History Main / DiscOneFinalDungeon

* The first ''GoldenSun'' game ends with the defeat of the BigBadDuumvirate after they went OneWingedDngel on you in the Venus Lighthouse. You think the games over, the threat's ended - sure it was only the second lighthouse, but you won ... right? Wrong - you're told by your best friend/antagonist Felix that he'll continue Saturos and Menardi's quest in their stead, even though it seemed like he was being forced to help them (he ''was'' very reluctant whenever he appeared). Not to mention that Alex is still alive ... Then the game deceptively ends, and you think it's a separate story. Turns out that it is - when you discover ''The Lost Age'' (the sequel), released two years later, you actually play ''as'' Felix, trying to light the remaining lighthouses. Alex, the ally of the BigBadDuumvirate turns out to be both the (arguable) BigBad AND TheUnfought. Trust me, it makes more sense than it sounds. But the first game ''definitely'' counts as a subversion.

** ''TalesOfVesperia'' has The Enduring Shrine of Zaude where the party confronts the supposed, but not so BigBad, Alexei and defeat him, only to find that he had revealed something greater that would bring about TheEndOfTheWorldDsWeKnowIt.

** ''TalesOfVesperia'' has The Enduring Shrine of Zaude where the party confronts the supposed, but not so BigBad, Alexei and defeat him, only to find that he had revealed something greater that would bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

* The original ''WildArms'' had the Photosphere, lair of the leader of the demon invasion and supposed BigBad.
** ''WildArms2'' has Heimdall Gazzo, an orbital space station in a wild west setting - which is what marked the ''actual'' VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon of the first game. And it could have been the final dungeon itself if the developers felt like ending the game there, since the plot of the second disc centers around a mostly unrelated threat.

* The first ''GoldenSun'' game ends with the defeat of the BigBadDuumvirate after they went OneWingedAngel on you in the Venus Lighthouse. You think the games over, the threat's ended - sure it was only the second lighthouse, but you won ... right? Wrong - you're told by your best friend/antagonist Felix that he'll continue Saturos and Menardi's quest in their stead, even though it seemed like he was being forced to help them (he ''was'' very reluctant whenever he appeared). Not to mention that Alex is still alive ... Then the game deceptively ends, and you think it's a separate story. Turns out that it is - when you discover ''The Lost Age'' (the sequel), released two years later, you actually play ''as'' Felix, trying to light the remaining lighthouses. Alex, the ally of the BigBadDuumvirate turns out to be both the (arguable) BigBad AND TheUnfought. Trust me, it makes more sense than it sounds. But the first game ''definitely'' counts as a subversion.

* Hyrule Castle in ''TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast''. You have the three {{MacGuffin}}s and the magic sword you need to face the assumed BigBad, but that's only the beginning.

* ''[=~Pokémon~=] Gold/Silver/Crystal'' and ''[=HeartGold=]/[=SoulSilver=]'': Wait, what do you mean there are sixteen badges?

* ''{{Lunar}}'' had this in the form of the Frontier, and the Grindery twice over. You chase the Magic Emperor down to his fortress of doom, work and fight your way through the Vile Tribe, gather your forces and finally stand against the BigBad himself at opposing ends of a bridge. Then... there's a lot of talking. Looking up screenshots, the Magic Emperor says during the conversation, "This isn't the time for our final confrontation, dragonboy! As any dullard with an ounce of culture knows, that time is reserved for the third act!" The bridge separates, and the mobile, tank-like heart of the Grindery drives away, requiring the full party to run back to the airship to chase it. And disable it. And scale it. And finally fight the Big Bad, just to find... no, that still was fake, the Big Bad is alive and well, and the real final dungeon is The Fortress of Althena!

With the advent of higher-storage capacity mediums ([=DVDs=], Blu-Ray discs, and internal hard drives), the ability for developers to successfully fake out the player with Disc One Final Dungeons has been restored to SNES-era levels. As a result, more savvy players will start looking for other indications that the game isn't over (unanswered questions, [[InterfaceSpoiler empty inventory slots]], locations not explored, etc).

With the advent of higher-storage capacity mediums ([=DVDs=], Blu-Ray discs, and internal hard drives), the ability for developers to successfully fake out the player with Disc One Final Dungeons has been restored to SNES-era levels. As a result, more savvy players will start looking for other indications that the game isn't over (unanswered questions, empty inventory slots, locations not explored, etc).

