Bad Level Design Part 1 -- Super Paper Mario's Overthere

I can hardly fault Super Paper Mario for having bad level design. The game has the most brilliant levels ever designed. But there is one level, Overthere, that has truly hideous level design buried within. That part is the Cloud Staircase. Let me name the terrible aspects:

1. repetitive--you must continue to climb up and down the staircases. Repeatedly. This can only be to torture the player.
2. monotonic--It's white and blue.
3. deus ex machina--there are special labels, level numbers, irrelevant to the game to help you find your bearings
4. doesn't play well with game--the concept of turning sideways into 3D is almost useless in these levels
5. violates the natural action of the game--mario is a left/right game, not an up/down game. This means you should limit your vertical gameplay to when it works.

Foul! You may cry. What about the 100-man battle and the 100-level pits? Well, these were designed as endurance contests as side-quests. Since they are designed specifically as numbered rooms, the numbers are integral to the game design. You have to climb the clouds to further the plot. The only saving grace of the level is when you need to go way, way back to further your pain, a warp pipe appears (another deus ex machina, but welcome) to help.

The best level designs make you forget you're operating the controls. The character and plot development should feel natural and feel like play and not work.