Line #44 Main/JigsawPuzzlePlot


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7	->'''Tommy:''' You see, Trumpy? The pieces go together!\
8	'''Tom Servo:''' If only this ''movie'' were so lucky...
9	-->-- ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', "[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S03E03PodPeople Pod People]]"
10
11	Lots of interesting things are going on in the series' MythArc: {{Mind Screw}}s, [[GovernmentConspiracy wild]] [[AncientConspiracy conspiracies]], unrevealed {{Love Dodecahedron}}s, an OntologicalMystery, and the odd bit of AppliedPhlebotinum or two. Sometimes the setting itself is just plain crazy, to boot, and the characters are stuck in a WorldOfMysteries, WorldGoneMad, or WorldOfWeirdness. ItsALongStory, and there's [[NoTimeToExplain far too much to explain]] in the series pilot.
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13	Solution: ration out the information about what's going on with an eyedropper, and let the viewers scratch their heads about it until much later on. Welcome to the Jigsaw Puzzle Plot.
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15	At its best (and with a sharp audience that's well-prepared for it), the series can become an interesting intellectual challenge that generates hours and hours of FanWank, EpilepticTrees and watercooler discussions, and creates memorable moments as connections between seemingly minor or unrelated details fall into place, revealing illuminating insights (see WhamEpisode). At its worst, the series becomes an incomprehensible MindScrew ruled by TheChrisCarterEffect, patched together by the occasional AssPull. Some writers may claim some of the latter effect to be intentional; that some mysteries are never solved. However, the fact remains that if you give viewers a mystery, suspects, and clues, then don't tell them whodunnit, don't act surprised if they get pissed at you afterwards.
16
17	Anime does this quite frequently, and even series that don't explicitly try for a full Jigsaw Puzzle Plot will frequently hold back explanation of a few scenes in the {{Pilot}} until MrExposition has a chance to talk about it without [[AsYouKnow the conversation seeming too forced]].
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19	Very common in [[StoryArc arc-based]] mystery or espionage series, where what's going on is ''supposed'' to be mysterious. By its nature uses several {{Driving Question}}s right at the outset. Expect many [[TheReveal reveals]]. Can often become a KudzuPlot if the pieces of the puzzle don't quite fit together. A video game that forces the player to go and find the plot pieces is using StoryBreadcrumbs.
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21	----
22	!!Example subpages
23	[[index]]
24	* JigsawPuzzlePlot/AnimeAndManga
25	* JigsawPuzzlePlot/LiveActionTV
26	* JigsawPuzzlePlot/VideoGames
27	* JigsawPuzzlePlot/{{Webcomics}}
28	[[/index]]
29
30	!!Other examples:
31
32	[[foldercontrol]]
33
34	[[folder:Comic Books]]
35	* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' has one with the Broken Man story arc. [[NoFourthWall He first introduces himself]] in issue #1 of the Vertigo series, gives some intriguing and frustratingly bizarre story fragments in issue #5, pops up briefly in a few issues afterwards, then suddenly wraps everything up in issue #37.
36	* ''ComicBook/{{Elephantmen}}'' tells it story from multiple character perspectives and sometimes out of sequence.
37	* Creator/GrantMorrison writes a lot of these. It's not always a bad thing, though, just seems to be their style. [[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison Their run on Batman]] notably had some elements that didn't seem to make sense until the end.
38	* ''ComicBook/OneHundredBullets'' slowly builds on its background MythArc one piece at a time. The Minutemen and the Trust? Those names aren't even ''mentioned'' in the first few arcs.
39	* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989''. Through all the stories the characters mix up slowly and in ways that aren't initially obvious and characters that were initially in two panels as a mention become major players later on.
40	* Creator/JohnByrne's run on ComicBook/SheHulk worked like this. Small two page snippets would later contribute to the storyline. The Greek Gods arguing about Cupid being able to make someone in love with anybody else and then combining this with a conqueror from the future just arriving, for example.
