Top 10 Living Video Game Levels

Ah, Dante – masterful warrior, accomplished gun-for-hire, tasty snack. Such is the fate of our young anti-heroic demon slayer, as he is abruptly swallowed whole by the immense Leviathan. Dante survives, however, and seeks to escape from the belly of the beast. The subsequent trek through Leviathan's innards is fascinating; a more open-ended mission driven strictly by the objective of unlocking and destroying the beast's heartstone. It's made challenging by the threat of acid pools and certain lingering demons, but nevertheless serves as a refreshing change from the linear action so far.

We expect nothing less from a game where our hero is a worm. In the seventh level of the game, Earthworm Jim enters and proceeds through the intestines of an unknown creature. It's a bizarre voyage along organ-like pathways, as he hops over orbs of questionable origin and blasts a steady stream of foes. And to top off the descent into madness, the boss at the end of the tunnel is Doc Duodenum, the living embodiment of a particularly obscure organ.

Every quest has its trials, though willingly leaping into a dragon's mouth seems a bit much. Nevertheless, the heroine of “Okami”, sun goddess and wolf creature Amaterasu, does just that in order to recover a lost Dragon Orb. Amaterasu's journey through the Water Dragon's insides manages to not be tense but rather pleasant, what with the muted colours and the entire level looking like a stylized water garden. Water Dragon, thank you for being so welcoming.

It appears deliberately jumping into animals is a trend here. In the level Clanker's Cavern, the titular mechanical shark/whale … thingy Clanker floats in a pool of sewer water. In order to collect the all of level's ten Jiggie puzzle pieces and one hundred musical notes, the team of Banjo and Kazooie must enter Clanker's body via his blowhole – or via his teeth or gills if you wanna get fancy – and then down they descend into a realm of obstacles and death traps. Spinning blades, tentacles in the ceiling and roof, a flooded chamber – you'll need your wits about you to get the job done.

With respect to the journey through the Titan Atlas from “God of War 2”, Cronos stands tall. Imprisoned in the hellish realm of Tartarus, this Titan has a bone to pick with our quote-unquote hero Kratos; naturally, this means tossing the former Spartan down his gullet. But Kratos is a resourceful foe, using his blades as a creative if gory means of escape. The sight of a giant beast being carved open from the inside-out is certainly memorable – and sets up Cronos for quite the brutal death. That’ll teach you to chew your food.

Certainly a unique game, but never dull. In the aftermath of an intense battle, the lovely witch Bayonetta is unexpectedly eaten by a giant beast name Insidious. She awakens and begins traversing the creatures insides, fighting off any enemies who dare to phase in. The zany scenario culminates in a fight with the Masked Luman, which causes internal bleeding to Insidious and devolves into a giant monster fight – inside a giant monster.

Jabu Jabu has made the rounds twice: once in Oracle of Ages, and once before in Ocarina of Time. In the latter appearance, the grand whale creature plays many roles at once; a dungeon for our character Link to explore, the location of a valuable item on Link's quest, and the accidental prison of the Zora Princess Ruta – who will demand to be carried once you fight her. You enter through Jabu Jabu's mouth, glimpsing the backs of his teeth upon entry. That unsettling image sets the tone, compounded by hostile creatures and little details – like pink jiggling surfaces. Anyone else feel uncomfortable?

Beware the mighty Bowser, especially if the plumbers are on his side. Perhaps the strangest entry in the RPG spin-off series, Inside Story forces has you switching between control of Bowser himself, and with the titular brothers working on things from his insides. In order to help Bowser thru certain sections of the game, the two enter have to enter Bowser thru the back door and then, for some reason, rides along a purple river and blast at rhythmically floating orbs of adrenaline to awaken Bowser and cause him to grow. This is the epitome of trippy, borderline psychelic sequences – but given that the payoff is godzilla sized Bowser it’s best not to ask questions.

We'll say this – South Park certainly knows how to make an entrance. Reliving the deliberately obscene Lemiwinks episode, you are asked to shrink down and crawl up the rear of resident masochist Mr Slave, in order to disarm a planted snuke. Treading through the man's anus into his intestines is among the most disturbing of video game sequences, made so by the utterly baffling debris you pass along the way – we're talking everything inside this but from condoms, to mysterious substances, to metal fragments and … A bat? Plus the enemies you fight are bacteria. Of course.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Monstro
“Kingdom Hearts” (2002)

Mom's Womb
“The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth” (2014)

Worm
“Jet Force Gemini” (1999)

Into The Sarlaac
“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” (2008)

Level 10
“MDK 2” (2000)

An epic story told in the belly of a giant worm – who knew? Delta Squad, the heroes of “Gears of War 2” and our focal point, get swallowed by a particularly vicious Riftworm while in flight. Fortunately, they survive the swallowing – with every intent of killing the beast from within. It's a sequence of trials and tribulations, set in corridors dripping with saliva, besieged by death traps, and home to senseless bug-like creatures. Yet the pain is worth the reward: hacking at the worms heart with chainsaws has the room …or cavity fills with blood is impressive to say the least.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your living world made you wonder what’s going on in your stomach right now? For more lively Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.