10 Video Game Pause Screen Secrets You Totally Missed

Deadpool doesn't like it when you pause him.

By Jack Pooley /

There's no denying that, for the most part, video game pause screens are a practical utility above all else, to allow the player a moment of respite when they need to hit the bathroom, grab a snack, answer the phone, or maybe just change a few in-game settings.

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And try though developers might to make them look fancy and fashionable, pause screens are therefore a relatively boring, safe, predictable aspect of game design.

Or so you thought.

Though the overwhelming majority of pause screens are indeed an oasis where the player can relax without fear of a Game Over, some developers have dared to get a little more creative and put some added thought into them.

These 10 video games all boast exceptionally imaginative pause screens which harbour incredible secrets and Easter eggs.

They're generally subtle enough as to be missed by just about everyone, save for those lucky few who stumbled upon them by pure accident - or, more likely, read about them online.

Whether these secrets raise a nostalgic smile or instill sheer terror in those who witness them, each made a firm argument that video game pause menus can be clever, unpredictable, and quite brilliant in their own right...

10. The Pause Menu Is A Musical Instrument - Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey's pause menu might seem like a most typical of Nintendo pause screens - stylish but elegantly simple - that is unless you listen closely to the various chime sound effects which play when you cycle through the game's menu options.

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Players discovered shortly after release that if you select some of the options in a certain order, you can actually play a familiar Mario theme.

Basically, if you enter the pause menu, select Options, then Choose Mode, and then go back, the resulting notes will play the memorable Comet Observatory theme from Super Mario Galaxy.

Even if you somehow stumbled upon it by sheer accident, it's missed incredibly easily unless you're a hardcore Mario fan. For the ride-or-die fans, though, this is one hell of a mind-melting, fan-serving detail.

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