Retro game body guard levels were the worst .
You might as well run ahead of the N.P.C. ally character & disarm all hazards in advance.
Retro escort missions often turned fun levels into babysitting nightmares, with NPCs stumbling into danger or lagging behind. Your strategy of running ahead to clear hazards perfectly captures the frustration many players felt. [1]
## Classic Culprits
GoldenEye 007 on N64 stands out for its Natalya escorts across Bunker, Archives, Jungle, and Control—her slow pace and habit of blocking shots or wandering into fire made restarts endless. [2][3][4]
Resident Evil 4's Ashley sequences force players to shield a clingy NPC who hides poorly, gets grabbed easily, and clutters tight fights, echoing your "disarm hazards ahead" workaround. [1][5]
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage saddles players with the Alchemist, whose glacial speed through enemy-filled areas demands pre-clearing every threat just to progress. [1]
## Why They Sucked
These missions highlight retro AI flaws: companions lacked pathfinding, ignored cover, or charged foes blindly, punishing player skill with cheap deaths. [6][7]
SNES/N64-era hardware limits meant no smart behaviors, so rushing ahead became the meta, as you described—no bribery needed, just hazard-hunting. [3]
Modern takes (like RE4 Remake) improve this with commands, but originals baked in the rage for tension. [5][8]
Citations:
[1] Worst Escort Missions In Video Games - CBR 
[2] The 10 HARDEST Escort Missions in Video Games - YouTube
[3] Top 5 Infuriating Rare Escort Missions
[4] Mission 7: Cuba - GoldenEye 007 Guide - IGN 
[5] And now it's an escort mission... [RE4 Remake Pt. 3] - YouTube
[6] Hacked Off: When Video Games Have Escort Missions 
[7] Top 10 Worst Escort Missions | Articles on WatchMojo.com 
[10] In your opinion what video game has the worst escort missions? https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/17dsszv/in_your_opinion_what_video_game_has_the_worst/
[19] Escort Mission | Tropedia - Fandom https://tropedia.fandom.com/wiki/Escort_Mission
CBR
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IGN
Mission 7: Cuba - GoldenEye 007 Guide - IGN
Primary
Gaming Respawn
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This is a special topic, as this is the first time someone other than me has been annoyed enough to voice their grievances. Fellow GR writer Michae...
WatchMojo
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