History Main / ExtendedGameplay

* In every 3D ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' platformer, the player gets some special final stage or secret cutscene by collecting all of the stars/sprites.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' were rather bare of postgame content and had only the Battle Tower, while ''VideoGame/PokemonEmerald'' had the Battle Frontier, but the remakes, ''VideoGame/PokemonOmegaRubyAndAlphaSapphire'', featured the Delta Episode, in which you and a mysterious girl named Zinnia work to try to avert a meteor falling onto Hoenn by capturing Rayquaza.

* Pretty much what happens when you finish the seemingly final mission "Crystal Calamity" in ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Dual Strike]]''.
* ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' may be the ''only'' example of this trope in non-interactive media. After the end of the campaign, the [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] continued their adventure in several [[LooseCanon dubiously canonical]] [[BonusMaterial live shows]] set between the primary campaign's ending and its [[DistantFinale far future epilogue]]. Though the adventures are standalone in and of themselves, they form an overarching plot in which [[spoiler:Garfield the Deals Warlock has secretly been gathering weapons of immense power and unique abilities.]]

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'': After you defeat Rhapthorne, you can find the quest to the kingdom of Dragovia... [[spoiler:and find out the Hero's heritage]].
* Also in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': Okay, you've grabbed the MacGuffin and used its power, gone on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge and killed the underlings of the evil priest of death who killed your father, and now you finally get to finish him off climactically. Is it over? No. Now you have to [[spoiler:[[ToHellAndBack go to Hell]] and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu kill the devil]]. Hope you remembered those [[ChekhovsGun rings]].]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' has a huge focus on this as well. With tons of quests, bonus bosses, and secret party members that require the game to be beaten first. The epilogue is of such size, that it's been said (and perhaps accurately so) that the entire main game is just a tutorial compared to the massive epilogue.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'''s epilogue is an entire second quest, where you [[spoiler:travel back in time to kill the BigBad ToSetWhatWasWrongRight and succeed, only to go on a quest to stop a SealedEvilInACan that was released due to the events that would've prevented it from not playing out.]]

* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' has the Inverted Castle. This overlaps with DiscOneFinalDungeon, as the Inverted Castle is every bit as big as the regular one.

* Another Day from ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou''.

* ''VideoGame/BlastCorps'' does a real whammy. After solving the central problem of the leaking nuclear carrier, the heroes are suddenly given a new assignment to rescue a damaged space shuttle about to make an emergency landing. This seems like the final mission as well, but getting OneHundredPercentCompletion suddenly has the Blast Corps team being sent for a mission to clean up debris ''on the moon''. Beating ''that'' mission unlocks more missions throughout the solar system. And then there's the platinum medals...
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'' has four more worlds for you to complete after World 8-4. (Five if you beat the first eight without any Warp Zones.)

* After you beat the main plot in ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'', there's character quests that go into the backstory of every single character.

* The UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance remake of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' has the "Soul of Rebirth" option which lets you play as the KilledOffForReal party members from one of your completed saves, showing what they were doing while the main game's heroes were beating the FinalBoss. [[spoiler:It turns out they were in heaven, beating the final boss's light side.]]
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' both have quest chains that are only unlocked after beating the game.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' was made from this trope. The final level of the Crystarium doesn't actually get unlocked until after you beat the [[FinalBoss last boss]], meaning it's impossible to max out your characters' stats and abilities before then. And the only major [[SideQuest Side Quest]] in the game is not completable until after you beat that boss, either, as certain locations are barred to you and some of the Missions can't be accessed. Meaning the game can go on for hours and hours even after you've ostensibly "beaten" it.
** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2 The sequel]] can be ''mostly'' completed before facing the FinalBoss. But only mostly. Beating him gives you the Paradox Scope, letting you see alternate endings, and with them fill out your bestiary.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' allows players to continue the game after defeating the FinalBoss and not only pursue any sidequests or other achievements they may not have gotten during the open-world segments of the game, but also gives players the chance to enter [[BonusDungeon Bonus Dungeons]], one of which can only be accessed with a post-game-exclusive FlyingCar.

