Finding a hidden level is a bit like discovering a wonderful landmark of🐈f the beaten path, or finding out that there’s another layer of biscuits in the tin at Christmas time if you’re a foodie. It’s a pleasant surprise and gives the player an immense satisfaction as they play through and explore an area that they may never have discovered had it not been for their perseverance as a gamer.
Or, it could just be happenstance: accidentally drifting off into a previously unseen location or a random button selection which reveals the otherwise un-revealed. In fairness, these can be equally as satisfying and certainly just as surprising as the level mak༺es itself known as if out of nowhere.
And then there are the bonus levels and modes; levels which are deliberately rewarded to the player after completing the game or unlocking a certain♏ portion of it. And though these levels do not necessarily take us by surprise in the same way (in fact, many of us have simply come to expect bonuses and unlockables these days!), it's certainly a nice treat for seeing the game through to the end, while increasing its lifespan at the same time.
Coming in all shapes a♍nd sizes in🐲 all different types of games, these levels hold a special place in the hearts of those who’ve played them, whether its due to their quality or the sentimental feeling they get when they think about that first discovery.
25 The Club (Call Of Duty 4) ꦫ 😼
Coming at the very end of the main campaign, this level rounds off the st🍬ory in quite a cryptic fashion. After infiltrating an airplane (with no explanation how or why), the player finds himself in a shootout with a group of presumably Russian bad guys.
The protagonist is unnamed and his colleagues are too.
Howౠever, the tight walkways, sharp turns, bathroom ambushes, and sense of ur🐓gency due to the level's countdown timer means that, even without context, this is still a blast worth replaying!
24 Guy Savage (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater) 😼
After a rigorous interrogation which leaves him worse for ware, Snake finds himself holed up in a cell trying to survive on rodents, all while attempting to heal up and plan a daring escape. Saving the game with movie-buff Para-Medic, she regales Snake of the film Dracula. If you turn off the game and load that save, it begins a hack-n-slash dream sequence where Snake, controlling the Devil May Cry-inspired Guy Savage, hacks at demons wielding a sword. Upon waking, he even chastises Para-medic 🎉for giving him t📖he nightmare!
23 🤡 Another Dream (Wolওfenstein II: New Order)
So, another sequence that arises from your character nodding in the game. This time, if you take a map in the recent first person shooter title Wolfenstein II: New Order, it begins a nightmare sequence. That being said, this is no ordinary dream, it is a nightmare which sees you thrust back into the world of Wolfenstein 3D, the classic FPS title which helped create and popularize thไe genre. A taste of the old school shooter for new fans, and a fond stroll down memory lane for veterans.
22 🍎 Triangle (Tony Hawk's Underground 2)
The Tony Hawk series is well💫 for its hidden levels and locations (more will appear later on… or will they?) and this leꦑvel is no exception.
Inspired by the Bermuda Triangle conspiracy, this level incorporates many elements surrounding it.
Situated on a deserted island in the Caribbean, th♊is secret level contains discoverables within it, including Aztec ruins, an alien base, and a hot, menacing location which could be construed as the underworld (with a half pipe). Maybe that’s where all those ships went…
21 Special Zone (Supe𝄹r Mario World)
Super Mario World—the iconic million selling SNES staple—has more going on beneath the surface than may be initially clear. A 2D platformer with cheery music belies a lengthy adventure with an almost number of secrets and unlockables. Special Zone is an example of this. A secret zone within a secret, players must first find the secret exit in the Forest of Illusions level, and then find this challenging batch of stages, hidden in the Star Road level. Extremely complex, and for the hardcore Mario faithful only.
20 Arcade (Call Of Dut🎐y: Black Ops II)
Nuketown is one of the most beloved maps in the Call of Duty series. A 1950s-inspired suburban American location, it actually turns out to be a test si💞te for nuclear weapons, giving the time limit for these maps online extra precedence. In the , if you hit all the mannequins with headshots from your weapon, then you are able to play a bunch of vintage arcade games on a television in one of the houses. A throwback to two golden ages!
19 Inside The Statue Of Happin👍ess (Grand Theft Auto IV)
Lying somewhere in between a secret level and an Easter egg (something the GTA series is famous for), the Statue of Happiness—located, fittingly, on Happiness Island—is an odd monume꧋nt.
The GTA universe’s answer to the Statue of Liberty, it looks like Apex Twin in a dress (so, just like Aphex Twin).
It’s an odd statue that most players just tend to ignore. However, if you manage to get inside the statue, there is an actual beating heart within 🎉it. Weird!
18 ꦐ Jill’s Sandwich Shop (Dead Rising) 𝐆
A from one game which found its way into another here. In Dead Rising there is a shop called Jill’s Sandwich shop. For the uninitiated, this may just come across as an innocuous title for a fictional restaurant in a fictional game. However, for those of us who’ve played the first Resident Evil, we recognize the title as being lifted from a hilarious quote from Barry in that game. Upon saving Jill Valentine from being flattened like a pancake by a descending wall, he comments th♋at she was “almost a Jill sandwich!”
17 Secret Cཧow Level (Dia𓂃blo II)
We’ve always felt that cows were secretly vicious being with the capacity to take human life. They’re fooling no one with that docile front that they put on! Diablo II takes our wild conspiracy and proves it without question with their secret cow level. Originally put in the gaꦬme as a way to satirize the growing rumour that you could click on some cows in the game and portal to a secret level, here they actually make it a reality, forcing you to fight increasingly difficult waves of bloodthirsty moo-ers!
16 ༒ The Princess’ Secret Slide (Super Mario 64)
On his search for Princess Peach, keen and curious Mario gamers are able to … her slide. Hiꦫdden behind a window in a one-star level, it is essentially just just a fun detour with the player just plummeting down a big slide collecting coins and goodies.
This level continued the tradition of secret Mario levels and bonus reward stages for persistent gamers.
After all, who doesn’t love the ide🍨a of going down a big s🍨lide collecting potentially life-lengthening coins without goombas to worry about?