" maps. Instead of building a base as normal, you have 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. And that is just the (official) tip of the iceberg of uses of the game's engine and powerful editor, which people have used to create all sorts of games. One of them, Defense of the Ancients, has become a game of its own.
* While most ''VideoGame/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:
** Heigan the Unclean - "Heigan's dance" - you have to move around the room in the fixed pattern to avoid getting one-shotted by flames.
** 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[[note]]UnexpectedGamePlayChange from a 2.5d game to a 3d flight one requiring precision positioning using new skills with no chance to practice.[[/note]] a lot of people suck at that and the fight ends up as ThatOneLevel.
** [[TankGoodness Flame Leviathan]] - get on various tanks and battle a really huge tank.
** [[EldritchAbomination Yogg-Saron]] - steadily decreasing sanity level and the need to refresh it or kill him before it runs out.
** Twin Valkyr - switching between light and dark attributes to counter their attacks and deal more damage to them.
** [[MadScientist Profssor Putricide]] - one of you has to turn into a monster and eat up the poisonous goo he splatters around.
** Valithria Dreamwalker - you have to deal with numerous mooks while ''healing'' her (with massive buffs for your healers).
** There are a few from other expansions.
*** To defeat Lord Rhyolith in the Firelands, you must attack his feet to make him turn so that he goes over the volcanoes (which results in him getting a DamageIncreasingDebuff), and he does not reach the lava at the edge (which results in him spewing magma and wiping the raid). Do that for long enough, and you get a standard burn phase, though.
*** To win in the Spine of Deathwing encounter, you must force the Hideous Amalgamations to eat up the residues left by Corrupted Bloods, and after they absorb enough blood, kill them near the plates to expose the Burning Tendons, which you must then destroy.
*** Garalon from Heart of Fear has a completely different approach to tanking. He will follow a person with pheromones (who must pass it to someone else every so often to minimize raid damage), and both tanks must stand in the frontal cone attack he does to prevent him from getting a damage increasing buff. Everyone else must destroy the boss's legs and stay out of the purple circle underneath the boss, to avoid him using Crush on everyone.
*** Dark Animus from Throne of Thunder is quite complex. At the start of the fight, the small golems fill with Anima, and every time you kill one, its anima transfers to a nearby golem. Your goal is to consolidate the anima into one or two of the Massive Anima Golems before activating the Dark Animus, then destroy the Dark Animus before it absorbs all the Anima and uses a raid-wiping ability.
* ''VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh'' has lightcycle races in a few parts of the game. Then again, [[JustifiedTrope they were in the movie]].
* The ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' games have levels where the player has to run away from a rolling object of death and [[CameraScrew towards the camera]]. The series has also the character riding atop ever-running animals, and vehicle levels.
* The level "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." from ''VideoGame/HalfLife2''. 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.
* ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}} II'' has the Secret Cow Level. It's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a secret level, full of cows]]. They are armed with halberds, walk on two legs and there are lots of them. In the original Diablo, there were rumours of a secret cow level that did not actually exist. So they made one for Diablo 2 to shut the fans up.[[note]]This joke made it to ''Starcraft'', where typing "there is no cow level" on the in-game chat during a single player game will instantly complete the current mission.[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'':
** The game has [[SugarBowl Whimsyshire]], an extension of a previous TakeThat to complaints that the more colorful visuals in III would "ruin the atmosphere" of the game and series.
** Set dungeons are designed around class armors which modify how skills function and are meant to test a player's ability to exploit these changes. As a result they have unique objectives which require more finesse than usual.

* Many of ''VideoGame/TotalOverdose'''s technique sidequests underscore a technique that's available through the entire game but not necessarily obvious to the player, and by training it through the challenge, the player can incorporate it into story stage environments for more effective combat and better score. Example: Fly on the Wall Challenge requires the player to get X number of headshots while flipping sideways upside down through the air within Y number of minutes, while crowds of thugs storm from either direction of a narrow courtyard. The only way to achieve gold standard on this is to become proficient at sideways walking up a wall, leaping off of it and aiming. This is an enormously powerful offensive and defensive maneuver best learned before the heat of later missions is turned up (plus it's style amplified.)
* Every level beyond the first in ''VideoGame/{{Illbleed}}'' plays with the game in some way:
** In "Revenge of Queen Worm", you don't use the horror monitor, and you have to avoid the worms.
** In "Woodpuppets", you spend about half your time in the stage turned into one of the titular monsters.
** In "Killer Department Store", you get your prize money at the beginning, but can lose it to some of the traps in the level.
** "Killerman" is a pseudo-whodunnit that takes place behind the scenes of the park.
** "Toy Hunter" has you turn into Cork, the main character of the (fictional) Toy Hunter franchise, and follow his latest adventure by uncovering "story elements" dotted throughout the stage.
* ''VideoGame/HotelMario'' has these in every hotel, with Mario and Luigi having to point them out in each of the introduction scenes for the hotels. Of course, the elevators have a habit of switching directions on you in later levels.
* ''VideoGame/MarbleMadness'' has the Silly Race, where "everything you know is wrong." Instead of rolling downhill to the goal, you're going ''uphill'', with a section full of small enemies you can run over for extra time.
* In the first ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' game, there was one vacuum level. You have an oxygen meter that constantly drained and you couldn't use your assault rifle, but everything else was the same. After it, everything went back to normal for the rest of the game.
* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 2'' features the level ''Barrels o' Fun''. As the name suggests, the level is stuffed with large amounts of barrels, and the first two areas feature you running through rows of barrels to safety as a monster emerges behind you, attacks and inadvertently sets off a chain reaction of exploding barrels.
* ''VideoGame/TheImmortal'' has a level with flame jets emerging from the floor and fireballs shooting from the walls - all relatively easy to avoid on foot - but you can't traverse the level on foot. The floor is infested with giant sandworms, so you have to fly on an insanely difficult to control FlyingCarpet.

