Truly Tropical! Some of games best beaches.
The image of a beach is often a sandy tropical paradise. Palm trees, tropical fruit, oceans, birds and wildlife. Of course, let’s not count the blistering hot sand and sunburns. In games, the beach level is often an early level, it symbolizes fun and relaxation as opposed to difficulty. This is not always the case however. I have lived either on or near a beach for the near entirety of my 22-year life. To celebrate where I came from, I present to you a list of beaches in video games! Grab your sunscreen, your umbrella and your towel and get ready to get sandy!
Emerald Coast (Sonic Adventure)
Ah, the first level of sonic Adventure. This level is set on a tropical beach and a series of islands and stone pillars. Four of the six characters have a stage here. As sonic, Tails and Gamma, you race over sandbars and jump from boardwalk to boardwalk. As big you just…fish…but it looks nice at least! Spike traps litter some paths, a lighthouse stands tall and proud on the islands, and a giant whale is in the mood for some sonic food. Overall, as the first true 3d sonic level, it does a good job! The music is great too!
Beach Bowl Galaxy (Super Mario Galaxy)
A fun tropical beach that Mario can visit during his intergalactic adventure. This small area is primarily underwater. The surface is of several islands and a cliffside that overlooks the bowl. Underwater there are pillars of rock, some giant eels, and penguins taking fishing lessons. Try to jump onto the rope swing and dive in! Overall this level is small but fun.
Treasure Trove Cove (Bajo Kazooie)
Every time I hear about the levels in this game, people talk about this one. This level is a great example of a good beach level. The music fits, the palm trees, the boss crab, the pirate ship… A lot of cool things can be found in this level, including new moves! Now be careful swimming out into the water, because there is a very hungry shark that wants to eat you. On the top of the level is a lighthouse. So this level seems great for exploration and I can see why its considered one of the most iconic beach levels.
Destiny Island (Kingdom Hearts)
Ah, where it all began. Destiny island is the first level of the original kingdom hearts. This tropical island served as a hangout for the main characters, Sora, Riku and Kairi. Also some final fantasy characters can be found here too. A small island that serves as a tutorial, Riku was not content with just this small island and wanted to go somewhere else, in a weird twisted way he got his wish. The island was swallowed by darkness, and was only restored at the end of Sora’s first journey. The island would later appear in future installments, but Sora has yet to return to his home. So this island represent the humble beginning to what will eventually become one of the biggest franchises of the past 20 years.
Phon Coast (Final Fantasy XII)
The Phon coast is one of the many locations you will traverse in order to reach the end goal in FFXIII. This coast is one of the few places where the main characters relax for a bit. Some hunters have set up shop here and the concept of rare game is introduced here. Along the sandy shores are many treasures and many monsters, be careful because some of them can fly. Even though you will come back here often for the rare hunter quest, the overall beach is often left unvisited. Enjoy it while you can.
Virmire (Mass Effect)
This planet is a tropical paradise with massive waterways and cliffsides. On any other day it would be nice to kick back and enjoy the beach, unfortunately today is not a good day. The planet is under siege and its up to commander Shepperd to confront the main antagonist here. The commander and his allies will have to fight their way through an army of Geth soldiers, and even confront a reaper, in order to reach the end goal. In the end the villain gets away anyway… However this battle remains as the most memorable moment from mass effect 1 for me.
The Beach (Donkey Kong Country Returns)
The beach isn’t just a level, but an entire world to traverse in the wii game. True to its title, this level is primarily set on a beach. This beach has boardwalks, wooden contraptions, caves and sunken ships. Giant crabs patrol the beach and will attack the Kong duo. After overcoming a barrage from a pirate ship, a giant squid attack and dodging tidal waves you will be able to face the boss. This level is some tropical fun and a good romp.
Ryoshima Coast (Okami)
One of the largest areas in the Okami series. This coastline houses a city and several npcs. Cliffs, beaches and trees dot the coast. Initially it is cursed and has to be cleansed in order to explore. The ocean is home to a sunken ship that is said to hold treasures. Unfortunately for everyone, the sea dragon is rampaging and causing havoc. A lagoon can be found nearby too. This place is beautiful and is visited relatively early in the Okami game.
