Halloween is right around the corner, and many gamers will be jumping into their favorite horror titles to set the mood and get some seasonal scares.
Sometimes spooky levels are present outside of horror games and we will break down 10 of the best Halloween levels in video games.
10. Moonlight Castle, BlazBlue
BlazBlue is a classic Japanese fighter packed with colorful characters, elaborate animations, and distinct stages. One such stage is the Moonlight Castle, with a blood-red moon looming over it in the background. This stage is jam-packed with Halloween imagery, with pumpkins built into the very structure of the Alucard family castle.
CHECK OUT: The Most Expensive Video Games In History
9. T.K. Baha’s Bloody Harvest, Borderlands 2
The Borderlands series is absolutely full of weird and wild levels and the T.K. Baha’s Bloody Harvest downloadable content gives us a full-on Halloween extravaganza complete with a boss called Pumpkin Kingpin. This boss is literally made of orange vegetables and defeating him will reward you with his wearable head.
8. Ghostly Garden, Pac-Man World
Pac-Man World is an intriguing 3D platformer developed for the PlayStation to capitalize on the success of similar games of the era. It is set across 23 varied levels, including the Ghostly Garden. This level throws bats, skeletons, and of course ghosts at you as you traverse across moving coffin platforms
7. Pumpkin Hill, Sonic Adventure 2
Pumpkin Hill is the sixth level of the second Sonic Adventure game, which throws you into a bleak setting of vertical towers against a pumpkin-laden backdrop. You play as Knuckles as he tries to obtain three pieces of the master emerald.
CHECK OUT: The Most Popular Video Games Of The 90s
6. Left Behind, The Last of Us
In the Left Behind expansion for the Last of Us, you play as a young Ellie in a flashback scene to a time when she is exploring a Halloween costume store with her friends. As you walk through the store you and your pals will try on different masks and outfits, commenting on each of them as you go. This section provides some lighthearted fun to break up the bleakness of the usual Last of Us gameplay.
5. Mad Monster Mansion, Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie is without a doubt, one of the most beloved and recognizable video games of all time. It also features a very distinctive, spooky level that is very obviously Halloween-themed. In the Mad Monster Mansion, you will navigate through the scary interior, battle bats, grapple with ghosts, and even transform into a pumpkin.
CHECK OUT: The Best Projects For Big-Screen Gaming
4. The Mills Reverie, Hitman 2
Hitman 2 is a sandbox stealth action game where you will undertake missions in a variety of open-zone-style environments. One such area was released as a downloadable content package to celebrate Halloween in 2019, called the Mills Reverie. This mission is actually set within a dream (or a nightmare) and equips Agent 47 with a pumpkin-headed Jack-O-Lantern suit. You also get access to the ‘Spooky Bat’ weapon which is a baseball bat strung with barbed wire.
3. Halloween, Bully
One of the missions early into Rockstar’s school-based game Bully is set during Halloween. You must don a full-body skeleton costume and head out onto the school campus to prank fellow students and destroy Jack-O-Lanterns to unlock a pumpkin mask. This is a great example of a video game level that really incorporates the trick-or-treat activities that take place on Halloween, in a fun and engaging way.
2. Level 7, The Simpsons: Hit and Run
The Simpsons: Hit and Run was a legendary open-world game that was effectively the cartoon’s take on the Grand Theft Auto series. The final level of the game takes place on Halloween as you control Homer and help to defend Springfield from a zombie horde, aliens, and a water supply replaced by Buzz Cola.
CHECK OUT: The Best Arcade Games From The 80s, Including Centipede And Galaga
1. Halloween Town, Kingdom Hearts 2
How could anything on this list top arguably one of the most quintessential Halloween locations in all of the media, Halloween Town itself from The Nightmare Before Christmas? Kingdom hearts is a Japanese role-playing game that sees the man character Sora team up with legendary Disney characters and hops between their world, including the home of Jack Skellington.