10 'Emotional' Video Game Endings That Fell Completely FLAT
Despite their best efforts, these endings ensured there wasn't a single wet eye in the house.
Video game endings have come a long way since the days of a single screen offering a heartfelt "Conglaturation" to the player. From Persona 3's fateful rooftop finale to Big Boss' graveside salute in Metal Gear Solid 3, many a game has concluded with scenes that make the player weep like a Tesla shareholder after Elon Musk opens his mouth in public.
As video games have matured, so has their ability to deliver tear-jerking finales that resonate with the player long after the credits roll (we can only assume Nintendo never ported Mother 3 out of Japan because they felt enough guilt over emotionally devastating one country, let alone the entire planet). Unfortunately, as with any art form there have been times when creators' reaches have overextended their grasp, resulting in game endings more worthy of the loo than the Louvre.
As you have no doubt surmised, it is these toilet bound finales that will be the focus of this list. And to start us off, we have a relatively recent example of how not to kill off a protagonist...
10. Resident Evil: Village
The above scene is when Resident Evil' Village's conclusion begins a nosedive it never manages to pull up from.
Let's start with the "nothing but mold" bit. In Village's conclusion, we find out that protagonist Ethan Winters actually died in the introduction to Resident Evil 7 and that the player has been piloting a sentient pile of mold over the past two games. Then, before your mind even has time to boggle over the ridiculousness of this twist, Ethan has his heart ripped out by the game's big bad. A shocking, tragic conclusion. Except Ethan is still alive! And he's rescued by the mysterious Duke! Except he's really dying! Finally, one (disappointing) final boss battle later, Ethan dies for good.
Good flipping grief. Resident Evil: Village's conclusion feels less like an emotional roller-coaster and more like Capcom giving you repeated swirlies. "He's mold!" *flush* "He's dead!" *flush* "He's alive!" *flush* "Dead again!" *flush*.
Each development is barely given any time to breathe, resulting in a finale that was clearly meant to be tear-jerking but just ends up bewildering the player with its breakneck pace and nonsensical plot twists.