10 Shocking Video Game Bait-And-Switches You'll Never Forget

Dare to imagine a time in media before that feeling of awkwardly waiting in a cinema, Googling to see if there’s a post-credits scene. Before it became expected out of a blockbuster picture to end with a little bumper, we’d all walk off or rewind the VHS as soon as we saw the words “directed by”.

When developing Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo, Rareware decided to have a little fun with this expectation.

When players finally arrive at Gangplank Galleon, they’re greeted with a cheerful little pirate ditty that doesn’t exactly scream “climatic showdown”. The boss fight with King K Rool seems at first underwhelming, even as the song does pick up into a rockin’ 16-bit barnstormer.

With the banana-thieving crocodile defeated, the brief “kredits” begin to scroll and conclude with an unsure “the end?”.

Suddenly, K Rool is bouncing around the stage once more and throwing his crown at you in a last-ditch attempt to come out on top. And, considering that most would’ve relaxed and maybe even put the pad down after his original defeat, this little trick probably saw many players fall at the final hurdle.

It’s a charming little subversion that tops off an all-time classic that perhaps doesn’t get the recognition it deserves today.