10 Video Game Deaths You Knew Were Coming (That Still Broke You)
I'm not crying, you're crying. Okay, I'm crying too.
Death is an inevitable part of life. We are all trapped in this huge cycle with just one guarantee at either end of it.
Sometimes, however, death will come prematurely, but you could still see it was going to happen.
When utilised right, foreshadowing can be a terrific technique to expand on a larger story arc and wrap it up in a nice little bow. This includes hinting at an early demise.
Sometimes you can take an educated guess based on your knowledge of stereotypes and tropes often deployed across multiple narratives, and in some special cases, the game will outright tell you that the character is going to die.
This often happens when you have already become invested in that character. Whether it be the character that you are playing as, an affable sidekick or someone you want to protect, no one is safe from the wrath of the writer.
Even when the death is an almost nailed on certainty you can still fall in love with who that character is in their remaining time, and it is these cases that we will be looking at today.
There are some particularly recent entries in this list, so beware major spoilers ahead.
10. Tidus - Final Fantasy X
Tidus: The greatest hero to never technically exist.
In the world of Final Fantasy X, there is a complicated method behind bringing dreams into reality. Humans may become 'Fayth' by sacrificing themselves, in turn the Fayth's dreams can be brought to life by a Summoner, and these dreams become Aeons (summonable creatures).
After a brutal war, one Yu Yevon created a dream version of the metropolis Zanarkand, and brought it to life.
Tidus is part of this imagined Zanarkand, meaning he's neither truly alive or dead.
Yu Yevon became corrupted over time and now resides inside Sin; a huge monster that was supposed to defend Zanarkand.
You know you must defeat Yu Yevon, but you also know that will mean the end of Tidus. Despite your possible protests, more often than not the greater good wins out in video game narratives.
Despite knowing his fate as part of Yu Yevon's creation, Tidus sets out with his friends to stop Sin from destroying more cities. They battle their way to a confrontation with Yu Yevon, defeating all of his Aeons, and then him.
All of the Aeons are then sent to the Farplane. Tidus shares one last moment with Yuna, who confesses her love for him.
Tidus fades away in front of his friends, at least knowing the world and his friends are safe again.