Games that are made to reward going out of bounds, what are your recommendations?

[StrixLiterata]

I adore games that have a very specific and hard to define characteristic: beign built around rewarding going out of bounds. There are plenty of games with easter eggs or hidden areas, but that's not quite it: I want game sin which I will realize that if I jump just so, or use the right combination of abilities, I can go beyond the level/area/screen I'm in, and when I get there, there are rewards, new areas, cool stuff to see! Even Metroidvanias often don't live up to this kind of promise.

 

So far, Iv'e found three games that scratch that itch:

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Anodyne

https://www.gog.com/game/anodyne // https://store.steampowered.com/app/234900/Anodyne/

In this game, the second hact is all about glitching out of screens and going out of bounds: it's literally part of the story. I especially liked when cutting a bush at the border of a screen that seemed to only contain a story item revealed a whole hidden dungeon that led to hidden lore.

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Supraland

https://store.steampowered.com/app/813630/Supraland/

In this one, the out of bounds content is optional but plentiful, and almost always hidden behind navigation puzzles: I especially liked when I came near a giagantic barrel that had looked to be only part of the skybox thus far, and realized that I could use my grapple beam that worked only on wood to swing inside it. It took several tries, but finally I reached an hidden area with a power-up

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Caves of Qud

https://www.gog.com/game/caves_of_qud // https://store.steampowered.com/app/333640/Caves_of_Qud/

This game scratches the discovery itch in a different way: like all roguelikes there are a lot of things to encounter. Unlike a lot of games, some of the tools you need to break it are availeable from the start and you can easily cheat death by pressing Alt+F4 on your death screen, allowing you to actually explore the game instead of getting obliterated the first time you encounter something unexpected. One example of what I'm looking for is how you can skip most of a hand-made dungeon by making yourself more resistant to fall damage and jumping down a hole whih is only accessible if you break into a bunker.

 

Do you know any other games that can scratch that particular itch?

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by StrixLiterata (see edit history)

[StrixLiterata]

I might like trackmania, although the map outide the track doesn't have much to do.

And yes, Noita counts as well, but it being a roguelike detracts too much from the exploration for me.

[Psychotic Ninja]

2 hours ago, StrixLiterata said:

if I jump just so, or use the right combination of abilities, I can go beyond the level/area/screen I'm in

Might not be exactly what you're looking for, but both  Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Mario Odyssey reward the player for the kind of creative play you're looking for.

[StrixLiterata]

Goog call. My brother has them on Switch, maybe I can borrow it for a bit

[capritsuno]

You'll love The Stanley Parable, if you haven't played it yet

[StrixLiterata]

7 hours ago, capritsuno said:

You'll love The Stanley Parable, if you haven't played it yet

I did love the Stanley Parable! I guess I didn't count it here because it felt like it is in a category of it's own.

Edited November 11, 2020 by StrixLiterata (see edit history)

[StrixLiterata]

7 hours ago, RaTcHeT302 said:

i was going to link it but i felt like it was too obvious \ not out of bounds enough since it's intended

Spot on: the "collect all the endings game" can be fun for me, but they're easy to find and not what I'm talking about

[StrixLiterata]

3 hours ago, RaTcHeT302 said:

i think driver 3 had a buncha areas like these, which you'd 100% miss unless you REALLY went out of your way to explore

 

like i have no idea how the hell i stumbled on some of them, and i won't spoil them but they exist, but i totally got the "i shouldn't be here" feeling from that game when exploring the free roam maps

 

tower unite was a bit like that before they patched the exploit which allowed you to get out of the map

lame ass devs, pftt

 

the portal games sometimes do this, but it's mostly, tiny broom closet sized areas, kinda meh

 

@RaTcHeT302Driver 3, noted. Wher can I find it?

Edited November 11, 2020 by StrixLiterata (see edit history)

[Psychotic Ninja]

Looks like it's Abandonware

[Plegyvap]

In general, it looks to me like you look for games which are very heavy in secrets. Such games would usually be platformers or topdown adventure/puzzle games so I would look there.

 

I didn't play many of these but I have some suggestions
jazz jackrabbit 2 - Lot of items hidden behind foreground objects, on hard to reach places (sometimes requiring specific character).
might & magic 1 - Very old RPG, it absolutely loves secret passable walls, you can also teleport over walls, sequels up to M&M 5 could also be worth a look in this regard.
spelunky - There is an ending, and then there is another ending which requires to obtain certain items and going through extra levels, also has some alternate levels to which you need to discover the entrance.
treasure adventure game/world - I remember there being lot of backtracking and new areas accessible thanks to items.

 

In case this was actually more about finding different ways how to traverse a level, then mirror's edge could work. Some levels there require you take not so obvious route to achieve better time.

[centersolace]

The original Marathon had areas you had to blow yourself up with explosives to reach.

[StrixLiterata]

On 11/17/2020 at 9:44 PM, Plegyvap said:

In general, it looks to me like you look for games which are very heavy in secrets. Such games would usually be platformers or topdown adventure/puzzle games so I would look there.

 

I didn't play many of these but I have some suggestions
jazz jackrabbit 2 - Lot of items hidden behind foreground objects, on hard to reach places (sometimes requiring specific character).
might & magic 1 - Very old RPG, it absolutely loves secret passable walls, you can also teleport over walls, sequels up to M&M 5 could also be worth a look in this regard.
spelunky - There is an ending, and then there is another ending which requires to obtain certain items and going through extra levels, also has some alternate levels to which you need to discover the entrance.
treasure adventure game/world - I remember there being lot of backtracking and new areas accessible thanks to items.

 

In case this was actually more about finding different ways how to traverse a level, then mirror's edge could work. Some levels there require you take not so obvious route to achieve better time.

Now this is a treasure trove of recommendations! And I happen to already own spelunky and treasure adventure. The first I found frustrating, but the second is still untested.

[StrixLiterata]

On 11/21/2020 at 9:35 PM, centersolace said:

The original Marathon had areas you had to blow yourself up with explosives to reach.

I didn't know, but last-century first person shooters seem to be fertile ground for secrets and easter eggs. Marathon is going in the queue behind System Shock and Quake

[StrixLiterata]

I've added a new game, Caves of Qud, to the initial list.

[kerdios]

3 hours ago, StrixLiterata said:

treasure adventure game/world - I remember there being lot of backtracking and new areas accessible thanks to items.

I actually got this for signing up to GoG.com
pretty nice platformer, but I got stuck in the clockwork factory, and there are no cheats.

Edited November 24, 2020 by kerdios (see edit history)

[StrixLiterata]

I need to add Wrath: Aeon of Ruin to the list, because holy shit the things you can do in some levels by Blade-Dashing...