10 Beautiful Video Game Endings That Made Us Cry

The personal favorite entry of the creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Final Fantasy IX drew initial criticism followed by greater appreciation for its soft, rounded, cartoony character designs and how it then placed those individuals in one of the darkest entries in the entire series. But despite all the war, death, and existential dread the game showcases, it never forgets that its beating heart is the romance between handsome rogue Zidane, and the runaway princess Garnet.

The end of the game sees Zidane choosing to go after his brother Kuja, even after everything he did, leaving Garnet and friends behind. After finally having a heart-to-heart with his brother, the cave they're in collapses on top of them, seemingly killing them both.

An unknown amount of time passes, and over the narration of a now-dead Vivi, we see what has become of all of the characters, as they make their way back to Alexandria for a showing of the play "I Want to be Your Canary". A man in black gives the play's big soliloquy, before tossing off his cloak to reveal himself to be Zidane, beckoning for Garnet to come to him.

In true fairytale romance fashion, Garnet runs down the aisle of the theatre and into Zidane's arms. When asked how he survived, Zidane closes out the game by saying that he had no choice but to come back. He had to come home, to her.