One critical thing which makes any video game stand out from other artforms are failure states. Whether this is a standard death thanks to a depleted health bar or being locked out of a major part of a story, they are ultimately an integral part of what makes the medium appealing outside from film or television. There are more than a few developers who fully embrace this too - to the point of adding some truly bizarre endings to any play session. Some game over screens mock the player over an insane decision no one in their right mind would ever attempt, while others serve as a nasty surprise to something like trolling the game's population of NPCs. Then there are the truly surreal ones, which manage to break the fourth wall and effect your very save file forevermore. Whether they are dark, sinister twists which bring the world to an abrupt end or hilarious pokes at the players' decisions, the industry is populated with these unusual failure states and unusual endings to great titles. To help celebrate just a few of the gags by developers of beloved video games, here's a list of fifteen such examples over the past decades. Some are so infamous they spawned internet memes, others are lesser known from often overlooked releases of generations past.
15. Dishonoured - Advances Of An Amorous Assassin
Whilst attempting to return the rightful heir to the throne of Dunwall, legendary assassin Corvo Attano is given an opportunity which can bring the entire conspiracy to an abrupt end in less than a minute. After returning to the Hounds Pits Pub following the kidnapping of scientist Anton Sokolov, Corvo can find another conspirator peering in on the heiress' caretaker bathing. Having apparently accounted for just what most players would try in this situation, walking in not only triggers a brief cutscene but trying to jump into the bath will trigger a game over screen. The reason for this total failure? "The Loyalist Conspiracy is dissolved due to irreconcilable hostilities." You just have to wonder how much fun the developers at Arkane Studios had coming up with this little scenario. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPwyZJ5x_cE
A gamer who has played everything from Daikatana to Dwarf Fortress. An obsessive film fanatic valuing everything from The Third Man to Flash Gordon. An addict to tabletop titles, comics and the classics of science fiction, whatever media they are a part of.