41	* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' is a prime example. At first the plot seems fairly straightforward: a crew of Transformers set off on a quest to find the mysterious {{Precursors}} by following an ancient starmap. But soon more and more mysteries and odd events begin appearing and multiple hints are dropped that something bigger is going on. Then the backstories and pasts of the characters and galaxy are slowly told through flashbacks, foreshadowing, subtle dialogue, and background hints (with occasional WordOfGod to fill in less apparent or important things). As the comic goes on, we learn more about how the crew came to be where they are today, with the foggy implication that the crew has ''always'' been linked to each other even before they began their quest. And all of this is told in somewhat AnachronicOrder.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Fan Works]]
45	* ''Fanfic/AeonNatumEngel'' tries to recreate a Jigsaw Puzzle Plot where its [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion source material]] went for more of a KudzuPlot. (and no, knowing what was going on in canon Eva won't help you that much). Warning: Putting too many pieces together [[GoMadFromTheRevelation may induce maniacal laughter and/or gibbering]].
46	* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' starts out looking like a fairly bog-standard crossover, before veering into very [[MegaCrossover different]] [[DeconstructionCrossover territory]] and laid the foundations for a plot which in the immediate future includes a GambitPileUp with around 17 participants, one of which is playing all of the others like a violin. All of this is centred around Harry Potter/Thorson, who spends much of the story wishing that he wasn't caught up in all this and trying very hard not to die. In the more distant future, a MythArc of epic proportions seems to be being built. Trying to figure out what will happen next is an exercise in futility, usually because the next chapter adds a new piece which changes the picture enough that even if someone's figured the basic shape of the next piece, there are key details which no one sees coming. Part of the reason this works is because the main character is entirely grounded and thoroughly sick of being caught up in all the schemes going on around him. Another part is that [[Creator/NimbusLlewelyn the author]] is generally accepted to be completely mad, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer very good at making it work for him.]] Even if he is [[WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants probably making most of it up as he goes along.]]
47	* The ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Forward}}'' has gradually hinted a far deeper and more complex plot as the series progresses, revolving around the Academy and their goals regarding creating psychics like River. Hints and clues as to what the Academy is ''really'' doing are dropped all throughout the story.
48	* An author example is [[http://www.fimfiction.net/user/kalash93 Kalash93.]] Many of his stories connect together very subtly, and attentive repeat readers will spot the connections. Not all the pieces are together yet, and what is there is not always told in order.
49	* ''Webcomic/{{Hoofstuck}}'': Like one of its source works, ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', the story jumps around between various times, places, and characters, feeding the reader pieces of information that won't make sense until much later.
50	* ''Fanfic/MegaManRecut'' is ''very'' layered, and many character facets and an overall plot remain hidden.
51	* Half the fun of ''Fanfic/BadFutureCrusaders'' is how well this has been done. While most of the focus is put on the now adult Cutie Mark Crusaders each trying to either just live or rekindle old friendships, there is also Babs Seed who is an inspector just trying to uphold the law and do the right thing, an entire plot dedicated to Lightning Dust and [[QuirkyMinibossSquad her R.E.A.F,]] and Silver Spoon who's plot alone could be it's own story, all held together with some shady characters who seem to know a ''lot'' more than what they let on with some flashbacks and WorldBuilding for good measure.
52	* Various details in the sub-series of ''Fanfic/TheDearSweetieBelleContinuity'' connect to paint the larger, darker picture.
53	* The ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' fanfic ''Fanfic/SeedsOfRebellion'' makes use of SwitchingPOV and AnachronicOrder to slowly piece together the {{Backstory}} of how the Crystal Gem Rebellion came to be
54	* The plot of ''Fanfic/GoAwayImWatchingPorn'' is shrouded in mystery due to the massive GambitPileUp existing between TheAlliance, the Khaos Brigade, an unknown third party [[spoiler:responsible for Issei's DarkAndTroubledPast]], and an unwilling Issei. As more and more hints are dropped as to what each group is planning and what exactly Issei's past entails, more questions are raised for both the characters and readers.
55	* In the ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Switchblade}}'', the mystery of what happened to Izuku during the week he went missing is given in bit pieces, with every {{Flashback}}, every piece of research into the original Meta Liberation Army, and seemingly-unrelated events all slowly painting the bigger picture.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
59	* ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}'' uses this big time. You won't get the full story in the movie at all. Looking into the ARG explains somethings and gives a few implications. By the end of both you're left having to figure out how a giant monster, a bunch of big parasite things, a Japanese corporation, the government, and an anti-corporate terrorist who seems to know ''something'' about the monster are all tied together.
