| 1 | ->'''Wizards:''' What makes you think we're Wizards?\ |
| 2 | '''Simon:''' When I move my mouse pointer over you, it says "Wizards". |
| 3 | -->-- ''VideoGame/SimonTheSorcerer'' |
| 4 | |
| 5 | This is when the way an in-game menu or other interface element is constructed gives away details about the rest of the game. It may be some [[MyNameIsQuestionMarks unexplained question marks]] instead of a menu item, a few suspiciously blank spots in a circle menu, or any number of other forms. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | Like many meta-expectations, this is an interesting form of {{spoiler}}, because it generally gives something closer to hints or {{foreshadowing}} rather than actual details. You can see the YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle moment coming when you've got half your equipment missing, but you still won't know exactly when or why it happens. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | This is common in the tutorial and early sections, where the game is still gradually introducing new mechanics, and the player shouldn't be messing with them beforehand. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Some game companies have a deliberate policy of this, so that people who have rented the game can imagine all the "wonderful prizes" yet to be unlocked and buy the game. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | Many "AchievementSystem" lists will give things away about the game to come; for example, the names of certain bosses, levels, etc. However, others may avert this by leaving any story-related achievements hidden until they're achieved or only giving them vague descriptions like "Defeat the FinalBoss," or even just replacing spoiler names/locations/etc. with "???". |
| 14 | |
| 15 | In games where characters' names (or lack thereof) are revealed in the dialog box or by selecting them, the player can learn people's names before the player's character does, [[NominalImportance and one can use this to determine which characters will be important]]. This, too is sometimes averted by hiding the name or showing a generic description until your character learns who the person is. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | {{Visual Novel}}s where character portraits are shown whenever someone is speaking may exclude certain characters from having portraits, so if you see a character speak but not get a portrait, they will likely not get much importance to the story. In a similar vein, some [=VNs=] with character voices may have character-specific voice volume options. If a voiced character is part of the "other characters" volume setting, don't expect them to be very important either. Conversely, in these types of games, if a seemingly-unimportant character gets a face and/or a dedicated voice volume control, you know they'll play a much bigger role later on. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | NintendoHard variations of this spoiler may indicate entire unlockable worlds and characters with multiple rows of question marks against an empty template throughout the majority of gameplay. If there's one persistent '?' blank spoiler page that just ''doesn't'' seem to want to reveal its secrets and stays hidden throughout practically the entire game to the point of frustration, it's the menu interface version of EmptyRoomPsych, and that YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle moment for players just might escalate into a case of GuideDangIt |
| 20 | |
| 21 | See also EquipmentSpoiler, MissingSecret, DiscOneFinalDungeon and SpoiledByTheFormat. Can easily lead to YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle. A TechTree can be especially prone to this. Occasionally overlaps with SpoiledByTheManual. HundredPercentCompletion and {{Sidequest}}s can actually create {{subversion}}s or {{aversion}}s of this, by making it so that finishing the main game/storyline ''doesn't'' also fill up a mission roster or what-have-you. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | |
| 24 | |
| 25 | |
| 26 | |
| 27 | '''Because this trope deals with spoilers, reader beware!''' |
| 28 | ---- |
| 29 | |
| 30 | [[InterfaceSpoiler/OtherMedia Examples from other media]] |
| 31 | |
| 32 | !!Video Game Examples: |
| 33 | |
| 34 | InterfaceSpoiler/RolePlayingGames |
| 35 | |
| 36 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[folder:Action]] |
| 39 | * ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': |
| 40 | ** The ''[[CompilationRerelease HD Collection]]'' introduced an AchievementSystem for the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 first]] [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry2 three]] [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening games]], but these also include unhidden spoilers such as the names of the bosses, or the existence of unlockables and extras such as additional weapons or alternate playable characters. |
| 41 | ** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'': The rankings page shows how many missions there are in the game and which ones you get to control Dante in. |
| 42 | ** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'': |
| 43 | *** The game deliberately tries to avert this thanks to a setting in the options menu. Due to the limited online co-op, players can turn off costumes and other aspects of the game that would spoil what happens in the story if one player happens to be further along than another. However, this trope is played straight from a certain perspective; the menu text warns you that this setting will ''NOT'' help with weapons that have been acquired. So for example, if one player has [[spoiler:the Devil Sword Dante]], the other co-op player who hasn't heard of it will still have that info spoiled for them. |
| 44 | *** Opening Nero's button configuration reveals that two actions in the list are suspiciously labeled as "(UNUSED)". [[spoiler:Once he has re-acquired his lost demonic powers, they are properly labeled in the button configuration. The player can then reassign the two new actions as there is no longer any purpose in keeping the old button assignments.]] |
| 45 | *** Once you gain access to the Mission Menu when playing as Dante, the Equipment section on the lower-right corner of the screen already has empty slots in the weapon loadout, hinting that Dante will acquire [[spoiler:at least 4 melee weapons and 4 ranged weapons]] by the end of the story. |
| 46 | *** The DLC store allows you to pay two bucks to unlock [[spoiler:Vergil]]'s EX color instantly, spoiling their appearance in the game. After the ''Special Edition'' was released, the main menu would also display the [[spoiler:"Unleash Vergil"]] option for those who haven't purchased the DLC that makes said character [[PromotedToPlayable playable]]. |
| 47 | ** ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'': The Definitive Edition includes [[spoiler:a DLC named ''Vergil's Downfall'', which you ''will'' see before starting the main game, and the trophy for beating said DLC is called "Our souls are at odds brother". Guess who ends up an enemy at the end.]] |
| 48 | * ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'': |
| 49 | ** The tutorials in ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok Ragnarok]]'' refer to all of Atreus' abilities as [[spoiler:[[InsistentTerminology Companion abilities]], which, after ''VideoGame/GodOfWar2018'' simply called them Atreus abilities, may tip savvy players off that he is not the only partner character in the game this time around]]. Similarly, the fact that Atreus' skill tree [[spoiler:starts with only a few abilities offset to the left implies that he'll be a playable character]]. |
| 50 | ** ''Ragnarok'' also has a persistent little spoiler you'll probably only catch ''after'' TheReveal: [[spoiler: The name of the Norse god of war is Týr, with an accent over the 'y', and whenever Týr is the subject of discussion, the subtitles spell it correctly. But when said character actually ''speaks'', the dialogue is labeled as coming from 'Tyr', with no accent. As it turns out, Tyr is ''not'' Týr; it's Odin impersonating him. When the ''real'' Týr shows up in the postgame, his dialogue is attributed to 'Týr'.]] |
| 51 | * In ''VideoGame/HardEdge'', you start out with only two playable characters, [[ActionGenreHeroGuy Alex]] and [[ActionGirl Michelle]]. However, in the menu, you can easily press L or R enough times to get a sneak peek at the silhouettes and names of the two additional playable characters, [[AmericaSavesTheDay Burns]] and [[GenkiGirl Rachel]], long before you actually encounter them in the game. |
| 52 | * {{Defied|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/TrueLies''. The secret weapon -- flamethrower -- occupies the same slot in the interface as the basic pistol, unlike regular weapons which each has its own slot. |
| 53 | * In ''VideoGame/ZombiesAteMyNeighbors'', most of the enemies are well-known classic movie monsters, with their well-known weaknesses (as well as a LogicalWeakness where applicable). The thing is that you can scroll through all of the possible items and weapons right from the start, revealing whom you might be fighting later. Most notable is the crucifix, which, naturally, is quite handy against vampires, but they don't start appearing until about halfway through the game. |
| 54 | [[/folder]] |
| 55 | |
| 56 | [[folder:Action-Adventure]] |
| 57 | * ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': |
| 58 | ** On the [[SkillScoresAndPerks Skill Tree]], there are several selectable upgrades that are initially blank with no description, hinting they will become a major factor once unlocked. |
| 59 | ** While making her way to the [[ShipLevel Walter Raleigh]], Ann is approached by a suspicious man, which the subtitles unveil his name as [[OneLetterName K]], making it blatant he's a higher-up of [[NGOSuperpower The Consortium]]. |
| 60 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series typically has inventory screens with each slot reserved for a specific item, and by the end of the game the player will have acquired most of them. |
| 61 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': |
| 62 | *** Such a big inventory screen, with such huge spaces for items and equipment, should tell you that even after you get all three Pendants and the Master Sword, there's still a ton of game left. |
| 63 | *** And if that didn't clue you in, the sheer scope of the map should do the same. Especially the Dark World map, which you can first sneak a peek at when you take the portal on Death Mountain. There's no way all of that landscape is going unused... |
| 64 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' has the outlines of the sage's medallions already in the inventory-screen, ''long'' before the player even learns about them. The exception is the Triforce's outline, as the Triforce itself is unobtainable. |
| 65 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Ages and Seasons]]'': This trend [[UrbanLegendOfZelda drove fans nuts]] in both games. With every item found, there were still two empty item slots. It was actually because equipping an item '''moves it''' from your inventory to the equip slot, so these two empty spaces were for whatever two items you had equipped.[[note]]This, by the way, was done to avoid a bug from ''Link's Awakening'' in which it was possible to prematurely fill up the inventory and thus render a vital item uncollectable, and because there were items in the games that allowed you to use the empty item slot.[[/note]] |
| 66 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': While the inventory menu plays it straight, the game's overworld features a notable aversion. The fish that marks the area of the Great Sea the Tower of the Gods is located in won't appear until after the Tower has risen from the sea. |
| 67 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' avoided this by using a RingMenu for Link's inventory items, while keeping key items (including sword and armor) displayed on a more traditional "Quest Status" screen. |
| 68 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' has you pursuing the Ghost Ship after Tetra is kidnapped. When you finally catch up to it, you may be quick to realize that only half of the sea map had been revealed up to that point. |
| 69 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'' has the Sand Temple show up on your Rail Map from the first time you visit the Ocean Realm, making it mighty suspicious you haven’t gone there even after “supposedly” stopping Malladus’s resurrection. |
| 70 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': Unlike in ''Ocarina of Time'', [[spoiler:whose Quest Status menu teased the possibility of getting the Triforce even though it wasn't possible, in this game you actually ''do'' get the Triforce this time. However, to prevent spoilers, its slot on the Quest Status screen doesn't show up until you find the first piece. And it actually ''replaces'' the slot for another MacGuffin that has long since served its purpose.]] |
| 71 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' |
| 72 | *** Every single NPC in the game is named in their dialogue window or their name over their head if you've spoken to them once before, except for disguised Yiga Clan enemies who are always just "Traveler." This only helps you if it's an NPC you've spoken to in the past, because both tells don't become apparent until after you first talk to the character, at which point it's too late to avoid the attack if they're a Yiga. |
| 73 | *** Once you get the Camera rune, you can detect the presence of the game's {{Ambushing Enem|y}}ies -- Decayed Guardians pretending to be inert husks, Lizalfos blending in with the background, and buried Octoroks and Taluses -- by pointing the camera at them. The ones that will attack are labeled. Similarly, the upgraded Stasis rune will also highlight enemies from a distance when used, as they're just as susceptible to being frozen by it as non-hidden ones, while wearing the Champion's Tunic will display their health bears above them. |
| 74 | *** The Stasis rune can be used to detect which flower is just a generic flower versus a collectible material. |
| 75 | ** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'': During Cia's Tale, in her efforts to recruit Volga, she ends up being joined by Wizzro. The moment he appears on the map, you get his character intro cutscene, which only happens for enemy commanders; sure enough, Cia is "betrayed by evil jewelry" as soon as she's in position to fight Volga himself. |
| 76 | ** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'': One mission has the player escort a knight who eventually turns out to be a Yiga assassin. Keen-eyed players may notice that unlike other knight [=NPCs=], this knight cannot be healed by Mipha and the enemy never attacks him. |
| 77 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': In addition to the returning examples from ''Breath of the Wild'', there's one regarding one of the Main Quests, "Find Princess Zelda". [[spoiler:You may notice that even after retrieving the Master Sword and learning Zelda is the Light Dragon, which is what she meant by her request to Link to "find [her]", the Main Quest isn't marked as done, nor does her Character Profile get updated to reflect this. This hints that her Light Dragon form will be reversed at some point.]] |
| 78 | * Avoided in ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'' with Palutena's Treasure Hunt, styled in a similar way to the challenges in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl''. The 120 individual challenges censor the names of potential spoilers until you've reached that point. (e.g. Defeat ??? using the ???) And then it goes one further: [[spoiler:With only one exception, it only features challenges related to the first 9 chapters, supposedly the entirety of the game, so it will seem to be near completion by the time you reach the "final boss".[[labelnote:The exception?]]The challenge to find the Leo Zodiac Chamber, which is in Chapter 10, is on the Palutena page. However, it doesn't ''tell'' you which chapter it's in, so only the most dedicated explorers will be able to confirm that it's not in the first 9.[[/labelnote]] There's actually a second batch of challenges called Viridi's Treasure Hunt, which doesn't even appear until you meet her in the story. There's also a third set that won't appear until you've beaten the game, but there are no spoilers to hide at that point.]] |
| 79 | * You can tell the DiscOneFinalDungeon of ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' just from the fact that you don't have all the brush techniques yet, but if that didn't tip you off, the fact that your equipment screen looks so empty is likely to. For reference, there are three types of weapon available: reflectors, rosaries, and glaives. Completing said DiscOneFinalDungeon nets you your first glaive... out of five. |
| 80 | * ''VideoGame/CaveStory'': One level requires you to [[FetchQuest find and return Jenka's five missing dogs]]. [[spoiler:But the space between Jenka and the door, where the dogs sit once you return them, only has room for ''four'' dogs. Sure enough, when you return with the fifth dog, you find something bad has happened in your absence, and the other dogs are missing again.]] |
| 81 | * ''VideoGame/DragonballZTheLegacyOfGoku'': |
| 82 | ** In ''Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II'', using the Scouter on characters shows their stats and information about them. Characters you can play as get question marks for their stats, revealing to the player that in addition to Gohan, who is your starting character, you'll also be able to play as Piccolo, Vegeta, Trunks, Goku, and [[spoiler:[[SecretCharacter Hercule]]]]. |
| 83 | ** ''Buu's Fury'' has the scouter commit an even more amusing mistake by spoiling the Supreme Kai and Kibito's identities before they're actually revealed. |
| 84 | * By the point in ''VideoGame/{{Bastion}}'' where you are told there is one last core to collect, the map is barely half full. |
| 85 | * ''VideoGame/LaMulana'' spoils the existence of the Hell Temple's treasure, [[spoiler:the Skimpy Swimsuit]], in its Steam achievement list. |
| 86 | * ''VideoGame/LaMulana2'' has the rooster-like Fjalar enemies. Though they begin showing up in Heaven's Labyrinth half-way through the game, their Ruins Encyclopedia entry lists them under [[spoiler:Spiral Hell]]. Given the [[spoiler:similar name to the first game's [[BrutalBonusLevel Hell Temple]] and the giant stone fists the Fjalar use to attack greatly resemble a RunningGag KaizoTrap in said area, it's likely to spoil TheTwist that Spiral Hell ''is'' Hell Temple]]. |
| 87 | * ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': |
| 88 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' flubs on a major spoiler point when [[spoiler:it states the certain power-ups are incompatible with your ''current'' suit.]] A simple one-word omission would have defeated an otherwise dead give-away, though they could never have completely taken away from the fact that they wouldn't give you powerups that you could never use... |
| 89 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' accidentally does this a lot. On the map of the first game, the legend outright stated the names of the weapons, as certain weapons were required to open certain doors. For example, the key on the map outright stated that red doors, which you don't even see in the game until very late, are opened by the Plasma Beam. The sequels (and remake) fix this slightly, by having the legend say that certain colors are "???," but that still gives a hint at what the later weapons are. |