* ''ChronoTrigger'' does it probably three times, in order:
** The first third of the game is the lead-up to fighting the apparent BigBad Magus from supposedly creating Lavos, but it reveals that Magus was actually trying to destroy Lavos.
** The next is the Reptite's Lair, it seems as though your party is full and there are no more time periods to explore and that you're going to prevent this next apparent BigBad from summoning Lavos, only to reveal that Lavos is the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, and then the game sends you to 12,000 B.C..
** The Ocean Palace is an even better fake-out, and eventually becomes the pseudo-final dungeon, but the first time you run through it's a final dungeon that turns out to lead to one of the most shocking moments of the 16-bit RPG era.
* ''ChronoCross'' also does it twice, with Fort Dragonia and Chronopolis. Fort Dragonia is particularly notable because it's the site of the dream you had at the beginning of the game, which itself felt like StormingTheCastle.
** And don't forget Terra Tower.
** Although Terra Tower ''was'' the final dungeon. All that was left to do was to destroy the [[spoiler:Time Devourer.]] Oh, and find out 90% of the plot.
* ''KingdomHearts'', for the final world you fight through a giant techno-castle, fight {{the Dragon}}, fight the BigBad, and fight the Dragon again, and seal the CosmicKeystone. Oops, we're looking for TheManBehindTheMan, and the final dungeon isn't even a real world, within the game terms it isn't even in the same realm of existence.
* Common in the ''FinalFantasy'' series:
** The Giant of Babil in ''FinalFantasyIV''. You've been all over the world, all over the underworld, and to the moon and back and are facing a giant superweapon that the supposed BigBad had been collecting crystals to awaken, and are now fighting through that superweapon and a series of tough fights including a BossRush of the [[ElementalRockPaperScissors four elemental generals]] you took on through the course of the game. Then you get to the control room to face the BigBad and it's [[LukeIAmYourFather Luke I Am Your Brother]].
*** Even earlier than that, the Tower of Zot plays this role. You've been pretty much everywhere in the overworld, all four known crystals have been accounted for, and you go to a futuristic tower that's ''not even on the World Map'' to attempt a HostageForMacGuffin exchange and have a showdown with the BigBad. Only afterwards do you learn about the underworld and the additional crystals.
** Taken semi-literally in ''[=~Final Fantasy IV: The After Years~=]'', where Golbez's tale starts in the previous game's final dungeon, and he even fights [[spoiler:Zeromus]] as his end-of-chapter boss.
** [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Exdeath/Exodus/X-Death]]'s Castle in ''FinalFantasyV''. It's a large, terrifying castle where the BigBad hangs out (complete with [[NightmareFuel fleshy organ-like walls with ribcages and tortured fiends built right in!]]). You've already conquered the two worlds of the game and been everywhere, so it only seems natural that this'll be the the site of the FinalBoss battle; but when you finally destroy the shield surrounding it, fight your way to the top and clash with Exdeath himself, he completes his hitherto unknown plan to merge the two worlds together sending the light warriors unconscious away from the castle and with a whole new patchwork worldmap to explore.
** In ''FinalFantasyVI'', the FloatingContinent miles above the earth, where the assumed BigBad, Geshtahl, and his assumed [[TheDragon Dragon]], Kefka, are trying to get the powers of creation would seem like a final dungeon to most players. Of course, the inclusion of a completely different {{Feelies}} map labeled "World of Ruin" was sort of a tip-off.
** The Northern Continent in ''FinalFantasyVII''. You've already chased [[BigBad Sephiroth]] around the world, so it's easy to think that these ancient ruins could be the final showdown. Of course, this is just the end of the first disc.
*** It starts even earlier than that. The whole trek in the Shinra HQ feels like a huge climax and then the real game begins when you first step into the world map.
** ''FinalFantasyVIII''. Maybe we'll stop the sorceress by shooting her at the big parade. Nope, just kidding. Hey, giant showdown between our floating university and her floating university! Sounds like a climactic way to end the ga--no, just kidding. How about on this weird floaty "Lunatic Pandora" thing? Not quite, but getting there. The second one technically does involve the defeat of the villain, but you learn there that someone else was [[TheManBehindTheMan behind it all along.]]
** The entirety of Terra is a ''third'' disc final dungeon in ''FinalFantasyIX''. This is where Kuja and TheChessmaster behind him are from, so it must be important, right?
** Zanarkand in ''FinalFantasyX''. It's the end result of your very linear quest, with BigBad Sin at the end of it, right? Hmm... well, not so much. Sin is, in fact, the final dungeon...
*** Also made tricky by the fact that Tidus is narrating the entire game in flashback form UP TO Zanarkand, which may lead you to think that when the flashback meets up with the current time, you're about to face your Final Boss...
** ''FinalFantasyXI'': as a MMORPG with a few expansions by now, the plot has expanded as well - what used to be the final dungeon in the original game on release became the prerequisite for a new mission line that was made available when the 1st expansion was released.
** The Pharos Lighthouse in ''FinalFantasyXII''. We're talking a 100-floor dungeon with all sorts of boss fights and a giant GreenRock at the top. Admittedly the real final dungeon is much smaller (you can't even save inside it) so it's more of an anticlimax.
*** Actually, pretty much ''every'' dungeon the closer you get to the end seems like the final dungeon. The Great Crystal feels ''even more'' like the final dungeon.
** In ''FinalFantasyTactics'', the assault on Fort Zeakden is the final confrontation with [[LaResistance the Death Corps]] and signifies a major turning point in Ramza's life (and depending on how much LevelGrinding you did can be a serious challenge), but it's only the last battle in Chapter One.
*** It's also part of one giant flashback from Ramza, so really, no one should have been fooled in the first place, especially since the first battle in the game takes place a year after the Fort Zeakden battle.