60	* ''Film/{{Memento}}'': Protagonist Leonard has amnesia, and the movie is told in reverse chronological order. As the story rewinds, both Leonard and the audience learn more about how he got this way, what happened to his [[CrusadingWidow dead wife]], and various other smaller details that were initially missing context.
61	* ''Film/{{Primer}}'''s plot and continuity almost completely breaks down about three-quarters of the way through the movie, leaving the reader to piece together what has happened from a series of somewhat disconnected scenes and references; even then, some significant parts of the plot are unsolvable. Justified in that the film is about the first discovery of time travel - and the realization that, once time travel exists, ''this is what causality would be like''.
62	* As well as following an AnachronicOrder, the story told by the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' series is not shown linearly. Flashbacks, including the OnceMoreWithClarity variety, are used frequently. In ''Film/SawIV'', Jill Tuck says "John's life defies chronology, linear description." The story itself is like a jigsaw puzzle, which is fitting, considering most of the killers are dubbed [[CollectiveIdentity "the Jigsaw Killer"]].
63	* The 1972 version of ''Солярис'' (''Film/{{Solaris\|1972}}'') is an example of what can go wrong when this trope is mixed with adapting from book to film. The film based heavily on a novel which heavily relied on the narrator giving massive {{Info Dump}}s to give backstory and explain things. Given that much of the film adaptation is based on the ''actions'' that take place in the novel, but is bereft of ''any'' narration, this means that things which made sense (or at least slightly more sense) in the novel, went completely unexplained in the film without buildup, exposition, or closure. Many plot revelations and pieces of characterization were changed to something very different, making the film hard to approach even for those who ''have'' read the book. The film also adds several scenes not found in the novel at all, which are quite trippy, leading to a film which has disturbingly large chunks of its running time occupied by {{Big Lipped Alligator Moment}}s. MindScrew and GainaxEnding do not even ''begin'' to express how weird the whole thing is.
64	* The ''Franchise/StarWars'' sequel trilogy is infamous for its half-hearted attempt at this, as it's clear the different directors between films didn't compare notes on how the jigsaw puzzle should be set up. ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', directed by Creator/JJAbrams, introduces several questions about why Rey is so strong with The Force, who her parents are, and the origins of Supreme Leader Snoke. ''Film/TheLastJedi'', directed by Creator/RianJohnson, answers most of those questions but does so in a way [[DeconstructorFleet that flies in many of the series' standard conventions]], which ended being...[[BrokenBase polarizing]], not in the least of which is that he left almost nothing for the final film to answer for. They were so polarizing in fact that ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', ultimately again directed by Creator/JJAbrams, effectively {{Retcon}}s some of those answers with new ones more in line with series' conventions, which caused ''another'' BrokenBase over whether the changes were good, bad, or didn't help the film's and the trilogy's other problems.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Literature]]
68	* P.C. Hodgell's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'' wherein there's a fully fleshed-out fantasy world with its own ecosystem, magic, and theology. The main character, Jame, is (mostly) aware of how the world works, but doesn't explain any of it until relevant. Furthermore, she has only vague memories of ten years that passed where she didn't age. What she knows of the world is largely revealed by the second book. How the world actually works is still being revealed as of the fourth book.
69	* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' mostly averts this practice, as every book is stand-alone, and even in the case where it isn't -- like ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'' -- most of the stuff you need to know is mentioned a second time. However some pieces of character development can only be understood correctly if you read every book where the character in question turns up, and find a lot of things were already mentioned. A major contender for this is Death, who shows up in every book but two, but if you only read the books where he or his granddaughter Susan star in you will never grasp the full depth of his character. It works the same with Sam Vimes, as the "beast" that is inside of him is elaborated on in every book for brief amounts of time, only to be given a starring role of sorts in ''Literature/{{Night Watch\|Discworld}}'' (and even then this subplot is continued afterwards). Another major character is Carrot, who on the surface is a NiceGuy who genuinely wants all people to live in peace and harmony, but in truth there is a massive complexity behind his simpleness which a reader may only begin to understand by reading all of the watch books and the short story "Theater of Cruelty".
70	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. We're gradually learning things about Harry, his universe, and the main Plot that surrounds him.
