Video games are a great form of storytelling and world-building, and, from that perspective, they have more similarities to books than movies. Yet, because video game franchises are often so dense, with many of them having annual sequels, some parts of the story don’t get wrapped up, either intentionally or otherwise.
The narrative in gaming has become just as important as graphical presentation, and, as a result, video games are becoming much more respected as an artform, leading many writers to favor ambiguity over a linear tale. But, this generally leads to an abundance of questions being asked by perpetually curious gamers.
10 The Strange Man In Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 might have some of the most pristine graphics in video games, but that doesn’t make some of the plot points any clearer. The Strange Man appears three times in Red Dead 2, appearing in each of the game’s main areas.
Each time The Strange Man is in contact with John Marsten, he is very specific with his words and intentionally vague. The player is actually able to kill The Strange Man, but that means failing the mission. The Strange Man calls John’s gravesite a “fine spot” long before John dies, and he tells John that they “have to stop meeting like this” the last time they ever meet, meaning that he could be anything from a time traveller to John’s self-conscience to the devil in human form.
9 The Desert Rings in Shadow of the Colossus
For such a detailed world despite being completely desolate, Shadow of the Colossus had fans believing that there was a secret seventeenth colossus in the world even though the developers explained there wasn’t. The remake of the game for the PS4 did include a final secret wherein if you find 50 gold coins in the game then you win… a bigger sword.
Still, the world itself is full of mystery, and, though it remains unchanged in the remake, fans are still trying to find clues to something bigger. One detail that remains unsolved is the rings in the desert. There are metal plates attached to the rings, and some of them are broken, while others are still fully formed. There must be some connection to the world, but it remains unsolved.
8 Vacationing in Silent Hill 2
Though there are loads of strange and haunting areas in survival horror titles, Silent Hill 2 is particularly notable for its horrifying for its misty aesthetic. Yet, it’s that mist that raises the question as to why James was ever there in the first place.
In the game, James explains that the town used to be his favorite place to go vacationing, but, as the haunting town has been misty since the 1970s, James would likely have never seen the town in sunlight. This begs the question, how does James know what the town looks like without mist if he never stepped foot in the town before the 70s? There’s even more to James than we learn at the end of the game, but what?
7 Suicidal Tendencies in God of War
It seems that most plot holes come from characters having a very selective memory. The God of War anti-hero, Kratos, is considering ending his own life at the start of God of War (2018) due to his messed up past, but, as nobody knows the afterlife better than him, he should have known not to do that.
When Kratos wants to end his life owing to his endless pain, it would be no different in the afterlife, as Hades’ realm is anything but an escape from pain. If he killed himself, Kratos would be falling for eternity, or something much worse.
6 “L Is Real” In Super Mario 64
In what remains as one of the most intriguing and unresolved mysteries in video games, Super Mario 64 has had fans questioning themselves for decades. With players confused at the time that Luigi wasn’t a playable character, they were totally convinced that he was unlockable.
At this water bed, the inscription beneath the star monument is believed by fans to say “L Is Real 2401,” which players believe is relating to Luigi and that there are 2401 stars in the game. It is believed that, once Mario has collected all 2041 stars in the game, if he returns to the fountain, Luigi would appear.
5 Bane’s Memory Loss in Batman: Arkham Origins
As Batman’s game world is so fantastically dense, there is no escaping the inevitability of mysteries. Though comic books are being used to course-correct such things, there is one that stands above the others that yields so many questions.
In the prequel, Batman: Arkham Origins, Bane learns of Batman’s true identity, but, in the later Batman: Arkham City, the brawn villain had seemingly forgotten. Sure, there are some thinly veiled explanations fans can concoct, such as memory loss, but it remains a mystery, and, if it wasn’t left unexplained, it might have listed higher on the list of best Arkham games.
4 Mysterious Timeline in Bioshock
As the Bioshock series is based on intertwining narratives and convoluted timelines, there’s bound to be a mystery or two in its story. Jack crash lands in the sea and finds the underwater city of Rapture, but it is revealed that Jack was abandoned at that very place when he was just two years old, meaning he must have had to fight off the Big Daddies as just an infant. There is a theory that Jack artificially ages much quicker than human beings, but that still requires suspending disbelief quite a bit.
3 The Mount Chiliad Mural in Grand Theft Auto V
There may be a lot of fake videos showing a UFO atop Mount Chiliad with YouTubers claiming that they have solved the mystery, but don’t be fooled, as they are just PC mods. It wouldn’t be a GTA game without a mystery that players obsess over, and the Mount Chiliad mural inside the cable car station has led people combing over every inch of the map, including the ocean bed.
Though almost all of the game’s code has been looked over and it seems the mural is a prank by developers, they insist that there is one more mystery in the game that nobody has figured out yet.
2 Tawna’s Disappearance In Crash Bandicoot
It’s easy to believe that the Coco Bandicoot you see in the series today, with her ponytail, overalls, and laptop, was just a remodel of how she looked in the first entry, with her long flowing hair, short shorts, and tank top, but those were actually different characters! Where as Coco is Crash’s sister, Tawna was Crash’s girlfriend who he had to save in Neo Cortex’s castle.
Saving her in the penultimate level of Crash Bandicoot led to an alternative ending, but, since then, she has never been seen or mentioned except for being a playable character in Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fuelled.
1 The Borealis in Half-Life/Portal 2
The big question amongst Half-Life fans is regularly, “Who is the G-Man?” But, with the release of Half-Life: Alyx earlier this year, more information about the briefcase-carrying mystery man has come to light. However, the other big mystery of the series didn’t even get a mention in Alyx. The Aurora Borealis is a boat that carries something important to Freeman in Half-Life 2: Episode 2, but we never find out what.
Fans were teased in Portal 2 about the carrier ship’s contents, but it still remained a mystery. Though both series are considered to be two of the best gaming has to offer, they are both just as good at keeping secrets. Hopefully, fans don’t have to wait another 13 years to get more information.
NEXT: 10 Unresolved Mysteries & Plot Holes Everyone Missed In The Yakuza Franchise
