Top 10 Creepiest Hidden Areas In Video Games
#10: The Ghost
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“Hitman: Contracts” (2004) We know the “Hitman” series is full of death, but we never expected an actual ghost! A creepy spectral figure can be found in the Traditions of the Trade level of “Hitman: Contracts,” which takes place inside an extravagant hotel. One of the doors near the main entrance bears a sign reading “Hotel wing closed.” Some players may read that sign and simply be on their way, but they would miss out on a wonderful, and wonderfully creepy, secret. If the player picks the lock, they will be met with a creepy darkened wing of the hotel - and the hotel’s resident ghost. If this proves too scary, rest assured that you can simply kill the specter with the fiber wire.
#9: The Cavemen
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“Halo 3” (2007) The “Halo” franchise is full of Easter eggs, including the somewhat creepy family of cavemen. They can be found in the opening level Sierra 117, and they are accessed by climbing a series of rock outcrops. These guys aren’t really scary in and of themselves, and they don’t attack the player. But just imagine coming across this little family and not knowing that they were there. It would certainly raise a ton of questions, and maybe a reflexive shot or two. Funnily enough, this Easter egg actually started as a prank. Bungie employees photoshopped the face of Marcus Lehto onto a gorilla and spread the image around as an internal email. The Lehto-gorilla hybrid then made its way into the game as a cute in-joke.
#8: Hell
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“Tony Hawk's Underground 2” (2004) We love it when a good game finishes and then rewards you with even more game! It’s the gift that keeps on giving. After beating “Tony Hawk's Underground 2,” the game opens up a secret bonus level called Pro Skater. This level consists of three sublevels - a space station with aliens, a Mayan complex with skateboarding Mayans, and Hell. Yes, Hell. This area is about as creepy as “Tony Hawk” would ever get, with ghostly figures and red demons wandering about. There are also menacing statues, lots of lava, racks of bones, and even a dancing Satan. It’s all quite cartoonish, but it’s one bizarre way to end a skateboarding game.
#7: The Mountaintop Observatory
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“BioShock Infinite” (2013) Maybe there’s a universe somewhere where the Mountaintop Observatory was in the game itself. Alas, it is not our universe. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t accessible. Near the end of the game, Elizabeth and Booker will explore a series of interdimensional lighthouses. If the player hacks the camera during this section, they can fly through the level and access what seems to be a piece of cut content. A large, snow-capped mountain hovers in the sky, and it’s topped with an isolated observatory. If players enter the observatory, they will fall into a void of noise and nothingness, which only adds to the area’s deeply unsettling nature.
#6: Minus World
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“Super Mario Bros.” (1985) This famous glitch appeared in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power, which only increased its popularity and legacy. And to be honest, we don’t know how people find these things. Players access Minus World through World 1-2, and it requires a ton of patience - not to mention a few precise moves. If successful, players will be rewarded with a very surreal glitch. Mario will float through the wall and be deposited in “World -1” (hence its creepy name, Minus World). This is a mirror of World 7-2 , only with an eerily-floating Princess Peach and no physical way out. The only way to escape this alternate dimension hellscape is to get a Game Over or reset the console.
#5: The Rattman Dens
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“Portal” (2007) & “Portal 2” (2011) Valve sure knows how to make a mean video game. They also know how to squirrel away some fascinating secrets within said games. The “Portal” series makes for great puzzle-based entertainment, but it’s also steeped in heavy lore. A schizophrenic scientist named Doug Rattman was the only survivor of GLaDOS’s purge, and he hid himself away in various “dens.” These hidden dens can be found throughout the series, and they make for quite the harrowing experience. They are often littered with peculiar drawings and curious texts, not to mention a few pleas for help. Even scarier, one den in “Portal 2” is soundtracked by the eerie musical piece “Ghost of Rattman,” in which listeners can hear faint pieces of the scientist rambling to himself.
#4: The Ghost Room
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“Call of Duty: Finest Hour” (2004) Ironically enough, “Finest Hour” is far from “Call of Duty’s” finest hour. But it may just have its finest Easter egg. It can be found in the level Underground Passage, which takes place during the Battle of Aachen. If the player throws grenades at a specific locked door, they will be taken down a dark hallway to the ghost room. This is a circular area with floating candles, an enormous rat, disturbing pictures of children, and even the spirit of a little boy who simply floats around with a blank stare. One of the characters calls the room “one of the creepiest things [he’s] ever seen.” We have to agree with him.
#3: The Statue’s Heart
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“Grand Theft Auto IV” (2008) Rockstar has littered the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise with many iconic Easter eggs, but they’re mostly of the fun or hilarious variety. This one is ripped straight out of a surreal nightmare. The Statue of Happiness stands in for the Statue of Liberty, and it bears a very strong resemblance to Hillary Clinton. And, like Clinton, it has a human heart. Yes, the statue has a heart, and it is astoundingly creepy. To access the secret, players need to fly a helicopter to the upper platform and enter a door that bears the ironic sign “No Hidden Content This Way.” Simply enter the door, climb a ladder, and you’ll be met with the unforgettable sight of a massive beating heart suspended by chains.
#2: The Dam
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“Shadow of the Colossus” (2005) It’s always fun to see what got cut from a specific game. Sometimes those cut sections were axed completely, but sometimes they remain in some small form, showcasing a potential of what could have been. The beta dam is an almost mythical location in “Shadow of the Colossus,” and it was first reached in 2009 by a forum user called Pikol. The dam is an empty piece of removed content and a leftover of earlier beta iterations of the game. To this day, no one really knows what the purpose of the dam is, but we do know that it is incredibly discomfiting. The dam is enormous, elegant, and ultimately empty, like a long-abandoned piece of grand architecture. You can practically hear the ghosts.
#1: The Karazhan Crypt
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“World of Warcraft” (2004) Way back in the vanilla “World of Warcraft” days, players could enter a secret location known as the Karazhan Crypt, which was only accessed by turning into a ghost or clipping through a gate. This is a very perturbing area filled with disturbing sights. There’s a massive well, an enormous pile of corpses, and most infamously of all, the bloated upside-down sinners that are floating in some water. It was later revealed that Blizzard had planned on including this section in the game itself but ultimately decided against it. Instead, it became a famous part of WoW lore and arguably the creepiest hidden area in the history of gaming.