71	* The short novel ''Literature/EmpireStar'' by Creator/SamuelRDelany is a deliberately crafted jigsaw, designed so the reader isn't even aware they're seeing pieces of a puzzle, until the end, when Delany offers a few last missing key pieces, and then suggests that the reader can now assemble the whole story in their mind. Learning that you're dealing with AnachronicOrder and time travel changes everything.
72	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'', to the point where half the final book is made up of scenes where [[ChekhovsGun some object briefly mentioned earlier in the series becomes extremely important]]. In essence, it's a book of {{Plot Coupon}}s being cashed in.
73	* ''Literature/HouseOfLeaves'' is quite possibly the definitive example of this trope in literature. There are no less than ''five'' layers of narrative, each linked and/or responding to the one below; a transcript of a [[FoundFootageFilms found footage movie]] about a family who move into an EldritchLocation home called ''The Navidson Record'', a lengthy film essay about ''The Navidson Record'' by a writer named Zampano, the annotations and journal of the man named Johnny Truant who found said essay, the notations of the editors from the publishing house who apparently received this colossal manuscript, and various details included in the appendix by said editors such as "Contrary Evidence" relating to the other layers and the letters of a mentally ill woman named Pelafina written to her son. You have to figure out how these all fit together. The puzzle's instructions are in a different language, half the pieces have been burned or thrown into the garbage, and [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness instead of actually seeing it you're being told about it by an increasingly unhinged man who is probably lying to you]]. ''Good luck''.
74	* ''Literature/{{Gone}}'': The conceit of this books series is that a small town is surrounded by a giant dome, and all adults are teleported out of it. The teen characters find out more and more about the powerful forces that created this little isolated world while fighting to stay alive.
75	* ''[[Literature/HyperionCantos The Fall Of Hyperion]]'' is a continuous downward spiral into a labyrinthine web of conspiracies within conspiracies on a cosmic scale.
76	* Shea and Wilson's ''Literature/{{Illuminatus}}'' trilogy is essentially a jigsaw puzzle with ten thousand widely scattered pieces in at least three different boxes. And even then you can't be sure you've got all the pieces, or if you break it all up and start over again, you're going to get an entirely different picture. And the person next to you who is also reading the book will assemble an entirely different picture. And you're both equally right.
77	* Each chapter of ''Literature/InConquestBorn'' is a vignette about a different aspect of the ForeverWar that forms the basis of its story, sometimes with little indication of how it ties into the overarching plot. Only after all the pieces are laid out does the whole picture start to emerge.
78	* ''Literature/TheKingkillerChronicle'' is full of mysteries, only some of which are resolved (the third book is forthcoming). Right off the bat, the series's framing device raises many questions about how the narrator came to be in his current situation after the events of the main plot. Fan theories abound: for instance, there's a hypothesis about the hidden identity of one character based on some wordplay in a song.
79	* The ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' has three major RotatingArcs, a larger number of subplots, no clear individual protagonist among its cast even for most individual ''books'', and much less the whole ten-book series, and takes place across several continents. The complexity is only increased by the fact that it starts ''[[LostInMediasRes in media res]]'' and doles out actual exposition sparingly, leaving the reader to figure most things out by context. It ''does'', however, eventually converge into a single central MythArc about the Crippled God.
80	* ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'', a PostCyberpunk novel series by Creator/TadWilliams, takes an achingly long time to introduce all of the elements of its KudzuPlot to readers, and even at the end, forces people to fill in some of the blanks themselves.
81	* ''Literature/{{Rant}}'' by Creator/ChuckPalahniuk is told from several different viewpoints all at once (often contradicting each other) by way of having the side characters interviewed after the fact. SEVERAL different ways of putting this puzzle together are possible.
82	* Creator/WilliamFaulkner's short story ''Literature/ARoseForEmily'' comprises five parts which are mostly out of order. For those who don't pick apart and reassemble the events, whether Emily killed her beau, and why, is a perplexing matter. The fact that the narrator (implied to be the townspeople) has a severely limited understanding of Emily's personal life and occasionally relies on conjecture to guess at her actions doesn't help much, either.
83	* ''Literature/TheMazeRunner'': Features a large OntologicalMystery where Thomas and the other teenage boys who find themselves trapped in a place known as The Maze work to break themselves free, fighting against WICKED, the organization of dubious intent that trapped them there. As they work to free themselves, they slowly uncover more information about WICKED's motives and the state of the outside world. The end of the story in the first three books, wraps up relatively little, but two prequel books help fill in a lot of the gaps after the fact.