| 90 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'': |
| 91 | *** The HUD's bar-shaped meters for the Light and Dark Beams each have four dimmed-out sections when those weapons are first acquired, hinting at the existence of Beam Ammo Expansions. |
| 92 | *** The game's Scan Data also calls a certain boss "Dark Samus 1", indicating further encounters. It also plays with this trope a bit, since the scans have changed a bit. Enemies in the same group will share a group percent, which shows how many scans there are in the group. Scanning Dark Samus 1 gives you [[spoiler:25%]] of the Dark Samus scans, which suggests that you fight Dark Samus [[spoiler:4]] times, except that [[spoiler:you only fight Dark Samus three times; "Dark Samus 3" and "Dark Samus 4" come from the same battle, with the later scan being a certain special attack]]. |
| 93 | *** The game's world map also has the Dark World function grayed out but not fully invisible, which spoils the player early that they are going to travel to another dimension. Granted, it's less than an hour before the player gets to go there. |
| 94 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' also has suspicious expansions and a very suspicious Teleport Station on the escape route you're expected to leave the game with. Also, some expansions are behind crystalline barriers that none of Samus' weapons can breach. Isn't the Metroid Queen supposed to be the final boss? [[spoiler:Nope; this time it's Ridley!]] |
| 95 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'': |
| 96 | *** A small example of this, though it will be obvious to those who've played prior installments of the series, can be seen when the player collects Power Bomb upgrades (notably on the Main Deck, before releasing [[spoiler:the Etecoons and Dachoras]]) before they can actually use them, or are even made aware that they ''can'' download the research data for the Power Bomb to begin with. Compare this to ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', where Power Bombs can be used immediately upon acquisition. |
| 97 | *** While it requires completion of ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', connecting both ''Fusion'' and ''Prime'' with a Game Boy Advance Transfer Cable and a [=GameCube=] when the latter has been completed once not only unlocks Samus' Fusion Suit for use, but ''also'' unlocks the "Unnamed Suit", the suit Samus acquires at the very end of ''Fusion'' when [[spoiler:she absorbs the SA-X during the final battle]]. This occurs regardless of whether the player has played ''Fusion'' or not. |
| 98 | ** Both averted and played straight in ''VideoGame/MetroidDread''. [[spoiler:The Samus screen's menus seem very small, but unlike in past games, where abilities that stack get individual spots on the menu, in this title any stacked upgrades outright replace the original's position. As such, items like the Spin Boost and Plasma Beam appear that are just enough to leave the player wondering if that's all they're getting, only to have them replaced in the menu by the Space Jump and the Wave Beam.]] That said, Adam does mention around the first time you enter a water-logged zone that [[spoiler:finding the Space Jump]] would be useful, which may be just enough for players to wise up once [[spoiler:they find the Spin Boost]]. |
| 99 | * In ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'', you can see Pey'j's [[JetPack Jet Boots]] in his inventory before he introduces them to Jade. |
| 100 | * In ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'', after fighting the Abyssal Guardian, a quick look at his bestiary page makes it obvious that he will return as a DegradedBoss. |
| 101 | * ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'': |
| 102 | ** As soon as you meet BD-1, going into the character customization menu shows the droid hanging on Cal's back, spoiling that he will become a permanent companion long before you find out at the end of the first proper mission on Bogano. |
| 103 | ** Walking into the tunnel right below the ''Mantis'' as soon as you land on Bogano for the first time has Cal exclaim that a sphere located inside a locked room has ''the exact same sphere and socket from Zeffo''. You don't find out that you need to head to the planet Zeffo in the first place until you find the Vault on Bogano and learn where you need to go next from Cordova. |
| 104 | ** The image of the Full House achievement not only spoils the fact that you recruit a companion who looks suspiciously like the Nightsister you encounter just after arriving on Dathomir, but that there is an additional animal companion you can also acquire. Both of these companions require you to get further into the game (and in one case, get a required Force upgrade) before you can get either of them. |
| 105 | ** If you duly scan all the enemies you encounter, halfway through the game you will realize that there is a final unused spot in the Imperial enemy databank, beyond even the [[spoiler:Ninth and Second Sister]]. Given that bosses are usually placed at the end and given that they seem to be ranked in terms of power, this missing entry forbodes ill. [[spoiler:It is reserved for none other than Darth Vader, whom you encounter during the final mission]]. |
| 106 | ** The Databank entries for quests might get ahead of themselves, such as one telling you that [[spoiler:Cal's captors are the Haxion Brood]] well before Cal figures it out for himself. |
| 107 | * ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'': The Hunter's Journal gives away many of the upcoming battles, in that it only gives you the full entry once you've beaten an enemy enough times - including for bosses. For example, it spoils that [[spoiler:you fight Hornet twice]]. |
| 108 | * In ''VideoGame/YsOrigin'', [[spoiler:Toal]] goes through almost exactly the same sequence of bosses as Yunica and Hugo, but when you reach the final boss [[TrueFinalBoss there's still a slot left in the bestiary]]. |
| 109 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'', Channels 9, 10, and 11 are just added as a reference to a certain type of TV. However, this leads to a very hard to figure out one: [[spoiler:Whenever you can select Harman while on his channel, he says, "Ah, Garcian... how long has it been?" If you go to the Blood channel quickly, he still says it since no sub menus or voices can be shown there. Same goes for Channel 11 and Channel 10... but it stops at Channel 9. This foreshadows killer8, where there is someone who takes Channel 9 as his own.]] |
| 110 | * In ''VideoGame/HardEdge'', the player can easily reveal the other two playable characters (Rachel and Burns) just by cycling through the characters with the shoulder buttons, complete with their silhouettes and names. |
| 111 | * ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'': Selecting the main quest marker on the [[RiskStyleMap war map]] usually prompts you to save before displaying the next cutscene. However, the main quest for [[spoiler:Azure Gleam Chapter 10]] doesn't do this, going straight to the cutscene before [[spoiler:changing the location of your ''real'' mission objective when the enemy mounts a surprise attack. Taking a closer look at the "enemy level" should also be a clue that something is off--the real main quest's enemies are always one or two levels higher than all of the other side quests, while the fake main quest has them at about the same level]]. |
| 112 | * ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' [[ZigZaggedTrope zig-zags]] this, the map completion percentage goes up to 200% in order to hide [[spoiler:Richter being the DiscOneFinalBoss]], but if you check the beastiary before fighting [[spoiler:Richter]] there's clearly dozens of monsters still missing. |
| 113 | * ''VideoGame/DemonHunterTheReturnOfTheWings'': |
| 114 | ** Buru opts to not reveal its name and it's mentioned in-story later... despite it being shown in the dialogue box and the quest's info. |
| 115 | ** Gun doesn't learn who Elen is until very much later despite the game showing his name in his first appearance. |
| 116 | * The graveyard in ''{{VideoGame/Alundra}}'' has a certain amount of plots, that are filled up one by one, allowing you to estimate, how much more tragedy is still ahead. [[spoiler: Subverted when you realize, that destiny has been changed and the dying is far from over at that point.]] |
| 117 | [[/folder]] |
| 118 | |
| 119 | [[folder:Adventure Games]] |
| 120 | * In ''VideoGame/AnotherCode'', four of the (otherwise unlabeled) icons on your menu become selectable very early on in the game. However, the final icon's purpose only becomes clear at the climax. |
| 121 | * In the NES/GBC version of ''VideoGame/DejaVu1985'', the game-over screen displayed when the player character dies [[note]]The game has some "lose" conditions that don't involve dying, and these have different game-over screens[[/note]] is a picture of the character's gravestone, which has his name written on it. However, the player character [[LaserGuidedAmnesia doesn't know his name]] at the beginning of the game, and the player isn't supposed to know what it is before the character remembers it. |
| 122 | * Harnessed to great effect by ''VideoGame/GravityBone''. As you make your way through the second mission, you obtain several items which are set to keys 1, 2, and 4 on your keyboard. [[spoiler:There is no item 3. Your character is killed before the end of the second mission.]] |
| 123 | * Invoked in the first ''VideoGame/SimonTheSorcerer'' game. You can locate a group of wizards at a bar using this method, and address them by their title. When they ask you ''how'' you knew they were wizards... see the page quote. |
| 124 | * ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'' pops up instructional messages at appropriate times during the game. Some involve how to avoid getting attacked by monsters, which most players take as a sign that a confrontation is mere moments away. [[ZigZaggedTrope Sometimes]], they're even correct. This game is known for [[NothingIsScarier milking anticipation]] for all it's worth, and this trope is no exception. |
| 125 | * ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'': The image on the episode select screen for Episode 4 gives away the notion that in Episode 3, [[spoiler:the Formidi-Bomb doesn't defeat the Wither Storm.]] |
| 126 | * ''VideoGame/{{Poptropica}}'': Older islands had maps, which showed everywhere on the island, including places you haven't visited yet. While they're marked with question marks, it still shows where you can get to a room you haven't been to yet. |
| 127 | * A soft form of the trope happens in ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'': during loading screens, various trivia facts about the game's setting and characters appear. While a few of them are generic and appear in any chapter, a few of them are specific to the current chapter: this means that characters and places may be mentioned by a loading screen trivia before their proper debut. |
| 128 | [[/folder]] |
| 129 | |
| 130 | [[folder:Card Games]] |
| 131 | * ''VideoGame/{{Shadowverse}}'': [[spoiler:When you face Eris in many of the other characters' storylines in the Steam version, you may notice that her portrait isn't animating. This indicates that the player is facing a doppelganger instead of the "real" Eris.]] |
| 132 | * In ''VideoGame/SlayTheSpire'' it quickly becomes apparent that the "Awakened One" isn't going to die when it runs out of health, on account of the fact that it says "This enemy hasn't awakened yet..." if your mouse hovers over it. |
| 133 | [[/folder]] |
| 134 | |
| 135 | [[folder:Fighting Games]] |
| 136 | * ''Franchise/BlazBlue'' makes a point of [[DefiedTrope defying this trope]]: |
| 137 | ** ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger'': Until you beat the True End in Story Mode, the credits list Hakumen and Nu-13's voice actors as '???'. [[spoiler:They both share voice actors with other playable characters, and not listing this helps prevent the player from guessing that Hakumen is Jin Kisaragi's AlternateSelf and that Noel and Nu-13 are both clones from the same source.]] |
| 138 | ** The ending of ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift Continuum Shift]]'' reveals that the Imperator Librarius, leader of the repressive [=NOL=] and de facto ruler of the world is [[spoiler:Saya, Ragna and Jin's long-lost sister]]. Her dialogue boxes in the ''CS'' ending and throughout ''VideoGame/BlazBlueChronophantasma'' are marked 'Imperator', averting both this trope and the option of lying to the player - [[spoiler: marking them accurately would give away that [[DemonicPossession Saya isn't in the driving seat anymore]]]]. |
| 139 | * In ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive'', the in-game encyclopedia uses "she/her" pronouns when addressing Bridget. As she was previously introduced as a boy character, this spoils her Arcade Mode, which is dedicated to her ComingOutStory as a transgender woman. |
| 140 | * In versions of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' starting from ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'', you'll notice if you've been playing particularly well that M. Bison's portrait is not only blank, but also has no name. [[spoiler:[[BaitAndSwitchBoss He gets subjected to a Shun Goku Satsu before you're supposed to fight him]], and Akuma takes the spot of your final opponent.]] |
| 141 | * ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur IV'' was released for the Platform/{{Xbox 360}} and Platform/PlayStation3, and, like SCII, each platform had its own GuestFighter, this time from the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe: Darth Vader for [=PS3=] and Yoda for the Xbox (and [[VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed Starkiller]] for both). Many people figured that they would release the other system's character as DLC, but Namco didn't confirm nor deny. The suspense (if there was any) was ruined when the game had a single suspiciously empty square on the character select screen once everything was unlocked. |
| 142 | * In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''[='=]s "World of Light" adventure mode, the story is presented as having to defeat Galeem, who is posted at the very top of the map. After exploring the world and winning the many battles around, you're finally able to reach and challenge the being to battle. [[spoiler:...Now, if only you weren't still missing nearly half of the fighters...]] |
| 143 | [[/folder]] |
| 144 | |
| 145 | [[folder:First-Person Shooters]] |
| 146 | * ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' and its episodes show some of their story achievements but hide others - for instance, in Episode 2, "obtain the Muscle Car" is shown, but [[spoiler:"survive the White Forest Inn ambush"]] is hidden. |
| 147 | * ''VideoGame/BioShock1'': |
| 148 | ** The Bathysphere menu spoils the number of levels, and the fact that you have more tonic slots than you can actually unlock before the confrontation with Ryan may tip one off as well. On the other hand, your wallet displays 4 digits, which seems to imply that there is some way to increase the maximum amount of money you can hold from $500. This is not the case, however. The extra digit seems to just be a UI relic. Also, ammo descriptions at vending machines tell you that certain ammo types are good for certain enemies, even before you've encountered those enemies. |
| 149 | ** After you [[spoiler:kill Ryan, Atlas will start a dramatic monologue where [[TheReveal he reveals]] that he's actually the thought-to-be dead Frank Fontaine. It's all very suspenseful... unless you have subtitles turned on in which case an entire paragraph of dialogue will be displayed before he's finished talking, spoiling his big reveal several moments before he actually says it]]. |
| 150 | * ''VideoGame/BioShock2'': |
| 151 | ** More linearity/no train menu prevents that from spoiling, but every train station has a little chart of the route, with each stop clearly denoted by a dot. (Even the [[spoiler:prison Persephone]], whose very existence is supposed to be known to just a handful of Rapture's citizens and which ''doesn't even have a train station''). Also, [[spoiler:Persephone]]'s name is spoiled if you look at the enemy profile of [[spoiler:the Alpha Series]], which are first encountered in the area immediately before it. |
| 152 | ** As Delta and Eleanor head up the elevator right after the final battle, the achievement "Heading To The Surface" pops up on-screen. Players can immediately pause the game and read the achievement, which reads, "Head to the surface [[spoiler:on the side of Sinclair's escape pod]]", thus spoiling the surprise a few seconds later when [[spoiler:the explosives detonate]]. |
| 153 | * ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'': later in the game, [[spoiler:Elizabeth]] gets kidnapped, and nothing can tell you for sure that this character is gonna survive and come back into the story. Nothing except an ill-placed on-screen hint: [[spoiler:when walking before a locked door, the game outright tells you: "Elizabeth Busy - Can't Lockpick"]]. |
| 154 | * In ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'', "Data leak on sub-level 9" (from the loading screen) hints towards the ending. |
| 155 | * The weapon menus in ''VideoGame/RedFactionGuerrilla'' and ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein|2009}}''. |
| 156 | * ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' spoils the existence of [[spoiler:Eridian weaponry, which is supposed to be late game equipment]] because it has its separate skill on your character's stat window. |
| 157 | * ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'': |
| 158 | ** There's a subtle example based on mission postings: for the sake of none of the sidequests being {{Permanently Missable|Content}} from advancing the main quest, [[spoiler:Roland, who dies during the main storyline]] is the ''only'' NPC in Sanctuary who never gives you a sidequest in person ([[spoiler:the one he does give you is a recording]]). It's also a tip-off that [[spoiler:you'll get Lilith back safe and sound from Handsome Jack, and Brick and Mordecai don't end up dying after their ship goes down in the final mission.]] |
| 159 | ** This one requires a little digging into the menu for Badass Ranks, effectively completing optional challenges to acquire points that can be spent for stat increases. A common recurring challenge is Cult of the Vault, where you are tasked to find a variety of usually well-hidden symbols, and because it is a running tally challenge, you can go back various areas to look for them at your leisure. It's quite telling that [[spoiler:Control Core Angel]] has no Cult of the Vault challenges listed, nor do any enemies drop gear, but no surprise either [[WhamEpisode given what happens there]]. |
| 160 | * ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' has a pretty subtle example in the Claptastic Voyage DLC. [[spoiler:So you've chased down [=5H4D0W-TP=] to The Cortex and defeated him for good, reclaiming the H-Source once and for all. With [=5H4D0W-TP=]'s interference gone, Handsome Jack is finally able to contact you again and extract you from Claptrap's code, bringing you back to Deck 13.5.]] There's just one problem: [[spoiler:didn't the game render the area name as Deck 13 1[=/=]2 before?]] Of course, the twist gets revealed almost immediately, so it's only FiveSecondForeshadowing, unlike most examples on this page. |
