Game endings can vary in many ways. It might be a happy ending for the main character, vanquishing evil and bringing peace to everyone. Other times, it can be a heartbreaking conclusion, making players experience a range of emotions and empathize with the characters. Here are the top 5 game endings that, while happy, are filled with sorrow, leaving players to reflect long after.
Batman: Arkham City
At the end of Arkham City, both Batman and Joker are not in the best condition as they are both poisoned. However, Batman has the antidote and heals himself. He then debates whether he should give the remaining antidote to save his arch-nemesis.
Before Batman can make his decision, Joker attacks him, and the vial containing the antidote accidentally falls to the floor and shatters. As a result, the clown prince Joker dies while laughing at Batman’s moment of weakness as he tries to save him. Watching Joker die before his eyes, after being prepared to save him, is not a pleasant emotion. Following this is a grim scene as Batman hands Joker’s corpse over to the police. It is indeed a happy game ending with the villain’s death, but it leaves players with a lot of sorrow.
Red Dead Redemption 2
The main character, Arthur Morgan, dies at the end of Red Dead Redemption 2 after a battle with Micah Bell. This opens up a new storyline where John Marston takes center stage. Although he is trying to live his own life, he still hopes to avenge Arthur one day, as Arthur is the reason why John and his family can be safe to this day. After discovering Micah’s location, John and some of his friends set out to confront this evil, and the game ends with him avenging his friend.
Despite successfully avenging him, John still feels unsatisfied because, even with revenge, Arthur cannot return. Additionally, this quest for revenge attracts the attention of the Pinkertons – the people who have been hunting John and his family. If you’ve played the first Red Dead Redemption (which takes place after the second), you’ll know that the Pinkertons ultimately kill John. Therefore, in this case, revenge is a bitter game ending.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
At the end of the prologue of Metal Gear Solid 3, The Boss – Naked Snake’s “mentor” – betrays her country and defects to join Colonel Volgin’s forces. Our main character has many tasks to undertake, including eliminating The Boss.
Naked Snake completes his mission and is hailed as a hero. However, after eliminating The Boss, Snake discovers that she never actually betrayed her country. Her goal was to infiltrate Volgin’s forces, but after the research center was destroyed, her plan had to change. The Boss was willing to sacrifice her life to prevent war from happening. This creates a game ending that is both happy and sad: on one hand, war does not occur, and The Boss remains a hero in Snake’s eyes; on the other hand, he is the one who ended his mentor’s life.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us is a drama-filled game that gives players deep thoughts about the character of one of the two protagonists – Joel. He clearly knows that the Fireflies can create a cure for the fungal infection that has devastated civilization. However, to do so, they must perform surgery on Ellie, sacrificing her in the process. Joel, heartbroken from losing his little daughter and growing fond of Ellie, cannot agree to this. Instead of sacrificing Ellie to save the world, Joel sacrifices the world to save Ellie and is ready to kill any “Firefly” who dares to stop him.
This is not a story about heroes, as no hero sacrifices countless others to save one person. For the world, Joel is truly a selfish man, and his successful rescue of Ellie is indeed a nightmare for humanity. However, from Joel’s and Ellie’s perspective, this is a happy story, as after going through so many events, they are still alive and together (at least until the end of the first game).
Life is Strange
Life is Strange is a journey filled with numerous difficult choices. When a devastating storm sweeps through the town at the end of the game, the main character, Max, realizes that this is the consequence of her using her power to rewind time, disrupting the timeline. The only way to prevent this disaster is to go back to the moment before she used her powers for the first time. Ironically, that time she used her powers to save her best friend – Chloe.
If Max chooses to save the town, it means accepting to abandon Chloe. Both endings are truly ironic and heartbreaking. However, the ending where Chloe is not saved is the most haunting, as Max has to let Chloe go without intervening. Even more painful for players is that Chloe is the best character in the entire series. On the positive side, many others get to live, but none of them are as important to Max as Chloe.
Source: GVN360