In choice-based games, there are several segments of gameplay — sometimes hours long — that are easily missed due to incorrect or misguided choices. While this formula is more common in video games featuring the butterfly effect mechanism, it isn't unheard of for any story-driven game to implement hidden scenes, secret dialogue, or alternate endings.

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As the chaos theory prophesies, one minor change in a deterministic, non-linear system can have larger, sometimes disastrous consequences later on. For gamers, missing out on important moments classifies as disastrous.

8 Ethan Gets His Leg Chopped Off By Jack Baker – Resident Evil 7

Resident Evil 7 Ethan Leg Chopped Off

As bizarre as it sounds, Ethan's Leg is an inventory item in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. While playing as Ethan, his right leg can be amputated by certain enemies, therefore taking up one block of inventory space. In order to prevent Ethan from dying of blood loss, his leg needs to be reattached using a First Aid Med.

The most common instance of Ethan's mutilation comes early on. If Ethan attempts to unlock the hatch in the pantry while Jack Baker is behind him, he will taunt Ethan by tossing him a First Aid Med. In a later fight, Jack can cut off Ethan's leg by doing a low swipe. While the moment doesn't appear to be crucial to the Resident Evil 7 plot, Ethan's regenerative abilities are significant to the Mold that has infected him, which underlies the Eveline narrative.

7 Ellie Sings “Take on Me” For Dina – The Last of Us Part 2

The Last of Us Part II Ellie Sings to Dina

An incredibly heartwarming and emotional moment, Ellie serenading Dina in the music store is a cutscene and a mini-game all-in-one that isn't triggered unless the pair visit "Valiant Music Shop." The opportunity occurs during the Downtown segment of The Last of Us Part 2.

Inside the music store, there's a connecting room that's tucked away. Should Ellie go inside, there'll be a guitar case gathering algae that she can interact with. When she does, a mini-game will begin that prompts the player to strum some chords from Pearl Jam's "Future Days" — Ellie and Joel's theme throughout The Last of Us Part 2. Then, she'll interact with Dina and sweetly sing a slowed-down version of a-ha's "Take on Me." It's romantic, it's touching and it's so easy to pass by.

6 Arthur Morgan Admits A Deep-Rooted Fear – Red Dead Redemption 2

Arthur Talking to the Nun in Red Dead Redemption II

As we know, Arthur Morgan succumbs to the debilitating effects of tuberculosis at the end of Red Dead Redemption 2 and dies. However, there's a bittersweet conversation to be had between Arthur and Sister (a nun) in a cutscene during a quest titled "The Fine Art of Conversation" in Chapter 4. During Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur helps Sister on a few side missions and becomes friends with her. In Chapter 6, Arthur encounters Sister again at the train station.

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During the exchange, Arthur reveals that he's dying from TB (tuberculosis) and that he's "lived a bad life." The nun affirms and reassures him, saying that "we've all had bad lives." Arthur goes on to detail how his son died, he "threw away" his relationship with a woman who loved him, his "momma" died when he was a kid and he watched "daddy" die, saying "it weren't soon enough." After some witty banter, Arthur admits that he's afraid to die. It only lasts for a few minutes, but it's a touching scene that adds more weight to Arthur's death and can be easily missed by the type to blitz through the main story.

5 Missing The Genocide Ending – Undertale

Undertale Genocide Run with Sans

After Toby Fox released Undertale, it didn't take long for fans to suss out the three primary routes that Fisk can choose: the Neutral route, the Pacifist route, and the Genocide route. As their names suggest, the Pacifist route entails killing no monsters throughout the journey, while Genocide requires taking all lives without mercy. The Neutral route is unlocked when killing and sparing specific characters. Undertale was designed to be completed more than once, that much is certain, but choosing either Pacifist or Genocide will determine Fisk/Chara's fate and present as two entirely different games.