| 161 | * ''VideoGame/FarCry2'' has an in-game map with most towns being labelled with vaguely African names and other buildings labelled as "cattle ranch." Except for twisting path through impassable mountains leading to a valley named The Heart of Darkness. Considering that the game was widely known before release as a kind of video game SpiritualSuccessor to Literature/HeartOfDarkness and[=/=]or Film/ApocalypseNow it's not as much of a spoiler as one might imagine. |
| 162 | * The mission update tips in ''VideoGame/FarCry3'' contain more information than Jason Brody could conceivably know, such as tips that tell you to find a hidden entrance in a location you have just entered. After [[spoiler:Keith tells Jason that Riley is dead]], the Handbook doesn't add [[spoiler:Riley]]'s entry into it. |
| 163 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Jurassic Park|Arcade}}'' arcade RailShooter game concludes with a battle against two ''T. rexes'' while the player is riding on the back of a vehicle. When you beat the final ''T. rex'' down to a third of his health, the creature flees and the vehicle continues driving towards the gate, leading people to assume the game is finished... but the ''T. rex'''s health bar is still present on-screen, spoiling his eventual reappearance. |
| 164 | * In ''VideoGame/{{STALKER}}: Shadow of Chernobyl'', your PDA will list "contacts" who you can talk to nearby. Near the end of the game, in the part of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant [[spoiler:you can only enter if you find the decoder]], this list will include someone called "[[spoiler:[[HiveMind C-Consciousness]] representative]]" before you're introduced to said character. |
| 165 | * In ''VideoGame/TheDarkness'', the pause menu shows the eponymous evil twizzlers three chapters before you get them. |
| 166 | * The PC version of ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament3''. If you're watching the installer, it shows you the names of the files being copied to your system. Now this includes the cinematics of the campaign. The name of one particular cinematic? [[spoiler:Malcom Betrayal.]] |
| 167 | * ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'': |
| 168 | ** ''[=ZDoom=]'', a source port for ''Doom'', includes an option to mark the exit on the automap with a different colour. This makes it easy to recognize [[KaizoTrap fake exit switches]] ahead of time. |
| 169 | ** ''[=ZDoom=]'''s minimap also shows teleporters, which reveals hidden teleporter traps and also inadvertently shows the correct route across the torch platform puzzle in [=Map30 of=] ''TNT: Evilution'' (where otherwise you have to [[spoiler:memorise the line of coloured torches in the previous corridor and walk the platforms in the same order]]). |
| 170 | ** Similarly, in some source ports the total monster population can be displayed onscreen. If it seems you've already cleaned out the level, but there's still 100 monsters unaccounted for, something's up. |
| 171 | * One of the achievements in ''The Original Strife: Veteran Edition'' (a digital re-release of ''VideoGame/{{Strife}}'') originally had a description that outright spoiled the fact that [[spoiler:you have to defeat Macil]]. Even better? The achievement's name is "[[spoiler:Trust No One]]". Current Steam and GOG Galaxy version avert this by hiding the achievement description until it's actually gained in-game. |
| 172 | [[/folder]] |
| 173 | |
| 174 | [[folder:Idle Games]] |
| 175 | * ''VideoGame/KittensGame'' spoils you that blueprints will become craftable because they are listed in the crafting menu long before you discover their crafting recipe. |
| 176 | [[/folder]] |
| 177 | |
| 178 | [[folder:[=MMORPG=]s]] |
| 179 | * Most ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' achievements don't bother with obscuring spoiler objectives. One exception is the achievement for the Trial of the Crusader raid, which hides the name of the final boss, only showing it as "Complete the Trial of the Crusader". The final boss is [[spoiler:Anub'arak, after the Lich King breaks the floor of the Coliseum and makes you fall into the Nerubian tunnels below it]]. Later, even this was spoiled by the raid-lock system, which names the bosses that have and have not been defeated this week. By then, though, raid leaders generally insisted on either giving all first-timers a {{Walkthrough}} or having them watch one on Platform/YouTube, making a LateArrivalSpoiler inevitable anyway. |
| 180 | ** When you start a new worgen character in Gilneas, you can immediately zoom out the world map to the Eastern Kingdoms and notice that the hover text for the Gilneas zone says "Ruins of Gilneas" instead. This points to two things: one, that your homeland isn't going to survive intact very long; and two, for the more tech-savvy players, it shows that the version of Gilneas you start in is actually an instance isolated from the main world. Even worse, when inspecting the Ruins of Gilneas map, you can immediately notice that a significant chunk of land in the southwest is missing, foreshadowing that it will be sunk by the Cataclysm during the worgen intro storyline. |
| 181 | ** Since Cataclysm all players now have access to a dungeon journal which gives a name, portrait, short section of biography text, ability list and some tactical information for every boss in a new dungeon or raid as soon as it is released. The betrayal of [[spoiler:Archbishop Benedictus]] in the Hour of Twilight dungeon is not exactly hard to predict when you already have a screen full of information up to and including a list of all the spells that he is going to zap you with. |
| 182 | ** Quests used to be bad about this because they followed a very rigid format. If the quest text told you to kill an NPC, but the quest objective said "confronted 0/1" instead of "killed 0/1", you knew they would get away. Quests might tell you find someone missing but the objective would tell you it was a corpse you would find. One quest of Sven's Revenge gave you clues to a person's identity, but that person showed up on the map as a quest completed icon. Since ''Legion'', this has improved, with a more flexible format: new objectives can come up that were not visible before, so you may find an NPC, only for them to become hostile, and the quest changes to "kill NPC". |
| 183 | ** In "Dagger in the Dark", which, like other scenarios, has a series of objectives you need to complete, displays the final objective- [[spoiler:killing the Kor'kron assassins]] even ''before'' [[spoiler:Rak'gor Bloodrazor tries to kill Vol'jin]]. |
| 184 | ** In ''Legion'', the "Followers" tab on your scouting map shows all of the Champions you can recruit for your Order Hall, not just the ones you already have. This makes it practically impossible to be surprised by who you recruit, even though some of these characters were very obviously intended to be twists. |
| 185 | ** Sometimes even the exploration achievements can spoil. In Highmountain, one of the areas players have to find is called "Feltotem". Given that one of the tribes in Highmountain are the Bloodtotem, no one is surprised when they join the Burning Legion. |
| 186 | ** The "Subtitles spoil the reveal" happens twice in ''Dragonflight'' when characters reveal themselves. First with Sabellion, who at least doesn't say a single line ''before'' introducing himself. However, much more blatant in the Azure Span wherein a simulacrum of Sindragosa appears... but before she reveals herself, she says several lines which the subtitles attribute to "Sindragosa". |
| 187 | * In ''VideoGame/EverQuest'', every zone of the last few expansions has a "Hunter" achievement which basically lists every "named" or boss mob in the zone. Is "Lord Bob" a quest person, normal trash mob or named (special loot dropping) monster? If he's on the "Hunter" list, you have the answer. |
| 188 | * ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has a lot of this. |
| 189 | ** Get a codex entry for a character in your storyline and it has likes/dislikes? They're going to join you. See a level-capped character going around with a certain title? Tells you flat out the end results of certain plot-points. |
| 190 | ** Targeting Darth Zash when you meet up with her at the end of Chapter One of the Inquisitor story shows [[spoiler:her true face]] in her portrait, spoiling TheReveal. |
| 191 | ** A codex entry for the Smuggler near the end of Act 1 spoils TheReveal that [[spoiler:Nok Drayen is still alive, and his treasure is more than it seems]]. |
| 192 | * In ''VideoGame/RuneScape'', most quest-specific equipment can't be traded or purchased on the Grand Exchange specifically to prevent this happening, or the players cheating their way through the quests by buying {{Mac Guffin}}s. However, you can still find Barrows equipment on the Exchange for the quest-specific Barrows wights [[spoiler:Akrisae]] and [[spoiler:Linza]], and get spoiled that those characters will die. |
| 193 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': |
| 194 | ** A major player in one of the side quest chains ([[spoiler:specifically, Fray of the Dark Knight job quests]]) is eventually [[TheReveal revealed]] to be your EnemyWithout. Accordingly, this character's gender is "coincidentally" the same as yours -- even if you use a Fantasia potion to change genders mid-questline, or go through it on a different-gender alt. Luckily, this ''probably'' won't happen by accident, since Fantasias [[BribingYourWayToVictory cost real money]] and the game's mechanics discourage {{Altitis}}. But it's still ''possible''. |
| 195 | ** In the ''A Realm Reborn'' chapters of the game, you can't progress any further beyond patch 2.4 content until you defeated the hard mode versions of Ifrit, Titan, and Garuda. Now why would you be forced to tackle content that has almost no bearing on the main story? This is due to the NPC that gives the quest vanishes by the time you gain the ability to enter Ishgard (the start of the 3.0 ''Heavensward'' content). Since the primals you have to fight again are also linked to the relic quest lines, losing out on the whole thing due to the quest giver vanishing would screw the player over. Ergo, you have to do the side content anyway so that you are not screwing yourself over by making other content gone forever. This later gets subverted, however, in patch 4.4: [[spoiler:A Realm Reborn's extreme trials aren't required for the main quest, and Urianger will still be in the Waking Sands to hand them out even after his soul gets transported to a parallel dimension.]] |
| 196 | ** At the end of the main story in 4.3's "Under the Moonlight", some cut scenes play out with one of them showing the supporting protagonist inside a ship that gets shot down while the other shows the player character having a conversation with the other characters. After the cut scene with the ship crash, the screen fades to black and then you get a pop up text telling you to get ready for an instanced battle. This caught many players off guard since the duty pop up always occur when something is going on with their character. [[spoiler:It turns out that the battle involves Alphinaud and you get to control him as an actual playable character.]] |
| 197 | ** In patch 4.2's "Rise of a New Sun" story, it reveals that [[spoiler:Zenos]] is NotQuiteDead. His text box gives away a very subtle hint that something is not quite right where the game only shows his first name rather than his entire name. [[spoiler:4.3 reveals that Zenos's body was taken over by an Ascian while Zenos himself took over someone else's body.]] |
| 198 | ** The menu that displays all of your job's abilities will show you everything you will learn as you level up and complete job quests, ruining the surprise of what new skills you will obtain. The skills learned in ''Heavensward'' were hidden until you actually learned them, but by the next expansion, it was changed to be displayed with everything else. Quest rewards (which can also include job skills) will also reveal what you can earn upon completion of the quest. Certain quests avoid the trope by having the item icon as a gift box with only "???" appearing if you try to see what the item is. |
| 199 | ** Shadowbringers takes great strides to hide various parts of its map. For one, the map of Norvrandt can't be viewed at all until the player first makes their way there, and even after arriving there the sixth zone, [[spoiler:The Tempest]], has every point of interest replaced by question marks, including the zone's aetheryte. Furthermore, most references to the sixth zone elsewhere (such as achievements, where to acquire the orchestrion roll for that zone, hunt locations, and so on) are similarly obscured. [[spoiler:The latter half of the zone, Amaurot, goes even further - its points of interest and aetheryte ''don't even appear on the map at all'' until you get there for the first time.]] |
| 200 | ** This trope is played straight, however, with the final dungeon of Shadowbringers' Main Quest, [[spoiler:Amaurot]]; the dungeon drops the orchestrion roll for the song that plays within, and thus the dungeon is listed by name in the orchestrion log. |
| 201 | ** In most instanced content with a party, the moment the last remaining player is knocked out, the screen immediately fades to black and the fight resets. In the fight against Ultimate Bahamut, [[spoiler:his Terraflare attack will [[TotalPartyWipe kill everyone]], even if you use the tank's strongest LimitBreak. The screen doesn't fade and you're informed that Phoenix's cry cuts through your desperation. Phoenix itself appears and revives the whole party and fills up the Limit Break gauge to the full three bars.]] |
| 202 | ** In 3.5, completing the MSQ to that point earned you the title "[[spoiler:Palpaymo's]] Final Witness". The title completely spoiled the death of the named character and it was impossible to avoid since many players used that title in their displayed title preference. The developers admitted that the title name was a mistake on their part and the next patch changed it to simply "The Final Witness" to avoid spoilers. |
| 203 | ** The MSQ in 5.3 discusses the character [[spoiler:Azim]], who had played a major role in the distant past and they were friends with [[BigBad Emet-Selch]]. [[spoiler:Like with Fray, Azim's gender matches the player character's and it changes if you change your character's gender, signifying that Azim was the player character in their past life.]] |
| 204 | ** Upon reaching the fourth zone of ''Endwalker'' players may notice that the region name is "[[spoiler:Sea of Stars]]" instead of something more specific to the current zone. Checking the Fishing Log confirms that there's a second zone under that header, but also hints at another spoiler: [[spoiler:the last remaining zone is listed below Sea of Stars and separate from any previous region, implying either that the region is itself a spoiler or we're going somewhere more remote than ''literal outer space'']]. Similarly, checking the gathering log shows items that are clearly ''not'' obtainable anywhere else. |
| 205 | *** At the beginning of Endwalker, the player must perform two different tasks in different parts of the world - an arc in Sharlayan and another in Thavnair. No player was fooled for a second that they would were done with either zones at the level 80-81 questline - as not only was about half the map of Sharlayan inaccessible, but Thavnair had ''multiple'' maps that the player could not visit yet. Just like Eulmore, Radz-at-Han's aetheryte ''also'' could not be attuned to until the plot said so - meaning players ''easily'' knew that they were ''not'' yet done. |
| 206 | * In ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'', players are free to enter any map regardless of their story progress, so this can happen a lot from talking to scouts, reading the descriptions of renown hearts or events, or simply listening to NPC chatter. So, for example, in the core game, every level 60 or so area reveals that the three Orders of Tyria eventually join to become the Pact; in the Heart of Thorns expansion, you can explore Tarir before meeting the Exalted or head to Rata Novus before ever hearing its name; and in the recent Path of Fire expansion, exploring the Elon Riverlands spoils that [[spoiler:Vlast, Aurene's brother and Glint's first son, dies]]. There's one particular instance that tries to avoid this: in Bloodtide Coast, a Risen Commander spawns [[spoiler:and taunts you over the death of your Order mentor]] only if you've completed the Battle for Claw Island on that character. However, it's still possible to see ''another'' player trigger their appearance, and the event's name spells out that it's a fight to [[spoiler:avenge your mentor's death]]. Achievement names and descriptions are a mixed bag - some are as vague as possible, or even outright hidden until you complete them - though again, one attempt to hide a spoiler in a Living World episode still ironically ends up doing the opposite. To wit, it is described only as "Follow your foe's tracks deeper into the volcano", but the associated story step is named [[spoiler:In Pursuit of a God]], revealing just who was [[spoiler:impersonating Lazarus the Dire]]. |
| 207 | [[/folder]] |
| 208 | |
| 209 | [[folder:Platform Games]] |
| 210 | * The later ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' games have your health in the form of little green dots around a circle. Starting with ''Jak 3'', once the existence of {{Heart Container}}s is established you can calculate how many more you're likely to get based on how much of the circle it covers. Similarly, even if you were just handed a ''Jak 3'' disc without a case and had missed the entire second game, you could easily guess that you eventually access Light Eco powers when you see that only half the Yin Yang symbol in your HUD fills up with purple when you collect the dark stuff. |
| 211 | * The ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' games tend to do this too, if you look deeply enough into the menus. |
| 212 | ** The Skill Point lists tell you which planet each is found on, effectively spoiling every level in the game and making it easy to see YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle moments coming. |
| 213 | ** A particularly egregious example from ''Up Your Arsenal'': It's pretty obvious a certain character isn't really dead when you know you'll later visit a place called [[spoiler:Qwark's Hideout.]] Another possible one from that game is "Crash Site," even if [[spoiler:exactly ''what'' crashed may not be immediately obvious.]] |
| 214 | ** There's also arena challenges such as "Defeat all enemies using only the Rift Inducer", which appear long before said weapons are available. |
| 215 | ** In the Aquatos Sewers, there are icons for Gadgetron vendors floating out in the middle of nowhere, making it clear that there's more of the sewers to explore than you can see. Well, at least until you get the Map-O-Matic. |
| 216 | ** The Monsterpedia in ''Going Commando'' lists the home planet of each enemy; when it's not the world you first encounter them on, you know you'll probably be visiting it later on. Examples include all the [[PsychoForHire Thugs-4-Less]] members being from Snivelak [[spoiler:which you go to when you storm their base to rescue someone very late in the game]], and all MegaCorp robots listing Yeedil, [[spoiler:it's the location of MegaCorp's headquarters and TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon.]] Subverted with some though, such as the B2-Brawler's home planet Cerebella, which has yet to make an appearance in the series. |
