History Main / SecretLevel

* ''{{Eversion}}'''s secret level is unlocked after collecting all 240 gems in the game, and is necessary to get the good ending.
* ''DemonsCrest'' really has no mandatory levels after the very first stage, but the final two need to be unlocked on the world map by jumping into a cyclone in Stage 4.

* ''KidChameleon'' has many levels named "Elsewhere". All of them are technically secret levels. Early on, they generally have to be discovered and act as shortcuts, but later in the game, there are plenty that can accidentally be accessed and lead backwards (or just through to a different path of levels).

* World 8, [[BubblyClouds Sky Roost]] in ''[[Videogame/HarmoKnight HarmoKnight]]'', which is unlocked after collecting 5 Tori Birds, is an entire Secret Level merged into one big world. It tries to mimick the earlier worlds, but (as the princess says) puts a twist on them. These eight levels look like normal levels, but then you enter one of the levels, and see thousands of Mooks, SpikesOfDoom, and BottomlessPits. You get the sudden realization that the princess told you these levels are NintendoHard. Final Trial is just simply [[DeathCourse a gigantic death trap]].

* ''{{Nitemare 3D}}'' goes straight from level 4 to level 6 if you play it normally. Or, you can simply push a bunch of boxes in front of one of a pair of dumbwaiters (which will otherwise just transport you back and forth) and get in the other to jump to level 5, which is full of gun-wielding human enemies.

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** ''{{VideoGame/Doom}} II'' had two secret levels set in levels taken from ''{{VideoGame/Wolfenstein 3D}}'', with one accessed from a secret exit found in the other. The second one required you to kill four clones [[spoiler:of VideoGame/CommanderKeen hanging from a noose]] to access the exit.

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* ''PrinnyCanIReallyBeTheHero'' and it's sequel has this. Considering that this is that [[PlatformHell kind]] of [[NintendoHard game]], they also count as a [[BrutalBonusLevel Brutal Bonus Level]]. In the sequel, you have to collect a set amount of dolls and it's a lot easier said than done. Thankfully enough, these levels set your lives at infinite, unfortunately, [[ButtonMashing your device]] and sanity weren't considered.

* ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen Episode I'' had a secret level which could only be accessed by going down a tricky side passage in another level.
** Episode four had one where you [[JustForPun collect 12 Inch Worms to make a giant foot]] which then launches you to a secret temple.
* ''SonicCD'' has the DummiedOut 8th Special Stage. To access it, the player has to enter a code in the title screen to open the secret SoundTest, then enter another code on it.

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[[AC:RealTimeStrategy]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}: Brood Wars'' featured a secret mission which hinted at a major plot point in the sequel. It had no lasting impact on the game otherwise. [[VideoGame/StarcraftII Said sequel]] also features a hidden mission in the Terran campaign.

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* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' has ''Revelation'', which provides closure to the ending of [[SaintsRow1 the first game]] and is not unlocked through the standard story progression. Instead, you are given a hint to go to the police headquarters, where you can listen to three wiretap conversations and find Dex's phone number, who directs you to the mission start.

* ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII has a level based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxon_Wars Saxon Revolt]] hidden in the files. It must be imported into the game by following instructions provided by the Read Me.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry 2'' and ''3'' have a "secret" world that allows access to a better ending, and certain items you collect are focused around gaining access to these levels.

* ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' has [[SugarApocalypse Whimsyshire]], a land that seems ripped straight from CareBears with smiling clouds, purple bears and unicorns. It can only be accessesd by completing a recipe, or killing a Rainbow Goblin. A later patch also added Greed's Domain, which is a rare portal that opens after killing Treasure Goblins. It features a unique boss and has pots that literally drop millions of gold pieces. Being lucky enough to enter one pretty much ensures you'll never have to worry about money ever again.

* ''[[SuperMarioBros Super Mario World]]'' also has many, many secret levels and two entire secret worlds.
** ''Super Mario 64'' has various secret levels hidden in the hub area.
** ''Super Mario World 2'' (''YoshisIsland'') had one secret level per world (accessed by 100% completion of the normal levels), generally based around a gimmick, much harder than other levels, or both. The Game Boy Advance remake has another secret level per world once the game has been beaten.
** ''NewSuperMarioBros'' has secret exits that have red flags instead of the standard black flags. Some [[SequenceBreaking let you skip sizable chunks of the game]].

** ''[[VideoGame/LuigisMansion Luigi's Mansion]]'' has multiple hidden, secret or otherwise unneeded rooms inside the game, which are essential for 100% completion and getting all of the ghosts, but is often entirely optional and one may even forget to do them while playing because those rooms are never mentioned.
** ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'' has World 9, which the player could access only by playing the first eight worlds without warping.

