Rabbit holes are fun, especially if they’re something you can get more into in and outside your favorite video games. I am not immune to the temptations of wanting to know more about the games I enjoy, especially if they leave a compelling and curious impression on me.
Many story-driven games have received their form of exploration through rabbit holes and story elements. They’ve been a fun way for me to learn about my favorite game series. The different rabbit holes I’ve gone down are either things I discovered online, in books, or neatly exposited in the games I’ve played.
10Bestiary Of The Witcher
Learning About The Monsters Of The Continent
The monsters that Geralt faces throughout his adventures fall into various categories and classifications, ranging from animalistic beasts to cursed spirits and sentient beings seeking peace.
Many of the creatures that appeared on the continent through the Conjunction of the Spheres are based onbeasts and monstersacross world myth and folktale. More fun details about them can be learned through the Bestiary through Geralt’s hunts.
A major part ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntis tracking the monsters and learning more about them so you may exploit their weaknesses. As I learned about how to deal with leshens, wyverns, Djinn and werewolves, I also became intrigued by their inspirations and mythical contexts, being a lover of myths and monsters myself.
9Folklore Details In Nioh
Japan’s Myths Coming Alive
In a similar vein to The Witcher, I love the folktale details inNiohand how it blends very well with the historical setting of Japan’s feudal period. Virtuallyevery yokai enemyI faced and the guardian spirits you can obtain are based on real folklore accounts of the different regional creatures across Japan.
These are explored in a Bestiary, and as I fought them, more fun tips and facts appeared. Sometimes, you even get a story connected to the yokai or guardian spirit that can be read in a myth book or is played out in the game itself, from the legend of Orochi to the different forms of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
8The Monstrous Symbolisms In Silent Hill
The Dark Themes Of The Enemies Of Silent Hill
Silent Hillis a unique horror series in that most of the horror is introspective. The enemies are mostly monstrous, but they reflect or representspecific physiological themesrelevant to the protagonists we follow in each game. It makes the games a fascinating study of how horror can be infused with the minds of the characters you play as or root for.
A major example that drew me to examining the themes and allegories in Silent Hill is how Pyramid Head is essentially the monstrous shadow of James Sunderland, reflecting his guilt and internal desire to be punished for his actions.
7The Files Of Resident Evil
Discovering The Nightmares Of Survival Horror
Files in Resident Evil are one of the few ways I’ve learned or figured out what’s going on without excessive exposition during the events of the game.
There’s a trend on this list so far where I gush over monsters, their concepts, and their exposition before they appear in a vicious fight, huh? TheResident Evilseries is great, particularly with its compelling exposition at the beginning of the series, which builds up the danger and pays it off. This buildup is often presented in the game through files that you read as collectibles found in the environment.
Many of these files provide clues or instructions on how to handle specific puzzles or navigate hazardous obstacles. On the other hand, they can also bring depth to the circumstances that occur in the game. One notable file that accomplishes this is the Keeper’s Diary, which details the gruesome fate of one of the Umbrella employees as he loses his humanity to the T-Virus.
6Every Final Fantasy Is Different
Every New Role-Playing Adventure In Fantasy
Final Fantasyhas become an expansive series, with every installment featuring its own world-building, fantastical setting, andiconic heroes to follow. Because each game offersa different storyand form of the fantasy genre, it’s pretty easy for me to get enthralled by the different ways of making a ‘Final Fantasy’.
The rabbit hole I got into with this long-running series is how each of the Final Fantasy mainline installments has its own expanded universe that goes further in their respective narratives. These come in the form of spin-offs, prequels, or sequels. My favorite is Crisis Core for the way Zack Fair’s adventures before Final Fantasy 7 are explored.
5The Xehanort Rabbit Hole In Kingdom Hearts
Xehanort Is Everywhere In Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Heartswas once a fairly clear-cut series with a simple premise. I loved traveling to many Disney Worlds and seeing theFinal Fantasy characterswhile saving the world. Then things became complicated, starting with the Ansem Reports in the first game. These were intended to provide background information on the initial major villain before further revelations and discoveries emerged.