| 217 | ** In ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked'', the stats menu gives you information about what you've done in the game. This includes kills with weapons (which are named in the menu, which means you know you'll get an EpicFlail, a shield launcher, and a gun that deploys turrets) and enemies killed (which spoils that you'll be fighting [[spoiler:robot ghosts and robot zombie ghosts]] at some point). |
| 218 | ** In ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016'', the loading screen sometimes gives hints for weapons that aren't available yet. |
| 219 | * The challenge achievement for beating the game in both ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' and ''VideoGame/MegaMan10'' say "Whomp Wily!", despite the plotlines of both leading you to believe otherwise. |
| 220 | ** Throughout the franchise, the menu screens almost always have exactly enough room for every weapon and item in the game. When you get one Sub-Tank, for instance, you can see where the Sub-Tanks appear on the menu, how much more room there is, and therefore how many more Sub-Tanks are in the game (generally a total of four). |
| 221 | ** The Navi Mode included in ''[[CompilationRerelease Rockman Complete Works]]'' and ''[[CompilationRerelease Mega Man Anniversary Collection]]'' doesn't even ''try'' to hide the fact that Cossack isn't the true BigBad of ''VideoGame/MegaMan4''. |
| 222 | * ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' spoils the existence of the Komato from level one as their weapons are an upgradable stat. Interestingly, a thorough search of Sector 1 reveals that [[JustifiedTrope there's an in-universe reason for this]], as the scientists who gave Iji her Nanofield left logbooks behind, and one of them mentions "that other species [the Tasen] keep referring to". |
| 223 | * ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': |
| 224 | ** In ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1'', you can scroll through and view the entirety of the current world, no matter which levels you've unlocked.[[note]]Except for the last world, where once you beat the "final castle", Bowser Jr. runs across a bridge to the second half of that world, which previously wasn't able to be viewed.[[/note]] |
| 225 | ** There are more than 6 worlds in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros2'', but this too is spoiled by the world map screen. |
| 226 | ** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', one can see how many galaxies there are in a world from the grand world map. If one looks at World S before getting 240 stars, they might be confused by the world still having a locked galaxy left... |
| 227 | ** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' has a few of these. |
| 228 | *** When ''Website/{{Miiverse}}'' was still active, you could replay a level with Ghost Miis. You may notice some of them spinning in midair. This spoils the fact that Rosalina is a playable character. |
| 229 | *** Similarly, even non-spoiler labeled Miiverse messages could serve as this thanks to the stamps. Not only can people use them freely without spoiler warnings, but you can see the outlines of the stamps, and a lot of them are really easy to make out. A lot of them depict Rosalina, and then you have the fact that Meowser, the FinalBoss, is a stamp. Yeah, they really should've auto-spoilered that one. |
| 230 | *** The list of levels will show exactly how many levels there are in a world that you haven't completed yet. |
| 231 | * In ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus'', in the controls menu the 3rd option you can change is for the [[spoiler:jet pack]]. Take 3 guesses as to how you beat [[spoiler:Clockwerk]]. |
| 232 | * ''[[VideoGame/{{Jumper}} Jumper Two]]'''s unlockables menu blatantly spoils the existence of "secret" levels. Chances are that you will see said menu ''long'' before finishing the last sector (one requirement for secret stage 1. The other is getting total record time below certain threshold). |
| 233 | * ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'': |
| 234 | ** The game presents all the minds you can enter as doors, and you can see all the minds you get to enter from the start of the game. This becomes very noticeable right before you unlock [[spoiler:the Meat Circus: you've passed the PointOfNoReturn and are in the middle of an epic battle against the BigBad... while having the nagging thought of "Wasn't there another door out there?"]] |
| 235 | ** Right from the beginning, you can see a silhouette of a brain jar with a question mark on the inventory screen. You don't find out you have to collect the campers' brains until you get to the asylum. |
| 236 | * ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2'': |
| 237 | ** The subtitles identify one of the flashback voices in Cruller's Correspondence as [[spoiler:Young Gristol.]] This character simply ''having'' a name [[NominalImportance already gives away that they're going to be important]], but the fact that their name is prefixed with "Young" implies that we'll meet a grown-up version of them at some point. |
| 238 | ** The summary of the game's final level in Razputin's notebook minutely explains two plot twists that are unveiled right after the level's first room ([[spoiler:more specifically, that the mind Raz and Lili just entered is not Truman Zanotto's, but Nick Johnsmith's; and that Nick Johnsmith's real identity is that of the BigBad himself, Gristol Malik]]). Unfortunately for some players that were too curious for their own good, this summary can be read while still in said first room. The game effectively spoiled series-defining plot twists by itself. |
| 239 | ** In PSI King's Sensorium, if you smack around Tasty, Sniffles, and Audie O., their voice lines are displayed as belonging to [[spoiler:Compton, Cassie, and Bob, revealing that this mind belongs to one of the Psychic Six. Additionally, since we already know where Ford and Otto are, along with it clearly not belonging to the three already mentioned, that leaves only one member that the mind could possibly belong to...]] |
| 240 | * ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': |
| 241 | ** The most ridiculous case of this probably comes from ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards''. Beating a level will allow the player the chance to play a minigame where they can collect randomized enemy info cards for the game's MonsterCompendium. This includes even enemies and bosses you haven't met yet, and it's entirely possible for one to end up knowing about the spoiler-tastic TrueFinalBoss as early as the first stage, if they get (un)lucky enough. |
| 242 | ** In ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror'', when facing off against what appears to be Meta Knight, his name is [[MyNameIsQuestionMarks ? ? ?]]. No surprise when it turns out to be an imposter. |
| 243 | ** ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'': After beating the Grand Doomer, Kirby would have collected all five of the Lor Starcutter's parts. People who go for OneHundredPercentCompletion would noticed that only 84 of the 120 Energy Spheres have been collected- suggesting that there are more worlds. Even people on a casual run might be tipped off by the fact that the world select screen takes the time to specify that Kirby lives on Planet Popstar. Although this one is diffused a bit since Magolor often mentions wanting to take you to visit his home once the Lor Starcutter is repaired, implying that said home contains more levels. |
| 244 | ** In ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'', obtaining all of the Sun Stones rewards you with a keychain depicting the BigBad, who is kept a big secret until the very end. It is possible to obtain said keychain before encountering the character in question. Masked Dedede and Dark Meta Knight also appear as keychains, and surely enough, [[spoiler:the former appears as the PreFinalBoss, while the latter shows up as the FinalBoss of Dededetour.]] [[note]]Granted, it's a short-term spoiler, because by the time you've unlocked all the stages to get Sun Stones in, the player is able to access the boss.[[/note]] ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' does something similar, but more competently; you can get a sticker of the game's main villain by collecting all the Code Cubes, but you'll already know what he looks like (his face is plastered on walls throughout the final area), and his existence is made clear beforehand. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, Star Dream, the actual final boss, does not make any appearance until you defeat the aforementioned big bad.]] |
| 245 | ** Starting with ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'', all future games will hide the timer in [[BossRush The Arena and The True Arena]] when fighting the FinalBoss's last phase. During The True Arena in ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'' and ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', this hints that there's [[TrueFinalBoss an extra phase exclusive to the mode]]. |
| 246 | * ''VideoGame/SonicRushAdventure'' is one of those games where the conditions for fighting the TrueFinalBoss involves beating the game. As such, the end credits will flat-out tell you who the [[HijackedByGanon secret main villain]] is. |
| 247 | * When you save your game in ''VideoGame/BlenderBros,'' it shows you which planets you've beaten and which you haven't. The fact that your PlayerHeadquarters planet is listed as one of the planets you have or haven't beaten, it sort of gives away the twist that your base is the final world. |
| 248 | * Completing the Kong Temple levels with all Puzzle Pieces in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' will unlock its own image gallery separate from the worlds they're placed in. By going into the gallery early on in the game, you'll see that the gallery is represented by the Mysterious Relics all placed together, each with a symbol representing a world. This will give you a hint that there will be a total of seven worlds in the game to beat even though you haven't collected all the Mysterious Relics yet. |
| 249 | * ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndTheSevenSirens'' lets you use the eponymous character's trademark [[MagicDance belly dancing]] to use powers acquired from the other half-genies she encounters and rescues over the course of the game. The problem: [[spoiler:you meet five other half-genies, but only have four ability slots. Sure enough, you eventually find out one of the girls you met was Rottytops in disguise.]] |
| 250 | * An odd example for the reveal of the BigBad of ''VideoGame/Stinkoman20X6''- long before the game's last level was revealed due to DevelopmentHell, his identity was revealed by the website's Game Select menu. [[spoiler:As suspected, he turned out to be the [=20X6=] version of Coach Z, though the game was kind enough to hide his name: Z-Sabre.]] |
| 251 | [[/folder]] |
| 252 | |
| 253 | [[folder:Puzzle Games]] |
| 254 | * In ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'', there's an audio log that [[spoiler:uses subtitles instead of the normal transcript. This is because the tape is blank. [[HeWasRightThereAllAlong What Henry hears is really Bertrum Piedmont speaking.]]]] |
| 255 | * A minor example in the English version of ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}''. The two main female characters, Catherine and Katherine, have the same name with different spellings. At one point, Vincent gets a call from someone named Steve who accuses him of stealing [[spoiler:C]]atherine from him. Vincent spends some time trying to puzzle out exactly what he meant, since Steve only says the name out loud and both girls claim not to know anyone by that name, but the subtitles make it clear that he's talking about [[spoiler:Catherine]]. |
| 256 | * A subversion in ''VideoGame/CovertFront 2: Station on the Horizon'': [[spoiler: By the time you reach a fuse box with three resistor slots, you should have picked up two resistors, which appear in your inventory as "Resistor 1" and "Resistor 3". ''There is no Resistor 2'', instead you have to use a random piece of wire in the remaining slot.]] |
| 257 | * Seen in the collector's editions of the ''VideoGame/DetectivesUnited'' series, where a CollectionSidequest has you searching for scraps of photographs throughout the games. Finding these scraps assembles full images, which may be installed as screen savers if desired; but the images can be viewed at any time by going to the correct menu, even if what's depicted in them hasn't been seen in the game yet. |
| 258 | * ''VideoGame/PaqueretteDownTheBunburrows'': Checking the save menu will show the % of bunnies captured ([[spoiler:not counting babies]]), and still having about [[spoiler:35% after completing all main Bunburrows]] should raise an eyebrow. |
| 259 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', the new game menu appears to spoil the number of levels. [[spoiler:Then you find out that the entire second half of the game doesn't show up on said menu.]] And if you don't know the expected runtime of ''Portal 2'', the moment where you [[spoiler:defeat [=GLaDOS=] and Wheatley seems to be about to free you before then betraying you feels roughly the same point where you win the former game - you have no reason to suspect you've not just completed the second game... and then the laughing starts ... ]] |
| 260 | * ''VideoGame/Portal2'' truncates the name of the last chapter ("The Part Where [[spoiler:He Kills You]]") in the New Game menu for spoiler reasons. The achievements reveal the full title, but are worded vaguely enough that if you haven't reached a certain point in the game, you won't know who [[spoiler:"he"]] means. Used to be played straight in earlier Source games like ''Half-Life 2'', as described above. |
| 261 | ** Much lesser example - If you play with Closed Captioning off, you don't learn Wheatley's name until [[spoiler:the Core Transfer.]] If you play with them on, it's seen at the very start of the game. |
| 262 | * In ''VideoGame/PortalStoriesMel'' this is downplayed in the subtitles when [[spoiler:Virgil is pretending to be Cave Johnson. They say "Cave Johnson" until he comes clean so that you don't know who it really is; but they are also a different colour from the real Cave's subtitles]]. |
| 263 | * ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'': |
| 264 | ** ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'': |
| 265 | *** The game spoils the reveal of [[spoiler:Flora]] in the description of a mystery you solve quite a bit earlier. |
| 266 | *** As soon as you have enough picarats, you can unlock bonuses such as character profiles, a SoundTest and image and cutscene galleries, and thus learn about most major plot twists a lot earlier than intended. The second game onwards would fix this by making those bonuses require obtaining enough picarats ''and'' beating the game. |
| 267 | ** Subverted in ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture''. The mysteries panel gradually fills up with "SOLVED" markers as the game reaches a climax... only for [[spoiler:three of the mysteries that were thought "solved" early on in the game to be re-solved, this time with "The Whole Story".]] The game series mostly plays this straight, as while a few mysteries of secondary importance might be solved early on, most are solved near the end. ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheAzranLegacy'' uses this trick too. |
| 268 | * ''VideoGame/TheTalosPrinciple'': A great many puzzles have names that directly hint at the respective puzzle's solution. Actually facilitating said solution is another matter, but paying attention to the name when entering a new area is never a bad idea regardless. |
| 269 | * If you quit ''VideoGame/UncleAlbertsMysteriousIsland'' before finishing the game and read the credits, you get spoiled that [[spoiler:Tom, who was an important character in the previous two games, is in the game, despite him only appearing at the very end and serving as a PlotTwist]]. |
| 270 | * ''VideoGame/TheWitness'': After a while you figure out that if a mechanism moves ''verrrry'' slowly, it means [[spoiler:there's an environmental puzzle nearby that can only be solved while the mechanism is in motion (which would be difficult to solve if the mechanism was moving at a more normal speed).]] |
| 271 | [[/folder]] |
| 272 | |
| 273 | [[folder:Racing Games]] |
| 274 | * Not so much a spoiler as a slightly premature reveal, ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed]]'' informs you of the "stickers" (achievements) you've just unlocked in an event after telling you how many XP you earned for your character and such. But the achievements themselves are triggered the second the race is finished, complete with pop-ups in the corner of the screen. Apparently there's no way to delay them. One sticker does, however, spoil that [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/NiGHTSIntoDreams NiGHTS and Reala are playable characters.]]]] |
| 275 | * ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedUnderground'' spoils the identity of a mystery racer by showing it in the race leaderboard. In the Underground mode, [[spoiler: after you defeat Eddie in the (supposed) final event, a cutscene will trigger where a black Nissan 350Z that you've already seen in previous cutscenes challenges you, leading to the actual final event.]] Right after the animation of the two cars getting before the start line, you will see the name of [[spoiler: Melissa]] in the leaderboard. [[spoiler: With a little guessing, you can figure out that's the girl that was along Eddie in two of the earliest cutscenes.]] |
| 276 | [[/folder]] |
| 277 | |
| 278 | [[folder:Real-Time Strategy]] |
| 279 | * ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'': |
| 280 | ** The game has achievements for each set of missions: the Mar Sara missions, the Hanson missions, the Tosh missions, the Horner missions, the Artifact missions, the Zeratul missions - and [[OddNameOut the Final missions]], so named to avoid revealing that [[spoiler:the last missions take place on Char]]. Also, the achievements don't mention that [[spoiler:you can betray both Hanson and Tosh (separately) in their storylines]] or [[spoiler:the [[ScrewDestiny nature]] of Zeratul's missions]]. They kind of blew it on hiding whose side Warfield and Valerian end up on, though. |
| 281 | ** You could look at the achievements before the game came out, and stuff like [[spoiler:"Kill the Odin before it gets sent at Raynor"]] is very unsubtle. There's also achievements mentioning [[spoiler:the Hyperion]]. [[spoiler:Stukov]] too, and some might not even understand ''how'' he could show up, but in the actual game does have a [[Main/StopPokingMe Stop Poking Me]] to explain that.[[note]]It was explained in much greater detail in a mission exclusive to Starcraft 64[[/note]] |
| 282 | ** In ''[[VideoGame/StarcraftIILegacyOfTheVoid Legacy of the Void]]'', you can view the mission achievements on the launch screen. As a result, for example, on a mission where you send Artanis alone into a temple, you can see an achievement for [[spoiler:killing a certain number of units with banelings]]. Combined with the trailers, it is easy to guess that you are going to [[spoiler:fight alongside Kerrigan]]. The army assembly panel also shows ''three'' buttons for every unit you have available when you unlock it, thus spoiling that you'll have more variants for your units than just Aiur or Nerazim (even if ''what'' those other options are, [[spoiler:or even that there's ''two'' additional Protoss factions that'll help Artanis, with every tier lacking an option from one of the four factions]], is obscured). |