%%* Every single level of ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''.
* ''VideoGame/InTheHunt'' has the Channel stage, a river running through a city overrun with [[MechaMooks death machines]]. Trouble is, your character is a submarine limited to the water, and unlike all the other stages, the water in the channel is very shallow. You will have to utilize your UsefulNotes/SuperiorFirepowerSurfaceToAirMissiles to the max here as almost all the enemies, including the [[StationaryBoss boss]], will appear above the water.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has the Fade sequence, which drops the player into DreamLand. Much hated by many players for being very difficult if you ignore the gimmick, the trick is that the player is granted special shapeshifting powers needed for both solving puzzles and surviving the battles. Each form has its strengths and weaknesses, and players must learn which form and powers are appropriate for each situation.

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

* The final case of the first ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' game is a bonus stage of sorts; it wasn't included in the original UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance version. When ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' was planned to be re-released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, the fifth case was added which allowed players to dust for prints and closely examine evidence.
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' has several parts with their own unique gameplay, including riding a pitchfork, driving a hover bike in a race, riding a dinosaur in a boss battle, fighting a Dracula-inspired boss while turned into a bat, etc.

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** There's usually a "Warthog level" in each game. While the vehicle in question doesn't necessarily have to be a Warthog, some missions (such as the trendsetting last mission in ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'') have long driving sequences where the main obstacles are the terrain, not the enemy.
** Starting with ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'', there was at least one major flying sequence, too. By ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', some of those flying sequences were ''in space''.
** ''Combat Evolved'' has quite a few gimmick levels for its multiplayer mode. You have "Boarding Action" (Two open ships side-by-side, with a bottomless pit separating them and teleporters to connect the two halves), "Chiron TL-34" (A series of small rooms connected by teleporters), and "Longest" (Two long narrow hallways connecting each base, this one would be remade as "Elongation" in ''Halo 2''). "Boarding Action" is a unique case because it was designed with the jetpack mechanic in mind; you can fly between the two sides of the map. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen When jetpacks were cut]], the layout didn't change with it.
* ''VideoGame/{{Thwaite}}'' has a few levels with [[SpeedRound unusually fast missiles]] to test reaction time and a few levels with all [[RecursiveAmmo splitty things]].
* ''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 ''VideoGame/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/MetalGearSolid'' is fairly consistent stealth gameplay with some quirks, but the ''VR Missions''/''Special Missions''/''Integral'' expansion pushes the engine to its limits so the player can do things possible by coding but virtually impossible to actually perform in the game - especially the Variety Mode, Puzzle Mode and NG Selection. One stage requires the player to blow up surveillance cameras by attaching C-4 to guards and detonating it when they pass under the cameras. Another requires the player to solve a [[StockPuzzle Lights Out puzzle]] involving throwing grenades at distant columns to make them grow or shrink. Another stage has a single (robot) guard in it whose vision cone is super large, requiring the player to slip past by putting the box on, inching forward when he turns his back, and repeating. There's another where you have to punch guards into each other so they all fall over like a string of dominoes. There are also multiple murder mystery missions, a mission where you are the Ninja, a mission involving shooting down a UFO (although the gameplay itself is quite conventional) and one involving goading two kaiju into fighting each other to save Meryl.

* ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}} III'' has horseback and jet ski riding levels.
* In ''VideoGame/YuGiOhCapsuleMonsterColiseum'', Shadi's first level has your Symbol separated from your main forces, while Yami Marik's second level takes place on a volcano that erupts after four turns. Anyone standing on the lava gets a ''huge'' boost in attack, but takes 10 to 30 damage depending on if it's raining.

