Completely Swamped

“Deep Darkness” is an area that’s characterized by marshlands, swamps, and mazes of trees. You’ll be forced to move through the area at a snail’s pace, and you’ll literally find yourself in over your head on several occasions. Delving into the deepest parts of the swamp will be detrimental to your party’s health, but it’s kind of fun to see Ness’ cap bobbing around on the surface while the rest of his body is submerged. The area is inhabited by monkeys and a traveling salesman, and it’s also home to the kind of creatures that you’d expect to find in a swamp. You’ll battle an assortment of snakes, crocodiles, slugs, eels, and fishmen, and most of your enemies can move significantly faster than you can. Even the plants will try to kill you! You’ll only need to pass through the swamp once and you probably won’t want to return to the area ever again, but nobody said that swamps were supposed to be fun.

Swamps are popular locations in the horror genre, and it’s easy to understand why. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to convince audiences that grimy landscapes are infested with hideous monsters. In the fifth episode of The House of the Dead: Overkill, our heroes find themselves in a murky swamp after their train is derailed. The area is covered in a slight fog illuminated by a full moon, and that makes for an unsettling backdrop. As you work your way through the bayou, you’ll visit a nearby trailer park and venture into abandoned buildings, but the most memorable sections of the level take place on the fetid waters. Zombies will constantly pop out of the swamp, and overgrown vegetation provides ample cover for your undead foes. At one point, you’ll take a ride in a small fishing boat and make your way upstream while relentless zombies chase after civilians on the shoreline. The episode ends with a dramatic fight against a swamp monster, and I’d expect nothing less.

Many Zelda games feature swamps, but the Southern Swamp from Majora’s Mask is the most significant. The area is home to the Deku Shrubs and it has many interesting locations to see. You can by potions from the magic shop, venture into the Woods of Mystery, and take a trip to the royal palace. The area also contains a tourist center, a spider mansion, and a submerged temple. The region is filled with dangerous insects and mutant plants, and poisonous waters make it difficult to travel around the swamp. Link will have to rely on lily pads, tree stumps, and wooden catwalks to get around, and he can also take a boat cruise around the contaminated waters if he’s willing to pay the admission fee. The water might be deadly, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t picturesque. The purplish hue gives the area a mystical quality and makes it stand out from the other areas in the game. The water can eventually be cleansed, but its distinct color will remain even after the poison is withdrawn.

Torvus Bog is a bleak region in Metroid Prime 2 that was created as a result of a cataclysmic meteor impact. The area was once covered in lush forests, but ocean flooding transformed the vibrant landscape into a swampy biome. As you journey through the rainy marshland, you’ll see the remnants of its industrialized past. The abandoned buildings were overtaken by rampant overgrowth, and the machinery was covered by indigenous plant life. Torvus Bog seems dreary and depressing at first, but it’s actually brimming with life. The area is home to many aquatic and reptilian creatures, and you’ll hear the chorus of animals in the background. The gloomy weather and the constant noise will make you feel uneasy even when you’re not engaged in battle. Eventually, you’ll be able to alter the weather by restoring energy to the temple, and it’s interesting to see the bog without a veil of rain. I still wouldn’t want to vacation there, but I appreciate the atmosphere nonetheless.

Point Lookout is a murky swampland located off the coast of Maryland. Bethesda promoted the area as “the most mysterious and open-ended Fallout 3 DLC adventure yet” and I’m inclined to agree with their assessment. Fallout 3 is set against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and Point Lookout is an area that was left behind after the bombs dropped. The seaside town is inhabited by myriads of swamp creatures and inbred hillbillies, and the denizens of Point Lookout are said to be the product of radiation and incest. They sound like backwoods yokels, and they’re as strong as they are stupid. Unfortunately, they don’t take kindly to strangers. When your not busy mowing down swampfolk with axes and shotguns, you’ll visit decrepit buildings and trench through gloomy bogs while trying to make sense of the bizarre rituals that are taking place around you. Point Lookout is a disturbing place where you can never truly feel safe.

