Top 10 Most Memorable Rare Volcano Levels
We feel about ready to erupt with excitement, to positively explode with joy – that’s because next week we’ll have the opportunity to set sail towards a completely new region in Sea of Thieves with the Forsaken Shores update! Rare has properly stoked the fire, with a trailer that shows off just how dangerous a quest towards a volcanic isle can be – but are we scared? Absolutely! We’re told that lava has the potential to eat right through a sweater like a moth! We really shouldn’t be shaking though; we’ve been through nearly thirty years of Rare’s molten magnum opus magma in some of their finest hits, braving the baddest brimstone and most lethal of lava – they’ve left quite an impression. Hopefully it lends a hand in dealing with the Devil’s Roar, otherwise we’ll just wax nostalgic as we’re covered with ash and piping hot lava to the disappointment of our crew and parents. Watch out, this one is spicy!
These are the Top 10 Most Memorable Rare Volcano Levels.
#10. THE SUMMIT OF THE FIRE ELEMENTAL – IRONSWORD: WIZARDS AND WARRIORS II (NES)
Requiring more than just might to overcome Malkil in his second adventure, the brave knight Kuro‘s must forge the fabled Ironsword by defeating the four Elemental guardians of Sindarin. Kuro’s quest for fire leads him to confronting an Elemental creature of liquid magma found deep within a volcano lair. If it wasn’t enough to face the extreme temperatures wearing a heavy suit of armor, Kuro’s is also tasked with leaping his way up the side of the volcano while smaller craters erupt all around him. Once Kuro’s manages to douse the Elemental in Firesmite, he’ll receive the third fragment of Ironsword, putting all of the nasty lava business behind him… at least until he’s forced to conquer the precarious peaks of Ice Fire Mountain…
#9. CINDER’S RIVALRIES ARE REKINDLED INSIDE FURY’S CORE – KILLER INSTINCT (XBOX ONE)
While the original Killer Instinct Arcade title had Glacius extinguishing Cinder, it wasn’t enough to keep him down for good, and like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, he appeared alongside familiar fighters in the second season of Killer Instinct on Xbox One. Forgoing his ‘Rooftop’ stage set in the desert, Cinder‘s new home could be found in the stage, ‘Fury’s Core’; an industrial installation headed by Ultratech inside an active volcano. Rivalries flare up and things get heated pretty quickly as each fighter exchange blows that are accentuated by bursting streams of liquid magma! If you can manage an Ultra Combo, the entire stage transforms as the roiling lava is forced to cool and harden and the landscape becomes a valley of obsidian to acknowledge your fighting skill.
#8. GREAT BALLS OF FIRE IN MUMBO’S NUTS – BANJO-KAZOOIE: NUTS & BOLTS (XBOX 360)
Common sense would dictate that it probably isn’t a wise idea to plot farm land right next to an active volcano, but this logic seems to have become lost on Mumbo-Jumbo who doesn’t seem to grasp the inherent danger and distant rumblings on Nutty Acres. Things do come to head during the Second Act wherein the volcano has managed to spit forth a trio of molten rocks that threaten the entire island in the ‘Great Balls of Fire’ challenge. Luckily, Banjo and Kazooie will need only to find the rocks into a bit of water in order to save Mumbo’s Nuts, which seems to be Humba’s only concern. L.O.G’s manufactured magma is also handy in earning an achievement, where dunking an unsuspecting cow into the lava will unlock the ‘BBQ Beef’ ‘Cheevo. Toasty stuff!
#7. SINGED FUR IN VOLCANO FORCE POINT TEMPLE – STARFOX ADVENTURES (GAMECUBE)
Long, long ago, the Ancient Krazoa built a Temple atop a volcano which tunneled to the center of Dinosaur Planet. The stores of magical energies at the Force Point location was so vast that it threatened to tear the land apart unless it was safeguarded with a pair of SpellStones that would absorb the entropic fallout. Things go rather pear-shaped when General Scales steals the SpellStones however, leaving Fox McCloud to return order to the Temple, and by extension the planet’s core. With Tricky by his side, Fox will need to surf along lava jetties, extinguish torches and avoid getting his fur burnt inside the Force Point Temple, which is made all the more difficult with crafty platforming challenges and clever puzzle solving segments. Stop, drop and do a barrel roll, Star Fox!