Back in 2015, the Undertale fanbase would recommend that all first-time players take the Pacifist route, simply because the Genocide route is so agonizingly difficult, it would deter players from a second run. Unbeknownst to them, the Pacifist route excludes a weighted, emotional, and devastating boss fight between Fisk (or Chara) and Sans and many alternative dialogue options for earlier characters such as Undyne, Papyrus, and Flowey.

4 Discovering The Fate Of The Sanatorium Employees – Until Dawn

Until Dawn Sam in Chapter 10

If Mike didn't blow up the Sanatorium earlier in Chapter 9, Sam will disband from the others (if they survived until then) and open a metal door that leads outside. If Mike blew up the Sanatorium, Mike will burst through the door while being attacked by a wendigo, forcing Sam to intervene and thus losing the chance to explore the area. Outside, Sam can pass through a graveyard dedicated to all the former employees at Blackwood Sanatorium who were killed (presumably during the events of the VR game The Inpatient, the prequel to Until Dawn).

Here, Sam will run into and rescue Mike. It's a fun little detail that links Until Dawn and The Impatient with a reference that isn't fully understood until three years later in 2018 when the prequel was released. Again, if the right choices aren't made, Sam never discovers the graveyard. The moment is so minuscule yet so substantial, but it isn't usually discoverable until one has gained enough knowledge for another, more educated playthrough.

3 The Secret Kamski Ending – Detroit: Become Human

Detroit Become Human Secret Kamski Ending

Detroit: Become Human's secret ending — which also happens to be the quickest ending — is the "Kamski" ending. It stars Elijah Kamski, the overarching antagonist of Detroit: Become Human and the founder and former CEO of CyberLife, the faction that invented the androids. The player must falter the goals of all three main characters to unlock this ending. For Kara, she must die inside the mansion. For Markus, he must be shot to death by the police. And for Connor, he must never find Jericho and be deactivated.

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In the Kamski ending, Elijah is reinstated as Cyberlife CEO after events in Detroit. During an interview with newscaster Rosanna Cartland, Kamski is asked how he feels about the deviant androids. He describes how CyberLife had crafted an initiative, under his supervision, to prevent further deviancy in androids and urges that while androids were created to imitate life, they will never be alive. "They are an imitation and nothing else." Detroit: Become Human's seemingly endless collection of endings makes the Kamski ending achievable only with the prior knowledge to do so, such as in fellow choice-based game Until Dawn.

2 Ethan Escapes From Jail – Heavy Rain

Heavy Rain Under Arrest

The Heavy Rain chapter "Under Arrest" is optional and only playable if Ethan gets arrested in either "Fugitive" or "On the Loose." There are a few conditions to unlock "Under Arrest," including the fact that Norman Jayden helps Ethan escape custody, therefore Jayden must be alive for this scenario to play out.

Ethan's worst ending, known as "Helpless," sees him commit suicide in his prison cell after Shawn dies and he is successfully framed as the Origami Killer. It goes without saying that if Jayden dies, Ethan has no escape route. Although it isn't groundbreaking as far as Heavy Rain's main plot, it provides some context for Ethan's wrongful accusation and the corruption inside the police department. It also provides somewhat of a bonding moment between Norman and Ethan, should the former survive.

1 Half Of The Game Can Be Missed – The Witcher 2

The Witcher 2 Geralt and Roche

In Chapter 1 of The Witcher 2, Geralt must make a game-changing decision to align himself with either Roche or Iorveth (Scoia'tael or the Blue Stripes). If Geralt sides with Roche, the plot revolves around the Kingslayers. In this storyline, Henselt is a major character in Act 2, and in Act 3, Geralt decides the fate of Temeria. Alternatively, siding with Iorveth will divert the focus to saving Triss, meaning that Saskia and Philippa are major characters and in Act 3, Geralt can decide to save Saskia.

Essentially, picking either Roche or Iorveth determines how the story unfolds from then on, thereby splitting The Witcher 2 into two contrasting hours-long narratives. There is no right or wrong answer here, so the choice is entirely dependent on personal preference.

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