| 283 | * In ''[[VideoGame/BrutalLegend Brütal Legend]]'', entering the multiplayer menu plays a tutorial cutscene which spoils [[spoiler:Ophelia turning villainous.]] Less blatantly, there's the empty unit and solo slots. |
| 284 | * Played with in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}: VideoGame/DawnOfWar II''. You can get armor plating equipment that is listed as only able to be equipped by "Dreadnought," well before you gain access to a Dreadnought. Unlike the other squads, it doesn't tell the Dreadnought's name, [[spoiler:Davian Thule, your commanding officer and PlayerCharacter of the Space Marines in ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar: Dark Crusade''. However, Thule is severely wounded shortly before you start getting the Dreadnought equipment, so anyone with a reasonable knowledge of 40k lore can easily figure out what's going to happen to him.]] |
| 285 | * In ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'''s campaign, during one of the earlier scenarios, [[TheHeavy Gargarensis]] is visible in an inaccessible portion of the map. Clicking on him, as with everything else in the game, brings up a description, which includes a description of his and [[spoiler:Poseidon's]] plans, which are not revealed until about the halfway point of the campaign. |
| 286 | ** ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'' had a similar case with Crazy Horse, while you can click on him and view his description in the fourth mission of The Warchiefs Expansion's Act II, his description is actually for his role in the ''final'' mission, spoiling not only that mission but the biggest twist of the campaign. (Namely [[spoiler:what side you'll be taking in the end]]) |
| 287 | * In ''VideoGame/GroundControl 2'', you have to salvage the remains of a convoy transporting something apparently valuable, with briefing featuring lines about nobody knowing what it contains. Selecting "cargo" shows you "Prisoner Transport", making its content quite obvious. |
| 288 | * ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'': Downplayed. The total number of treasures available in the game (201) is not revealed in any way until after you pay the debt of 10000 Pokos, by then you may have collected about half of them already. |
| 289 | * ''VideoGame/WarlordsBattlecry'': In the first game, in one mission the little girl you're supposed to protect runs off on her own into a valley swarming with monsters. The first part of the mission tasks you with finding her, except the mission objective actually tells you to "discover" her. [[spoiler:Hint: In English the word "discover" is very rarely used in reference to ''living'' people.]] |
| 290 | * ''VideoGame/HaloWars'': During the events of the first game, Sergeant Forge sacrifices himself so that the ''Spirit of Fire'' can escape the Forerunner Shield World, thus a logical absence in the [[VideoGame/HaloWars2 sequel]]. That is, until you see some of the cards usable during the Blitz mode Beta which have the Leader Restriction set to Forge himself, like his trademark Grizzly tank. |
| 291 | * ''VideoGame/TreasurePlanetBattleAtProcyon'', allows you to play as the Ironclads in the skirmish mode, if you do this before completing the mission 10 in the campaign it will spoil {{The Reveal}} [[spoiler:that the Ironclads are Procyon ships]]. |
| 292 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Colobot}}'', the game comes with an in-game encyclopedia concerning all objects, units and programming functions you can find in the game -- including ones that you aren't going to encounter until the very last levels. |
| 293 | * ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'': |
| 294 | ** There are many modifiers that affect your ships' performance against the various Endgame Crises. Most of them can be seen and even attained long before the crises actually show up in the lategame. |
| 295 | ** Empires with the "LostColony" origin can easily find their original homeworld by opening the species tab and clicking on their "Go to Homeworld" icon. |
| 296 | [[/folder]] |
| 297 | |
| 298 | [[folder:Roguelike]] |
| 299 | * ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac: Rebirth'' features The Lost. The Lost was initially supposed to be a secret character, so his unlock method in the base game is extremely difficult and requires much trial and error. He was obviously intended by Creator/EdmundMcMillen to remain secret for months, if not years. Needless to say, Edmund was not pleased when dataminers discovered and unearthed The Lost within weeks of the game's release, despite the fanbase being almost as fast to discover the secret in its entirely through brute force. How did both dataminers and legitimate players know that there is at all a character who is hard to unlock and whose existence is kept secret ingame? Unlocking him gets you a Steam achievement, which is not hidden in any way. Later DLC for the game avoided this, either by patching in secret characters and their achievements after the fact, by revealing all the secret characters at launch, or by [[spoiler:hiding the alternate "Tainted" versions of characters on a separate menu that doesn't appear until you unlock them]]. |
| 300 | * In the ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'''s DLC ''Crimson Court'', there is a boss known as the Fanatic that will randomly appear in the dungeon if one of your heroes in the team is infected with the Crimson Curse. If he decides to appear in the dungeon that you are going on an expedition, the loading screen will shows an illustration of him like other bosses, instead of the background of the dungeon. |
| 301 | ** Likewise, if you have ''Colour of Madness'' active, the Thing from the Stars will randomly appear within dungeons. Which one? Why, the one with its face right next to the missions, of course. Both this and the Fanatic are deliberate, so that you don't go into some of the hardest fights in the game ''completely'' unprepared. |
| 302 | * In ''VideoGame/DiceyDungeons'', the last challenge listed in both the Steam Achievements and the Challenges section in-game requires you to defeat [[spoiler:Lady Luck herself, spoiling the final episode.]] |
| 303 | * When used, three particular scrolls in ''VideoGame/DungeonCrawlStoneSoup'' bring up an item select submenu. If the player has not yet identified these scrolls, it will be obvious that it is one of those three. |
| 304 | * ''VideoGame/{{Elona}}'': |
| 305 | ** Uncursed items are much more common than blessed or cursed items. If you pick up many food items of the same type (usually from a fruit tree), they'll split up among three separate spaces in your inventory. The one with the largest number of items is almost certainly the uncursed one. |
| 306 | ** By default, you lack any information about newly-found equipment, including its material. However, pressing 'e' to open the "eat" menu can potentially tell you the equipment's material: if the equipment shows up in the list of food, its material is Raw. Unfortunately, Raw is the weakest material, and having the Sense Quality skill gives you a chance to automatically know an item's material, so this isn't that useful. |
| 307 | * ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}'': |
| 308 | ** Depending on your point of view, ''Hades'' both does and doesn't do this with the last keepsake if you really think about it. You can get all but one keepsake before you get the ending, but how do you get it? [[spoiler:You might think the last locked keepsake belongs to Hades, but that doesn't seem to be the case because unlike everyone else, he doesn't give you a keepsake when you gift him a Nectar for the first time, and you can't give him any more, so that rules out every NPC you can encounter.]] After you get to the ending, however, [[spoiler:Persephone will move back into the underworld, and you can gift her a Nectar for her keepsake. Now you don't have any locked slots in the keepsake list.]] Mystery solved, right? [[spoiler:But if you check the Codex, Hades' affinity is locked at 1 heart, so surely there must be something else? Well, once you continue to play the game, you'll eventually gain his favor and be able to gift him more Nectars, which unlocks the ''truly hidden'' square that you couldn't even hover over before right next to that old locked one, and the second time you gift a Nectar to Hades, he'll give you his keepsake.]] |
| 309 | ** Played straight with the existence of the character [[spoiler:Demeter]]. You're not meant to discover her existence until you met the final boss, but you will notice in-game Codex has entries for her Duo boons, hinting there's a god you haven't met yet. |
| 310 | * Gem identification in ''VideoGame/NetHack'' boils down to collecting all available gems. For each color, the game will inexplicably split your gems automatically into two or more separate inventory slots of otherwise identical gems. Statistically, the largest pile is the one with worthless coloured glass. |
| 311 | * ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'' has a few Steam achievements, namely "Throne Sitter", "Advanced Sitter" and "The Struggle Continues", which show that [[spoiler:the titular Throne is actually a hostile boss]]. Oddly enough, the first of these achievements is redundant because the "Rogue Unlocked" achievement is earned in the same manner and has a more vague description. |
| 312 | * ''VideoGame/RogueLegacy'' spoils one of its big twists in one of the Steam achievement descriptions: "Mock [[spoiler:the '''traitor.'''"]] Now you know that somebody's not quite right. (Although just finishing the tutorial explains as much and more.) |
| 313 | * ''VideoGame/SunlessSea'''s system to determine which actions you can take and which cannot be done can quickly turn into this. Sure, telling you you need at least one candle to explore the darkness or one Strange Catch to actually cook it is good, but telling you you should have more than three crewmembers to attempt some seemingly innocuous action? [[SchmuckBait Yeah, that'll go well, no deaths involved at all]]. It also occasionally spoils certain Officer stories and their routes, telling you you shouldn't have any of the possible variants of the same officer to proceed, when you didn't even know those variants existed. |
| 314 | [[/folder]] |
| 315 | |
| 316 | |
| 317 | [[folder:Simulation Games]] |
| 318 | * In most ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' games, ''2'' being one of the exceptions, you can see in the hangar and plane select screens boxes either unselectable or empty that give away how many more planes can be bought. |
| 319 | * ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' attempted to [[AvertedTrope avert]] this but couldn't fully. While in development, it was realized that vampires would be unable to infiltrate the player's fortress without the UI giving them away. So, the UI and a few game mechanics were changed to accommodate vampire infiltration, including: |
| 320 | ** Dwarves disappearing and anonymous crimes. In the old system, you are informed when a dwarf is attacked or killed and told who the culprit is. Now, you are only informed if there is a witness to notice the deed. Dwarves who haven't been seen recently are quietly added to a list of missing units, crimes will likewise be silently added to the justice screen if there are no witnesses. So dwarves can turn up dead and you won't know who killed them, but if you're attentive you'll know they vanished. Vampires can also frame other dwarves for their crimes. |
| 321 | ** Migrant skills. Vampires were given old, unused skills before other migrants were. So, the vampire was the only newcomer with a half-forgotten trade. All migrants can have old skills now. |
| 322 | ** Fake identities. Previously, you knew almost everything to know about a dwarf by reading his bio. Now they can assume false identities to hide their real age and potentially lengthy kill records. Their relationships can hint at their identity: a spouse not present in the fortress or armies of relatives suggest a vampire. This is where the aversion of the trope fails: if the dwarf worships a god then that deity will be listed as a relationship. The deity's history can be viewed, providing a list of worshipers and curse victims, and listing a vampire's original identity. If you assign a nickname to a dwarf, ''the list will display the nickname rather then the assumed and real names''. Thus, vampires can be spotted via the UI by nicknaming all newcomers, because giving Urist [=McCheesemaker=] the nickname "Doofus" results in the god's history reading "Cursed 'Doofus' [=McStonecrafter=] to prowl the night in search of blood". |
| 323 | ** With the advent of messages in dwarf thoughts expressing horror at the death of other dwarfs, vampires can now be outed by their own bios - if a dwarf is horrified at the death of Urist [=McDrainedOfBlood=], it's pretty good odds they're the vampire, especially if you hadn't actually found out that Urist [=McDrainedOfBlood=] was dead yet since nobody had stumbled on the body. |
| 324 | ** If your dwarf is in the military, their combat reports may outright out them as "the dwarf vampire Urist [=McSoldier=]" when describing what they've been up to. |
| 325 | ** One that has nothing to do with vampires: Setting up a lever and trying to link it to a weapon or spike trap can be used to detect early on whether or not your fortress's territory includes [[spoiler:an upright masterwork adamantine sword, the kind used to seal a Demonic Fortress.]] |
| 326 | ** Checking a visitor for skills can often out their intentions; performers that have little in the way of artistic/musical skill and scholars with little training can be a giveaway, but aren't always since there's fairly unskilled travelers out there. If they have anything in the Schemer skill, however, they are almost ''always'' villainous agents seeking to conspire with your less loyal citizens to start a coup or steal an artifact. |
| 327 | * The ledger keeping track of the population in ''VideoGame/HometownStory'' gives a couple of things away: |
| 328 | ** The golden watch necklace can be seen on Carl's sprite before he actually acquires it. |
| 329 | ** By default, it lists members of the same family one after the other. This includes a family tie that is only revealed long after the involved characters are introduced. |
| 330 | * ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'': |
| 331 | ** Right from the start of the game, there is [[AllianceMeter a meter tracking how much your character rebels against the colony.]] A meter which would not be there unless rebellion were important to the story at some point. |
| 332 | ** Right from the start of the game, there is [[AllianceMeter a meter tracking how much Sol rebels against the colony.]] A meter which would not be there unless rebellion was important to the story at some point. |
| 333 | ** Players who regularly check the gallery during their first playthrough are bound to get spoiled: |
| 334 | *** The backgrounds associated with the Helio colony appear there as soon as Sol gets a random FlashForward that uses them and are given labels that include the colony's name. |
| 335 | *** Most of the still-locked "Cheevos" (achievements) have names that are roundabout enough to only make sense once the player has run into the event to which they relate. Maxing out friendship with one of the romance options will unlock an achievement named after them. Not only is one of the romance options PermanentlyMissableContent for players who neglect exploration, another dies way too early into the first playthrough for their friendship to get anywhere near maxed out. |
| 336 | * ''VideoGame/IdolManager'': The mystery behind the Phantasm Facade group is undercut by the fact that designated gallery space for the group's unlockable image is right next to an image of [[spoiler:the player character's rival]]. That very same character's route also has a step that unlocks only once the player has seen all the Phantasm Facade events. |
| 337 | * ''VideoGame/NoUmbrellasAllowed'': Not too long after getting your first two appraisal tools, a customer comes in to sell a copy of ''The Great Heist'', but HUE tells them to hold it off because you're "not ready" yet. This is because it has tags such as "Rare" and "Popular Among the Youth", which won't be encountered and properly appraised until you unlock the relevant pages in Darcy's manual. You can also find these tags on the items you get from DumpsterDiving early on. |
| 338 | * ''VideoGame/StickyBusiness'': |
| 339 | ** If a special customer doesn't ask you for a certain sticker type in order for you to unlock their storyline, it means they will eventually contact you later in another customer's storyline. |
| 340 | ** The Christmas sticker part section in the Upgrade store has an incomplete checklist, even if you bought all the available festive foil effects and sticker parts at the time. This is because the Christmas update has the Festive Calendar system in unlocking new ones, where you have to PlayEveryDay to collect them (although they can be bought with hearts anytime if you miss a day). |
| 341 | * ''VideoGame/TIEFighter'' makes use of a number of elements which can spoil upcoming plot points or the introduction of new equipment: |
| 342 | ** ''All'' objectives for a given mission are listed on the relevant screen from the start, meaning many plot twists or other developments can be inferred from the presence of objectives not mentioned in the briefing. |
| 343 | ** Any cockpit displays not currently needed in a particular craft are plated over. This includes a space for the beam weapon display, hinting at its introduction later in the game. |
| 344 | ** The player's training certificate includes obvious spaces for the TIE Advanced, TIE Defender, and Missile Boat, the first of which they won't get to fly until midway through the fifth campaign, and the last of which won't appear until the ''tenth''. Similarly, later versions of the game allowed the player access to training simulations for all three craft from the beginning. |
| 345 | [[/folder]] |
| 346 | |
| 347 | [[folder:Stealth-Based Games]] |
| 348 | * ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney'': |
| 349 | ** The weapon upgrade interface does this. Unavailable upgrades lack name and description, but the icon still informs the player that he can look forward to two more silencer upgrades, three additional types of ammo etc. |
| 350 | ** In Agent 47's hideout in said game, customizable weapons are mounted on the wall with silhouettes behind them depicting their fully upgraded forms. |
| 351 | ** Subverted in the version of ''Blood Money'' for the original Xbox, which has a space in the hideout for a DummiedOut weapon. |
| 352 | * ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'': |
| 353 | ** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', you have a circle menu for your weapons which starts almost empty, and achievements such as Feather collection and Capes are to be found in the menu. [[spoiler:In the Villa Auditore, there are rooms for all the weapons and armour you can collect, as well as galleries for purchased paintings and pictures of bested rivals. Needless to say, the walls are blank when you initially get there]]. |
