: There was a certain castle level in the original Super Mario Bros. game, one
: with long stretches of three, four, maybe five platforms stacked on top of
: each other, with plenty of obstacles and enemies to keep you dodging as
: you raced through the level. But the catch to this level is, and I bet
: that there was one Hell of a neat trick in the programming that let them
: do it, you had to end each segment on the right platform. If you finished
: one segment on, say, the third platform from the top, you'd get a ding
: and move onto the next segment. Otherwise, there'd be a sad little note
: and you'd repeat that segment until you got it right.

That was actually the last castle level, and I'm almost certain the notes were added in the Super Mario All-Stars version, and the original gave you no clue.

: So. Take Cortana, and gimmick the geometry around so that the end loops right
: back around to the beginning. You are in a maze of twisty passages, all
: alike and curiously reminiscent of cancerous colons. Exit door leads in,
: because the Gravemind is reaching sufficient cognitive density to tell
: Euclidean geometry to go get bent. With little hints from Cortana, you
: have to take a certain path through the branching tunnels to advance.
: Failure to do so will force you to run that segment again. The enemies
: will completely respawn, but the weapons won't. Sure, you'll find weapons
: and ammo dropped by the Flood you killed previously. Some of it. If the
: Flood doesn't get to it first. But hurry quickly, because the whole level
: is slowly filling with fog that obscures your vision and slows your shield
: regeneration.

: Success leads to the next gauntlet, which might be entirely new level
: geometry. Or it might be a previous segment flipped upside down. Or a
: segment with heavier gravity and a whole lot more Ranged Forms.
: Fortunately, the correct path through the maze is the same from one
: playthrough to the next... unless you're playing with the Tilt Skull,
: which randomizes it.

: I'd design the level this way, so that when people complain about repetitive
: Flood encounters and horrible level design and Cortana/Gravemind moments
: and how Bungie copy-pastes the same level geometry, I know that it's my
: masterpiece they're talking about. And whenever I hint that maybe the
: Flood might make a reappearance in the next Halo game, the internet will
: be filled to the brim with shrieks of horror and wails of anguish. You
: know, like it should be.

You are a bad person and I adore you.