84	* Creator/BrandonSanderson loves this trope and is shown in both ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' and in ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy''. Reading the ''Mistborn'' books twice will reveal just how much of the more left-field twists of ''Mistborn: The Hero of Ages'' (the final book in the trilogy) were foreshadowed with the puzzle-pieces hidden in plain sight.
85	** The vast majority of Sanderson's works are in fact connected. Literature/TheCosmere is all one giant Jigsaw Puzzle Plot behind the scenes of the individual, mostly-standalone stories.
86	* In ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'', both the book and [[Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017 the tv show]], the Baudelaire orphans bounce from guardian to guardian avoiding the evil Count Olaf, while also slowly uncovering the history of a secret organization called VFD, of which many adults in the story are a part.
87	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. It's surprising how much one can learn about the backstory and the MythArc from reading between the lines and putting together minor details... or by going to Website/TheOtherWiki and having it explained to you.
88	* ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'' is a children's fantasy book series that introduces the Pennykettle family and their ability to sculpt clay dragons that come to life. As the series goes on, the story reveals more about the origins of these powers and of dragons in general, and by the end, the story includes interdimensional aliens, time travel, and three separate parallel universes.
89	* The ''Literature/WarriorCats'' arcs ''Power of Three'' and ''Omen of the Stars''. They gradually revealed the significance and origins of [[TheChosenOne the Three]], as well as The Dark Forest and their plans, etc.
90	* The Newbery award-winning novel ''The Westing Game'''s title puzzle/scavenger game is just one MindScrew after another.
91	* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime''. To understand the plot isn't difficult, despite the number of main characters. The confusing part is truly understanding ''everyone's'' reactions. It requires a great deal of knowledge about both the plot and most characters' personalities and roles.
92	* The works of Creator/GeneWolfe also count, in particular ''Peace'' and ''Literature/TheBookOfTheNewSun'', the latter in particular. Creator/MichaelSwanwick and Creator/NeilGaiman have both written tips on how to approach Wolfe's work for the uninitiated.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Pinball]]
96	* ''Pinball/WhoDunnit1995'', appropriate to its MysteryFiction theme, has a backstory spanning the previous 34 years that must be pieced together by listening to all of the other characters and connecting together what they have to say, and they have a ''lot'' to say. Some information will not make sense until you know of certain aspects about them, such as [[spoiler:Walter, Victoria's father, changing his name to Butler to conceal his identity from her]]. This machine is a particularly unusual case in that almost all other pinball machines have either an ExcusePlot or [[NoPlotNoProblem no plot at all]].
97	[[/folder]]
98
99	[[folder:Podcasts]]
100	* ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'' is an example of this, with all of its five seasons having been fully planned out before the show began. On the surface, each episode is an isolated, one-off horror story (framed as a statement read by the archivist of the [[ParanormalInvestigation Magnus Institute]]), but ''every single episode'' ties back into the series-long MythArc, a centuries-spanning SecretWar involving [[EldritchAbomination eldritch gods]] and their human devotees. This means that every episode contains seemingly innocuous details that are brought up again tens or even hundreds of episodes later as critical plot points (for example, the MonsterOfTheWeek of the very first episode is revealed to be [[spoiler: the driving force behind the Unknowing, the apocalyptic ritual of one of the eldritch gods]] in episode 119).
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Roleplay]]
104	* ''Roleplay/RubyQuest''; by the end, you still don't have all the pieces. Apparently more could have been gotten if certain actions had been taken. Or more could have been missed, or course. WordOfGod answered quite a few things, though.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
108	* As a whole, any Visual Novels that fall under the [[https://vndb.org/g553 Multiple Route Mystery]] tag on VNDB lands here, for better or worse. As for some specific examples:
109	* The ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' games love this trope, especially the 'Phoenix Arc'. Each game has its own self contained story arc, as does each case, making you figure out the entire plot as the trials progress. The Phoenix Arc comprises three games, a total of 14 cases with a recurring cast of characters, with ALL the mysteries and past problems of Phoenix, Maya and Mia as well as a healthy dose of Edgeworth's and Gumshoe's slowly being revealed, connected, explained and resolved.