** Totally worth it for Gaz going [[Film/{{Airplane}} "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."]] during the mission intro.
* After defeating the final boss in ''VideoGame/WarioLand: Shake It!'', missions are added for each boss, and the levels that contain secret maps that unlock secret levels are revealed (along with a helpful little sparkle at each spot).

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'', even after you [[spoiler:ascend Temporal Tower and defeat Primal Dialga]], saving the world, there's more story afterwards, building up to [[spoiler:fighting Darkrai]] to save the world ''again''.
** In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity Gates to Infinity]]'', after [[spoiler:destroying [[TheHeartless the Bittercold]] and saving the world]], you get to take on more dungeons and job requests with new "mysteriosity" mechanics in place... [[spoiler:but only as your partner.]] But after a few of these, they have to trek through a different dungeon [[spoiler:to try and allow yourself back in the Pokémon world]], after which the story is officially over [[spoiler:(and you have the choice of letting you and your partner evolve)]].

* ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Double Agent'' ends with an extra level that's only playable after the credits have rolled. In it, Sam Fisher takes out the remaining terrorists who escaped the JBA stronghold in the final mission, defuses a bomb, then swiftly escapes before the authorities can catch him.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'' are one (two?) of the very few Zelda games that let you save after beating the final boss. This is because the story isn't actually over--after beating either Seasons or Ages, you get a code that lets you continue the plot in the ''other'' game, leading up to a confrontation with the TrueFinalBoss. In effect, the entire second game becomes ExtendedGameplay for the first. After that, you can play a NewGamePlus of ''both'' games; perhaps in the reverse of the order you used the first time.

* ''VideoGame/{{Eversion}}'', once you collect all the gems.

* VideoGame/{{Bemani}} games often have some form of an Extra Stage which you can play if you perform well. In arcade versions, this gives you an extra song for free, and most games usually have one or more secret boss songs which can only be played on Extra Stage (and sometimes only if you fulfill an even stricter set of unlock requirements simultaneously while earning the Extra Stage) for a short while after they're released. In console releases, this usually gives you a single chance to play a boss song even if you haven't unlocked it, and may automatically unlock a boss song if you beat it on Extra Stage (whereas they're usually the hardest or take the longest to unlock normally). Do well on the boss song on Extra Stage and you might get the Encore Extra Stage (a.k.a. "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin One More Extra Stage]]" in some games), which usually allows you to select the TrueFinalBoss song (or in some games, ''forces'' you to attempt it).

* In the original ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong'', beating Donkey Kong at the end rolls the credits and congratulates you on a job well done, until he shows up at the factory again to steal more mini-Marios. This gives you another six worlds of levels to figure out, complete with a couple new gameplay mechanics. Beating THAT unlocks Expert mode, which is ANOTHER set of new levels that require stars (perfect scores from the proper game) to open up.
* ''VideoGame/MiniRobotWars''. After beating [[FinalBoss The Destroyer]] in the main campaign once, peace is achieved... for a few months. The evil machines attack Green Planet again in a fit of revenge, and you have to face off against a stronger army while your more expensive units are disabled (you get them back as you complete the worlds again). After foiling the machines ''again'', they decide to come back in full force, except they're even stronger AND you have [[WeatherOfWar natural disasters]] to deal with. The Minirobots finally get a complete victory once [[TrueFinalBoss Destroyer Zero]] is defeated.