* Kuihuai Tower in ''ShadowHearts''. Evil wizard is trying to do some very very big and bad evil magic, the forces of good are getting together at the very place where they fought him before, and now... there's an entire new part of the world for you to explore while you hunt the real Big Bad.
* ''ShadowHearts Covenant'' had Idar Flamme, the final dungeon of the last game, and Apoina Tower, the first tower you woke up in and the place you go to hunt down Astaroth at the end of the first disc. Once again, there's a new part of the world for you to explore (which happens to be the region where the first half of the original ''ShadowHearts'' took place). This happens to be a classic example of this trope since this game is one of the few PS2 games with 2 discs and the aforementioned dungeons appear at the end of the first disc.
* Murderworld in ''MarvelUltimateAlliance'' originally appears to be the castle of Doctor Doom, the game's BigBad. It's not.
* ''[=~Star Ocean: The Second Story~=]'' builds up the first showdown against TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness in a suitably epic flying fortress stocked full of LostTechnology...then an EarthShatteringKaboom happens and you get warped to the world where the BigBad came from and have to try to prevent them from attempting the same on this one.

** Bioshock is an example of this Trope being given away mostly through InterfaceSpoiler.
* ''NeverwinterNights's'' Plague campaign, after chapter 1 but before chapter 2, there is an interlude chapter. In fact, the entire sequence on how to defeat the boss here is practically a dry run on how to defeat the final boss of the entire campaign. As you have to go through the same steps of destroying the invulnerability givers to make the boss vulnerable.
* ''{{Lunar}}'' had this in the form of the Frontier, and the Grindery twice over. You chase the Magic Emperor down to his fortress of doom, work and fight your way through the Vile Tribe, gather your forces and finally stand against the BigBad himself at opposing ends of a bridge. Then... there's a lot of talking. Looking up screenshots, the Magic Emperor says during the conversation, "This isn't the time for our final confrontation, dragonboy! As any dullard with an ounce of culture knows, that time is reserved for the third act!" The bridge separates, and the mobile, tank-like heart of the Grindery drives away, requiring the full party to run back to the airship to chase it. And disable it. And scale it. And finally fight the Big Bad, just to find... no, that still was fake, the Big Bad is alive and well, and the real final dungeon is The Fortress of Althena!
* Act Four of ''JadeEmpire'' consists of the player character, having found all the pieces of the {{MacGuffin}}, storming the Imperial Palace to confront the Emperor. After you defeat the Emperor... well, suffice to say that Act Seven consists of the player character, BackFromTheDead, storming the Imperial Palace to confront the Emperor.
* In ''DragonQuestVIII'', the Dark Ruins. This is so effective in mimicking a final battle[[hottip:1:The area surrounding it is {{Mordor}}, the boss has two forms, both of which are ''[[ThatOneBoss extremely]]'' hard (''and'' he's the guy you've been chasing throughout the game), it's the last (apparently) unexplored area on the map, and the name is '''DARK RUINS.''']], in fact, that the game's ''real'' final battle, involving zooming, swooping shots of the night sky above the entire world, seems like an anticlimax.
** ''DragonQuestIII'' pulls this with Baramos's castle.
** ''DragonQuestVII'' is probably the epitome of the DiscOneFinalDungeon. If the game had been a single disc, you'd have no idea that [[spoiler:Orgodemir's initial defeat]] was only the first half of the game. Unfortunately, there's still a whole other disc to go.
** ''DragonQuestIX'' has [[spoiler:Gittingham Palace]], which was actually fairly convincing as the final dungeon until TheManBehindTheMan made himself known.
* ''{{Persona 3}}'' attempts the Disc One Final Dungeon about three-quarters of the way through the game with the fight against Strega and the twelfth arcana Shadow, but it's very obviously not the end of the game, if only because there are still unanswered questions, and the in-game calendar still has about six months left on it.
** ''{{Persona 4}}'' pulls this twice, and actually succeeds because you have the option of getting a bad ending at those points if you don't choose to pursue the unanswered mysteries. More than a few people have rushed onto message boards to complain about the horrible "ending" without realizing that they were only 80% done. And before those is ''another'' dungeon that the characters think will end things, even if it's a somewhat clearer fake to the player.
*** Now Mitsuo's dungeon on the other hand, is unconvincing, everyone acts as though they are finally going to get the murderer, genre savvy players will note that they haven't even completed half the year the main character is meant to be staying. Or the fact that every other line he says makes it obvious he ''can't'' have been the murderer.
*** Also helps to note that Mitsuo's victim had ''nothing'' in common with the others.
* ''TalesOfPhantasia'' has Dhaos' castle. You've explored the whole world in the past by now, and it's time to make the big guy pay. Only problem is you're just re-enacting the battle you saw in the opening, which means Dhaos runs away to fight another day. If only the party knew their Dhaos went 150 years ahead rather than 100.