110	* The story of Hope's Peak Academy in ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' is... ''labyrinthine'', since among other things, it's spread out across different ''mediums''. Want to know how the first game happened? Read the light novel ''Literature/DanganronpaZero'', which serves as the only means of foreshadowing for a certain character who doesn't appear until late into ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. What happened to Makoto's family and the world outside Hope's Peak? Play the video game ''VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'' to find out. How does it all end? Watch the animé ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'', which itself is split into two sides set at different points in time.
111	* Remarkably, two different ones in ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'':
112	** The first half of the story is dominated by the protagonist and Amanda learning how to process their mutual attraction.
113	** The second half is about Amanda wanting to know more about her mother, with Cecilia giving Amanda information that the protagonist withheld from her.
114	* In ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'', especially toward the middle of the story, there are lots of hints as to what’s ''really'' going on with the summer school class.
115	* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' has three routes focusing on different enemies, with different plans that were barely referenced in the earlier ones.
116	* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' constructs a typical jigsaw, with the added twist that in each route it offers false explanations for what's going on, only to debunk them in later arcs. Some are obviously bogus. [[spoiler: Alien invasion]]!? In fact, the final arc features a literal puzzle where you have to piece the TIPS (basically, hints and backstories) together.
117	* Many visual novels written by [[VisualNovel/{{Infinity}} Kotaro]] [[VisualNovel/ZeroEscape Uchikoshi]] play with this trope, especially the "multiple route" aspect, even turning it into a game mechanic:
118	** In ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'', the GoldenEnding is unlocked by completing a specific other route first. [[spoiler:This is actually ''in-character'': in the story, Junpei has to be guided through multiple alternate futures, in order to send and receive information telepathically to someone else.]]
119	** The sequel, ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'', has multiple mysteries and their answers scattered through its routes. Again, completing certain routes is necessary to unlock other ones, with a twist [[spoiler: -- namely that the player character can time travel and is also experiencing all of the routes you do, and uses the knowledge obtained to solve mysteries in-character]].
120	** The third game in the series, ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'', consists of "story fragments" (each a 90-minute interval from the characters' perspective). When each fragment is completed, it's placed in the global timeline of the game, showing what route and what time the fragment took place, and the player is rewarded with more fragments to complete.
121	** ''VideoGame/AITheSomniumFiles'' functions similarly to ''Virtue's Last Reward'', though with fewer routes. However, it also has a MetaTwist specifically about Uchikoshi's tendency for big twists; [[spoiler:Date is frequently hinted to be subconsciously remembering the other routes, as in the ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'' series, but in reality he's just remembering information he knew from before his LaserGuidedAmnesia]].
122	** ''VisualNovel/Ever17'' is similar to ''Virtue's Last Reward'' in this regard, except [[spoiler:you're actually an observer from another dimension with the power to control people to explore branches -- and the other characters ''know this'', and deliberately stage some of the scenes you experience, to have you use this power to help them.]]
123	** ''VisualNovel/Remember11'': Its plot is so convoluted and divided over 33 (!) routes that it is said even the author was losing track by the end. If you don't get any bad ends, it's a fairly coherent story with most of the unanswered questions being possible to figure out, if not easy. But the more bad ends you get, the more material you have to work with such as ''why'' everything is happening, who everyone is and everything else. When you have the most information about the story is when you truly realize you have no idea what just happened, and you never will know for sure. At least one of the routes has one of the protagonists possessed [[BreakingTheFourthWall by the player]], roaring with rage at being in a world that makes so little sense. In fact, an accepted interpretation of the game is that [[spoiler:the plot itself is a MindScrew created by the mastermind to entrap and torment the player]]. Why? Because [[spoiler:to the characters in the game, the player is a [[YouBastard scary demon]] who [[BreakingTheFourthWall enters from another dimension]] to control their minds!]]
124	* ''VisualNovel/LongLiveTheQueen'' has a fairly straightforward story on a single playthrough, but figuring out all the politics of the land of Nova that ''cause'' the events to happen can require multiple playthroughs and complex inferences from combinations of events -- which goes to emphasize the overall theme, that being a princess is pretty terrifying and Elodie is ''way'' out of her depth.
125	* ''VisualNovel/LuxPain'' to the point that IGN gave it a low rating because they didn't understand the story. The game makes sense if you play at least two to three times (and a game like this only takes at least 24 hours to beat) and read between the lines and choose different dialogue choices as well as reading the information that the game gives you at the beginning concerning character information, place location, SILENT, and the overall mission that the game doesn't bother to explain in the first five minutes. That's AllThereInTheManual. Otherwise, this story makes perfect sense.
