10 Video Game Secret Endings That Weren't Worth It
5. The Origami Craftsman's Final Gift - Paper Mario: The Origami King
The regular ending to the 2020 Paper Mario game, the Origami King, is a surprising emotional and bittersweet moment in an otherwise silly experience. The secret ending, on the other hand, is a 30 second disappointment that is needlessly separated from the rest of the final cutscene by pointless collectibles and absolutely brutal requirements.
To get the secret ending, the player needs to complete 100% of the game before the final boss fight, and let's just say that the road to 100% is quite a journey.
It involves beating fifteen special challenges, some of which are just downright sadistic, unlocking all of the art and sound samples in the gallery, maxing out your HP, and finally, completing four separate missions involving finding hidden objects scattered throughout the world.
Suffice to say, a long list of objectives like this should come with a proportionally amazing reward, right? It's only fair, seeing as some of these lost Toads you're looking for are hidden in out-of-bounds areas...
Well, Paper Mario's secret ending is just a short cutscene of the Origami Craftsman, the Toad creator of the titular Origami King and his sister Olivia, placing small replicas of his two creations atop a celebratory cake. Yay...