Tampering with player expectations can often be a double-edged sword. Since gaming is such an expensive hobby, feeling like a video game did not live up to what was initially advertised can be disheartening and may even incite people to stop playing altogether.
10 Games That Surpassed Unrealistically High Expectations
The hype was through the roof for these video games, and somehow, they still managed to surpass all expectations.
However, some of the very best designers in this industry (both AAA and indie alike) have overcome this issue and successfully betray players' expectations in brilliant ways that enhance the entire experience while also cementing their respective games as undeniable masterpieces. The following titles are perfect examples of this mind-blowing phenomenon.
Keep in mind that it’s impossible to explain why these games work so well without delving into spoilers, so there will be spoilers ahead.
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Silent Hill 2
Constantly Hides The True Nature Of James' Guilt
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Team Silent
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Silent Hill 2 has a relatively basic initial premise for a survival horror game: James Sunderland receives a mysterious letter from his dead wife, Mary, that tells him to visit the titular town. The game repeatedly portrays James as a passerby and a victim, someone who enters Silent Hill to determine if his wife is still alive, but suddenly has to run from a bunch of terrifying monsters, including the infamous Pyramid Head.
However, the entire tone of Silent Hill 2 changes when it’s revealed that James killed his wife and that several aspects of the town are reflections of his own guilt, including Pyramid Head, who is a physical representation of his desire for punishment and his self-image being that of an executioner. This revelation (which is considered one of the best plot twists in gaming history) completely changes the context of James’ quest, and fortunately, the excellent Silent Hill 2 Remake from 2024 kept most of this brilliant emotional plot intact.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty
Solid Snake Is Not The Real Protagonist
Hideo Kojima is one of the few video game developers who can betray his players' expectations and get away with it. Back in the early 2000s, most promotional material related to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (the long-awaited sequel to Metal Gear Solid) advertised Solid Snake as the main character, including its playable demo and the game’s official cover art. Of course, Kojima technically didn’t lie, as PS2 users in 2001 discovered that they do control Snake in this title… but only for the first hour of gameplay.
As most gamers know by now, after the conclusion of the Tanker mission, Raiden replaces Solid Snake and becomes the main playable character of Metal Gear Solid 2. Gamers did not see this coming back in the day, and it’s now an infamous example of a game betraying expectations. It obviously doesn’t stop there, because the entirety of Metal Gear Solid 2 becomes a brilliant (albeit confusing) meta parody of its predecessor, especially during its final act.
Braid
Much More Than An Indie Mario Clone
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Language, Mild Cartoon Violence
- Developer(s)
- Number None Inc
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Platformer
Braid is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential indie games of all time, and for very good reason. Not only is it a fun 2D platformer that was very obviously inspired by the Mario franchise, but its groundbreaking time-manipulation mechanics helped it feel surprisingly fresh and unique for its time.
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Story-wise, Braid tells a very simple tale about a man named Tim trying to save a princess from an evil knight. However, those who played the game until the very end can attest that it definitely plays with their expectations. Not only did they eventually find out that the princess was trying to escape from Tim, but it’s also heavily implied that the entire game is a metaphor for the creation of the atomic bomb. That’s right; what started as a traditional 2D platformer becomes much darker and more complex than expected.
Spec Ops: The Line
A Nuanced Shooter That Shattered Expectations During The Early 2010s
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Yager Development
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
During the late 2000s and early 2010s, the gaming industry was plagued with military shooters (both first and third person) that focused mostly on their multiplayer modes. So, when Spec Ops: The Line came out in 2012, most people initially dismissed it as yet another third-person shooter with a desert setting and gameplay reminiscent of Gears of War.
However, those who actually gave it a shot slowly found out how erroneous these criticisms were, because Spec Ops: The Line tells a shocking story that has a lot to say about war, violence, and the military complex, which was surprisingly nuanced when compared to other games in the genre. Thanks to its compelling narrative, Spec Ops is now remembered more fondly than most other military shooters released around that time.
