People talk about how sad these bad endings to video games are.
The stories in video games have become more complicated and have multiple paths. Mostly linear stories need something extra to stand out in a market where players want freedom more often than not. Because of this, many video games have bad endings to punish players for being bad, not doing key tasks, not paying attention to most of the game’s content, and other similar things.
Most of the time, getting a bad ending is one of the worst things that can happen to a player, especially if they’ve spent a lot of time playing the game. Even though that’s the case, the following bad endings are still pretty memorable, even if the reasons for that aren’t always good.
Everyone Dies – Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain is a story-driven game with a lot of choices that can lead to a lot of different results. The Origami Killer and how people are trying so hard to find him is the whole point of the game.
If the players don’t figure out that Shelby is the Origami Killer and everyone else dies, the serial killer gets away with his crimes. If Lauren is saved and she shoots him down, there is still some resolution, but it’s not nearly as satisfying as it should be.
The High Chaos Ending – Dishonored
Dishonored is a great immersive sim game, but it tells you not to kill people and wants you to save as many as you can. This is a shame, because killing enemies in Dishonored is much more fun and creative than just knocking them out.
Players who put fun first will get to the High Chaos ending, where the plague takes over the whole city of Dunwall and Emily’s chances of surviving aren’t very good. People remember this ending because, after all the time they put into the game, it really messed them over.
Killing Taro Namatame – Persona 4
Persona 4 often tries to trick the player into getting a bad ending. One of these times is when Taro Namatame is thought to be the serial killer who is haunting Inaba. This must have happened at least once to every player.
If you don’t protect him and end his life, Nanako will die and the fog will stay in Inaba forever. It’s a boring end to a great adventure, so players were glad the game told them to save before making this important choice.
Maya Is Never Found – Phoenix Wright: Justice For All
There are some bad endings to Phoenix Wright games if the player doesn’t finish a case correctly. Justice for All has the worst ending that everyone knows about. This is due in part to a typo that has become a part of video game pop culture ever since.
If the player doesn’t give the right evidence during the game’s last cross-examination, Maya will never be saved, and Phoenix will stop being a lawyer. This could have been a pretty sad moment…if not for a typo that made everyone laugh and completely changed the mood of the game.
The Rise Of Chara – Undertale
Undertale is one of the best independent games ever made, and each run through the game is pretty memorable. Check out the Genocide Run if you want to make this fun and interesting RPG hard and scary.
Pretty much everything in the game needs to be killed for the game to end. It’s not a happy route at all, since a troubled Chara shows up at the end and follows the player around on their future “happy” playthroughs.
Omori Jumping To His Death – Omori
Omori is another great game that comes to mind when you talk about great independent games. This happy JRPG has a dark secret and deals with mature themes in a smart and mature way.
After players figure out what Sunny’s real problem was, they can either help him fight back against Omori or give in to this persona. The second choice leads to a bad ending where Sunny, who is controlled by Omori, goes to the roof of the hospital and jumps to his death. As Sunny slowly falls to the ground, one of the most shocking and memorable tracks in the game plays.
The Death Of Everyone In The Crew – Mass Effect 2
The high stakes of Mass Effect 2‘s “Suicide Mission” have made it the stuff of legends. Most of the time, if players are careful, they shouldn’t lose any members of the crew. However, a few mistakes can still be made if players rush through the game or make bad choices at the end.
If the players lose too many crew members by the end of Tunnel Rush game, Shepard will also die. It’s a shocking thing that shows why many people think Mass Effect 2 is the best game in the series.
Dying To Lavos In The Final Battle – Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is all about building up to the fight with Lavos. Even though players can fight him whenever they want, only the final battle is considered to be the “canon” path.
If the party dies in this final battle with Lavos, a sad picture of the Earth being destroyed is shown. This is followed by the haunting sentence, “The future wouldn’t change,” which adds to the sadness of this bad ending.
Ending Up With Citra – Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3 is the game that took the series to a whole new level. The game was a lot of fun to play, and the bad guys were pretty interesting on their own.
If the player kills their girlfriend and joins up with Citra, the ending will be pretty steamy and bad. After Citra gives birth to Jason’s child, she kills him right away and takes over the island with all her power.
A Tragic Suicide – Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 has changed its reputation since its disastrous release. Now that the game is pretty stable and a lot of fun to play, people can experience this amazing story for themselves.
In one of the endings of Cyberpunk 2077, V gives up his life so that he doesn’t put anyone else in danger. He and Johnny talk about this decision in a pretty grown-up way. The messages from V’s friends during the credits make the ending even more heartbreaking.
