History Main / OffscreenStartBonus

However, many games that involve collectables will occasionally throw you a curve. That is, if you go in the ''opposite'' direction, instead of a wall or an unmoving screen, you'll find a hidden item. %% This can be anything from a hidden

%%* ''Akuji: the Heartless''.

* In the final mission of ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty: Finest Hour'', the one with the bridge, if you turn around and check behind the dozer tank that featured in the previous level you will find a BAR and a M1919 machine gun. Incredibly useful for the level.

* ''Turbo Esprit'' on the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum gives you a city to drive around in, hunting down color-coded cars worth various amounts of points. You start on one of the main streets and if you go forward, nothing happens. If you put the car into reverse, one of the highest-scoring cars will spawn behind you and overtake you.

* The TurboGrafx flagship series ''VideoGame/{{Bonk}}'' liked to this on the very first level and usually at least one later level, every game.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* The second mission in 1998's ''VideoGame/SiN'' (if the previous mission succeeded) starts with the player character standing in a hallway in a bank after rappelling down from the roof. Most players will look around before moving forward through the linear path up to the main offices (wherein the level becomes more open) - however, if you turn around at the beginning of the level and walk back, you can access an ATM that (once you get the code later in the level) allows you to transfer ''millions of dollars'' from BigBad Elexis Sinclaire's bank account to Blade's in a cool EasterEgg.

* In ''WebAnimation/DorklyOriginals'' episode [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9apNdSezAs If Videogame Characters Could Break All The Rules]] [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 Mario]] thinks he forgot something he left behind while in the opening screen, so he pushes hard against the left of the screen and when he finally breaks through, Bowser, Princess Toadstool, Toad, two turtles and a goomba are dancing together in a dark area to techno rave music. [[RecordNeedleScratch They weren't expecting Mario to show up there.]]

** In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCurseOfDarkness'', right as the game starts, if you go all the way backwards, you come across an area with a few potions and, if you have a ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence Lament of Innocence]]'' save file on your memory card, a [[EenieMeenieMinyMoai Moai]] head that restores [[GoroawaseNumber 573]] HP when used or can be sold for 5730 gold.

** In ''VideoGame/DarkForces'', the game that started it all, the first level's beginning drops you in a certain spot. As a new game, it was not clear that there was a place you came from and that the game didn't just drop you in place. When the level is complete, Kyle makes it to the roof, and his transport arrives to pick him up. If instead of just ending, he searches a little, he'll find the entrance he dropped in to start the game, including an extra life.

* The UrExample: ''VideoGame/Metroid1'', ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', and ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' all put the Morph Ball off the left side of the screen. A required item; you'll either find it immediately or you'll let your Mario instincts take over and you'll have to back-track for it two screens later. As a result, it acts as a tutorial to teach the player that they ''can'' move to the left.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' absolutely loves this trope, with probably half of all the levels featuring a hidden alcove, usually hiding a puzzle piece or a plethora of bananas, to the left of where you begin. It also repeats the "OneUp inside Donkey Kong's house" from the first game.

* ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'' does this. In addition to the obvious route down and the slightly-less-obvious route up from the first screen, there's a hidden tunnel leading to the left. This being I Wanna Be The Guy, there is no indication that it's there at all, and it's the only way to reach one of the bosses.
** There's also a tunnel going right, but it just leads you to a later point in the upper path so it's never necessary to use it.

* In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'', the very first level begins with DK crashing out of the front door of his house. If you go back in, you'll find an extra life. You can also go into the cave below the house where the banana hoard should be... except since it's stolen, you get a very disappointed and sad response from the protagonists.

** Another notable example is in the Rickety Race level in the [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest second game]]. When you first land in the cart to start the race, logic tells you to go forward, lest you fall off the edge of the track. However, if you do go backwards as soon as the race starts, you eventually hit a booster that speeds you up significantly and makes the level quite a bit easier.
*** One level has an entire level section to the left of the starting point. At the end is the level's DK Coin.
** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' absolutely loves this trope, with probably half of all the levels featuring a hidden alcove, usually hiding a puzzle piece or a plethora of bananas, to the left of where you begin. It also repeats the "OneUp inside Donkey Kong's house" from the first game.

** A few levels in the first ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot1996'' game had either a one-up or shield mask hidden juuust behind where Crash begins the level....
** This trope shows up straight in ''Crash 1'' and ''3'', but is played differently in [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack the second entry]]: there are no bonuses at the beginning of levels (which is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that the starting point and exit of the level are represented by caves), but there are bonuses hidden behind the start of certain ''sections'' of levels. For example, Snow Go hides the Nitro switch crate right behind where the third section starts, and Hangin' Out hides a hole leading to a secret exit this way.
** Speaking of which, a good example in ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped Warped]]'' is the level called "Sphynxinator", where not only are there four boxes behind the starting point, but there's also a fork right after it: the left presents an apparently impossible-to-jump-over gap, while the right shows a (relatively) more benign path. The level can be [[OneHundredPercentCompletion completely completed]] without even taking the left road. Why, you ask? [[spoiler: [[DevelopersForesight Because the left road contains only metal crates and Nitro crates, the latter being still required despite having an appropriate trigger at the end of the level.]]]]

** One of the clever things in ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'' was the armor part in Infinity Mijinion's level. The player simply had to go left one screen at the starting point, where most stages didn't allow movement in that direction.