* In ''[[VideoGame/{{Destiny}} Destiny]]'', by the time you've beaten the last main story mission, you'll be at the maximum of Level 20. Thought you were done? No. Firstly, 20 is only the level cap for ''experience'' levelling: experience now only affects your gear and abilities. Secondly, you can go beyond 20 by collecting "Light" from stronger armor. How do you get stronger weapons and armor? Well, you'll have to work for it by either playing bounties to increase your faction reputations (which then unlocks the ability to purchase gear of varying quality from their leaders), hoping you get them as a reward for participating in certain activities (such as the "Heroic" missions and strikes that are unlocked at this point as well -- which are higher-levelled versions of missions with good rewards), grinding for materials and currencies used to buy or upgrade gear (especially from the rare item vendor Xur, who is only present on Fridays and Saturdays). All this work leads up to the raids, which are by far the TrueFinalBoss of the game (and where you can, sometimes, find the rarest gear in the game). Long story short, the "end" of the game is where your grind begins. This is alleviated with the release of Destiny 2.0, otherwise known as The Taken King expansion. Bungie has revamped the Light system to now work as a "Gear Score" like in other MMO's. The new level cap is 40 and the Light level cap will continue to increase with the release of new content. The neat thing about this system is the Light level now affects what level gear you receive from drops so you should be able to steadily progress no matter what your doing, making the grind feel like less of a chore and more like a natural progression. As you improve, so too does your gear.

* The draw of just about every ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' game. Between the sprawling levels, OneHundredPercentCompletion, {{Bonus Boss}}es, {{Easter Egg}}s, and extra goodies to collect ''in'' the levels to ''beat'' the bonus bosses, the bulk of the game invariably happens after you've finished the plot. And, at least in the first few games, the secret area did tie in to the plot, as a sort of aside, explanation, or epilogue. Secret Area in the third game, for example, explained the [=UnderNet=] and let you meet the guys in charge, and also gave Bass a sort of alternate ending, since the third game was also the last time he appeared in the games as anything other than a vaguely non-canon BonusBoss.

* In ''VideoGame/CopyKitty'', beating the default Normal difficulty with Boki or Savant unlocks Hard Mode, a revamped campaign featuring beefed up enemies, new Constructs, new powers, some original levels, redesigned boss strategies, and some brand new bosses, culminating with their respective TrueFinalBoss. In addition for Boki, beating Normal unlocks the [[BonusDungeon Extra World]] with new levels, enemies, and BonusBoss Exgal. Completing Boki's Hard Mode on top of a number of additional challenges gives her access to that world's Hard difficulty with one last boss. In addition, there's also Marathon Mode, where you get to play through the campaigns again at any point while keeping your weapon combinations and ammo which results in several GameBreaker scenarios. Lastly, there's several unlockable Modifiers that give out cheats that can only be acquired after doing any of the above.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' in the True Ending route.

* ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' may be the ''only'' example of this trope in non-interactive media. After the end of the campaign, the [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] continued their adventure in several [[LooseCanon dubiously canonical]] [[BonusMaterial live shows]] set between the primary campaign's ending and its [[DistantFinale far future epilogue]]. Though the adventures are standalone in and of themselves, they form an overarching plot in which [[spoiler:[[ShopKeeper Garfield the Deals Warlock]] has secretly been gathering weapons of immense power and unique abilities.]]

* Done sneakily in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', where at the end of the game, AND after becoming the #1 Assassin, [[spoiler: the player is given the choice to save a clear file and watch one of two endings. The SECOND ending, which is only made available after you buy all the beam katana upgrades, involves you killing one more boss - the same boss that cheated you out of one of your own boss fights, the putative endgame boss being a AnticlimaxBoss.]]

* The ''VideoGame/LivePowerfulProBaseball'' games are baseball simulators with a DatingSim "Success" Story mode. When you clear it, you can use your character in a "Pennant" career mode. Clearing this finally allows you to use your character in a custom team for Free Play. Most games in the series also feature an unlockable Success mode that's a [[AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent fantasy-themed RPG with a different cast of characters]].

