6 Secret Characters Who Were Almost Impossible to Unlock

Secret characters are always a fun inclusion. Fans love diving deep into their favorite games, so when developers give them something special for that dedication, it’s always a wise choice. That said, some secret characters are ridiculously difficult to unlock. Whether that means solving obscure puzzles, overcoming seemingly impossible challenges, or even going outside of the game to uncover a hidden patch, these characters will take quite a bit of work to add to your game.

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Here are six of the hardest characters to unlock. There are plenty of other tough ones out there, so share your favorites in the comments below.

6) The Keeper – The Binding of Isaac

Many Binding of Isaac fans might list The Forgotten as the hardest character to unlock in Edmund McMillen’s fan-favorite roguelike. And that’s sort of true. Not only do you need to follow some obscure instructions, but you’ll also need to take down a tough boss rush.

However, the puzzle to unlock The Forgotten was solved by looking through the in-game files. That annoyed McMillen, so he created The Keeper. To unlock this character, the community had to work together to solve a tricky ARG in the real world. Once that was completed (and it took quite a bit of time), McMillen released the patch unlocking The Keeper. It’s relatively easy to get now, but the unlocking process took quite a bit of work.

5) Stefan – Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Stefan isn’t tough to unlock if you have a guide, but if you’re trying to add him to your party naturally, good luck. See, to get this swordmaster in Path of Radiance, you’ll have to make a few key choices that are not something most players would ever do. He can’t join your party until Chapter 15, and you have to unlock him on the battlefield.

To do that, you’ll first need to make sure you have Lethe or Mordecai in your party. Then, you have to have one of them step on a very specific square, which isn’t even close to the Chapter 15 fight. If you do it correctly, he’ll join your party, but if any other character steps on that spot, Stefan will leave his sword to them and leave the game forever.

4) Reiji Kido – Revelations: Persona

Reiji Kido takes Stefan’s gimmick to the next level. This time, you literally have to make an important, unnatural decision from the very start of the game. If you screw it up, you’ll never see Reiji in Persona.

It doesn’t end there either. You have to follow an incredibly specific path, which forces you to decline a few characters’ offers to join your party. Take one step off the narrow path, and Reiji will never join your team. That stinks because he’s one of the better characters in the game, so you’re hamstringing yourself if you miss out on adding him to the crew.

3) Cloud Strife – Final Fantasy Tactics

It makes sense that Cloud would take a lot of work to unlock in Final Fantasy Tactics. He’s one of Final Fantasy‘s most beloved characters, so Square Enix wasn’t likely to give him to you easily. It didn’t have to be this obscure, though.

To add Cloud to your party, you’ll need to follow a set path. The first step is keeping Mustadio in your party through Chapter 4, which lets you return to his hometown. Of course, the game doesn’t make you do this, so you have to guess that it’s an option. Then, you have to complete a lengthy side quest that includes a secret boss fight. You also need to buy flowers from a girl in Sal Ghidos. After you do all of that, Cloud is summoned to the Final Fantasy Tactics world and joins your party. Thankfully, he’s a powerful addition, so it’s worth the trouble. It’s just hard to imagine anyone coming across all this naturally.

2) Zero – Bayonetta

Bayonetta‘s stylish action is already tough enough throughout the campaign, but there’s another challenge waiting for anyone who wants to unlock a secret, playable character. Of course, that character probably isn’t worth unlocking because he dies in two hits. That said, if you want to make Bayonetta even harder, Zero can help you out.

To even unlock the guy, you’ll need to conquer Lost Chapter: Angel Slayer. This is a series of 51 challenging fights. The first 10 take place in Normal, and then you have 20 on Hard and 20 on Non-Stop Climax before going up against Bayonetta herself. It’s a great challenge for fans of the game, but the reward isn’t worth the effort.

1) Nordom – Planescape: Torment

Adding Nordom to your team combines an obscure unlock path and a tough-as-nails dungeon. First, you’ll need to buy a specific item from the Curiosity Shop, which doesn’t seem to do much. However, if you talk to Yvana or a real Modron, you’ll learn that it’s actually a figurine of the Modrons.

With that information, which isn’t easy to come by, you can then go to a dungeon maze. It is one of the most difficult dungeons in Planescape: Torment, which mixes tough enemies and a shifting maze. If you can make it through all of that, Nordom will join your party. It’s a lot of work, but he is a unique character who’s worth seeking out.

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