Classic secret levels

[jnm23]

What are your memories of some of the classic secret levels of the past (as opposed to game within a game covered by a recent thread)
I would like to nominate:

bubble bobble - the diamond room upon reaching level 20 without dying
sonic - the rotating maze when collecting 50 rings in an act
mario 4 - the 8 super hard levels in star road

anyone seen seen the master system r type secret level?

[gizmo1990]

Here's one, not so much a secret level as such but a a very clever level design.

The last level on Turrican (Amiga) had you running around trying to find out where the exit was. The whole level was working its way up a tower like structure as I remember.

Anyway, if you paid attention to the games rear box art you would have seen a sort of cut thru picture of this tower (citidal). Now, if you paid REALLY close attention you'd have noticed that this picture was actually a pretty close approximation of all the levels you'd played through. Given this observation, if you looked at the top of the tower you were given a very good indication where the secret level exit was! 8)

When I found this out I was very impressed!! Ahh those were the days!

[DCharlie]

does JSW's "April showers" count?

[dataDave]

I unlocked a certain secret level on a classic 1-on-1 2D fighter yesterday - I'll take some pics tonight.

[Duddyroar]

The secret level in Starfox is a bit of a classic.

[Wools]

Mario 64
The top of the castle in Mario 64 had me and my friend in awe of the castle ground for months after completing that together.

Duke Nukem
Far to many to recall, a hidden treasure trove is that game!

[Dogg Thang]

There was a Wolfenstein level in one of the Dooms, if I remember correctly.

[Ratso]

Not sure if all of these strictly count as bonus 'levels', but here goes:

The secret extra variations on the multi-player stages in Saturn BomberMan (hold down x+y+z on the stage select screen), effectively multiplying the number of arenas by four. Brilliant!

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's 'secret level' is the same size as the main game - only it's upside down.

Nick Faldo's on the Amiga: the Mars course. Low gravity, red landscape and space helmet. Apparently was going to be freely available from the start but the publisher didn't think that golf fans would appreciate it.

Rez's extra level proper is almost as good as the main five, and has it's own choon and high score table.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit had unlockable Super Mario Kart courses for goodness sake.

There was a bit in Apidya where you could fly into a decaying yet malevolent rat's stomach. which was entertainingly gross. And another bit where you dove into a molehill as memory serves. I reckon a lot of players wouldn't have found these as they both looked like suicide.

The Resident Evil 2 bonus game where you played as a giant slab of tofu I assumed was an April Fool, until I unlocked it.

And finally, a 'bonus' better than the main game itself: the indoor pitch in FIFA: RTTWC '98.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Super Mario Bros. - Warp Zones, The Minus World, Beanstalks leading into the sky bonus level, etc. Nothing beat the feeling of discovering these for the first time, surely?

[Kubrick]

StarFox 64 - The highly-lucrative zone you're transported to for passing through all the blue warp gates in the Asteroid level. I think there's another one too in a later level, but I can't remember it.
You can also face the original SFC version boss on Corneria instead of the usual robot one if you go through the waterfall after meeting certain criteria...which I forget.

[importaku]

Rainbow islands is my fave.

Having the 3 secret islands surface when you though you had it completed was classic.

[Ouenben]

Mario world for all it's secret exits and secret levels including the coloured block switches.

Warioland 2 - Just by leaving the into bit where Wario is asleep unlocks a whole new mini chapter. I loved this game, so many variations and secret level spin offs

Mario land 2 - The level with the bowser head that blows bubbles, float to the end and goto the moon! Not to mention the other secrets

Sonic Adventure 2 - Getting all emblems and unlocking the 3d Green hill zone.

Yoshi's island - Getting 100 on all levels and unlocking another level per world.

[erhgiez]

Probotector had that room where you fight lots of bosses, gotta shoot this guy or something then go up a straight wall, completely forgotten.

[jnm23]

Probotector had that room where you fight lots of bosses, gotta shoot this guy or something then go up a straight wall, completely forgotten.

which version, NES?

[dataDave]

Ryo Sakazaki Dream Match from Fatal Fury Special. You have to complete the game without losing a round.