#6. HANG TEN HUNGOVER WITH SURF PUNKS – CONKER’S BAD FUR DAY (NINTENDO 64)
After managing to get tangled up with Weasel Mobsters, Cavemen Gatecrashers and Rock Solid dancers, Conker is forced to preempt a volcanic eruption during the Uga Buga chapter of Conker’s Bad Fur Day. All goes according to plan as the hapless Red Squirrel manages to ditch his volatile payload into the center of the volcano, however when the lava starts to rise and Conker manages to flood the land with magma he’s soon found out by a group of Cavemen Punks, who proceed to mug him and challenge him to a Hoverboard race across the molten surf. With a catchy backing track filled with electric guitar solos, white-knuckle action and impressive leaps over lava falls, Surf Punks remains one of the most memorable moments of Conker’s Bad Fur Day.
#5. A VOLCANIC BLAST THROUGH THORNS PASS – KAMEO: ELEMENTS OF POWER (XBOX 360)
Reclaiming all of her powerful Elemental Warriors during the final chapter of Kameo: Elements of Power the shape-shifting femme fatale prepares to head off Thorn and his army en-route to his airship. An explosive finale awaits, though it’s appropriately built up in Thorns Pass, which features a towering castle with moats of lava surrounded with imposing volcanoes! Kameo will need to utilize all of her transformations here, including Thermites ability to roll across boiling lava using his Shield technique. With the exception of Ash, none of Kameo‘s creatures are especially fond of the extreme temperatures, and you’ll rack up quite a few deaths trying to prove otherwise – you’ll have to bring your A Ranking Game if you want to survive Thorn’s Pass without getting charred.
#4. TURN UP THE HEAT INSIDE HOT TOP VOLCANO – DIDDY KONG RACING (NINTENDO 64)
Arguably one of the most fondly remembered of Dino Domain’s racetracks, Hot Top Volcano tasks Diddy Kong and his friends with soaring through its interior, where tight caverns give way to a lake of magma found roiling below. If this doesn’t sound too dangerous and you’d like to get even closer to the action, selecting the Hovercraft in lieu of the Plane will allow you to casually sail the inflatable across the lake of molten fire without cause for alarm. Hosting one of the most accessible shortcuts in Diddy Kong Racing, and featuring a plethora of Blue Balloons that should inspire your first fully powered-up boost, Hot Top Volcano is made all the more iconic with an equally hot beat that will keep you racing even after you’ve collected all of the Silver Coins.
#3. THE ‘TOADS ERUPT ON KHAOS MOUNTAIN – BATTLETOADS IN BATTLEMANIACS (SNES)
You have to hand it to malevolent programmer Silas Volkmire; when he was creating the Gamescape world that the Battletoads find themselves trapped inside, he made sure that the first level was one that could stop their hopping days for good. Khaos Mountain is home to a landscape of volcanoes where the ground has been awash with a river of bubbling magma – as Rash and Pimple make their way across the plateau, earthquakes rattle off large chunks to be devoured below. When the volcanoes erupt, they spew forth a torrent of molten fireballs that the Battletoads will need to avoid with some fancy footwork. If Silas has any relation to the similarly titled ‘Volkmire’s Inferno’ from the original title, its that his love of fire can never be questioned.
#2. BANJO IS BEATING THE HEAT IN HAILFIRE PEAKS – BANJO-TOOIE (NINTENDO 64)
There are more than a few degrees of separation between the drastic temperatures found on Hailfire Peaks – one side freezes while the other positively bakes. When the Bear and Bird duo begin on the Fire Side of Hailfire Peaks, they’ll be tasked with ascending to the ridge of the volcano, as a dragon named Chili Billi has a certain fondness with sending fireballs from above. Even with the dragon dispatched with a healthy supply of Ice Eggs, the rest of the level remains just as deadly as before, with Hotheads divebombing from above and Hothands reaching out from inside of the volcano, both aiming to send you falling into the scalding lava far, far below. The music found within the level is equally fiery, with tubas and trumpets making us really feel the heat!
#1. WHAT’S BUBBLING IN CROCODILE CAULDRON – DONKEY KONG COUNTRY 2 (SNES)
The second world in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest can prove to be a little too hot to handle, as the interior of Crocodile Isle is home to a large volcano with its influence seen in the levels across Crocodile Cauldron. Dixie and Diddy will need to keep a cool head as they swim through leagues of molten magma with the help of Clapper the Seal in ‘Lava Lagoon’, springboard across Krockheads and over lava in ‘Hot-Head Hop’, and drift across bubbling steam vents atop a tiny hot-air balloon in ‘Red-Hot Ride’. With each level providing an innovative way across the untouchable surface, and a hypnotic soundtrack that incorporates the bubbling threat below seamlessly, Crocodile Cauldron is one that flares up memories in all players.
Categories: Top 5 Lists
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