** Speaking of which, a good example in ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped Warped]]'' is the level called "Sphynxinator", where not only are there four boxes behind the starting point, but there's also a fork right after it: the left presents an apparently impossible-to-jump-over gap, while the right shows a (relatively) more benign path. The level can be [[OneHundredPercentCompletion completely]] [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal completed]] without even taking the left road. Why, you ask? [[spoiler: [[DevelopersForesight Because the left road contains only metal crates and Nitro crates, the latter being still required despite having an appropriate trigger at the end of the level.]]]]

* ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' likes to hide small groupings of Lums and hearts near the starting areas. Not only do you have to go left, you also typically need to wall jump.

** ''VideoGame/DoomIIHellOnEarth'', ChainsawGood, first level. Just be sure to grab it ''before'' you move forward, [[InsurmountableWaistHeightFence or else you're out of luck]].
** It's a common convention in ''Doom'' mapping to place a decorative, unopenable white door behind the player start as a bit of flavor (the implication is that it's where you entered the level from.) Most players are familiar with this convention and won't even try to open this door... so, naturally, some mappers actually hide a secret in there. For example, "MAP08: Cold Reception" from the ''Community Chest IV'' mapset hides a stimpack behind the door.

** In the Game Gear version of ''Sonic'' 1, going left at Bridge Zone Act 3 will show you a 1UP. Too bad in this one they only appear once and don't re-appear when you die...

* In ''VideoGame/TombRaiderII'', there's a shotgun obtainable right from the start, so long as instead of sliding down the ramp from the get-go, you move to the right to line yourself up, then jump into some vines that don't appear traversable.

* The UrExample: ''VideoGame/{{Metroid|1}}'', ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', and ''[[VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission Zero Mission]]'' all put the Morph Ball off the left side of the screen. A required item; you'll either find it immediately or you'll let your Mario instincts take over and you'll have to back-track for it two screens later. As a result, it acts as a tutorial to teach the player that they ''can'' move to the left.

** It's a common convention in ''Doom'' mapping to place a decorative, unopenable white door behind the player start as a bit of flavor (supposedly, it's where you entered the level from.) One of the maps in the GameMod ''Memento Mori'' places a secret behind this door. Not everyone liked this idea, as two users on a ''Doom'' forum noted:
-->It's REALLY annoying, because out of the hundreds of maps where it doesn't open, these mappers decided "Let's hide something there!"\\
It doesn't even make any sense for it to be this way because it's the door you enter the map from!!
* The ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' games did this a lot.
** In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'', the very first level begins with DK crashing out of the front door of his house. If you go back in, you'll find an extra life. You can also go into the cave below the house where the banana hoard should be... except since it's stolen, you get a very disappointed and sad response from the protagonists.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}''

** ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'', Sluggy the Unshaven's Fort. Heading left at the start would put you in a seemingly pointless room with a single Chain Chomp, the [[UniqueEnemy only one of it's kind in the game]]; using a Pow Block to defeat it would unlock a cheat allowing you to play the Bandit battle mini games directly from the world select screen.

** This trope shows up straight in ''Crash 1'' and ''3'', but is played differently in the second entry: there are no bonuses at the beginning of levels (Which is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that the starting point and exit of the level are represented by caves), but there are bonuses hidden behind the start of certain ''sections'' of levels. For example, Snow Go hides the Nitro switch crate right behind where the third section starts, and Hangin' Out hides a hole leading to a secret exit this way.
** Speaking of which, a good example in ''[[Videogame/CrashBandicoot3Warped Warped]]'' is the level called "Sphynxinator", where not only are there four boxes behind the starting point, but there's also a fork right after it: the left presents an apparently impossible-to-jump-over gap, while the right shows a (relatively) more benign path. The level can be [[OneHundredPercentCompletion completely]] [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal completed]] without even taking the left road. Why, you ask? [[spoiler: [[DevelopersForesight Because the left road contains only metal crates and Nitro crates, the latter being still required despite having an appropriate trigger at the end of the level.]]]]

** In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCurseOfDarkness'', right as the game starts, if you go all the way backwards, you come across an area with a few potions and, if you have a Lament of Innocence save file on your memory card, a [[EenieMeenieMinyMoai Moai]] head that restores [[GoroawaseNumber 573]] HP when used or can be sold for 5730 gold.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' likes to teleport you into an area after a cutscene, with a hallway behind you that you supposedly just came through. Backtracking will often get you a treasure sphere. Lampshaded at least once when, if you backtrack, a secondary party member says "Hey! Where are you going!?"
* ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' has a few of these in the missions, either hiding directly behind you or in a room backwards of where you start. Players may get used to [[FreeRotatingCamera twirling the camera]] at the start of each mission.

* Happens a few times in the ''Franchise/CrashBandicoot'' series, items will be placed directly behind the starting point.
** A few levels in the first ''Videogame/CrashBandicoot1996'' game had either a one-up or shield mask hidden juuust behind where Crash begins the level....

** Speaking of which, a good example in ''[[Videogame/CrashBandicoot3Warped Warped]]'' is the level called "Sphynxinator", where not only there are four boxes behind the starting point, but there's also a fork right after it: the left presents an apparently impossible-to-jump-over gap, while the right shows a (relatively) more benign path. The level can be [[OneHundredPercentCompletion completely]] [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal completed]] without even taking the left road. Why, you ask? [[spoiler: [[DevelopersForesight Because the left road contains only metal crates and Nitro crates, the latter being still required despite having an appropriate trigger at the end of the level.]]]]