Summary
Although it’s expected that the bulk of a game’s content will be contained within the bounds of its main story, there exist many titles that bookend their experience with an end-game section that arguably rivals the core with regard to scale and scope.
From genre-defining soft reboots to quintessential Nintendo twists on tried and true formulae, there are an extraordinary amount of video games that defer a great amount of gameplay and narrative content until its later moments.
Red Dead Redemption
With a narrativespanning 15 years and into the dawn of the 20th century, Rockstar Games’Red Dead Redemptionseries carries the immersive open-world torch from other Rockstar-developed titles, such asGrand Theft Auto, across the Old West and three protagonists' lives. Both titles - 2010’sRed Dead Redemptionand its prequel titleRed Dead Redemption 2- may not share playable characters, but the lives of John Marston and Arthur Morgan are strikingly similar.
With the forward march of ‘civilization’ running cowboys such as Morgan out of their on-the-road lifestyle and betraying Marston’s good deeds for its own self-gain, theRed Dead Redemptionseries provides players with ample opportunity to see how the world moves on after their demise.Red Dead Redemption’s ending sees Marston executed heartlessly at his homestead after a life atoning for his sins before changing focus to his son as he seeks revenge, while Arthur Morgan’s death presents players with the opportunity to see how the original title’s protagonist learns to live his life inside the law.
As with many of Nintendo’s first-party offerings,Pikminis positioned as a fully-formed yet entry-level installment into the world of video games - in its case,“the unique subgenre of strategy puzzle games”. However, with such a tactical genre come the expansive mechanics and worlds that the style is renowned for.
With the 2004 release ofPikmin 2, Nintendo EAD seemingly ought to bolster the proven gameplay of the original title while expanding the landscape and cast of characters. As such, instead of controlling but one stranded spacefarer in Olimar, the begrudging protagonist of Louie is introduced for players to multitask with. Yet with Hocotate Freight’s $10,000 debt paid off, Olimar escaping the planet’s orbit, and the credits rolling, the distinct lack of Louie in the cockpit is reason enough for both Olimar and the company’s President to return looking for him.
What ensues is effectively the other half of thePikmin 2experience, as the remaining treasures are collected and a slew of bugs and monsters are slain. Culminating in a hard-fought victory against the Titan Dweevil at the bottom of the Dream Den, Louie is ultimately rescued, and ‘The End’ can finally be seen emblazoned across the screen.
Despite being"about as perfect of a platformer as they come", Nintendo EPD’s time developingSuper Mario Odysseywas arguably somewhat spent in making sure seemingly every nook and cranny hid some kind of retro-inspired nod or currency collectible. Even with Bowser defeated and Peach rescued once again, Mario’s collectathon adventure has arguably just begun when the credits roll.
With aSuper Mario 64-inspired Mushroom Kingdom being unlocked the instant players finish the game’s core story, and the Dark & Darker Sides of the Moon made available after the collection of 250 and 500 Power Moons respectively,Super Mario Odysseyis full of hours of gameplay left. Mario’s pals add to this end-game extravaganza, as Toadette is proud to give Power moons for the completion of certain achievements and Luigi aids players in online play. Yet, with 999 Power Moons scattered around the game’s worlds and new costumes continuing to be unlocked,Super Mario Odyssey’s runtime is dwarfed by post-game content.
As is seemingly part and parcel of the roguelike genre,Dead Cells' focus on"providing a challenging, learnable experience"with its repeated runs creates a gameplay system that arguably negates the importance of the acclaimed ‘end’ of the game.
After defeating the Hand of the King after hours of hack-and-slash gameplay and muscle memory, the ‘true’ soul of Motion Twin & Evil Empire’s 2018 roguelike is revealed. With difficulty modifiers creating a more dynamic mechanical experience and eventually bestowing players with new environments to uncover, the seemingly endless sandbox ofDead Cellsis ultimately opened up to players to tinker with. Bolstered by alternative routes and zones leading to brand new boss creatures and a host of new combat-focused toys to play with, players are arguably just getting started after their first full run.
As the roguelike genre is designed around the player’s drive to become stronger and more capable, the traditional narrative structure is seemingly lost among the gameplay-focused ecosystem of most titles of the genre. However, the game’s combat and movement were hailed as a triumph, and its classical plot was just as revered.
The quest of Zagreus to escape the underworld, and uncover the truth of his existence, was woven naturally throughHades' roguelike format, with the game’s ‘end’ acting as more of a final chapter of the prologue than anything else. Gods and spirits alike comment on Zagreus' journey and send him on quests, as players can enact a Pact of Punishment to skew gameplay to gain rewards and upgrades, yet reaching the surface is not the end ofHades' journey but just the beginning.
While the gameplay loop of 2018’sMonster Hunter: Worldis consciously captivating to keep players engaged with its many interlocking systems of hunting and crafting, it is arguably a title that wasnever designed to be played to its ultimate completion.
With Capcom’s focus on mechanical and gameplay diversity rather than narrative length, letting the credits roll onMonster Hunter: World’s story acts as an end to the title’s50-hour-long structured prologue. Although players will have varying levels of completion they will seek an open-ended title such asMonster Hunter: World, the inclusion of more than 400 hours of content, and another set of hundreds of hours with its extensive Iceborne expansion.
Releasing 12 years after Capcom’s inauguralDragon’s Dogmatitle,Dragon’s Dogma 2is"a natural evolution from the first game"and has become a quintessential example of emergent gameplay and narrative within video games. Despite players spending hours building their character’s strength before defeating the Red Dragon and seeing the 2024 title’s credits roll, the fantasy ARPG still retains much of its content for a metanarrative twist in its world.
After accepting an offer to change series history, and plunging the Empowered Godsbane Blade into your own heart, players find that the hellish landscape of the Unmoored World envelopsDragon’s Dogma 2. The once-luscious terrain of the title is replaced with a crimson haze with dried Seas, ghostly phantoms, and an expansion ofDragon’s Dogma’s lore that turns the cyclical nature of the fight between the Arisen and the Red Dragon on its head.
While its"pace rewards players who are patient", the three-act structure of the acclaimed eleventh numbered installment in theDragon Questseries is a game that builds its narrative to a fever pitch before turning it on its head. After defeating the Evil Wizard and saving Erdrea, the player’s party dispands and the uninitiated may set their controllers down after seeing Square Enix’s credits file.
However, with so many questions left unanswered and a mysterious figure remaining uncovered, the game’s post-credits third act is not only a cute subversion of players' expectations but an expansion ofDragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age’s narrative. Taking place months after the culmination moments of the game’s supposed plot, as the world is in the throes of mourning and rebuilding its landscape, the party reconvenes in a time-traveling plot that sees the true villain of the title revealed. After 30 hours of gameplay, and the earlier setting of the title revisited and saved, the true ending of the vast role-playing game can finally be presented.
