Games With Hidden Meanings

Stories have existed in gaming since its conception. And, as the gaming industry has developed over the years, so too have the stories told by developers. After gaming's foray into 3D, narratives became much more complex and explored themes and subjects far beyond the standard tales of adversity and good vs. Evil.

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Because of this, many games have underlying themes that may completely go over some players' heads. Plenty of narratives wax philosophical over concepts like nihilism, existentialism, politics, and even society at large, often interwoven in a grander storyline that makes them pretty easy to miss on a first playthrough.

8 Hotline Miami

Critique Of Violence In Video Games

is a fast-paced and gratuitously violent game, so it might come as a surprise to some that it's actually a critique of violence as a medium in video games. In Hotline Miami, the violence the player participates in is ultimately pointless, and it highlights that, as a collective, gamers don't need much in the way of motivation to commit atrocities and massacres within games.

This is showcased in-game with the use of the cryptic phone calls the player receives before each mission. These provide the mission location but don't include any information as to why the player is going to these locations in the first place. Even at the end of the game, where players were expecting the curtain to drop to reveal some sort of grand scheme, they were instead mocked for trying to find reason where there was none. For a GameMaker engine game, it's surprisingly deep.

7 Bioshock

The Philosophy Of Objectivism

When Bioshock dropped in 2007, it shook the gaming world thanks to its FPS/RPG gameplay elements and groundbreaking story, which is still widely discussed to this day. But, some players may have missed one of the more covert themes of Bioshock. Namely; its critique of Ayn Rand, and her philosophy of objectivism. Put simply, it's the focus on the individual and self-interest and is the entire philosophy behind the creation of Rapture and its eventual downfall.

If players know where to look, the links to Rand and objectivism aren't too difficult to spot. For instance, the character Atlas is a direct reference to Rand's book Atlas Shrugged, and the main ideals of objectivism are often mentioned by the main antagonist (and one of the greatest FPS villains), Andrew Ryan's audio recordings and radio transmissions.

6 Nier Automata

Finding Meaning In The Meaningless

A hidden gem of 2017, Nier Automata is a deep exploration of nihilism, and learning to find meaning in the meaningless. Over the course of the game, players are tasked with investigating machines on a post-apocalyptic Earth devoid of humanity. The machines seem to develop their own sense of consciousness and replicate many human behaviors and societal creations, ranging from procreation, art, religion, and chivalry in order to find meaning in their existence.

The game frequently explores how belief in something creates a feeling of self-worth, and if that belief is lost, then so is the sense of self-worth, which is seen in the Nier Automata's religious sequences and information revealed in the game's multiple endings and new game plus playthroughs.

5 The Stanley Parable

Critique Of Video Games And Gamers

What with the endless quips and forth-wall-breaking segments found throughout the Stanley Parable, players can be forgiven for missing out on some of the main themes that the game is trying to explore. The game explores topics like player agency (or the lack thereof), the relationship between the player and developer, and even taking an introspective look at players themselves and how they rarely interact with games on a critical level.

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The Stanley Parable even wrangles with the issue of whether games are a worthwhile use of a players' time, which can be seen in the achievement 'Go Outside', which can only be achieved by not playing the game for five years. Yep, that's right. One of the best walking simulators in recent years basically tells players to go for a walk.

4 Papers, Please

An Exploration Of Morality

Papers, Please puts players in the shoes of a border crossing agent in the fictional Eastern Bloc nation of Arztotska, an authoritarian country that seems constantly at odds with neighboring nations. Initially, things start with a simple list of rules for denying or allowing arrivals into the country. Money is earned after each day based on the number of arrivals processed, which players can spend on rent, food, and heating for the player's family household.

Unfortunately, as political relations between Arztotska and its neighbors break down, players have a longer list of rules to follow, which affects the number of arrivals to process and the amount of money they earn each day. This is where the real game begins, as the player has to juggle their moral choices and monetary situation in real-time. These choices are rarely ever easy to make and will have gamers question precisely what they would do in a similar situation.

3 Braid

Allegory For The Manhattan Project

Braid was a breath of fresh air when it was released back in 2008. Its time-bending gameplay mechanics, charming art style, and 'THAT' ending helped put indie games on the map. And while the ending certainly has some dark connotations, collecting eight secret puzzle pieces throughout the journey as Tim reveals a piece of lore that changes everything: The player is actually playing a weapons scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project.

Tim isn't trying to save a princess, but he is trying to reverse his work that led to the creation of the atom bomb. While the time-rewinding mechanic could originally be thought of as just a cool gameplay mechanic, after the Manhattan angle is revealed, it takes on a whole new meaning. It's clear that Tim is literally trying to go back in time to prevent the actions that led to the A-bomb.

2 Outer Wilds

An Exploration Of Life And Death

The Outer Wilds is an indie game that became a major success, and for good reason. It's set within a solar system perpetually stuck within a 22-minute time loop, which culminates with the system's star going supernova. Players are tasked with finding the cause of the time loop through solving puzzles, grabbing lore, and exploring. The only catch? The solar system can't be explored completely within one loop, which presents the crux of Outer Wilds's more meta-message.

The Outer Wilds is essentially about the inevitability of death and the acceptance of it. But it's also about life. It pushes players to use their time wisely, by exploring and forming connections with inhabitants across the solar system. It even delves into ideas of posthumanism, and the importance of leaving a mark on the world, to influence future life even after death. While the Outer Wilds focus on death might seem bleak, it's anything but.

1 SOMA

Existentialism And What It Means To Be Human

SOMA was released in 2015 and garnered almost universal critical acclaim, mostly praising its compelling narrative and philosophical horror. Players are put in the shoes of Simon Jarrett, a man who suffers brain damage after being involved in a car accident. During an experimental brain scan gone wrong, players are whisked to the underwater base, PATHOS-II, hiding and running from robotic horrors that plague the location's claustrophobic setting. But, partway through the game, players are hit with a bombshell: Simon might not be who they thought he was.

SOMA puts forward a few questions: what is a human? For something to be classified as human, does it need to look human? Or is the mind all that matters when people perceive humanity? These are just some of the questions that gamers will no doubt face over the course of the game, and SOMA doesn't give any clear answers. The game also explores themes of consciousness, reality, and the idea of the self, through explorations of identity, the validity of memories, and more.