** ''TalesOfDestiny''. You have chased the Lens all over the world, tracked it down with the aid of numerous friends, fought several hard boss battles, and go through the end sequence... only to find out that half of the events of said end sequence were a Xanatos Gambit by one of your allies to imprison the EmpathicWeapons and the Lens just got used in the NEXT superweapon of doom. Made more effective by the fact that the game is only one disk, and the Lens quest takes a while and involves everything on the box and previews.
** ''TalesOfEternia'' has one at the mountain in Inferia. You're definitely not done yet considering you still got Celestia to explore now!
*** The game follows up with a disk two final dungeon in Balir's Castle. [[spoiler: Turns out the supposed BigBad has been dead for 10 years, and his wife has been running the show this whole time. Oh, and she is possessed by the GodOfEvil, who quickly wipes the floor with your party. Good thing you still have another whole disk to learn how to beat gods.]]
** The Tower of Salvation in ''TalesOfSymphonia''. It looks like the world regeneration is going to happen, but then...
*** And then the Tower of Salvation again...and the Tower of Salvation, ''yet again''. The second and third are more convincing fakeouts because they take place on the second of two discs.
*** Slightly subverted in the [[NoExportForYou Playstation 2 remake]] as it's only one disc. Nothing changes, however.
*** ''TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld'': Lezareno Building Number 2, despite leading up to a climactic battle with the head of the Vanguard, doesn't look like one at first, as the core he has would be, at best, your sixth. Then Lloyd does a BigDamnHeroes act, and suddenly seven of the eight cores are in the same place. And then you get done with the battle, SaveTheVillain from the influence of Solum's core, and find Lloyd battling Richter, who has the last remaining core. Could it be possible that you're about to get all of the remaining cores in cutscenes and this really ''was'' the last dungeon? Considering the fact that there's a cut scene every few seconds, this really wouldn't be surprising...but then Richter reveals Emil's true identity as Ratatosk, and the now not-insane Commander Brute reveals that Richter was the one who made the Vanguard into the militant organization it had become. Yes, the man whose actions the main character has been defending throughout the first seven chapters is the real BigBad.
** ''TalesOfTheAbyss'': You've killed the BigBad at the Absorption Gate and this last section is a playable epilogue a là the old ''KingsQuest'' games, right? ...Yeah, not so much. This one was given away pretty quickly, though, since the pseudo-ending sequence included a pan over areas you hadn't been to yet that were very obviously playable dungeons because of the visible, unopened treasure chests.
** ''TalesOfVesperia'' has The Enduring Shrine of Zaude where the party confronts the supposed, but not so BigBad, Alexei and defeat him, only to find that he had revealed something greater that would bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
*** The GenreSavvy player will, however, have noted that you were told of [[EldritchAbomination Adephagos]] but [[TheLawOfConservationOfDetail have not yet seen it]], so that can't be the end of the game.
** ''TalesOfHearts'' has the Imperial Special Operations Unit Base Nibelg. Up until now, the quest has been to restore Kohak Hearts' soul, and the commanding officer of Nibelg has the last piece. So you beat him, get it back, and heal her... and then it turns out TheDragon is still alive... and then the BigBad shows up...
** ''TalesOfLegendia'' has you fight [[spoiler: THE GOD OF THE EFFING SEA]] at what is most definitely by RPG standards a final dungeon. You beat the boss, the credits roll... and then the game continues.
* ''CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' "ends" in the throne room. Which is [[WrongGenreSavvy where all the other Castlevanias ended]] so this must be it, [[NotSoFastBucko right?]] [[BonusDungeon Right?]]
** ''AriaOfSorrow'' also leads to a boss battle in the throne room. Then you get a [[TomatoInTheMirror tomato]] dropped on you.
* The Labyrinth of Time and Space in ''StarOcean1''. Again, the BigBad you're chasing for ''the entire game'' is at the end of it, so you'd expect it to end then, right? NUH-uh.
** And you know, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the name of the dungeon itself would kind of imply it.]]
* ''TheWorldEndsWithYou''. After the initial (and obvious) NotSoFastBucko at the end of the first week, you could be forgiven for thinking the end of the second week would be the end...
** Except for the fact that Beat hadn't been a playable character yet, and [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil Manuals Always Spoil.]]
* Solaris in ''{{Xenogears}}'' would count, if only for the epic battles, both played out and in cutscene, and the amount of information revealed. The only problem is how many questions said information raises, and the fact that you're still on the first disc.
* One of the earlier examples of this trope, ''PhantasyStar'' has the Air Castle, abode of apparent BigBad Lassic. The fact that the player must ascend the tallest tower in the game just to reach it adds to the illusion.
** ''PSII'' had Climatrol. Nei killed in a [[HopelessBossFight Hopeless]] DuelBoss [[HopelessBossFight Fight?]] Check. The first boss monster seen in the game so far? Check. The fact that this is supposed to be the source of all the biomonsters? Check. And when you're done...NiceJobBreakingItHero.
** ''PSIV'' had Zio's Castle. Made more dramatic by the fact that the namesake permanently kills off a character and the second fight with him is more of a revenge battle.