With overarching plots foreshadowed in Kingdom Hearts 2 and beginning to be explored in Birth by Sleep, Xehanort is introduced as the primary greater-scope villain of the series. And this name is often attributed to multiple different characters and incarnations. Listing them all would be tricky, and yet, the rabbit hole of Kingdom Hearts is almost comical to discuss because of all the Xehanorts that exist. It’s almost as numerous asthe different characters connected to Sora.
4All The Characters In Super Smash Bros.
Learn About The Stars Of Nintendo By Fighting Them
Super Smash Bros. is a great way to be introduced to the history of Nintendo’s library of games and characters through a fun fighting game. Thanks to this series, I became immersed in many other games outside of it and started my journey into gaming on Nintendo systems.
When I started playing video games as a kid, I wasn’t very aware of or knowledgeable about all the classic series and iconic characters in Nintendo’s library. TheSuper Smash Bros.series was my gateway to many iconic Nintendo games and series, including Metroid and The Legend of Zelda.
Super Smash Bros. is a massive crossover fighting game that features the superstars of Nintendo, including Mario, Donkey Kong, various incarnations of Link, Samus, and many more. Along with the characters, there are dozens of stages, items, and trophies/spirits that are made to be explored in other games. If you went into the Brinstar Depths and bore witness to Kraid for the first time, like I did, you’re probably going to want to know where he’s from.
3The Lore Of Halo
The Expansive Universe Of The Halo Series
The world of Halo is intricate in detail and encourages extensive exploration beyond the games. For a long time, I couldn’t even play the games themselves on Xbox. And so, my outlet for curiosity was books, which furthered my interest in playing the games when I had the chance.
The story and expanded universe of theHaloseries, aspresented in the books, are just as fascinating, if not more engaging, than the games themselves. I started with Halo: Combat Evolved’s technical prequel book, The Fall of Reach. Since then, I have followed many expanded universe installments, from Halo Legends to the terminals that explore different aspects of lore, such as Thel Vadam’s life before he became the Arbiter.
Halo’s storylines within the games themselves may be pretty simple, with you being Master Chief fighting back against enemies, whether they’rethe Covenant or the Flood. Despite that, there’s so much world-building in the environments, discoveries, and the design of things that it invites me to want to know more about this universe and all its intricate details, whether it’s the characters or the creatures that inhabit it.
2Timelines In The Legend Of Zelda
Explore The Many Eras Of Hyrule’s Greatest Legends
The Legend of Zeldaseries has more timeline shenanigans than one would expect in a series with ayoung, elf-like hero fighting evilwith a sword. However, within the overall history of Hyrule, several separate timelines or eras can be followed. As I played several series in the games, one of my favorite things to do was find all the small details that show where they connect.
Someentries in the series, such as The Wind Waker and the manga adaptation of Twilight Princess, explore their connections to Ocarina of Time and the different ways the actions of the Hero of Time influenced their versions of Hyrule. A lot of these details are alluded to in the Hyrule Historia book, but that was after I started to figure stuff out in my playthroughs of the games.
1Ecology In Monster Hunter
Study And Hunt In The Wild Ecosystems Of Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter was practically made for me to get lost in rabbit holes. No matter whether I was curious about monster designs or the looks of armor and weapons, there is so much in this series that I love exploring to this day. However, the biggest aspect of Monster Hunter that I could get lost in for hours investigating is the ecological realism explored in the environments.
The world of Monster Hunter is built around a complex and well-thought-out ecosystem that every creature in one way, shape, or form contributes to. There are details, such as how Zinogre has scales that act as pre-made hives for the fulgurbugs, with which it has a symbiotic relationship, that bring more life and attention to the environment. I felt like a researcherstudying the monstersjust as much as I was fighting them.
