9 Great Video Games You Didn't Understand First Time

Yeah so... erm... what.

Bioshock Infinite
2K

Interpretations of narratives tend to split people right down the middle.

Either you're totally fine "working with" a film, TV show or game - indulging in wider thinking or interpretations based on context or supplementary reading - or everything has to be right there on the screen, for it to be taken as gospel.

To be honest, many of these conversations go on to form some of the most diehard, introspective and investigative fandoms in entertainment history, so there is an immense power to playing things right down the middle.

Let's just say though, that there's a huge difference in slowly drip-feeding the role of The Illusive Man in Mass Effect 2, versus plonking Palpatine down in Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, and hoping for the best.

Either way, it's you that's left scratching your head when the credits roll.

How much of that confusion was intended? Are you supposed to "dive deeper" right off the bat, or does the creator want you to wait it out for a future instalment, or their own "everything explained" followup?

When does "reading between the lines" become "writing the script yourself"? The results are often fascinating, divisive, and make for a good conversation no matter what. And at the end of the day, maybe that's all our beloved medium needs.

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Note: There will be spoilers for the games mentioned.

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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.