“Swamp Fever” is the fourth campaign in Left 4 Dead 2. As players work their way through an expansive Louisiana bayou, they’ll pass through run-down shanty towns, flooded mobile homes, and an abandoned gator farm. (You’ll never see the alligators, but falling into the water near Earl’s Gator Village will result in instant death.) At times, the survivors will have to wade through knee-deep swamps and traverse makeshift pathways that are comprised of planks resting over the murky water. It would be a rough area to visit in the best of times, and the presence of homicidal “Mud Men” makes it even more dangerous. Incidentally, the region was hit by a virus that turned its inhabitants into zombie-like beings, and the aforementioned Mud Men are especially dangerous. These relentless bastards run on all fours and they are not slowed down by the water. Worse yet, they cover themselves with mud in order to camouflage themselves. They use their environment to their advantage in ways that the survivors can’t, and it feels like the entire swamp is attacking you at times.

Of all the swamps in World of Warcraft, Zangarmarsh is the most lively. The surreal landscape is adorned with forests of mushrooms that extend into the heavens and give off a phosphorescent glow. Some of these mushrooms are large enough to have houses built on top of them! The marshes host myriads of predatory invertebrates and fungal monsters, but its a hauntingly beautiful area that’s largely devoid of demonic influences. The area is teeming with life, and its innumerable lakes are surprisingly clear. Marshlands are often drab or even repulsive, but Zangarmarsh is alive with color. You’ll spend a lot of time hunting monsters and fighting giant bugs, but you’ll have plenty of time to admire the scenery along the way. If nothing else, Zangarmarsh deserves a mention on this list for the sake of variety. It’s one of the most stunning zones in the Warcraft series, and it’s exactly the kind of area I want to see in a fantasy RPG.

Bubblegloop Swamp is the fourth world you visit in Banjo-Kazooie, and it’s one of the most hostile stages in the game. As you trek through the level, you’ll encounter dangerous frogs, dragonflies, and beehives. The environment is even deadlier than the creatures that inhabit it, and the piranha-infested waters are so dangerous that you’ll need to wear rubber boots in order to wade through them. The swamp is filled with memorable set pieces and unique challenges. If you want to find everything in the level, you’ll have to scale tree-sized cattails, smash straw huts into the ground, and navigate through a hazardous maze. You’ll also have the opportunity to watch a choir of turtles perform their latest masterpiece, but I’d just as soon contend with the aforementioned piranhas. If things get too intense, Banjo and Kazooie can simply visit their local shaman and get turned into a crocodile. This will allow them to travel through the swampy waters unharmed, and their crocodile form is downright adorable.

There are a handful of swamp levels in Donkey Kong Country 2 but “Krockhead Klamber” is the best fit for this list. The treacherous waters will result in instant death if you fall in, so players have to watch where they step. Floating barrels act as makeshift platforms throughout the level and the piers are relatively safe to walk on, but the Kongs will also have to latch onto giant cattails and use crocodile heads as stepping stones. You’ll have to contend with giant bees and dragonflies too, but I guess that sort of goes with the territory. Everything is covered with vines and overgrowth, and I really appreciate how dark and gloomy the level looks. Without question, the best part of the level is the background music. I loved how the distant sound of chirping crickets acts as a percussion track, and you would be able to tell that the music belonged to a swamp level even if you were unfamiliar with the game. Donkey Kong Country 2 was recognized elsewhere on this site as having one of the best soundtracks in gaming history, and “Bayou Boogie” is one of its best tracks.

In many ways, Satorl Marsh can be compared to any of the other entries on this list. The area is filled with deadly swamps and treacherous beasts, after all, and the environment is literally toxic. The marsh is home to ancient ruins, but the only non-violent individuals who spend any amount of time in the area are caravans of traders. I guess nobody wants to deal with poisonous water and onslaughts of hostile monsters. During the day, Satorl Marsh is covered with a persistent fog that makes everything seem dreary. Things change after the sun goes down, however. At night, ether released from the swamp creates a radiant curtain of light that dances off every surface. (I guess this is why some people call it the Shimmering Marsh.) The characters are taken aback by the beauty and openly question how a place can be so bright during the night. As an added bonus, the background music is every bit as beautiful as the scenery. Unless aurora borealis is localized entirely within your kitchen, it’s unlikely you’ve ever seen anything as wondrous as Satorl Marsh.