** ''SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins'' has two secret levels in the Pumpkin Zone, and one each in the Tree Zone, Macro Zone, Space Zone and Turtle Zone.

* ''RatchetAndClank'' (in ''2'', ''3'', and ''A Crack in Time'') has the Insomniac Museum, where the game's designers stuck a bunch of stuff that "didn't quite make it into the finished game." The handheld entries have the High Impact Games Treehouse, with much the same purpose.

* In ''ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'', you can go to Darunia and climb on top of houses. If you go to a roof nearest the top of the screen, you can jump off-screen with the JUMP spell, then (while still off-screen) use the FAIRY spell and fly up. You'll get the animation for falling down a hole and end up in a DIFFERENT town. The villagers all provide game info not found anywhere else in the normal towns. If you exit under the overpass to the right, you'll end up in the middle of the ocean, not being able to move in any direction. If you exit to the left, you'll just end up outside Darunia.

* The secret levels in ''PerfectDark'' are markedly different from those in ''[[VideoGame/GoldenEye1997 Goldeneye]]'' mentioned above. Instead of brand-new levels with no plot significance, they're retreads of previous levels from a different point of view, which reveal different parts of the story. The first one shows how an alien {{Mook}} [[spoiler:kidnapped the CEO of dataDyne (she was later killed aboard the ship) and imploded the building, effectively destroying the company]]. The other two missions let you play as the [[TheGreys grey]] aliens, one where Elvis alerts the Institute of being captured by Area51 and you play through the entire level with diminished health, and the other has you play as a soldier among a platoon who landed on the planet after Joanna dropped the shields. Both missions are ''[[BrutalBonusLevel insanely]]'' difficult.

* ''{{Quest 64}}'' has a SecretLevel in the [[ShiftingSandLand desert]]. While in a completely unrelated and skippable area, it does have a ton of powerups which are normally hard to find.

* The SharpX68000 port of ''FantasyZone'' has a secret eighth stage, "Dragon Land," based on ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier''.
* ''{{Rez}}'' has the Lost Area, unlocked by completing all the normal areas. [[BrutalBonusLevel It is quite difficult]]. Same for ''ChildOfEden'''s Hope level.
* The original ''StarFox'' has the Black Hole and Out Of This Dimension, both accessible from the two Asteroid Belt stages.

* ''SaintsRow2'' has ''Revelation'', which provides closure to the ending of [[SaintsRow1 the first game]] and is not unlocked through the standard story progression. Instead, you are given a hint to go to the police headquarters, where you can listen to three wiretap conversations and find Dex's phone number, who directs you to the mission start.

* The "Panzerknacker Unleashed" missions in ''MedalOfHonor Underground''. They are based on multiplayer maps from the previous game, and they are [[NintendoHard very, very hard]].
* Level 4-0 in ''MedalOfHonor: Allied Assault'' is accessible only through the console, and looks like it was supposed to be part of Mission 3, but was DummiedOut for progression/pacing reasons. There's also the Bazooka-Med bonus level accessed by earning the medal on Sniper's Last Stand.

* "Requiem," the final mission of ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}: Blood Money''. When it starts, it appears to just be a screenshot of 47's funeral over which the end credits are actually playing. Twirling the analog sticks (or pressing "W" on the computer) eventually causes 47 to get up, at which point the credits disappear and the mission begins. (This level is so secret that, on the Xbox versions, an achievement is awarded for completing the game after finishing ''the previous level''. Realizing that there ''is'' a mission in "Requiem," and then completing it, is good for a second achievement of equal value.)

* ''Franchise/TombRaider 3'' has a secret level accessed by finding every (well, technically, all but one, due to an oversight) secret. It appears to have been intended to be a normal level (and showed up in various previews of the game) at first but was cut for some sort of progression reason.
** The ''Franchise/TombRaider 2'' GaidenGame Golden mask also has a (very wacky) secret level accessed by finding all the secrets in the previous levels.
*** ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary'' has the "style units" gained after finding most of the secrets. Not really a level, as it is just an explorable visual demonstration, but it shows off various experimentations with the art-style of the game and locations.

* ''RollingThunder 3'' for the Genesis has Rounds A-C (one of them being a NostalgiaLevel) that serves to substitute the two vehicle stages (Round 3 and 6), as well as the Hijack stage (Round 9), while keeping all of their current weapons and ammo.
* ''SyphonFilter: The Omega Strain'''s secret missions are unlocked by completing each block of missions within par time with all of the objectives accomplished.

* ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII has a level based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Saxon_Revolt Saxon Revolt]] hidden in the files. It must be imported into the game by following instructions provided by the Read Me.

* ''DarkSouls'' has The Painted World of Ariamas, the Great Hollow, and the Ash Lake. For the most part, they're difficult-to-find [[BreatherLevel Breather Levels]] with lots of really good loot.

