Sometimes, the main story of a video game is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface, there are hidden stories, waiting for players to uncover them. These tales often unfold through an approach called “environmental storytelling”, where scattered objects, forgotten documents, or subtle details tell fragmented narratives about the world around you.
But in many cases, simply exploring a little deeper will reveal these hidden stories, turning small hints into big revelations. These stories reward your willingness to dig deeper, to go under the surface, adding a new dimension to the game. Here are some video games with stories “beneath the iceberg”, ready to be uncovered.
Many little stories can be discovered in Life Is Strange if you don’t stop at surface appearances. Like in the case of Dana, one of the characters at Blackwell Academy. When you enter her room to retrieve just a flash drive, you may explore her space and stumble upon hints of a personal struggle: Dana is pregnant, and Logan might be the father.
As you look around, you find books about how to be a good mother, a note from Logan, offering his support, and the undeniable evidence: the positive pregnancy test. Their relationship is complicated. Days later, you can discover more, but it’s up to you to dig deeper.
In Firewatch, you’re surrounded by the stunning wilderness of Wyoming. But as you explore, the story takes a darker turn when you uncover clues about Brian, the son of Need Goodwin, the previous lookout. Throughout the game, Henry can find several of Brian’s personal belongings, including school notes, toys, and tools related to his love of role-playing games and climbing.
Unfortunately, Brian wasn’t an experienced climber, and as you explore hidden campsites and abandoned shelters, you discover that Brian died in a climbing accident. Ned, consumed with guilt and unable to face the consequences, chooses to live in isolation rather than face the outside world.
While Oxenfree is filled with eerie supernatural events, one of the most intriguing hidden stories revolves around the USS Kanaloa. As you explore the mystery island, you can tune into radio frequencies that transmit messages from the past. Delve deeper, and you’ll discover the story of the USS Kannaloa, a submarine whose crew met a tragic end.
If you investigate fully, you’ll find that the crew wasn’t just lost, they were trapped in an alternate dimension, now hunting the island, desperately trying to return to the real world.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, hidden stories are scattered all over the map, but one of the most creepy involves Strange Man’s Cabin. Deep in the woods, you’ll find a cabinet that gives off a sinister vibe. As you explore, you’ll notice a portrait slowly painting itself over time. Once completed, the painting reflects the Strange Man himself.
And if you’re really paying attention, you might spot his reflection in the mirror, standing right behind you. For an attentive fan, this eerie encounter recalls the moment when John Marston met him in the first game. There is a theory that he represents Death itself…
The Last Of Us already tells a deeply emotional story, but some heartbreaking moments are hidden within its environment. A prime example is The Suburbs. As you reach this area, you’ll find remnants of a small community that tried to survive underground, now overrun by clickers. Through scattered notes, you’ll learn about Ish, a man who returned to land on his boat and found refuge in the sewers, where he welcomes other survivors, including children.
You’ll see how they transformed the space into an organized home, complete with rules for the children and a water collection system. But one small mistake - leaving a door open - led to tragedy, with only a few survivors, including Ish.
What Remains of Edith Finch is all about uncovering the hidden stories of the Finch family, an unusual family to say the least. Each room in the Finch house is like a time capsule, telling the tragic story of the family member who once lived there.
Whether it’s a swing set leading to a fatal accident or a child’s bedroom frozen in time after their disappearance, you piece together the details of their fate. Every object in this home hides a story waiting to be told, making What Remains of Edith Finch a game that rewards deep exploration.
In Gone Home, you play as Kaitlin, trying to figure out what happened to your sister, Sam, just by exploring the house. But while investigating, you can also discover a hidden subplot, the story of Terrence and Janice, Sam and Kaitlin’s parents. Through clues like salon bills and stacks of an unpublished book, you learn about their troubled marriage: the father, struggling with his writing career, neglects his wife, who in turn starts seeing a colleague.
The two desperately attempt to fix their relationship through a “trip”, or better, a couples retreat. The brilliance of Gone is that it tells this story entirely through objects: no human contact, no direct interaction, just the environment slowly revealing its hidden stories.
You can create thousands of lists detailing every hidden story in Dark Souls. If the main plot, when you control a nameless knight, is already confusing, the hidden stories are an even bigger mystery. The main story itself feels like a “hidden story”.
Let’s be real, Director Hidetaka Miyazaki is famous for creating complex, cryptic narratives that players must unravel. Every detail of the world, whether it is an NPC’s dialogue or a tiny item, offers a hidden narrative, if you’re dedicated enough to uncover it (and by dedicated, it means watching hours and hours of YouTube lore videos).