| 354 | ** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' you have a circle weapons menu which also starts out nearly empty. If you've played the second game, you already are aware of most weapons you will get. One prominent spot remains open until the end -- it's for the Apple of Eden. |
| 355 | ** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'', the subtitles spoil TheReveal at the end of Sequence 3. Additionally, the in-game manual and instructions didn't at all take into account the fact that [[spoiler:Haytham is a DecoyProtagonist, as the player character is always referred to in the text as "Connor", who wasn't mentioned '''or even born yet''' during the first few sections of the game.]] |
| 356 | *** If you look at the controls menu, you'll notice that there's one for specifying how you want to control a cannon, which can reveal that you'll be using one at some point long before that sequence in the game. (It occurs very late in the game after most of the plot has already taken place.) |
| 357 | ** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' both spoil future weapons in their crafting menus. |
| 358 | ** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'' has its database spoil several reveals by showing characters in outfits that give them away. |
| 359 | ** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'', ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'', and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'' have a world map with recommended levels due to the level scaling and beef gate mechanics. While not every area is required to be visited per the storyline, just looking at the map can give you a pretty good idea on what order you'll be traversing the world. |
| 360 | * ''Franchise/{{Dishonored}}'': |
| 361 | ** During the first mission of ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'', it is possible to encounter a scene where your target is about to kill a character you're intended to save mid-sentence, with the subtitles showing an appropriate break in the victim's sentence. |
| 362 | ** In ''VideoGame/Dishonored2'', one audio log has an old friend of yours being [[ApocalypticLog interrupted and abducted]] by a voice you've already heard in the game, namely [[spoiler:Delilah]]. However, the transcript labels this voice [[spoiler:"Crown Killer"]], thus spoiling an important plot point, albeit [[CaptainObviousReveal one you likely already guessed]]. |
| 363 | * ''VideoGame/MarkOfTheNinja'': [[spoiler:Ora]] makes no sound when running. In NewGamePlus, it's possible for the guards to search for someone and aim their flashlights [[spoiler:right at her and reveal her — and not react at all, since she's not real]]. |
| 364 | * In the prologue of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'', if Venom Snake is killed, a normal game over screen appears. If [[spoiler:Ishmael]] dies, however, it still causes a game over, with the screen stating that [[spoiler:you've created a time paradox,]] something that only happens in the prequel games when [[spoiler:a plot significant character who ''must'' appear in installments that chronologically take place after it die by mistake]]. This is an incredibly big hint as to [[spoiler:the twist that Ishmael is the real Big Boss, but also overlooks the fact that Venom Snake was the "Big Boss" of the original ''VideoGame/MetalGear'', whose death should ''also'' cause a time paradox...]] |
| 365 | * The [=UPlay=] rewards screen and achievements for ''VideoGame/SplinterCellBlacklist'' list a bonus that's given if one set of 4th Echelon missions are completed, including a set of missions given by [[spoiler:Andriy Kobin, the apparent antagonist of ''Splinter Cell: Conviction'']]. Not only is this a LateArrivalSpoiler for anyone who hasn't played the previous game, but also spoils that the character in question pulls a HeelFaceTurn midway through the game and becomes a part of Sam Fisher's team. |
| 366 | * ''VideoGame/{{Desperados}}'' has a mission, where you need to capture a bandit leader and escort him so he can face justice, despite claiming innocence in that particular case. Now the way this game works, it shows different outlines for different people. Red for enemies, blue for civilians and green for the protagonists. And guess which outline the bandit leader had. [[spoiler:Sanchez was indeed innocent and joins your crew after you liberate him from prison.]] |
| 367 | ** Disregarding ingame spoilers, his face is prominently featured in the boxart. |
| 368 | [[/folder]] |
| 369 | |
| 370 | [[folder:Survival Horror]] |
| 371 | * ''VideoGame/AmnesiaRebirth'': Like ''The Dark Descent'', a few helpful hints will appear sometimes, instructing you to hide in darkness from enemies... even if [[ParanoiaFuel you did not know anything was there]]. |
| 372 | * ''VideoGame/{{Betrayer}}'': |
| 373 | ** The dialog of some of the items you can offer to the Maiden in Red spoils the outcome of the investigation, even if you didn't finished it yet. |
| 374 | ** The entry for [[spoiler:Allison Markley]] in the compendium comes with the picture of [[spoiler:the Maiden in Red]], spoiling that they are the one and the same person well before it's revealed in the story. |
| 375 | * ''VideoGame/DeadIsland'': When you enter the town hall for the first time, it saids "Loading City Hall Part 1". This is the first sign that something is off about the town hall. [[spoiler:As soon as you visited the supermarket and return to the hall. It saids "Loading City Hall Part 2", and the entire town hall is overrun by the zombies, there are no survivors]]. |
| 376 | * ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'': [[spoiler:When you see there are three case files which take place after the 72-hour limit, fair guess that the military "rescue" won't go quite as planned]]. |
| 377 | * ''VideoGame/DeadSpace3'': |
| 378 | ** The game features a dynamic main menu, with ice slabs containing sections of a creature being shifted as you switch menus. [[spoiler:The creature preserved in the slabs is Rosetta, a preserved alien corpse vital to understanding the true history of Tau Volantis. The mission involving Rosetta requires you to find all of its slabs and return it to a machine for reassembly, just like the one in the main menu]]. |
| 379 | ** An easy one to miss is that the first elevator you use on the CMS Terra Nova is the only elevator in the game that allows you to select floors but only has one option open while you're there [[spoiler:the first time]]. |
| 380 | * ''VideoGame/PeretEmHeruForThePrisoners'': Usually, [[ArbitraryHeadcountLimit you're only allowed to have one companion at a time]], but the battle menu clearly displays room for three additional party members. Thus, it comes as no surprise once you're eventually offered a chance to recruit up to four teammates. |
| 381 | * ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': |
| 382 | ** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Remake'': |
| 383 | *** The presence of numerous simple locks as well as a tight passageway that Carlos specifically muses out loud that he can't fit into are clear giveaways that Jill will have the option to explore the hospital later as well. |
| 384 | *** Of all the weapon challenges the Lightning Hawk has a second number far larger, four times as the first in fact, than the first. This foreshadows that it will be available way earlier on the higher difficulties. |
| 385 | ** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'': The game makes no surprise that there is a fourth campaign. Or that there is a DLC difficulty. |
| 386 | ** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'': In the ''End of Zoe'' DLC, if you save right after Joe washes up on the shore, then quit and reload, the loading screen will show [[spoiler:Joe wearing the [[PowerFist Advanced Multi-Purpose Gauntlet]] before he actually finds it]]. |
| 387 | ** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2'': The reveal of the old Russian man's name at the end of "The Struggle" would have been more dramatic if it wasn't mentioned in the loading screens and item menu. |
| 388 | [[/folder]] |
| 389 | |
| 390 | [[folder:Turn-Based Strategy]] |
| 391 | * ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Dual Strike]]'' gives you a unique character select screen in the Campaign Mode, with an empty slot for each character from each country you can control. Not only does this spoil how many characters you will get, but they are also categorized by country. The two empty slots at the bottom are a dead giveaway that [[spoiler:two Black Hole characters, [[MadScientist Lash]] and [[MagnificentBastard Hawke]] to be precise, will have a HeelFaceTurn and join the Allies.]] |
| 392 | * ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' can get into this regarding religion. In ''Civ V'' the Celts' special ability lets them generate faith from unimproved forest tiles, without having to build religious structures like Shrines, so if you see a notification that a religion has been founded almost immediately after a game's start, UsefulNotes/{{Boudica}} is on the map with you somewhere. And this can also come into play when the game announces a specific religion has been founded, since each civ has their own favored faith that they'll try to claim if they're fast enough: who do you think just founded UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}}, or UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}}? |
| 393 | ** In ''Beyond Earth'', if a naval unit can't move onto a particular visible hex, then there's a submarine there. It makes it an easy way to "sweep" the visible area for any potential enemy subs. |
| 394 | ** A minor case in ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'': if at the start of the turn you suddenly receive several pop up messages asking if you want to upgrade many different units, you already know that after this part you will be notified that you unlocked the tech for a new advanced power reactor. This doesn't happen when you research new weapons or armor. |
| 395 | * About halfway through Chapter 3 of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', rumors begin appearing in bars stating Marquis Elmdor recently died in battle. His biography still lists his age, which is only removed from anyone who dies, which should be your first clue that he's NotQuiteDead. [[spoiler:Easy to miss, but he ''is'' undead the next time you see him]]. Avoided with the class system: the available classes are in a circle that expands as you unlock more (unlocking classes is done by getting class levels in other classes, per character), so you never know which classes you haven't unlocked yet, or which specific classes you need to level up in for the next class. |
| 396 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' shows every class available while providing information on the equipment (and the abilities they teach). And given the player builds the world map by positioning the towns and such, they have a clue the plot is far from over from the number of blank spaces. |
| 397 | * In the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series: |
| 398 | ** The Support menu in most games shows a full list of every character that can have a conversation with your currently selected one. This includes anyone you haven't unlocked yet, spoiling the playability of characters such as [[spoiler:Nino, Jaffar and Vaida]] in ''The Blazing Blade'' or [[spoiler:Gangrel, Walhart, Emmeryn, and Yen'fay]] in ''Awakening''. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' hints at spoilers for the exact opposite reason: most of the teachers at Garreg Mach Monastery are listed in the support menu and thus will be playable in the future, so the few who ''aren't'' listed there stick out like sore thumbs. |
| 399 | ** In some games in the series, all enemies have a LuckStat of 0. This means that any character with a portrait who has even 1 Luck is definitely recruitable, and any character who seems sympathetic but has 0 Luck is likely to remain an enemy. |
| 400 | ** In ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'', you meet a mysterious white haired girl with amnesia named Julia. Assuming players don't immediately figure out who she is, a quick glance at the screen showing her Holy Blood reveals Major Naga Blood and Minor Fjalar Blood. [[spoiler:Anyone who paid attention to the previous five chapters will realize that she is the daughter of Arvis and Deirdre, and Seliph's half-sister.]] |
| 401 | ** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade The Blazing Blade]]'': |
| 402 | *** The prologue leads the player to believe that Lyn is a normal girl living alone in Sacae. However, if you check her stat screen or pay attention when she levels up at the end of the map, you'll see that her class is "Lord," which is generally reserved for royalty. Naturally, the end of the very next chapter reveals that Lyn is, in fact, a long-lost noble. |
| 403 | *** There is a pair of siblings named Lloyd and Linus Reed. You fight against one of them depending on your Lords' level and the other one much later. When you check their status screen, [[spoiler:they are shown to have A support with each other despite fought separately and both dying after their respective maps. This is the first clue that you are going to fight both of them again after their death in one same map. Chapter 28 gives you an idea how that will play out]]. |
| 404 | *** A downplayed example can be found in the stat spread of the [[EleventhHourRanger late-arrival character]] Renault ([[InconsistentSpelling or 'Renaud' in the PAL region]]). For a level 16 [[ReligionIsMagic Bishop class]] unit, his Magic stat of 12 is practically worthless. However, his Speed and Skill stats are both abnormally high (just four points off of their respective caps), and seem as though they'd fit better on a more melee-oriented class (such as a Hero or a Swordmaster). It's revealed in [[RelationshipValues his support conversations with other units]] that he was once a mercenary, and had only [[HeelFaithTurn taken the cloth]] not that long ago. |
| 405 | ---->'''Renault:''' I’m sorry, but... I don’t think I’m worthy of being called a bishop. Long ago, I was a mercenary. I led a bloody, thoughtless life, unconnected to the holy teachings.\ |
| 406 | '''Isadora:''' Is that so? And then...what brought you to the light of Elimine?\ |
| 407 | '''Renault:''' I...lost a friend. A man I could have called brother. But when he died, I knew nothing of prayers, of forgiveness. I only knew how to bash another man’s skull... So I cast aside my weapons and knelt for the first time... to mourn my fallen friend. |
| 408 | ** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'' has an interesting example where a particular graphic ''would'' have given away a plot twist that isn't revealed until near the end of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn the next game]] if it hadn't been DummiedOut. [[spoiler:An unused portrait for [[ChekhovMIA Renning]] exists in the game's data and is near-identical to Bertram's portrait, just with less armor. Come ''Radiant Dawn'', and it's revealed that Bertram is indeed Renning but BrainwashedAndCrazy.]] |
| 409 | ** ''Radiant Dawn'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Echoes: Shadows of Valentia]]'' have cutscenes that play before the round of combat in which the final boss dies (for ''Radiant Dawn'', [[spoiler:it's to show how the death happens plot-wise]], while it's merely a touch of power to the moment in ''Shadows of Valentia''). However, because rounds of combat have random features, this cutscene playing or not playing can tell you just what is about to happen before it does. [[spoiler:Order Genny to attack Duma with two 9 damage hits while Duma has 33 HP and the cutscene plays? Genny's going to get a crit.]] |
| 410 | ** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', two of the villains, Gangrel and Aversa, briefly appear on the map in Chapter 9. They leave before you can attack them, but you can take a look at their stat screens. [[spoiler:While Gangrel is ostensibly the BigBad, her stats are much higher than his, hinting that he's a DiscOneFinalBoss and she's a DragonWithAnAgenda.]] Also, it's probably inadvisable to view Gangrel's description at the time, since it's meant for his appearance later in the game and so refers to him as [[spoiler:the ''former'' king of Plegia]]. |
| 411 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': |
| 412 | *** The game plays with this a bit in regards to [[spoiler:Kaze]] on the ''Birthright'' route. Despite potentially suffering a PlotlineDeath, this character can still S-Support with any of the Hoshidan women; not allowing him to do so would have been a dead giveaway. However, at the same time, if you pay close attention, you might notice that the sidequest housing [[spoiler:Kaze's daughter]] does ''not'' immediately unlock after he gets married, like it does for all the other men. While it doesn't hint at what you need to do to save him, it does somewhat give away that something important can happen to him. |
| 413 | *** Also played with regarding [[spoiler:Gunter]]. This character appears to have an unavoidable PlotlineDeath early on, but if you had them fight alongside the Avatar or [[spoiler:Jakob]], the heart animation that indicates gaining support points appears. {{Guest Star Party Member}}s in ''Fire Emblem'' rarely have supports, so this seems like a dead giveaway that it's a DisneyDeath and they'll rejoin eventually. On [[spoiler:''Conquest'']], this is true. On [[spoiler:''Birthright'']], they really are gone for good, and on [[spoiler:''Revelation'', they rejoin but can't support with anyone, hinting that this trope is in play again. But it's ultimately subverted there, as despite Gunter being TheMole via DemonicPossession, he's technically still playable throughout the entire route apart from the chapter he's fought in.]] |
| 414 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': |
| 415 | *** Once [[spoiler:Flayn]] joins your house, looking at her profile page reveals that her age is listed simply as "??". She does repeatedly avoid Byleth's attempts at finding out how old she is, but if you recruit Manuela, you'll discover that the latter's age is outright listed as "Secret", meaning that [[spoiler:Flayn]] is [[Really700YearsOld genuinely hiding something]]. |
| 416 | *** The Dining Hall and Choir Practice activities allow you to invite any playable unit currently available for interactions [[spoiler:except Jeritza, who only becomes available once you're on the Crimson Flower route]], even if they're not recruitable into your current house and therefore aren't on your support list. This can preemptively reveal several seemingly important named characters to be unplayable ''regardless of the route'', with all the implications that this entails. |
| 417 | *** Several characters play with this trope in a manner that only draws more attention to the spoiler: they still have A-rank supports (not unlockable until Part II) ''and'' can S-support Byleth depending on the latter's gender. So when [[spoiler:Edelgard and Hubert]] seemingly leave your party midway into the Black Eagles path, you might suspect that they will be back into it after the fight. [[spoiler:They will, but only if you fulfilled the conditions for accessing the Crimson Flower route and choose Edelgard's side.]] Similarly, on the Blue Lions path, [[spoiler:Dedue]] appears to suffer a DisneyDeath during the timeskip; [[spoiler:he only turns up alive if you completed his paralogue, otherwise he is KilledOffForReal]]. Rhea and Sothis also have S Supports in the library... [[spoiler: but this is an aversion, as neither are playable on any route. Rhea's C to A supports need to be done while she's an NPC in Part 1 and her S is only available on Silver Snow, and Sothis is an S Support option on every route regardless of how much you interacted with her.]] |