** ''{{Descent}}'' had some secret levels late in the game. They were difficult, but you could be rewarded with a lot of points and some weapons upgrades.

* ''{{Starcraft}}: Brood Wars'' featured a secret mission which hinted at a major plot point in the sequel. It had no lasting impact on the game otherwise. Said sequel also features a hidden mission in the Terran campaign.
* Similarly, ''{{Warcraft}} 3: The Frozen Throne'' had a hidden tower defense mini-game. If you defeated all the waves, you would receive a bonus hero in the following level.

* ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' has [[SugarApocalypse Whimsyshire]], a land that seems ripped straight from CareBears with smiling clouds, purple bears and unicorns.

* In ''VideoGame/MegaManX3'', there's a secret level that can only be accessed through specific teleportation capsules, that take you to an abandoned factory where you can fight Vile, the {{Dragon}} of the first game. Finding and beating him will result in another boss appearing in his stead later on, where he would normally find and attack you.

* In ''MegamanX 3'', there's a secret level that can only be accessed through specific teleportation capsules, that take you to an abandoned factory where you can fight Vile, the {{Dragon}} of the first game. Finding and beating him will result in another boss appearing in his stead later on, where he would normally find and attack you.
** Then, in ''MegamanX 6'', there's a secret "Nightmare Stage" for every normal level, where you can find secret upgrades and bosses.

!!Examples

[[AC:RealTimeStrategy]]
* ''{{Starcraft}}: Brood Wars'' featured a secret mission which hinted at a major plot point in the sequel. It had no lasting impact on the game otherwise. Said sequel also features a hidden mission in the Terran campaign.
* Similarly, ''{{Warcraft}} 3: The Frozen Throne'' had a hidden tower defense mini-game. If you defeated all the waves, you would receive a bonus hero in the following level.

[[AC:RolePlayingGame]]
* ''{{Quest 64}}'' has a SecretLevel in the [[ShiftingSandLand desert]]. While in a completely unrelated and skippable area, it does have a ton of powerups which are normally hard to find.
* ''DarkSouls'' has The Painted World of Ariamas, the Great Hollow, and the Ash Lake. For the most part, they're difficult-to-find [[BreatherLevel Breather Levels]] with lots of really good loot.

[[AC:StealthBasedGame]]
* "Requiem," the final mission of ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}: Blood Money''. When it starts, it appears to just be a screenshot of 47's funeral over which the end credits are actually playing. Twirling the analog sticks (or pressing "W" on the computer) eventually causes 47 to get up, at which point the credits disappear and the mission begins. (This level is so secret that, on the Xbox versions, an achievement is awarded for completing the game after finishing ''the previous level''. Realizing that there ''is'' a mission in "Requiem," and then completing it, is good for a second achievement of equal value.)
* ''VideoGame/SheepDogNWolf'' has two, both cleverly hidden in the HubLevel. One at the end of a passage in a wall that looks like a completely ordinary wall, and the other accessed by entering one of the doors from the other side.

[[AC:ShootEmUp]]
* The SharpX68000 port of ''FantasyZone'' has a secret eighth stage, "Dragon Land," based on ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier''.
* ''{{Rez}}'' has the Lost Area, unlocked by completing all the normal areas. [[BrutalBonusLevel It is quite difficult]]. Same for ''ChildOfEden'''s Hope level.
* The original ''StarFox'' has the Black Hole and Out Of This Dimension, both accessible from the two Asteroid Belt stages.
* ''VideoGame/{{Tyrian}}'' is absolutely chock-full of secret levels. As a rule, they're accessed by destroying a specific target in a level so that a big glowy sphere appears. When you grab it, you'll move on to the corresponding secret level after finishing the current one. Some of these are tough to get, requiring you to leave certain enemies alone or stay on a certain path. There's even secrets 'within' secret levels, so you can go through a bunch of secret levels in a row before returning to the normal ones.
* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'', as a series, is flat-out obsessed with hidden levels. Most games in the series have a secret alternate path, usually be doing something during the level to change the boss you fight. This gets lampshaded in ''[=ReBirth=]'', where you can fight a different boss but end up in the same level 2 stage regardless - the actual Secret Levels (there are three) are much better hidden. Not every game uses hidden stages, but rather Multiple Paths.
** The self parody series ''VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'' makes fun of this along with everything else - the secret levels in some of those games are even more insane than the standard ones.

[[AC:PlatformGame]]

* In ''MegamanX''3, there's a secret level that can only be accessed through specific teleportation capsules, that take you to an abandoned factory where you can fight Vile, the {{Dragon}} of the first game. Finding and beating him will result in another boss appearing in his stead later on, where he would normally find and attack you.
** Then, in Megaman X6, there's a secret "Nightmare Stage" for every normal level, where you can find secret upgrades and bosses.