* The original ''WildArms'' had the Photosphere, lair of the leader of the demon invasion and supposed BigBad.
** ''WildArms2'' has Heimdall Gazzo, an orbital space station in a wild west setting - which is what marked the ''actual'' VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon of the first game. And it could have been the final dungeon itself if the developers felt like ending the game there, since the plot of the second disc centers around a mostly unrelated threat.
** ''{{Wild Arms 3}}'' does this twice. The first time [[spoiler:you get to the top of Yggdrassil, defeat the Prophets and stop them from summoning the demons. But wait! The demon gets summoned anyway, and the game continues!]] The second time [[spoiler:you get to the control room of DeusExMachina, defeat the demon (and then again in a cool air battle), and watch Deus Ex Machina explode. But wait! There was ''yet another'' TheManBehindTheMan behind TheManBehindTheMan (Siegfried) behind TheManBehindTheMan (the prophets) behind the original BigBad (Janus). Cue more game.]]
* ''BatenKaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean'': Emperor Geldoblame in the Lava Cave. Wait, what do you mean he's not the BigBad? Then [[spoiler: Kalas does the FaceHeelTurn...]]
* ''[=~Pokémon~=] Gold/Silver/Crystal'' and ''[=HeartGold=]/[=SoulSilver=]'': Wait, what do you mean there are sixteen badges?
* ''ResidentEvil3: Nemesis'': You are informed that you can escape Raccoon City in the Clock Tower only to find out that Nemesis will come flying out with a rocket launcher, destroys the helicopter which was supposed to be your only way to escape, and to top it all off, you get infected. But don't worry you still live.
* ''FireEmblem: The Blazing Blade'' has Darin, marquess of Laus, who is the apparent villain, at least to the main characters. The characters know about Ephidel, the mysterious [[EvilChancellor advisor]] who showed up and convinced him that a rebellion would be possible, so the fact that Eliwood's story has only been going on for nine chapters doesn't seem too suspicious--chapter 20 will probably be the battle with Ephidel, and then it will either all be over or it will move on to another story just like it did after chapter 10, right? Then chapter 19 ends and Ephidel introduces ''his'' boss Nergal, along with Nergal's plan to bring dragons into the world. And then, unexpectedly, Ephidel fails to survive the cutscene. In all fairness, Nergal ''had'' sort of been introduced before the start of Chapter 18, right before Leila got killed, but it wasn't unreasonable to think that this wasn't something that we'd have to worry about while Eliwood was the main character--perhaps Hector would be getting his own story. Turns out, "Hector's Story" is just an extended, tougher version of Eliwood's.
** Occurs again in ''Radiant Dawn''. There are actually FOUR seperate endgames.
* Angel's Tower in ''BreathOfFire III''. This is where Ryu supposedly learns the truth about what happens to the Brood (his race). Instead, this is where Garr tries to kill him as the LastOfHisKind to offer to the Goddess [[BigBad Myria]]. Garr fails, Ryu becomes the Kaiser Dragon for the first time, and escapes. After that, the TimeSkip kicks in.