| 418 | *** One of the big reveals on Claude's route is him [[spoiler:being from Almyra]]. While other routes are mostly subtle with hinting at this, it's casually mentioned in the description of Claude's final unique class which can be seen during Chapter 19 of Dimitri's route or Chapter 14 of Edelgard's on Hard and Maddening. |
| 419 | *** The majority of paralogues expire only a month or two before the end of their respective parts. During Part I, this immediately draws attention to [[spoiler:Sothis]]'s paralogue, which expires a month before the others, hinting that something will happen to her. Meanwhile, on the Verdant Wind [[spoiler:and Silver Snow]] route, several paralogues clearly have their cutoff dates placed after the upcoming showdown with the Empire...[[note]]What makes this stand out is that some paralogues ''do'' have to be completed before the Enbarr invasion.[[/note]] |
| 420 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'' |
| 421 | *** A keen-eyed player will notice that [[spoiler:Mauvier of the [[EliteFour Four Hounds]]]] has a personal skill, something only reserved for playable characters. [[spoiler:Later in the game, he makes a HeelFaceTurn and joins the player's army]]. |
| 422 | *** Avoided in Chapter 12 via DevelopersForesight. You fight alongside Fogado, Bunet and Pandreo, only finding out afterwards [[KingIncognito that they're the prince of Solm and his retainers.]] If you try checking their descriptions during this chapter, they actually have unique ones that don't mention this fact. |
| 423 | *** In the Fell Xenologue, all the alternate royals (and all of their soldiers) [[spoiler:are weak against Corrupted-effective weaponry, spoiling the fact that [[EverybodysDeadDave everyone in the alternate Elyos had already died]], with the exceptions of the Four Winds and the Fell twins.]] |
| 424 | *** The end of Fell Xenologue 5 leads you to believe the Four Winds all died. But if you use the Rankings option before the next Xenologue (which, while connected to the internet, shows the most common characters other players deployed), you'll see Zelestia, Gregory and Madeline in the list... |
| 425 | ** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'', the app icon usually features one of the protagonists of the most recent book. The fact that the icon during Book VII features Gullveig, the ''antagonist'', is actually a huge tell [[spoiler: that she and Seiðr, the protagonist, are the same person.]] |
| 426 | * In ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic V: Hammers of Fate'', reading the hero Laszlo's biography immediately spoils the later reveal that "Saint Isabel" is really Biara. That's quite a CaptainObviousReveal, but it has a heavy impact on the plot regardless. |
| 427 | * In ''VideoGame/MercsOfBoom'', you can immediately see all your possible research items, including things that have to do with aliens. Except you have no idea that aliens even exist for about a third of the game. Their appearance is supposed to be a complete surprise. It's not clear why the developers chose not to hide the unavailable research options. |
| 428 | * ''VideoGame/{{IMGCM}}'': [[https://imgur.com/a/mLhsCTo The post-1st anniversary main loading screen image]] appears to be the [[DemonOfHumanOrigin demonically corrupted alternate selves of Ultimate Magica Iroha and Magica 2020 Evo Kaori]], so many players think that they're the final bosses of the 2nd arc. [[spoiler:{{Subverted}}, as both Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 of the 2nd arc reveal that "dark" Kaori is neither slain, corrupted or an alternate self. She's actually the main universe Kaori, who earlier gets transformed into [[DarkIsNotEvil "Beast Kaori"]] after she is splattered by Omnis' [[MutagenicGoo black liquid]], and the actual FinalBoss is Nemesis Iroha a.k.a. the Ultimate Magica self of Iroha, who has become a FallenHero and is also transformed into Beast Nemesis Iroha after being splattered by Omnis' black liquid.]] |
| 429 | * In ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'', there are quite a few instances between chapters when it seems like a character, for some reason or other, has left the party, but one quick look at the party setup on the intermission screen will tell you that that's not the case. This is especially jarring with [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins Arthur's]] DisneyDeath.]] |
| 430 | * ''VideoGame/ShiningSeries'': |
| 431 | ** In the ''VideoGame/ShiningForce'' series, the Egress spell is often reserved for the hero of each game to allow the team to make a quick escape when things go bad. However, in ''[[VideoGame/ShiningForceGaidenGames Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya]]'', the mage Natasha is the only non-hero character in the series who can also learn Egress. [[spoiler:In Chapter 3, the party is forcibly [[LetsSplitUpgang split up]], with the hero leading one team, while Natasha assumes the leadership role for the other.]] |
| 432 | ** ''VideoGame/ShiningForceII'' and the ''VideoGame/ShiningForceGaidenGames'' spell all of the Force members' names in all caps in dialog (this includes Bowie, Kiwi, Nick, and Deanna if you go with their defaults), meaning you'll always know who has the potential to join up. Including [[HeelFaceTurn former adversary]] [[spoiler:Lemon]] in ''II''. |
| 433 | * ''VideoGame/StellaGlow'' has a few examples as well as one aversion: |
| 434 | ** [[spoiler:Klaus]] becomes unavailable for support conversations prior to maxing out, suggesting there's more than meets the eye there. [[spoiler:He reveals he was EvilAllAlong and leaves the party late in the game, although getting his Affinity as high as you're allowed to unlocks a character needed for the GoldenEnding.]] |
| 435 | ** Niki introduces herself to the party as the Earth Witch, but has no attacks or magic when seen in battle. (Also, the ''real'' Earth Witch is on the game's cover, so this isn't really meant to fool the players at all. That [[spoiler:the real Niki has been DeadAllAlong and this Niki was a mud doll created by the real Earth Witch, her younger sister Mordimort...]]''that's'' still meant to be surprising. |
| 436 | ** In Chapters 6 and 8, you often fight all the Harbingers at once. [[spoiler:You might notice that Hrodulf has a full complement of passives, whereas the other three still have room for more...yeah, that's because he makes a HeroicSacrifice at the end of Chapter 8 while still an NPC while the rest of them officially become playable characters in Chapter 9.]] |
| 437 | ** If you took on the job quests at the Red Bear Inn, you might notice that they become unavailable if you get their mastery level to 3 stars before Chapter 8. [[spoiler:Franz is killed during the angelic invasion of Lambert and is replaced as shopkeeper by his daughter Rena, meaning ''she'll'' always be the one you're helping for the final leg of the Franz Atelier quest.]] The others get put on hold at the same point to disguise this, causing the aversion. Though the fact that the limit exists in the first place might still count as a spoiler that ''something's'' up. |
| 438 | * In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', the games mark which units will you be forced to deploy next chapter. It gives away which series will be the focus next chapter, though sometimes this means they might just [[MidSeasonUpgrade get a new robot]] or [[BigDamnHeroes will appear midway the fight to save the day]]. This is a good thing, since if they're low in upgrades that's your chance to not get stuck in an {{unwinnable}} situation, but still. The Z2 games feature another one in that every unit's map sprite faces either to the left (if it's a protagonist) or to the right (if it's an antagonist). If someone joins up but they're facing right, expect a betrayal (except in ''Z3''). The fact that [[Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato2199 the crashed ship on Enceladus]] was [[spoiler:the Yukikaze]] was a plot point that wasn't revealed until the end of a scenario in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsV''. However, if you move your cursor over the ship, the map data flat out tells you its name. |
| 439 | ** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsX'': The fact that "Steel Warriors" by ''Music/JamProject'' [[spoiler:isn't playing in the background in the IF Route FinalBoss fight suggests there's one more boss to fight.]] |
| 440 | * Whether or not a soldier manages to land a lethal hit on an alien in ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' is spoiled if the camera pans over them as they take the shot. Conversely, if the camera pans over an alien, you can rest assured that the next scene will consist of one of your soldiers dying. |
| 441 | ** On the other hand, in ''XCOM 2: War of the Chosen'', the Assassin is an alien StealthExpert who darts across the map in Concealment before springing an ambush on your squad. But if she rolls the "Watchful" trait as one of her special abilities, she'll enter Overwatch at the end of her double move, and the little icon will appear over her exact location. She won't be officially revealed and targetable by normal shooting, but if you have a grenade launcher or other [=AoE=] attack... |
| 442 | ** Though it's only a one-time occurrence, you'll get the achievement pop-up when the game calculates that you've gotten it (e.g. mind-controlling an Ethereal in ''Enemy Unknown''), which means you get the award for doing the thing as soon as you've told a soldier to do the thing instead of after your soldier did the thing. |
| 443 | [[/folder]] |
| 444 | |
| 445 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 446 | * The character bio section of the Legend arc in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' tells you that Maria shares her fascination of the occult with Kinzo and has strange behavior before she started mentioning magic to her family. |
| 447 | * ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': |
| 448 | ** If you don't get a profile entry for a major character who is mentioned more than once, you can bet it's because they're already listed in there under another name. TheLawOfConservationOfDetail being heavily in play also creates a lot of these, as you know any piece of evidence will ''always'' be used at some point. This can make some later deductions in cases a lot easier than they're supposed to be, because if you're right at the end of a case and have a piece of evidence you haven't used yet, it's very likely to be the solution. |
| 449 | ** The last witness of any given trial is nearly always the true killer. This can cause related videos on [=YouTube=] to inadvertently spoil the killer if they're the last or so part of the case. However, the series sometimes shakes this up in the final trial, where is several games the last witness is not the killer, and sometimes the game's true BigBad is never even cross-examined in person. |
| 450 | ** In some of the games, the protagonist will rearrange their evidence, which removes evidence that is no longer related to the case. If something seems irrelevant but stays in your inventory, you can guarantee it will end up important later in the case. |
| 451 | ** While the autopsy report won't be presented in the case, if something is [[AbsenceOfEvidence missing]] or is worded in a particularly odd way, it will likely end up being an important part of the trial. |
| 452 | ** In the second case of the third game, Phoenix Wright has his own profile in the Court Record, even though the current PlayerCharacter normally doesn't have a profile, hinting that you need to present his profile at some point. |
| 453 | ** In later installments, whenever a specific detail of a piece of evidence comes up in the description in the Court Record, that detail will almost always become relevant when presenting it for a contradiction. |
| 454 | * In ''VisualNovel/ChoicesStoriesYouPlay'', descriptions for the next two chapters are often released ahead of time, so you know when is TheClimax or the ending two weeks before the chapter's actual release. If you're looking at a chapter description and can't swipe right anymore, you know how many chapters the book is going to have. |
| 455 | * In ''VisualNovel/PrincessWaltz'', [[spoiler:shutting off the female voices prior to the reveal doesn't stop [[{{Bifauxnen}} Chris']] vocal tracks.]] |
| 456 | * Though ''VisualNovel/FragmentsNote'' averts the ConservationOfDetail point above by giving art to all the named characters, the fact that one of the side characters, Eri, has two entire pages of [=CGs=] in the gallery clues her in as a possible LoveInterest for Yukiha. |
| 457 | * ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'': |
| 458 | ** The secret files very often contain rather blatant spoilers for things that will come up in a cutscene after leaving the room they were acquired in. This wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that most people would view said files the minute they get them...which is ''before'' the cutscenes happen. Some of the files even spoil big game plot points like it's practically nothing. Woe betide the unfortunate soul who decides to go for the files on their first playthrough and read them all, ''especially'' if they're playing on Hard (which gives you more files). |
| 459 | ** The flowchart is also a big source of spoilers. By taking a look at the branches, you can tell how much story it will provide. So you'd probably think that the longest one is the GoldenEnding... and that's exactly the case. It doesn't stop there, though: because the "Ally" option is always the left one at a junction and the "Betray" one is always the one going right, you can tell if it's better to ally or to betray in most cases. On a side note, [[spoiler:the trope is subverted with Tenmyouji's ending, because its branch gets suddenly expanded when you reach its apparent tip. And it's necessary to get it before attempting to reach the True ending.]] |
| 460 | * ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'': |
| 461 | ** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': |
| 462 | *** If you see all of Chihiro's Free Time events, [[spoiler:you'll notice that the sheets in Chihiro's room [[PinkGirlBlueBoy are blue as opposed to pink]], cluing you in to his actual biological sex.]] |
| 463 | *** The player is allowed to select ''any'' character when it comes time to pick the culprit, even ones who died in previous cases, which doesn't seem to make any immediate sense. That is, until you realize that it implies the possibility of suicides and [[FakingTheDead faked deaths]]. [[spoiler:The former comes into play in Chapter 4, where it turns out Sakura killed herself to [[HeroicSacrifice protect the others]] and the latter comes into play in the final trial where the culprit is Junko Enoshima, who was [[FakingTheDead apparently killed]] during the investigation of the first case, but actually pulled a TwinSwitch.]] |
| 464 | *** In text boxes, all of the characters are labelled with their full names, regardless of nicknames, except Celestia Ludenberg, who is labelled "Celeste" in text boxes, [[spoiler:implying that Celestia Ludenberg is not her real name in the first place. This is a pivotal point of proving her guilt in the third case]]. That said, [[spoiler:Makoto is suspicious of this from the start given that she's Japanese and her name is clearly not as well as the fact that Celeste is known as "The Queen Of Liars", the interface just makes it more obvious.]] |
| 465 | *** The mobile version adds a character gallery which allows you to view every student's sprites and voice clips. To prevent spoilers, characters are only unlocked after the chapter in which they die, or at the end of the game if they live. Seems innocent enough, until one starts to wonder that [[spoiler: if every character is listed in the same order as the e-Handbook, why is "Junko Enoshima" (the 14th student) listed as [[TwinSwitch the 16th character?]]]] |
| 466 | ** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' |
| 467 | *** In chapter 1, you can't progress Nagito's Free Time Event past the first event. [[spoiler:This foreshadows that not all is as it seems with Nagito.]] |
| 468 | ** In ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': |
| 469 | *** You can now manually vote on who the culprit is at the end of the class trial unlike the [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc past]] [[VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair games]] (although the second game [[PlayerPunch forces you to vote for the culprit at the end of the fifth trial]]). You don't have to actually vote for the culprit because everyone else will do so, but you do need to vote for ''somebody'' or you get a game over. [[spoiler:The significance of this comes at the very end of the final case, where the remaining survivors perform a suicide pact by all refusing to vote for hope or despair.]] |
| 470 | *** In the first chapter, you may notice that you're unable to progress past the second rank of classmates' Free Time Events, despite having four opportunities to spend time with people. [[spoiler:This is because Kaede turns out to be the first murderer, and Shuichi replaces her midway through the trial]]. |
| 471 | *** Similar to the above, in the first chapter, you may get various music-related presents from the Monomono machine, or the "Gun of Man's Passion" and other masculine-themed items. [[spoiler:The former spoils that Kaede will be the recipient of said presents, as well as the existence of a mode in which she can be given them, while the latter further proves that Shuichi is the main character]]. |
| 472 | *** Speaking of the collectable items, there are a handful of marked items that trigger special scenes if you have them when talking to a specific character at a certain point in the story. For a couple of them, it's pretty obvious who's going to be triggering the scene, so you know the character isn't going to die if you haven't activated the sequence yet. |
| 473 | *** While you can collect Monokumas in the first chapter, [[spoiler:the shelf showing the Monokumas you've gathered doesn't appear until Chapter 2, since it's actually in Shuichi's room]]. |
| 474 | *** If you're familiar with the previous two games, you may recall that [[YouLoseAtZeroTrust if your Influence bar empties]], the rest of the survivors erroneously conclude that your PlayerCharacter is the culprit (even if said character isn't a suspect), and vote him guilty, thus resulting in an incorrect verdict that will get everyone besides the killer executed. The third game's game over sequence cuts off just before the vote. [[spoiler:In the first trial, because Kaede is the supposed culprit, convicting her would actually be the "correct" choice]]. |
| 475 | * In ''VisualNovel/{{Nicole}}'', the Gallery menu that holds the images of each of the romantic endings in it, is available from the start. And while the mystery plot of the game is to figure out which of the four available guys to date is the kidnapper behind the previous three cases and is targeting Nicole now... the Gallery option makes it somewhat obvious which of the guys the kidnapper is. So don't look at the Gallery until you have completed everything, okay? |