Undertale
Can Be Either Very Lighthearted Or Very Dark, Depending On The Player’s Actions
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- Toby Fox
- Genre(s)
- RPG
When talking about video games that betrayed players' expectations, it’s important to remember the context in which they were released and how people reacted to them before they were spoiled throughout the entire internet. Yes, today everybody knows that Undertale broke new ground by allowing players to either spare or kill enemies (which, in turn, will affect the plot and the world), but back in 2015, this was a mind-blowing revelation that most people struggled to wrap their heads around.
The indie scene in 2015 was filled to the brim with turn-based RPGs inspired by Earthbound, so when Toby Fox (who had previously developed a famous Earthbound ROM hack) released Undertale, it was logical to assume that it would be another run-of-the-mill indie RPG with nothing special to it. However, he and his team proved everybody wrong with their brilliant ideas, and Undertale is now considered one of the most innovative and important RPGs ever made.
NieR: Automata
Everything Changes After The First Playthrough
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
It’s easy to dismiss NieR: Automata as a traditional hack-and-slash title with an anime art style and over-the-top boss fights, but it’s important to remember that it also comes from the strange mind of Yoko Taro, a Japanese developer famous for his unusual ideas. The most egregious part? The true nature of NieR: Automata’s story and setting only becomes evident after the player completes the campaign for the first time.
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Protagonists 2B and 9S discover that humanity has been dead for thousands of years and that YoRHa kept the war against the machines going just to give androids a reason to live. In subsequent playthroughs, they (and, by extension, the player) uncover even more secrets related to the humans, the machines, and even 9S’s real function, not to mention that 2B dies and is replaced by A2 at one point. NieR: Automata may seem like a simple hack-and-slash game at first, but it’s actually one of the weirdest gaming experiences out there, and everybody needs to try it out (but only if they’re willing to complete its campaign at least three times).
Doki Doki Literature Club!
The Entire Game Revolves Around Breaking Player Expectations
Anyone who has heard of Doki Doki Literature Club! Is most likely aware of its mind-blowing plot twist, but, similarly to Undertale, this game can still be a huge surprise for those who have never heard its spoilers before. After all, the visual novel genre was filled to the brim with both romance and parody titles, so back in 2017, it seemed nearly impossible for a brand-new take that was created by a single American developer to stand out at all.
Creator Dan Salvato shocked his entire player base because Doki Doki Literature Club! Initially seems like a run-of-the-mill visual novel dating sim starring a cast of lovely anime girls until the shocking scene in which the player finds Sayori dead in her bedroom. From that point onward, the game delves into pure psychological horror, and it even starts tampering with the player’s PC in order to scare and disturb them. At the end of the day, this now-beloved indie darling relied entirely on betraying expectations to succeed in a niche genre, and it certainly did not disappoint.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Gustave’s Expedition Is Not Actually Real
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
Those who didn’t get the chance to play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 before the 2025 awards season may have struggled to understand why it received so many accolades, especially the Game of the Year award. Of course, its gameplay and presentation are absolutely amazing, but its narrative seems like nothing to write home about. It takes place in a fantasy world, and it focuses on Gustave, who, alongside the titular expedition, has to reach and defeat a being known as the Paintress to stop her from slowly erasing their world.
Of course, everything changes when Gustave is abruptly killed off at the end of Act 1 and is replaced by Verso, who is the true protagonist of Clair Obscur. It doesn’t stop there, because the player (and the rest of Expedition 33) eventually discovers that the entire game world technically isn’t real: it all takes place inside a painting belonging to the Dessendre family. Not only does Gustave not really matter in the grand scheme of things, but it’s also revealed that his adoptive sister, Maelle, actually comes from the real world. Thanks to its clever and impactful narrative elements, Clair Obscur is widely considered to have one of the best stories ever told in the medium of video games.
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