As games evolved and their mechanics became more involved and complex, especially during the transition to 3D and during the fifth and sixth console generations, tutorials became a somewhat necessary staple to help ease new players into the action.

While tutorial levels aren't as common as they once were thanks to a somewhat standardised control scheme and approach to 3D movement, tutorials can be a memorable part of a game as they are often the first experience a user can have, or maybe even the last if done wrong - see Driver on the PS1. A good or bad tutorial can truly make or break a users first impression of a game.

Throughout the years there have been some truly great tutorial levels such as the iconic world 1-1 in Super Mario Bros to The Great Plateau in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Or how about Croft Manor in the early Tomb Raider games which guide you through a literal training ground and let you trap your own rattly butler in a walk-in freezer?

What are some of your favourite tutorial levels or the ones that you remember the most for good or for worse?

 

[DinohScene]

Peddling home to Grove Street.
Yeah, peddling home to Grove Street...

 

[Desconocido90]

Croft Manor, with all its little secrets and glitches (corner bug!) was something special.

I think Kingdom Hearts has some great tutorial levels. They're not interesting due to gameplay, but due to artistic value (Dive to the heart is so mystifying) and storytelling (Destiny Island and specially Twilight Town).

 

[BORTZ]

The Yoshi's Island little tutorial level.

 

[BigOnYa]

Walking so slow through the snow in the intro to RDR2 was so annoying to me. It was kinda the tutorial for the game.

 

[Deleted member 194275]

The Croft manor is not a tutorial, is just where you perform the secret to remove Lara Croft clothes. I just didn't discovered how. (Back on the day, lots already claimed they've done it so it's automatically true)

 

[shaunj66]

The Croft manor is not a tutorial, is just where you perform the secret to remove Lara Croft clothes. I just didn't discovered how. (Back on the day, lots already claimed they've done it so it's automatically true)

I remember the rumour in my school playground where you could activate a nude cheat by tapping buttons to the tune of Spice Girl's Wannabe. That was a thing!

 

[K3Nv4]

Let's not forget mgs1 we didn't actually get a tutorial but a movie clip. Also we were taught that we were the bright dot on the radar.

 

[x65943]

I liked the tutorial in Skyrim, the first time

Exciting, puts you in the thick of a fight with a dragon, teaches you simple controls and how to fight with minimal consequences (you are fighting with allies to help you)

Now every subsequent time you have to go through that just to start a game (argh)

Ditto with Oblivion and the sewer. I trust I am not the only one to install mods to skip those tutorials

 

[Marc_LFD]

Slow motion shooting (dead eye) in RDR (Revolver and Redemption). When I searched for "Red Dead Redemption" the searches were flooded with RDR2.



Nice seeing the Xbox 360 controller again, heh.

 

[RedoLane]

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon had a very funny tutorial

 

[WexMajor]

I'm always going to miss this nonsense

 

[Flame]

I really like Pokemon Sun and Moon. Shame it was one big tutorial and no game.

 

[NumberXIIIEdwin]

Kingdom Hearts II. Sure it might take like 3 hours every time you play the game from the beginning but damn is it a great piece of storytelling while also being a fun tutorial. You can see the implications it had throughout the entire game. Weirdest part was that the first time I played it, I hated it. I didn’t know who this Roxas person was and was just ready to go back to playing as Sora in his cool new black outfit. Now it’s my favorite part to play, and Roxas is my favorite character in the series.

 

[AkikoKumagara]

Super Mario Bros. 1-1.
It may not technically be considered a tutorial, but it functions as the most perfect tutorial ever made, in my opinion. It teaches you all of the basics of the game you're about to experience without saying a single word to the player, and while still being an entertaining experience, even if you've played it many times before.

 

[ZeroT21]

I friggin' hate unskippable tutorials

 

[Dust2dust]

Tutorials in video games go way back... I always liked the tutorial in the Joust arcade game. It explained everything you need to know to play the game, and it even gave you a hint. Beware of the "unbeatable?" pterodactyl.

 

[EpikJimmer]

The Castle Grounds from Mario 64. It's absolute genius.

TECHNICALLY it's not a tutorial level; it's part of the hub world but it might as well be.
Instead of throwing you in a level with upbeat music and all kinds of things happening around you, you arrive outside of peach's castle with the only sound being the waterfall and some birds chirping. It lets a new player breathe in a bit and learn the controls of this new 3D enviroment.

And it doesn't stop you every five seconds just to show you how to jump or how to punch. It lets you do your own thing before finally entering the castle and going into the first level.

 

[Mayo1990]

Cuphead tutorial. Took me almost 20 mins to jump and dash at the same time.

 

[CoolMe]

Peddling home to Grove Street.
Yeah, peddling home to Grove Street...

Ah shit, here we go again..