126	* ''VisualNovel/NoCaseShouldRemainUnsolved'': You must dig through the protagonist's faulty memories and find clues necessary to put them in order and figure out what happened to the little girl who went missing years ago.
127	* ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateWizardessHeart'' groups its multiple story routes into [[AnArc arcs]] and scatters the significant details of each arc across three separate routes. Although each individual route mostly stands on its own, the player can only get the whole story such as, for example, what motivates [[spoiler:Luca Orlem]] to be the antagonist of Elias and Yukiya's routes in the "Tower of Sorrow" arc, or why Klaus speaks so derisively of legendary magical beast tamer Serge Durandal in his own route in the "Spring of Unicorns" arc -- by playing through all three routes of the arc.
128	* Each love interest's path in ''VisualNovel/SteamPrison'' reveals different details about the setting, what's going on in the world and what's happening around Cyrus in particular, while dropping glancing references to other plot elements that go unexplained on that particular route. The only way to resolve all of the dangling plot threads - including but not limited to the mystery of who killed the heroine's parents and why, what becomes of various significant supporting characters, what's up with the mysterious medicine the HOUNDS distribute, and the bigger picture of how the setting functions and how it became the way it is in the first place -- is to play through every possible path. More than once, since there are quite a few extra scenes from the perspectives of the other characters which are only unlocked on a second pass through a given branch of the story.
129	* ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'' does this. Since the story revolves around TimeTravel and a conspiracy, it's only to be expected. A lot of stuff is thrown at you in the first episode, and nothing becomes clear until the last episode when all of the pieces are neatly placed together. ''VisualNovel/ChaosHead'' and ''VisualNovel/RoboticsNotes'' are similar in this aspect.
130	* ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' has five routes, each focused on different aspects of the story.
131	* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', the constant retelling of the main story gives you, bit by bit, clues to solve the mystery. Unlike ''Higurashi'', while the author gives just enough clues to figure out the solutions yourself, don't expect any answer to be given directly: even after the series has ended, a number of explanations remain largely {{Fanon}}. Not at all coincidentally, the main [[AnAesop aesop]] of the series is to believe in your own truth without denying those of other people. Also, the manga adaptation gives numerous additional clues or clarifications (mostly in Episode 8).
132	* In the [[RomanceGame otome]] {{eroge}} ''VisualNovel/UnderTheMoon'', there are many aspects of the heroine's background that are unknown even to her, which can only be pieced together through accounts from other characters scattered across multiple story routes.
133	* ''VisualNovel/WonderfulEveryday'' tells the events of the story from multiple character's viewpoints (Many of them {{Unreliable Narrator}}s) across different chapters, each time revealing a little more about the setting and what's really going on behind all the bizarre events.
134	* ''VisualNovel/YuNo'' from 1996 is the TropeCodifier of the MultipleRouteMystery structure widely used in the visual novel medium.[[note]]VNDB does list [[UrExample two prior examples]] with the "multiple route mystery" tag, both from 1996 as well and fairly obscure in comparison.[[/note]] During the main game, the plot splits into several routes, all of which have an independent plot to a minor degree but [[KudzuPlot raise and only partially answer many mysteries]] in the overall scheme. After completing the main routes the player is allowed to enter the final route, which [[PlotDetour (after some meandering plot developments)]] finally answers almost all mysteries introduced earlier.
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136
137	[[folder:Web Animation]]
138	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' heads to this during Season 3, while getting DarkerAndEdgier. While some things have been explained from Episode 6 of Season 3 forward, a lot is still to be explained about [[spoiler: Salem's intentions and ambitions, the Seasonal Maidens' identities]] and others. Lots of fan theories have sparked since then.
139	* The Machinima series, ''WebAnimation/SmashKing'' is very much inspired by anime, so it's no surprise that this series falls under this trope. The story thrusts you into the middle of Bowser's daily life as a trophy without much preamble, while he's gathering teammates for the upcoming Smash King tourney, and many mysteries such as [[spoiler:why Mario and Lucario want revenge against Bowser, Bowser's past, the Twilight Realm, the goals behind Snake's trio, Ridley, and so on]] are thrust upon the viewer with information slowly drip fed about all of them leaving you questioning and trying to figure out what's going on for a long time before you start getting large bouts of answers. The series rewards the viewers who try to analyze every little detail said by the characters as the mysteries slowly get pieced together over time.
