Gaming events so outrageous they seemed like fan fiction before their reveal

Can you share some gaming occurrences that were so wild you’d think they were made up until you saw them happen yourself?

I’m referring to those unbelievable instances in games that feel like fan-created tales but ended up in official releases. Here are a few examples I can think of:

• In that epic final confrontation, the villain’s health bar becomes ridiculously extended, stretching well beyond any normal boundaries. Initially, it feels like there must be a glitch or some sort of prank.

• An iconic enemy reappearing after years away, springing back to life after a long slumber, only to send the current antagonist flying into space. It sounds like something a devoted fan would come up with in their free time.

• You remember those obscure characters that were just footnotes in old strategy guides? Occasionally, they become central figures in new games, despite being mere background mentions for decades.

• Characters from one franchise surprising us by showing up as bosses in entirely different series or spin-offs.

What other surprising gaming events have you encountered that felt too unbelievable until you witnessed them firsthand?

The Snake reveal in MGS2 is something I still can’t get over. You spend most of the game thinking you’re just playing this handsome guy and then bam, it all flips. It breaks the fourth wall and plays with your expectations about sequels. Kojima really pulled a fast one on everyone and turned it into something brilliant. It felt like the biggest prank ever pulled on gamers.

Cloud being in Smash Bros was pure insanity when it happened. Nobody thought Square would ever let that happen.

When Kratos just casually switched from Greek to Norse mythology like it was no big deal

Doomguy in Fall Guys still kills me. Someone at id Software literally said let’s throw our demon-murdering badass into a game with cute bouncing beans. The whole thing was so ridiculous it felt like a fever dream.

Bowser being a genuinely caring dad in the Mario RPGs still throws me off

When Sephiroth killed Aerith out of nowhere. Nobody saw that coming back then.