* The Saturn game ''Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean'' (the only one in the series to get an official translation) has what looks to be the final boss only for the game to begin again with a TimeSkip and another story arc. The giveaway here wasn't in the disc count, since it's a single-disc game, but the fact that at least three of the characters [[AllThereInTheManual profiled in the manual]] haven't been introduced yet.
* The first disc of ''[[DarkForcesSaga Jedi Knight]]'' ends with the first boss duel, followed by a rather long escape from the evil fortress, culminating in the minor-but-personal enemy's escape.
* ''[=~Baldur's Gate~=] 2'' has Spellhold, the place where the BigBad has fled to and you have spent the entire game trying to get too. Not the final dungeon after all...
* The Obelisk in ''ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne''. True, it never once pretends to be the Final Dungeon (although it later becomes the entrance to it), but it's obvious the game's coming to a major climax here, considering: 1. It's the hardest and longest dungeon in the game so far, 2. It's the [[ItsAllUpstairsFromHere tallest tower]] in the Vortex World ("closest place to Kagutsuchi") and Nihilo's most highly guarded area and 3. It's where your teacher's, the person you've spent the entire game up until now trying to find, being held hostage. [[StormingTheCastle The Assembly of Nihilo]] earlier in the game could also count.
* ''LegendOfDragoon'' manages to have several examples for ''the first disc''. The tree where the man who killed Lavitz's father is holing up with the dragon who attacked you in the opening? Not the end of the disc. The assault on TheAlcatraz you had visited previously, which the major villain Freugal runs, and also where [[spoiler: Lloyd reveals himself to be The Man In Black and kills Lavitz?]] Not the end of the disc. The actual final dungeon of Disc One happens to be the castle of Emperor Doel, who appears to be TheManBehindTheMan for Lloyd, and who just so happens to be [[spoiler: a Dragoon.]]
** And this is only the FIRST Disc. There are still 3 other discs FULL of examples. Picking one: The [[spoiler:SECOND Virage you fight]] is fought in the second disc. End of the disc? OF COURSE NOT! That's only 1/3, damn it. You still have to fight 5 other examples of DiscOneFinalDungeon bosses just to get through disc two.
* ''Legend of Legaia' does this many times. The first fake out is Zeto's Castle; You got all your characters, it is seemingly the source of the Mist that corrupts the land, and Zeto himself even has a unique battle theme. It isn't until after defeating him and destroying the source of the mist, that you learn the mist also covers other parts of the world as well, and the game goes on. The second major fake out is Zora's Castle. You've gone through all 3 of the lands, explored nearly every corner of the world map, and the final mist generator (or so you think...) lies within Zora's Palace, flying high above the world. Final dungeon for sure, right? Wrong. [[spoiler:After defeating Zora herself, one of the game's antagonists, Songi, shows up and destroys the mist generator, revealing that the entire castle was just a trap to lure you in and kill you, and that the true source of the mist is elsewhere. Shortly after, the castle begins to plummet from the sky and you must escape.]] A short while later, you head for Noa's home town of Conkram, [[spoiler:which has been engulfed by a massive seru; The streets pulse with flesh, people are fused with the massive beast.]] It is learned that the mist which feeds the creature, and the final, true mist generator, lies in Jette's Fortress, a large fortress in the mountains nearby. After clearing Rogue's Tower, which could also be considered a fake out (a massive, "living" tower inside of a huge Seru? Sounds final to me), the party heads for Jette's Fortress, climbs to the top, and defeats what the game leads you to believe is the final boss; He is a very difficult fight, has his own unique theme, and the entire dungeon just screams final. [[spoiler:After his defeat and the destruction of the generator, the dungeon starts to crumble and the party escapes in the nick of time with the help of Cara.]] It all seems to be over, especially when the game returns you to the starting village, where you are hailed as the saviors of the world, and heros...[[spoiler:that is, until Songi shows up once again, and reveals that Juggernaught, a massive Seru within the fortress, which had also been chasing you throughout much of the game, survived, and is on it's way there.]] You'd think the final battle is coming up...three heros against one final threat, making a stand to defend their home...defeating the final evil in the very place that it all began. But no, it's not quite time yet. [[spoiler:Juggernaught actually fuses with the entire town, turning into a massive flesh blob resembling Conkram, and begins to grow deep into the earth.]] It isnt until after clearing the next dungeon, the Seru-Kai, that you finally head on to the true final dungeon of the game...[[spoiler:Juggernaught himself.]]
* The battle against Luca Blight in ''SuikodenII'' could qualify, minus the dungeon part.
* The Forgotten Planet in ''SigmaStarSaga'' likely qualifies. In addition, it's also [[ScrappyLevel that one level]] and it wasn't [[GameBreakingBug playtested very well]].
* ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles III: The Manhattan Project'' for the NES does this to you, despite being a side scroller beat-em-up. Level 7 is the Technodrome. Prior to this, the Technodrome had always been the final level in any Ninja Turtles game. You fight Shredder at the end, beat him, rescue April... and then he runs away, giving you 3 more levels. The VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon is Krang's spaceship.
* ''LegacyOfKain: Soul Reaver'' has the Sanctuary of the Clans and the Pillars of Nosgoth, the throne of Kain's empire and where you finally fight him after several hours of gameplay. Of course, you haven't even aquired the game's titular weapon by this point, so...
* The raid on Diaz's mansion in GrandTheftAutoViceCity, which appears to subvert the ending of Scarface (on which Vice City is very heavily based).
* [[LethalLavaLand Mt. Lavaflow]] in ''FossilFighters.'' You go there to dig up the fossil of an [[OlympusMons incredibly powerful being from long ago]], in order to defeat ''another'' incredibly powerful being from long ago resurrected by the [[DiscOneFinalBoss apparent]] BigBad, who is otherwise NighInvulnerable without a counteracting force, and afterwards which you will go on to the final InevitableTournament and become a [[ToBeAMaster Master Fighter.]] But you're not done yet; oh no. Not even ''close.''
* ''TalesOfLegendia'' does this three times. The first, the Bridge, isn't so surprising because it's only chapter 4 and, even though you're fighting the supposed BigBad, there haven't been any MindScrew plot twists yet (and there definitely are). The second, the Wings of Light, is a bit of a surprise. It's the end of the main quest, but you've still got the character quests left to go, which give insight into the rest of the party. And then it does it yet again with the penultimate dungeon, the Wings of Light in [[CloudCuckoolander Grune's]] character quest. What's interesting about ''Legendia'', though, is that the real final dungeon, the Cradle of Time, is actually quite short. If it weren't for all the huge battles right in a row, it wouldn't feel like a VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon at all.
* In ''{{La-Mulana}}'', the Shrine of the Mother can and must be visited midway through the game, and is in fact where the final dungeon will be. You can make an optional trip to the room of the FinalBoss, which contains a message from Lemeza's father saying that he couldn't wake her. Only after all bosses except Mother are defeated is the level [[RemixedLevel transformed]] into the final dungeon.
* ''[[MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time]]'' arguably does this with the first(?) time on the Shroob Mothership. It doesn't help that the fight with [[spoiler: Bowser and his younger self]] just before entry was quite difficult.
** The [[MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga original game]] has two of these, Woohoo Hooniversity where you fight Cackletta for the first (and only time in normal form), and Joke's End (the big climax after restoring the Beanstar).
** ''SuperMarioRPG'' has an example too - Bowser's Keep. The game plays it up as the big climactic showdown and it isn't helped by the fact that many players ([[CowboyBeBopAtHisComputer and game magazines]]) mistakingly think Exor is [[BigBad Smithy]] - you've still got another whole dungeon to go through after you beat him. Bowser's Keep does contain most of the games {{Infinity Plus One Sword}}s, though.
* Karoshi 2 does this about four times. After the 50th level, there are eight boss fights in a row, each one after the first claiming to be the final one of course (culminating with "I Bet This Is Not the Final Boss..."), after which it gives you a fake credit roll, and a "the end", sign, then it takes you to a BreatherLevel where the spikes ''run away from you'', followed by another fake credit roll and a "really the end" sign. The game then closes, and reopens a few seconds later with "fooled you again". You then have to complete six "Super Karoshi Kart Racing 2000: Extreme Awesome" levels. And yes, there is a fake "thanks for playing" message (followed by the [[MemeticMutation Awesome Smiley]]). AND THEN you have to complete this weird level called "Shadow Of The Bossus". You then get a screen with your character and a giant spike, which fades out to black and gives you the ''real'' credit roll, then a white screen, then a "thanks for play" screen. The only way to escape from this is to press escape, which takes you to the main menu, except that now, none of the buttons work. Pressing escape again gives a message saying "it's not over yet", and then fades back into the level with the giant spike. Touching it allows you to ''fly'', and flying out the top of the level leads to a heaven level with a heart and a spike, simply saying "choose". Touching the heart gives a final pink and white screen with "the end". And yes, it's real this time. Touching the spike, however, sends you to Purgatory in the form of [[NostalgiaLevel the first level from the first game, over and over and over again]].

