Games With Optional Content Too Good to Skip

Some of a game's most inventive work waits off the critical path. These are detours with a distinct identity: substantial side stories, hidden places, demanding encounters and puzzles that continue beyond a first ending. Each entry names the opportunity, gives a small nudge towards it and explains what is included. Optional means outside a standard story completion or first ending; a particular alternate ending or full completion may still depend on it. Quest names and broad access details appear below, but solutions and outcomes stay undisclosed.