I would say it takes both, the images and the story.Sage was always a Burke, it's just that some people don't read these stories, they just look at the pictures.
For example for Sage, the scene where Jade throws things at Stephen, the way the photo frames are shown, it makes you wonder about the third photo which remains invisible.
DPC often follows the same pattern around secrets and mysteries. We first have the knowledge of the secret (for example Jacob who tells us that we must avoid fucking Sage in public because, ... there we are interrupted). Then we have false leads (the guy looking for his daughter at the Preps party and then Sage who tells us he's hiding from his father). And finally the revelation which allows by replaying the game to see all the allusions made before.
It is a recurring pattern, or even the only pattern. As a result, one wonders if everything will be treated the same way.
For example Mr Burke and his involvement in prostitution. It's not very subtle clues, so if it's too obvious, isn't that a red herring?
(or else the classic scheme is not used, and the indices are not traps)