| 476 | * In ''VisualNovel/TheDevilOnGString'', this trope is both played straight and actually used to mislead the player. For scenes not viewed through the eyes of the protagonist, the text interface expands and is printed on a translucent background sporting the temporary point-of-view character's silhouette. [[spoiler:But when the point-of-view shifts to 'Maou', who is heavily implied to be Kyousuke himself, there is no change. The fact that they [[TomatoSurprise actually end up being two different characters]] is effectively hidden by this trope.]] |
| 477 | * In ''VisualNovel/FleuretBlanc'', one of the duelists is PutOnABus before you're given the opportunity to bout him. However, [[HintSystem Amara]] will still give you tips on how to fight him, spoiling that he comes BackForTheFinale. |
| 478 | * Subverted by ''VisualNovel/SevenKingdomsThePrincessProblem''. The game's Relationship Status screen shows where your RelationshipValues stand with each of a broad array of the game's characters, some reflecting all four possible values (Friendship, Romance, Rivalry, and Respect) while other characters have only two or three. While the presence or absence of a character profile with a Romance slider would seem to indicate in advance who is and isn't a viable romance option, there are several secret romances available, and at least one case in which a character has a Romance slider but can't actually form a romantic relationship with the PlayerCharacter. One possible love interest doesn't even appear on the menu at all. |
| 479 | * In ''VisualNovel/ShinraiBrokenBeyondDespair'', the CG collection menu shows every single CG image in the game. There are two pictures showing [[spoiler:Kotoba]] on fire, titled "Conflagration A" and "Conflagration B," with the former for [[spoiler:him surviving]], and the latter for [[spoiler:him dying]]. Naturally, the fact that there's two of them, and that players are more likely to get the latter on the first playthrough, spoils the fact that [[spoiler:it's possible to save him]]. |
| 480 | * In ''VisualNovel/HighwayBlossoms'', this is double subverted with the achievement, "Second Piece of Treasure." While the description, [[spoiler:"Didn't find the second piece of treasure,"]] is kept secret until the player gets the achievement, the icon shows [[spoiler:a dashed line outline of the gold with question marks, all but outright saying that Amber and Marina give up on finding it.]] |
| 481 | * ''VisualNovel/C14Dating'': Joan, the GayOption is supposed to be a SecretCharacter to the extent that most of her route is stumbled upon by taking detours from the routes of the male love interests. However, the gallery collecting images that can be unlocked in the various routes, which can be consulted before even starting to play, has a page dedicated to each of the male love interests... and Joan. |
| 482 | * ''VisualNovel/ThousandDollarSoul'', unlike other visual novels, displays the entire current scene as a WallOfText that can be scrolled up or down, and the only breaks are when you need to make a choice or reach an ending. The choices are always displayed below the text box, and it's hard to not take a peek, which can hint at what will happen before you're done reading. |
| 483 | * ''VideoGame/LoveOfMagic'': If the game offers the option of renaming a female character, odds are very good that you'll be able to have some sort of sexual experience with her eventually. There are exceptions in both directions; you get to watch Sarah dance and can rescue Olivia from a Defiler but not do more than that despite the option to rename them, while you don't get to rename Bella or Xochiquetzal despite full sexual encounters with both. |
| 484 | [[/folder]] |
| 485 | |
| 486 | [[folder:Wide-Open Sandboxes]] |
| 487 | * ''Franchise/BatmanArkhamSeries'': |
| 488 | ** In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' once you gather all the Spirit of Arkham messages, you're supposed to deduce their identity. While you can in fact do so via the messages alone there's a more "meta" way to figure it out. If you look at the Spirit's character bio, [[spoiler:it lists their "Debut" as being in the game itself. There are only three other characters in the game that have that same element in their bios: Dr. Young, Frank Boles and Quincy Sharp. The former two are dead by the time you have all the messages, which leaves Quincy Sharp and lo and behold, it's him.]] |
| 489 | ** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'': |
| 490 | *** The game has deliberately cryptic and vague trophy descriptions to avoid spoiling the plot. [[spoiler:Defeat Grundy]]? "Stop the unstoppable - '''Wrecking Ball'''". [[spoiler:Defeat Ra's al Ghul]]? "We are legion - '''Sandstorm'''". ''[[spoiler:Defeat the FinalBoss]]?'' "All the world is a stage - '''Exit Stage Right'''". However, astute players and fans of the comics might have picked up on the last achievement being a reference to [[spoiler:Clayface, considering his past life as an actor.]] |
| 491 | *** Around two thirds though the game, you get a call from Alfred telling you about a supply drop into Arkham City containing [[spoiler:the TITAN cure, which Lucius Fox has apparently discovered on his own]]. Not only does this seem suspiciously sudden and convenient in and of itself, but the drop is also marked as a sidequest objective despite it essentially being the resolution of the entire main plot, which doesn't make any sense. Naturally [[spoiler:it's a trap]]. |
| 492 | *** The actual interface is a spoiler if [[spoiler:the player looks at The Joker when he's cured with Detective Vision, showing he has no bones or internal organs - which gives away that "The Joker" is actually Clayface.]] |
| 493 | *** In the upgrade menu, there's a spot to put your experience points into Catwoman's abilities, pretty much spoiling that [[spoiler:near the end of the game, you get to play a section as Catwoman.]] |
| 494 | ** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight:'' |
| 495 | *** The identity of the Arkham Knight is only revealed near the very end of the game. However, viewing the Showcase models for [[spoiler:Jason Todd after buying his DLC will show the Arkham Knight outfit as an alternate outfit for him, thus revealing the twist to any curious player.]] |
| 496 | *** In the Mad Hatter Season of Infamy mission, the subtitles give away the play on words that leads to the main twist of the mission (i.e. they show that Hatter keeps saying [[spoiler:"''you're'' Alice" as opposed to "''your'' Alice"]] |
| 497 | * In ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'', the description for [[spoiler:Becky's]] collectible trading card reveals that [[spoiler:she was the "Miss Stiletto Heels" who altered the scene of Anna's body before it was reported to the police]], and those for [[spoiler:Diane and Carol]] outright state that [[spoiler:they are the SerialKiller's third and fourth victims]], even though the first of the cards in question can be obtained long before this detail is properly revealed, and the latter two can ''only'' be obtained at a point in the story before the major plot developments they mention even happen. |
| 498 | * ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'': |
| 499 | ** When the protagonist of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned'' was revealed to be Johnny Klebitz, players noticed that completing the "Museum Piece" mission where both he and Niko appeared unlocked the "Impossible Trinity" achievement, a blatant hint that the protagonist for the then-upcoming ''second'' expansion also appeared in said mission. They quickly came to the conclusion that it had to be Luis Lopez, since he was the only character in that mission whose fate was left ambiguous at its conclusion. Much later, Luis was confirmed to be the protagonist of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheBalladOfGayTony''. |
| 500 | ** If particularly astute ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' players look at the 100% checklist on the Rockstar Social Club website, they may notice that ''all'' of the sidequests that require [[spoiler:Michael or Trevor]] are completely optional, even for OneHundredPercentCompletion - a decision which would make sense, if the player was, say, given an option to [[spoiler:kill one of them]] and Rockstar didn't want 100% completion to be [[PermanentlyMissableContent unobtainable.]] |
| 501 | * In ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'', certain Machine items list all of the Machines that drop that particular item, long before you actually encounter them. |
| 502 | * ''inFAMOUS'': |
| 503 | ** [[VideoGame/InFamous The first game]] shows you the number of powers in the upgrades menu, but not what they are called or how you get them. Also, some of these are passive bonuses or upgrades such as damage boosts, health boosts and upgrades to your lightning bolt power. |
| 504 | ** In a scene in the last third of [[VideoGame/InFamous2 the sequel]], Cole, Zeke and Kuo have a serious discussion in a train car about whether Cole is physically and mentally ready to use the RFI, having found "the last Blast Core". The scene probably would have had a lot of impact - if the player wasn't already aware from the on-screen text interludes between plot missions that show he still has two more Blast Cores to collect after this, as well as several locked abilities that haven't opened up yet. |
| 505 | *** There's also a mission that has you [[spoiler:firing a nuke at The Beast]]. It's quite clearly made to seem like this is the ending of the game, except A. that would be a hell of an AnticlimaxBoss and B. it's still showing that you need to find two more blast cores, which would be pointless if this mission succeeded. |
| 506 | * Cole's notebook in ''VideoGame/LANoire'' lists all four divisions that he'll be working in, in order (reading down). Since [[spoiler:Arson is less prestigious than Vice, you can guess that he'll be demoted.]] |
| 507 | * Zig-Zagged in ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar''. |
| 508 | ** Even after conquering all four keeps, the Siege Mission tab in the Quests window only shows 50% completion, suggesting there'll be more to come after Act III. |
| 509 | ** Two special skills are hidden from the game's skill tree until Act III since they spoil major plot developments. [[spoiler:Raise Dead]], as the name suggests, [[spoiler:turns surrounding dead grunts into zombies that fight for you]], and an extra SuperMode in [[spoiler:Ringwraith, which permanently replaces [[SuperMode Elven Rage]]]] and summons phantoms [[spoiler:of dead Gondorian soldiers]] to fight for you when it performs the first skill on all the surrounding grunts [[spoiler:that you killed]]. You gain these new skills because [[spoiler:Talion's original Wraith Celebrimbor betrays him and leaves him for dead]]. |
| 510 | *** The control layout in the Options menu unfortunately does spoil the first skill before you unlock it... at least on consoles. For the PC version if you didn't already complete the game, the ability will be marked "(Locked)." |
| 511 | ** The skins menu includes a second [[PlayerCharacter Talion]]. Equipping it changes absolutely nothing, [[spoiler:until you reach Act IV and that model is replaced by his [[FaceHeelTurn corrupted]] model]]. |
| 512 | *** Also subverted. The skin menu also includes a corrupted Eltariel skin you can view from the start of the game. Which would make you think she also [[FaceHeelTurn turned to the dark side]] ([[spoiler:like every main character did]]) near the end of the story or in her DLC campaign... until she doesn't. Then you find out it was just a "What if?" joke from the developers that got put in for the game's final update. |
| 513 | * The powers menu spoils the number (and distribution) of powers in ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}''. |
| 514 | * ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'': |
| 515 | ** The screen that notifies you of when you have enough respect to do a mission in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' shows the signs of the four gangs in the game--and the Ultor logo, foreshadowing the missions you'll eventually go against the Ultor Corporation. |
| 516 | *** Look at your phone and see the homie section, notice any of your lieutentants missing? [[spoiler:Yep, Carlos isn't there. Unless you count Zombie Carlos.]] |
| 517 | ** Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'', where the Boss says that they have to stand and fight a particularly powerful enemy rather than running away because their interface screen still has an empty power slot and they want to fill it by beating them. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' also plays it straight in that the achievements and challenges reveal all the activated powers and most of the special weapons long before you get them; each activated power also lists all its elements, even the ones you haven't found yet. |
| 518 | * The Guide in ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'' can show you what can be crafted with any item that is a material, even endgame items. This is especially true in various mods and modpacks. Say you mine up a piece of a mod's {{Unobtanium}} while playing through it, you go to the Guide and see that it's a crucial component in a CosmicKeystone in that mod's universe and you can mouse over the other ingredients to see that it drops from some kind of EldritchAbomination in the mod as well. |
| 519 | [[/folder]] |
| 520 | |
| 521 | [[folder:Other]] |
| 522 | * ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' has some unaccessible doors and grates that will inform you that you require things like a plasma torch upgrade or an updated access tuner, long before you can get those items. The fact that you see those messages before the DiscOneFinalDungeon of Mission 10 also hints that the game will continue for a long time, even if you might think that it's close to an end (because of the plot and context of that level, the actions you are tasked to do, and the lot of hours you already spent before that moment)... |
| 523 | * ''{{Invoked|Trope}}'' as part of a challenge in ''VideoGame/DeathStranding''. The core gameplay is centered around you picking up and then delivering cargo from location to location, but for one mission, you get a cutscene of being handed a suspicious-looking package by an even shiftier-looking maintenance worker who asks you to deliver it to South Knot City. If you don't ask any questions and deliver it as usual, you'll suddenly find yourself ''exploding'' at the edge of the city for a NonStandardGameOver. What you're actually supposed to do as the player is inspect the package in your inventory, which completely spells out that contained in the package is ''a thermonuclear bomb'' that will explode upon entering its destination or if Sam lets go of it, even directly suggesting the player show it to Fragile [[BombDisposal in order to figure out how to safely rid of it.]] |
| 524 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' you are told that there is an endgame crisis, and even the name of the possible enemies that could start such crisis, right when you configure a new game. This was added only after an update, assuming that most players already know what happens, as the base-game at release didn't inform you in advance. Similarly, the Ascension Perk "Defender of the Galaxy" is anticipating that there will be a galactic crisis with unspecified "crisis factions", since you can select it centuries before the crisis starts. |
| 525 | * The TabletopGame/{{Mahjong}} client Tenhou contains a minor one. The window showing the winning hand will show the ''yaku'' one by one, and then the not-immediately-visible ''ura-dora'' (if applicable) and reveal the hand's total score afterward. You can tell immediately whether the hand is valuable enough to cause a NonstandardGameOver (like someone getting bankrupted, or the dealer on the last hand pulling ahead of everyone else) if the button at the bottom says "END" instead of "OK". Conversely you can tell when the game will continue past its normal endpoint (due to no one having the minimum 30,000 points needed to win) by the button saying "OK" on the last hand. |
| 526 | * In ''VideoGame/StoryOfTheBlanks'', [[spoiler:once Apple Bloom enters Sunny Town, the text boxes' border design changes, possibly hinting that something isn't quite right about the place. The borders go back to normal after Apple Bloom and Twilight Sparkle leave the forest, but the narration at the end still uses the alternate design.]] |
| 527 | * In ''VideoGame/MarioGolf'', when your putt has been lined up perfectly and will go in, the camera switches to show the hole. |
| 528 | * In the 1990s, the Sega CD version of ''VideoGame/NightTrap'' and the other four console versions had the room icons that were static images, and you could only see what was going on in one room by selecting it. In the 2017 remaster, the room icons now have dynamic, real-time thumbnails, meaning that if you see movement in one room while being in another, you know that something's going on. [[https://youtu.be/Hjz1I3VXteQ For example]], you can watch the girls rock out in the living room and impress Sarah Martin, while [[spoiler:you witness the Augers kidnap [[RedShirt S.C.A.T. member Jason]] and drain his blood in the downstairs hallway before taking him to the basement without even going to said hallway]]! Oh, and beating the game now unlocks Theater Mode, where you'll see some super-spoileriffic scenes that occur while you are busy trapping Augers. |
| 529 | * In any game that uses subtitles, you know something is going to happen if a character's subtitles on screen has its sentence end abruptly. |
| 530 | * Games that have an AchievementSystem on Platform/{{Steam}} can choose to have certain achievements hidden until you unlock them. Though this leads to another problem if you've reached what seems to be the ending to the game, then you see that a good 90% of the hidden achievements are still locked. Although these could just be secrets and {{Easter Egg}}s. While you can spoil yourself by seeing the hidden achievements through the global stats page, they won't tell you how to unlock them. |
| 531 | * ''VideoGame/Extermination2001'' doesn't reveal the story and mechanics behind the infection until a little bit later in the game after starting out. Opening the menu as soon as the game starts shows an infection meter, which spoils the mechanic related to it. |
| 532 | * ''VideoGame/LoveLiveSchoolIdolFestivalAllStars'': The game doesn't even try to hide [[spoiler:Shioriko Mifune's HeelFaceTurn and joining the school idol club she was trying to shut down]], given that an update that gave her a 3D model and solo songs also made her a selectable partner for the title screen. The same would apply to Mia Taylor and Lanzhu Zhong even later before the game's closure. |
| 533 | * The "Super Melee Mode" in ''VideoGame/StarControl2'' (accessed separately from the main game) allows you to play any of the ships appearing in the main game -- including those of alien races that would otherwise only be discovered for the first time during the story. [[SpoiledByTheManual The game's original manual]] also lists those ships and races, so it is doubly difficult to avoid any spoilers. |
| 534 | * ''VideoGame/WarioWareGetItTogether'' does this during the postgame; the character select screen shows one more "locked character" icon than the number of friends you have left to save, spoiling that [[spoiler:you will eventually recruit Penny Crygor in addition to Red, Master Mantis, and Lulu]]. Subverted in that [[spoiler:it still doesn't display an icon for the secret final character, Pyoro.]] |
| 535 | [[/folder]] |
| 536 |
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