We're used to video games throwing endless dangers at us to shoot, slash, stab, stomp and escape. From zombie hordes to Nazi battalions, overcoming intense threats to our virtual selves forms the basis of most gaming situations. It's easy to see why. Danger triggers excitement. But like with any adrenaline rush, moderation is key, and even the most intense games need to give their players a breather every now and then. Often, these take the form of areas specifically designed to provide us with much-needed downtime.
Safe zones are levels or locations that, by definition, drastically suppress a game's difficulty. Coming across them can be a godsend to players drained by unrelenting enemy encounters or nasty boss fights. Free from brutal baddies and horrifying monstrosities, these are five safe areas in games I wouldn't mind chilling out in during an arduous adventure.
The Hound Pits Pub - Dishonored
In the steampunk assassination simulator Dishonored, players spend most of their time either skirting past wary guards or carving a path through them on missions to dismantle a corrupt regime. No matter the method, it's tense work, putting former Royal Protector Corvo Attano up against militarized zealots, paranormal assassins and swarms of flesh-eating rats. Thankfully, he can always look forward to rendezvousing at the Hound Pits Pub after each successful hit. There Corvo can upgrade useful gadgets, restock his arsenal or converse with fellow Loyalists at his leisure. A rundown drinking den surrounded by plague-infested neighborhoods might not sound like an ideal shelter, but after being unjustly branded a traitor by the murderers of Dunwall's empress, Corvo has nowhere else to go.
BlackMesa East - Half Life 2
Compared to its namesake from the first Half Life game, Black Mesa East, doesn't quite measure up as a cutting-edge research institute. But after making a last-ditch escape from City 17 through polluted drainage canals, it's a welcome sight when Gordon Freeman finally reaches the Resistance hideout. Up until then, the theoretical physicist has spent most of the game tangling with Civil Protection goons and a persistent Hunter-Chopper gunship. Upon arrival, he can finally catch his breath, reminisce with Eli Vance in his laboratory and even tag along with Alyx and Dog to play with the Gravity Gun in an outdoor scrapyard. Players can appreciate Gordon's carefree visit to Black Mesa East even more in hindsight, knowing that it leads right into his fight through the nightmarish hellhole of Ravenholm.
Save Rooms - Resident Evil
Early Resident Evil games were horrifying ordeals, and not just because of the onslaught of zombies and other bio-organic weapons. Limited resources and scattered typewriters meant any wrong turn could spell disaster. So when a player finally did come upon a save room, it meant he or she could finally safeguard both their progress and their nerves. These were rare rooms where the monsters couldn't get you. You could finally manage your inventory, save your progress and prep mentally for the horrors ahead. The save room's familiar soothing music let early horror enthusiasts know everything would be alright - as long as they had enough ink ribbons on hand.
The Back Hall - Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Widely considered one of the scariest games ever made, Amnesia: The Dark Descent torments anyone who dares set foot inside its dank castle corridors. But even the twisted minds at Frictional Games know that people wouldn't be able to play their game to completion if they didn't periodically let up on its terrifying encounters. So no matter how deep they descend into Brennenburg Castle, players will always find chambers where they can safely compose their sanity. After a harrowing flight through the flooded Archive Tunnels, hunted by a waterborne demon, Amnesia's jumpy protagonist Daniel reaches one such room. Immersed in a calm blue light, the Back Hall feels so welcoming compared to previous areas that it's easy to overlook its demonic baby fountain centerpiece, not to mention the severed body parts that turn up from time to time. While it's not the first or last hub area players encounter in the game, the Back Hall comes at a perfect point to provide relief just as the scares begin ratchetting up.
Bonfires - Dark Souls
Nothing else in video games can quite capture the euphoria felt upon discovering a new bonfire in Dark Souls. Theses checkpoints, placed strategically across Lordran and Drangleic, offer the only respite from the series' brutal enemies and the tedium of fighting the same ones over and over again. Resting at these campsites restores both your undead avatar's health and life-giving Estus Flask, which more than makes up for also respawning surrounding monsters. It doesn't matter whether you're making a pit stop at Firelink Shrine or descending into the Catacombs. Bonfires always make the path ahead, filled with foes, traps and savage bosses, appear somewhat more manageable.