* The SegaGenesis shooting game ''Game/TroubleShooters'' does this, even starting to roll the credits before going to the final level.
* ''SeikenDensetsu3'' has the Mana Holy Land. You've gotten every elemental spirit, and all three BigBad factions have congregated at a single magical island in another realm. This has to be the end, right? Nope, just the halfway point. Interestingly enough, the real Final Dungeon actually is the Mana Holy Land, just much later on in the game.

* In TheLordOfTheRingsOnline, both Angmar and Dol Guldur qualifies. Both menacing places by their own, and in any other work, these places would certainly make for a fitting ending, but the [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon actual ending]] will most likely [[ForegoneConclusion take place in Mordor]].
* ProfessorLayton and the unwound future. Big tower to climb? Check. Series of puzzles acting as a final exam? Check. Block sliding puzzle? Check. Yet there are still 5 chapters left.

* In TheLordOfTheRingsOnline, both Angmar and Dol Guldur qualifies. Both menacing places by their own, and in any other work, these places would certainly make for a fitting ending, but the [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon actual ending]] will most likely [[ForegoneConclusion take place in Mordor]].

* The first ''GoldenSun'' game ends with the defeat of the BigBadDuumvirate after they went OneWingedAngel on you in the Venus Lighthouse. You think the games over, the threat's ended - sure it was only the second lighthouse, but you won ... right? Wrong - you're told by your best friend/antagonist Felix that he'll continue Saturos and Menardi's quest in their stead, even though it seemed like he was being foced to help them (he ''was'' very reluctant whenever he appeared). Not to mention that Alex is still alive ... Then the game deceptively ends, and you think it's a separate story. Turns out that it is - when you discover ''The Lost Age'' (the sequel), released two years later, you actually play ''as'' Felix, trying to light the remaining lighthouses. Alex, the ally of the BigBadDuumvirate turns out to be both the (arguable) BigBad AND TheUnfought. Trust me, it makes more sense than it sounds. But the first game ''definitely'' counts as a subversion.

With the advent of higher-storage capacity mediums ([=DVDs=], Blu-Ray discs, and internal hard drives), the ability for developers to successfully fake out the player with Disc One Final Dungeons has been restored to SNES-era levels. As a result, more savvy players will start looking for other indications that the game isn't over (unanswered questions, locations not explored, etc).

* ''Legend of Legaia' does this many times. The first fake out is Zeto's Castle; You got all your characters, it is seemingly the source of the Mist that corrupts the land, and Zeto himself even has a unique battle theme. It isn't until after defeating him and destroying the source of the mist, that you learn the mist also covers other parts of the world as well, and the game goes on. The second major fake out is Zora's Castle. You've gone through all 3 of the lands, explored nearly every corner of the world map, and the final mist generator (or so you think...) lies within Zora's Palace, flying high above the world. Final dungeon for sure, right? Wrong. [[spoiler:After defeating Zora herself, one of the game's antagonists, Songi, shows up and destroys the mist generator, revealing that the entire castle was just a trap to lure you in and kill you, and that the true source of the mist is elsewhere. Shortly after, the castle begins to plummet from the sky and you must escape.]] A short while later, you head for Noa's home town of Conkram, [[spoiler:which has been engulfed by a massive seru; The streets pulse with flesh, people are fused with the massive beast.]] It is learned that the mist which feeds the creature, and the final, true mist generator, lies in Jette's Fortress, a large fortress in the mountains nearby. After clearing Rogue's Tower, which could also be considered a fake out (a massive, "living" tower inside of a huge Seru? Sounds final to me), the party heads for Jette's Fortress, climbs to the top, and defeats what the game leads you to believe is the final boss; He is a very difficult fight, has his own unique theme, and the entire dungeon just screams final. [[spoiler:After his defeat and the destruction of the generator, the dungeon starts to crumble and the party escapes in the nick of time with the help of Cara.]] It all seems to be over, especially when the game returns you to the starting village, where you are hailed as the saviors of the world, and heros...[[spoiler:that is, until Songi shows up once again, and reveals that Juggernaught, a massive Seru within the fortress, which had also been chasing you throughout much of the game, survived, and is on it's way there.]] You'd think the final battle is coming up...three heros against one final threat, making a stand to defend their home...defeating the final evil in the very place that it all began. But no, it's not quite time yet. Juggernaught actually fuses with the entire town, turning into a massive flesh blob resembling Conkram, and begins to grow deep into the earth. It isnt until clearing the next dungeon, the Seru-Kai, that you finally head on to the true final dungeon of the game...[[spoiler:Juggernaught himself.]]