* The second ''{{VideoGame/Pikmin}}'' game is completed when you get 10000 pokos. However, if you want to get all the treasures [[spoiler: and find out what happened to Louie when he fell out of the ship]], then you'll have to return to the Pikmin planet.
* In ''[[VideoGame/{{Destiny}} Destiny]]'', by the time you've beaten the last main story mission, you'll be at the maximum of Level 20. Thought you were done? No. Firstly, 20 is only the level cap for ''experience'' levelling: experience now only affects your gear and abilities. Secondly, you can go beyond 20 by collecting "Light" from stronger armor. How do you get stronger weapons and armor? Well, you'll have to work for it by either playing bounties to increase your faction reputations (which then unlocks the ability to purchase gear of varying quality from their leaders), hoping you get them as a reward for participating in certain activities (such as the "Heroic" missions and strikes that are unlocked at this point as well -- which are higher-levelled versions of missions with good rewards), grinding for materials and currencies used to buy or upgrade gear (especially from the rare item vendor Xur, who is only present on Fridays and Saturdays). All this work leads up to the raids, which are by far the TrueFinalBoss of the game (and where you can, sometimes, find the rarest gear in the game). Long story short, the "end" of the game is where your grind begins.
** Somewhat alleviated with the release of Destiny 2.0, otherwise known as The Taken King expansion. Bungie has revamped the Light system to now work as a "Gear Score" like in other MMO's. The new level cap is 40 and the Light level cap will continue to increase with the release of new content. The neat thing about this system is the Light level now affects what level gear you receive from drops so you should be able to steadily progress no matter what your doing, making the grind feel like less of a chore and more like a natural progression. As you improve, so too does your gear.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3'' had a lot of these: Battling a swarm of enemies during the credits (kill 100 for an extra scene), extra difficulty levels and Bloody Palace.

* Happens in every ''Pokémon'' game in some form after defeating the Elite Four.
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'', the player gains access to Cerulean Cave, home to high level Pokémon, including the original [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One Mon]], Mewtwo. The UpdatedRerelease, [=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=], add the Sevii Islands, with a sideplot featuring Team Rocket in the immediate aftermath of their leader's departure and granting access to several extra dungeons, a breeding center, and a Trainer Tower.

** In ''Gates to Infinity'', after [[spoiler:destroying [[TheHeartless the Bittercold]] and saving the world]], you get to take on more dungeons and job requests with new "mysteriosity" mechanics in place... [[spoiler:but only as your partner.]] But after a few of these, they have to trek through a different dungeon [[spoiler:to try and allow yourself back in the Pokémon world]], after which the story is officially over [[spoiler:(and you have the choice of letting you and your partner evolve)]].

** In ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'', the player gains access to the Unknown Dungeon (known as Cerulean Cave in later games), home to high level Pokémon, including the original [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One Mon]], Mewtwo. The UpdatedRerelease, [=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=], add the Sevii Islands, with a sideplot featuring Team Rocket in the immediate aftermath of their leader's departure and granting access to several extra dungeons, a breeding center, and a Trainer Tower.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' sees the PC and Hau go on an Ultra Beast hunt on behalf of Colress. As well, the Battle Tree opens, allowing the PC to fight against several fan favorite characters from the previous years of Pokemon. Come ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'', the postgame instead becomes dismantling Team Rainbow Rocket (and the leaders of all previous villainous Teams) after they take over Lusamine's house.

** In ''Gates to Infinity'', after [[spoiler:destroying [[TheHeartless the Bittercold]] and saving the world]], you get to take on more dungeons and job requests with new "mysteriosity" mechanics in place... [[spoiler:but only as your partner.]] But after a few of these, they have to trek through a different dungeon [[spoiler:to try and allow yourself back in the Pokemon world]], after which the story is officially over [[spoiler:(and you have the choice of letting you and your partner evolve)]].

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'': After you defeat Rhapthorne, you can find the quest to the kingdom of Dragovia...[[spoiler:and find out the Hero's heritage]].

