Most games really want people to keep playing after the credits roll. To do this, they often add little secrets and extra content that players can unlock only after they beat the game the first time. The games below really make fans work for it though. There’s nothing wrong with making people put in a little effort for their rewards, but maybe some of these take it too far. After all, if post-game content is too hard to unlock maybe some players will just throw up their hands and move on to something else, figuring it is not worth the extra effort and playtime to unlock.
The 2017 sequel to the popular 2014Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordorwas met with a colder reception mostly thanks to the introduction of microtransactions and the seemingly unending grind that it takes to unlock the true ending. After completing what seems like the main story, players have one more task to unlock an additional cutscene wrapping up the story.
The last stretch is known as the Shadow Wars and consists of 10 separate large battles. They take a long time on their own and require grinding to even have a chance at completing it successfully. Fortunately, an update made it much easier and a shorter process, but the fact this was done at all left a bad impression on a lot of players.
Peace Walkerdoes a major overhaul of theMetal Gear Solidformula by having separate missions players select from a menu. The game plays with this mission structures, making players think they beat the game when really there is much more to do. Even after unlocking the true ending, found after completing Metal Gear Zeke and capturing Zadornov enough times, there are more missions to do.
Then, there are theMonster Hunter-influenced missions where Snake takes on the real monsters hinted at in the main game. These battles are especially difficult solo and are best done with buddies. Do every mission, which includes harder versions of bosses fought in the main game, and then sit back and enjoy the final audio log which drops a major story revelation.
This legendary JRPG for the SNESis famous for its multiple endings, almost all of which cannot be earned until players beat the game at least once. After they roll credits, they can restart the game and be on their journey to unlocking all the alternate endings the game has to offer.
If players do everything correctly, they can achieve them all in just two playthroughs. However, will likely take more if they are playing without a guide as the criteria for some of the endings are very specific and easy to miss. The hardest ending requires players to beat what will become the final boss, Lavos, at the very start of the game with just Crono and Marle in the party.
Like a lot of open-world games,Grand Theft Auto Vallows players to keep exploring the world after playing the final campaign missions. They can now occupy their time in Los Santos by slowly filling up their 100% completion meter in the menu. The game at least has enough mercy to not force players do every little thing. One only needs to find 25 of the hidden jumps, for example. Once players acheive 100%, they unlock one final mission called “The Last One”.
It is a slightly comedic romp involving sasquatch. It can also be seen as a nod towards the Big Foot gaming urban legend fromGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas. For years, gamers swore up and down that the mythical monster could be found in the PS2 game’s map. Now their wish comes true in the 2013 game.
This seminal Wii 3D platformer explodes with originality in every stage. They could have just rested at the novel idea of walking around spherical objects, but every star feels like a unique challenge. They feel less unique going through it yet again, but this is what players need to do if they want to unlock the final bit of content withinSuper Mario Galaxy.
After collecting all 120 stars the first time, players unlock Luigi, and the game is rebranded asSuper Luigi Galaxy. Only after doing the whole game again as Mario’s brother does the final Galaxy become available. The stage, called the Finale Galaxy, is basically a victory lap down the star festival where the game began. It also sends a special picture to the Wii as proof of the player’s accomplishment.
Resident Evilgames are notable for post-game content and unlocks that make replaying the campaigns more interesting. These usually amount to weapons or items that make the characters powerful on new runs through the story.Resident Evil 2locks entire playable missions behind completing the game with high ranks, however, going the extra length to make players see all there is to do in the game.
The Fourth Survivor mission sees players control the mysterious Hunk character, and it is unlocked by clearing the game with an A-rank at least once while doing an A and B scenario. Tofu Survivor unlocks after beating the game six times with an A-rank in at least one playthrough.