Sunny Beach (Spyro 2 Ripto’s Rage!)
This beach is home to some peaceful turtles that are being captured alive by poachers. The majority of this level is underground or in caves, but there is a beach there as well. In this level Spyro will help guide baby turtles to safety and defeat the poachers that want to turn them into stew. Explore every nook and cranny of the underwater portions to find all the gems. Once the level is complete, the baby turtles will be safe once again.
Outset Island (Wind Waker)
The beginning of Wind Waker takes place in Link’s home island of outset. This small tropical island is primarily a beach with a forest on the very top. A relatively quiet island that is far away from the more populated areas, and thus it does not see much action. Link’s adventure starts when his little sister is kidnapped by a giant bird that comes to this island. Later on, a mythical creature makes their home here as well. The inhabitants are friendly towards Link as well, giving a sensation of home. This island is also home to a special secret dungeon.
The beach (Pokemon Snap)
The first and arguably the most iconic level in Pokemon snap. This tropical trail has a decent amount of pokemon to take pictures of. Some pokemon won’t be exposed until later on, so this level will be revisited often. The beach is sandy, the ocean has a Lapras that occasionally raises its head. There are grass patches with pokemon hiding within them and some creeks and ponds as well. This level serves as a great tutorial, not fast pace or extremely hectic with who to snap a picture of. It remains one of my personal favorite beach levels of all time.
Ash Lake (Dark Souls)
A truly cinematic area, quite a shame its optional. This small portion of the game is primarily a sandbar that connects some giant trees suspended in a large calm lake. Upon your first visit, a large menacing Hydra will antagonize you until it has been dealt with. This area is calm and almost eerily serene, after said hydra is dispatched of course. Be careful going into the trees because basilisk make their homes there. At the end of the long sand bar is one of the last everlasting dragons, who will give you the ability to join a covenant. There is not much to gain from coming here, but the experience alone is worth the time.
Cape Claw (star fox adventures)
A jungle peninsula full of boardwalks, secrets and of course, beaches. This location is visited later in the game and is home to some enemy soldiers. Explore through sandbars, waterfalls and ruins to find the treasures of the area, including bars of gold! There is a friendly dinosaur here as well that Fox can talk to. Eventually there will be a temple that needs to be navigated as well. This level, or zone as it would be considered, is a great beach level. Tis a shame people don’t seem to view this game very fondly.
Goo lagoon (Spongebob battle for bikini bottom)
Ahh, Goo Lagoon… This level is one of the first levels in the childhood classic spongebob game. This level takes place on a beach and on a boardwalk. You’ll have to navigate over platforms, redirect beams of light and play mini-games a plenty. Be careful though, because none of the characters can swim, so the water, or goo more specifically, is an obstacle. Some new enemies will pop up here as well.
Sentinel Beach (Jak and Daxter)
One of the first levels of Jak and Daxter takes place on a beach. Some grassy cliff aligns this coast as well. A waterfall and a pool that is safe for swimming. Some ruins can be found farther back on the coastline. Be weary of the hermit crab enemies. There are some blue eco vaults here to allow some sky-high jumps, use them to explore the rock pillars. Overall this is a fun easy beach level, just take care not to swim out to far or else you might not make it back.
Wam Bam Island (Borderlands 2)
One of the most colorful locations on planet Pandora. Wam Bam island would be a vacation paradise, if said vacation was full of pirates, monsters, cannibals and assassins. A giant sea monster resides here, just itching to do battle with the vault hunters. On top of that, some assassins have been hired to take out the dwellers but they… lets just say they failed at their job. The few locals here are just like anyone else on Pandora, crazy. So have fun in the sun. explore an underwater tunnel, fight giant crabs and try not to meat your end by the hands of the locals.
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Well that was fun wasn’t it? Hope you don’t feel burned out or have sand in your eyes! Next time we are gonna look at some characters, who you may ask? Well lets just say they all share one thing in common, and that is a love for miniguns.
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