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' both have quest chains that are only unlocked after beating the game.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' was made from this trope. The final level of the Crystarium doesn't actually get unlocked until after you beat the [[FinalBoss last boss]], meaning it's impossible to max out your characters' stats and abilities before then. And the only major [[SideQuest Side Quest]] in the game is not completable until after you beat that boss, either, as certain locations are barred to you and some of the Missions can't be accessed. Meaning the game can go on for hours and hours even after you've ostensibly "beaten" it.
** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2 The sequel]] can be ''mostly'' completed before facing the FinalBoss. But only mostly. Beating him gives you the Paradox Scope, letting you see alternate endings, and with them fill out your bestiary.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}: Zero Mission'', Samus defeats Mother Brain and escapes the exploding complex on Zebes. She gets back in her ship, leaves the planet....[[spoiler:and promptly gets shot down by the Space Pirates, making her lose her suit and forcing her to go on a stealth mission (in Zero Suit) to retrieve it and escape from the pirates' base]].

* The second {{VideoGame/Pikmin}} game is completed when you get 10000 pokos. However, if you want to get all the treasures [[spoiler: and find out what happened to Louie when he fell out of the ship]], then you'll have to return to the Pikmin planet.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3'' had a lot of these: Batttling a swarm of enemies during the credits (kill 100 for an extra scene), extra difficulty levels and Bloody Palace.

* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' has the Inverted Castle. This overlaps with DiscOneFinalDungeon, as the Inverted Castle is fully as big as the regular one.

** Explore The Sea and defeat an EldritchAbomination or three. [[RealityEnsues You'll need a way to breathe down there, though.]]

* ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' may be the ''only'' example of this trope in non-interactive media. After the end of the campaign, the PCs continued their adventure in several [[LooseCanon dubiously canonical]] [[BonusMaterial live shows]] set between the primary campaign's ending and its [[DistantFinale far future epilogue]]. Though the adventures are standalone in and of themselves, they form an overarching plot in which [[spoiler:[[ShopKeeper Garfield the Deals Warlock]] has secretly been gathering weapons of immense power and unique abilities.]]

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' allows players to continue the game after defeating the FinalBoss and not only pursue any sidequests or other achievements they may not have gotten during the open-world segments of the game, but also gives players the chance to enter [[BonusDungeons Bonus Dungeons]], one of which can only be accessed with a post-game-exclusive FlyingCar.

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'' does this, making it possibly the UrExample (and possibly even the TropeMaker).
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'': After you defeat Rhapthorne, you can find the quest to the kingdom of Dragovia...[[spoiler:and find out the Hero's heritage]].
** Also in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': Okay, you've grabbed the MacGuffin and used its power, gone on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge and killed the underlings of the evil priest of death who killed your father, and now you finally get to finish him off climactically. Is it over? No. Now you have to [[spoiler:[[ToHellAndBack go to Hell]] and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu kill the devil]]. Hope you remembered those [[ChekhovsGun rings]].]]
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' has a huge focus on this as well. With tons of quests, bonus bosses, and secret party members that require the game to be beaten first. The epilogue is of such size, that it's been said (and perhaps accurately so) that the entire main game is just a tutorial compared to the massive epilogue.

** All Castlevania games feature this to an extent, unlocking at least one final area with the TrueFinalBoss by doing something specific during a boss battle (Defeating Graham with the right set of souls, defeating Aguni during the battle with Dario, etc.)

* Similar to its predecessor, ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' has multiple endings, and each playthrough adds to the story. The first playthrough places players in the role of [=2B=], while the second playthrough follows [=9S=] during the same span of time, [[HeroOfAnotherStory, following his exploits]]. The third playthrough continues the story from the previous endings, leading into a massive WhamEpisode.

* Done sneakily in the Wii game ''No More Heroes'', where at the end of the game, AND after becoming the #1 Assassin, [[spoiler: The player is given the choice to save a clear file and watch one of two endings. The SECOND ending, which is only made available after you buy all the beam katana upgrades, involves you killing one more boss - the same boss that cheated you out of one of your own boss fights, the putative endgame boss being a AnticlimaxBoss.]]

** Thought you were almost done when you defeated [[spoiler:Albus]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia''? Guess again. Welcome to [[spoiler:Dracula's castle, which is at least half as big as a typical {{Metroidvania}} castle!]]