140	* ''WebAnimation/{{TOME}}'' (at least the remake) plays this trope very straight. Most people's original complaints with the series based on the first episode were that they had no idea what was going on. For most of the series you are left with nothing but questions as new characters pop out of nowhere and things happen seemingly without substance or reason. Every time a question is answered, it leaves more questions. The series puts together some of the bigger pieces by the time it reaches the end, but a lot of answers to little questions aren't understood right away without rewatching the entire thing.
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder:Web Original]]
144	* There's a sci-fi game called ''Vanished'' where we're supposedly getting contacted from the future. The world has supposedly undergone a huge environmental disaster and everybody's trying to figure out what's going on. Oh, and we've got about a few thousand ''teenagers'' helping and... we've got a lot of the puzzle pieces figured out.
145	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse''. It took years to find out what ''really'' happened to Cavalier and Skybolt, and now even some of the main characters are struggling to figure out who [[BigBad Hekate's Master]] really is. And that's after well over a hundred novels, novellas, and short stories. And now Chaka has gotten a mystical prophecy no one in-story can figure out, so the puzzle pieces are getting waved in our faces.
146	* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' introduces several mysteries as part of the central plot that gradually unfold over the course of the story, most notably the nature of parahuman powers, the origins of the Endbringers, everything about Cauldron, and the impending apocalypse.
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Web Videos]]
150	* The Mechakara saga on ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall''. Lewis has stated that every appearance of Mechakara contains some kind of clue to his identity or his ultimate goal against him.
151	* ''WebVideo/EverymanHYBRID'' has literal jigsaw pieces scattered across the internet.
152	* ''WebVideo/KateModern'' is a mild example, successfully building up and maintaining various mysteries.
153	* The series ''WebVideo/Lonelygirl15'' is notably reticent to explain any more than about half of what's going on at any given time.
154	* ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'', to the point of MindScrew.
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Western Animation]]
158	* Similar to ''The Venture Brothers'', ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' is fairly straightforward for the most part. However at the same time there are many subtle storylines and hints of backstory hidden beneath the surface that can be found if you look hard enough. Reading into WordOfGod from the creators and rewatching old episodes after major plot twists will reveal all sorts of things for you to put together. If the reveal that Ooo is set AfterTheEnd or Ice King's origin [[spoiler: and [[ConnectedAllAlong his connection to Marceline]]]] surprise you, look back at some old episodes to see how facts like this have been dangled in front of you since the first season.
159	* The ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' MythArc about discovering the identity of the author certainly can be considered this, as the audience only learns who it is about halfway through the second season .
160	* ''WesternAnimation/TheHollow'': The show opens on three teens waking up in a fantasy/sci-fi world with no memory of how they got there. As they run through various obstacles, they slowly piece together the fact that they are [[spoiler: inside a video game]].
161	* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'': Brothers Wirt and Greg find themselves lost in a fantastical woodland fantasy world called The Unknown. The plot steadily reveals information about the show's BigBad, The Beast, and also revealing that [[spoiler: the brothers got to The Unknown from the Real World]].
162	* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'': Unlike most previous ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' series this adds a MythArc to the standard MonsterOfTheWeek format. There are several ongoing mysteries such as the treasure of Crystal Cove and the identity of Mr. E that are gradually solved. It takes until the last few episodes to reveal all the pieces.
163	* ''WesternAnimation/TwelveOunceMouse'' is one of the crowning achievements in narrative complexity. Between the incredibly complicated plot and the... ''interesting'' animation, most people watch it without noticing that there's any plot at all. Seriously. Any discussion of the show immediately turns into "there's no point to it" versus "what the hell are you talking about?"
164	* While the overall plot of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' is fairly straightforward, some character arcs are very subtle. For example, put together Hank always trying to imitate Brock, Rusty fawning over Dean on the twins' birthday, and Hank's general dominance over Dean physically and emotionally, and you have a metric truckload of [[WellDoneSonGuy daddy issues.]]
165	[[/folder]]

Context Main / JigsawPuzzlePlot