* Hunting Jhen Mohran and Dah'ren Mohran in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter 3'', ''4'', and their rereleases is much different than hunting most large monsters. In about every other case, the monster would spawn somewhere on a sprawling map and you chase them down. The Mohrans are instead fought in two phases on a single part of the map: the first is a BattleshipRaid style, where you attack the leviathans with ballistas and cannons while [[HoldTheLine preventing them from destroying the ship you ride]], and occasionally leaping on top of them to deal damage or gather materials from their back. While most enemies have a roulette of attacks, the Mohrans' attacks are largely scripted in the first part. The second is an AdvancingBossOfDoom where you're on solid ground and have to stall until time runs out or you manage to kill it, occasionally using the ship's defenses to prevent damage to the ship.
* There are several gimmick stages in ''VideoGame/BlenderBros,'' such as a GravityScrew level and some stages that are {{Racing Minigame}}s, but the biggest and most notable is the world of Shelltarl. Most worlds in the game consist of three regular levels and then a boss. Shelltarl is one massive level that has to be played and beaten all at once. It's also timed, and the boss assaults you in the middle of the action, meaning you have to fight him while the clock is ticking down.
* ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'':
** Double's Story Mode requires you to beat all other playable characters in a row. Fitting, since it's the last one of the main eight unlocked.
** Fukua's Story forces you to fight all the DLC characters ''as well'' as the normal ones and Bloody Marie, all in reverse order and culminating in an SNKBoss against Filia that is blatantly stacked against the player.
* Eventide Island in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''. Upon landing on the shore, the voice of the resident Sheikah monk informs you that in order to access the shrine, you must activate the three keys while deprived of all the weapons, armor, and other items you have collected up to that point (though you keep the Sheikah Slate and its runes). This means you must forage and steal items from enemies just like the Great Plateau at the beginning of the game. This is especially tricky when getting the key from the resident [[EliteMook Hynox]]. Once you activate the keys, you get all your stuff back.
* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheWoolBall'' has the "Windy Warehouse" level which has no enemies, and instead has you avoiding spike-covered walls in a long shaft, while being pushed by [[VentPhysics ventilation fans]].
* ''Oh No! More VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}'' has two:
** Wicked 2, ''Inroducing SUPERLEMMING'', only has you guide one lemming to the exit, but that lemming moves and acts at double speed. This makes for a lot of rapid-fire skill selection and assignment near the end.
** Havoc 10, ''Flow Control'', only sees one skill assignment in the entire level, but requires constant adjustment of the release rate to save enough lemmings.
* ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' features the Super Adventure Box, a yearly "game within the game" platformer dungeon with an 8-bit theme.

* ''[[VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh Tron 2.0]]'' has lightcycle races in a few parts of the game. Then again, [[JustifiedTrope they were in the movie]].
* The ''Franchise/CrashBandicoot'' games have levels where the player has to run away from a rolling object of death and [[CameraScrew towards the camera]]. The series has also the character riding atop ever-running animals, and vehicle levels.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCFI6WdTiVs Wacky Workbench]] from [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]. You'll probably spend less than half the level on solid ground.

** 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 VideoGame/{{Gradius}} inspired stage shown [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIi1kwKgS0U here]].

** ''S Mario''. Gimmick in this case means stuff like random wind that pushes you around, power ups that immediately kill you or... the one and only case of 'go left or spin jump and die on the spot while sliding around on ice and dodging homing missiles'. You can see the latter [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBOiCxtlbPI here]] as raocow nearly breaks down playing it.

** Once again in ''DDR'', "Elemental Creation" alternates between 106, 212, and 424 BPM; its true BPM is 212. In all other Franchise/{{BEMANI}} games that it appears in, the song simply scrolls at a constant 212 BPM, making its ''DDR'' charts stand out.

** Many of the games have a level with bumpers and plungers (e.g. [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Casino Night Zone]]). ''SonicSpinball'' excepted, of course: it featured pinball stages as its whole schtick.

** Each dungeon is associated with a set of armor that modifies how skills function and focuses on testing how well the player has mastered those skills. As a result they have unique objectives which require more finesse than usual.

* ''VideoGame/InTheHunt'' has the Channel stage, a river running through a city overrun with [[MechaMooks death machines]]. Trouble is, your character is a submarine limited to the water, and unlike all the other stages, the water in the channel is very shallow. You will have to utilize your SuperiorFirepowerSurfaceToAirMissiles to the max here as almost all the enemies, including the [[StationaryBoss boss]], will appear above the water.

* The final case of the first ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' game is a bonus stage of sorts; it wasn't included in the original GameBoyAdvance version. When ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' was planned to be re-released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, the fifth case was added which allowed players to dust for prints and closely examine evidence.

** The entirety of ''BrutalMario'', which is literally nothing but Gimmick Levels.

*** The Zone Eater, a WombLevel complete with a rising and falling ceiling with holes in it. If you get crushed, it's a NonStandardGameOver. Lots of those in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. Another obstacle is a series of bridges with guards that knock you off if you touch them. Naturally, you don't take damage, and there are actually good items down there.

* ''VideoGame/WarCraftIII: The Frozen Throne'' has a bonus level inspired by the custom-made "Tower Defense" maps. Instead of building a base as normal, you have 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. And that is just the (official) tip of the iceberg of uses of the game's engine and powerful editor, which people have used to create all sorts of games. One of them, Defense of the Ancients, has become a game of its own.

** 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[[note]]UnexpectedGamePlayChange from a 2.5d game to a 3d flight one requiring precision positioning using new skills with no chance to practice.[[/note]] a lot of people suck at that and the fight ends up as a ScrappyLevel.

* A common feature in early SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem titles was a level to show off the fact that the system's hardware handled rotating backgrounds. Such levels included:

** "CHAOS" in ''VideoGame/{{DanceDanceRevolution}}'' is notorious for having over 40 pauses within the chart, which can trip over many players.