10 ‘Happy’ Video Games With Dark Secrets

By Sam Heard /

2. Slender Man In Bit.Trip Presents Runner2

Runner2 is yet another visually vibrant game which sees you jumping from platform to platform and avoiding enemies. Much like in Patapon, music plays a huge part in Runner2, though the dull thud of the PSP€™s drums are replaced by upbeat music. Alarm bells should start to ring when you learn that Charles Martinet €“ famous for voicing Mario €“ also lent his voice to the cutscenes and menus of Runner2. As we have learned on this list, Mario games are far from the light hearted mushroom-chomping extravaganzas we once thought they were. The visually hyperactive game seems inoffensive enough until the Slender Man randomly makes a cameo appearance, stalking you through the whole level. This appearance of the malevolent being who originated on an online forum completely clashes with the game€™s bright presentation. This contrast makes Slender Man€™s appearance all the more unsettling. Combine this with the fact that he is just shown lurking ominously in the background rather than interacting with you and all of a sudden this appearance becomes one of the darkest secrets in video gaming.