* ''Legend of Legaia' does this many times. The first fake out is Zeto's Castle; You got all your characters, it is seemingly the source of the Mist that corrupts the land, and Zeto himself even has a unique battle theme. It isn't until after defeating him and destroying the source of the mist, that you learn the mist also covers other parts of the world as well, and the game goes on. The second major fake out is Zora's Castle. You've gone through all 3 of the lands, explored nearly every corner of the world map, and the final mist generator (or so you think...) lies within Zora's Palace, flying high above the world. Final dungeon for sure, right? Wrong. [[Spoiler:After defeating Zora herself, one of the game's antagonists, Songi, shows up and destroys the mist generator, revealing that the entire castle was just a trap to lure you in and kill you, and that the true source of the mist is elsewhere. Shortly after, the castle begins to plummet from the sky and you must escape.]] A short while later, you head for Noa's home town of Conkram, which has been engulfed by a massive seru; The streets pulse with flesh, people are fused with the massive beast. It is learned that the mist which feeds the creature, and the final, true mist generator, lies in Jette's Fortress, a large fortress in the mountains nearby. After clearing Rogue's Tower, which could also be considered a fake out (a massive, "living" tower inside of a huge Seru? Sounds final to me), the party heads for Jette's Fortress, climbs to the top, and defeats what the game leads you to believe is the final boss; He is a very difficult fight, has his own unique theme, and the entire dungeon just screams final. [[Spoiler:After his defeat and the destruction of the generator, the dungeon starts to crumble and the party escapes in the nick of time with the help of Cara.]] It all seems to be over, especially when the game returns you to the starting village, where you are hailed as the saviors of the world, and heros...[[Spoiler:that is, until Songi shows up once again, and reveals that Juggernaught, a massive Seru within the fortress, which had also been chasing you throughout much of the game, survived, and is on it's way there.]] You'd think the final battle is coming up...three heros against one final threat, making a stand to defend their home...defeating the final evil in the very place that it all began. But no, it's not quite time yet. Juggernaught actually fuses with the entire town, turning into a massive flesh blob resembling Conkram, and begins to grow deep into the earth. It isnt until clearing the next dungeon, the Seru-Kai, that you finally head on to the true final dungeon of the game...[[Spoiler:Juggernaught himself.]]

With the advent of higher-storage capacity mediums ([=DVDs=], Blu-Ray discs, and internal hard drives), the ability for developers to successfully fake out the player with Disc One Final Dungeons has been restored to SNES-era levels. As a result, more savvy players will start looking for other indications that the game isn't over (unanswered questions, [[InterfaceSpoiler locations not explored]], etc).

With the advent of higher-storage capacity mediums ([=DVDs=], Blu-Ray discs, and internal hard drives), the ability for developers to successfully fake out the player with Disc One Final Dungeons has been restored to SNES-era levels. As a result, more savvy players will start looking for other indications that the game isn't over (unanswered questions, locations not explored, etc).

* Both of the ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' games have it.

* In TheLordOfTheRingsOnline, both Angmar and Dol Guldur qualifies. Both menacing places by their own, and in any other work, these places would certainly make for a fitting ending, but the [[[[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon actual ending]] will most likely [[ForegoneConclusion take place in Mordor]].

* ''ChronoTrigger'' does it [[strike:twice]] probably three times, in order:

** Don't forget the Ghost Ship in Phantom Hourglass. It's suitable for the final dungeon, because [[ActionGirl Tetra]] is there, but you still need three more items and you haven't explored half of the ocean. [[spoiler: Subverted in that it's the [[SequentialBoss Final Boss]]. Well, before the [[FanNickname Bellum]][[TragicMonster beck]] fight.]]

* ''{{Okami}}'' is very guilty of this. The game leads you to believe that Orochi is responsible for all the evil present in the world. Oh wiat, only all the evil rpesne tin a small area of the world. exploring the rest of the world leads to Oni island, and an epic dungeone where you meet the Lord Of Darkness. Surely that's the end? Nope. That's maybe the middle of the game. Good luck getting to the final boss in this one!

* The interesting variation happens in ''MonkeyIsland2'': After Lechuck captures Guybrush and puts him to the Goldberg Torture device, he ask Guybrush if he has any questions. One of the possible questions is why Lechuck didn't shoot him already:
---> Lechuck: Because we had an extra disk.

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* ''{{Wild Arms 3}}'' does this twice. The first time [[spoiler:you get to the top of Yggdrassil, defeat the Prophets and stop them from summoning the demons. But wait! The demon gets summoned anyway, and the game continues!]] The second time [[spoiler:you get to the control room of DeusExMachina, defeat the demon (and then again in a cool air battle), and watch Deus Ex Machina explode. But wait! There was ''yet another'' TheManBehindTheMan behind TheManBehindTheMan (Siegfried) behind TheManBehindTheMan (the prophets) behind the original BigBad (Janus). Cue more game.]]

** ''AriaOfSorrow'' also leads to a boss battle in the throne room. Then you get a [[TomatoSurprise tomato]] dropped on you.

* Virmire from ''MassEffect'' arguably counts. Its definitely the [[WhamEpisode turning point]] of the game, but depending on when you do it its possible to still have one "main" planet left before [[spoiler:Ilos]].
** The whole bit about it feeling like the final confrontation is off; by the time Virmire rolls around, you still have the Conduit to deal with, not to mention just learning the truth about Sovereign, so no matter what you and the characters know there's much more to come.

-->-- Toad on Bowsers Castle almost never being the Final Dungeon [[spoiler:(that guy you fought wasn't really Bowser)]].

-->-- Toad on Bowsers Castle almost never being the Final Dungeon [[spoiler:(that guy you fought, wasn't really Bowser)]].

** ''DragonQuestVII'' is probably the epitome of the DiscOneFinalDungeon. If the game had been a single disc, you'd have no idea that [[spoiler:The Dragonlord's initial defeat]] was only the first half of the game. Unfortunately, there's still a whole other disc to go.