10 Most Important Video Game Deaths This Decade

2. Sarah (The Last Of Us)

Woof. Talk about an emotionally intense opening to a game right?

The prologue section of The Last of Us is pretty much a masterclass in how to build suspense and emotion, putting the player in the shoes of Joel's daughter 20 years before the main game actually begins. The back and forth between father and daughter instantly pulls the player in because it manages to feel natural and loving.

However, things soon take a catastrophic turn when the Cordycep outbreak begins. After dodging the chaos in the streets and outrunning the hyper-aggressive enemies, the game plays a cruel trick: it makes you genuinely believe that Joel and Sarah will get through this. And that's when it hits you with the awful scene of Sarah being shot by a soldier and Joel frantically, desperately trying to save her.

Much like the opening to Pixar's Up, this sudden death brought players to tears in short order, but it teaches you some important lessons. No one is to be trusted, anyone can die, and worst of all, the concept of "fair" does not exist here.

This is what makes the follow up to this event so powerful, as we see the relationship between Joel and Ellie develop from seeing her as cargo to seeing her as a daughter. Joel won't lose another member of his family. He'll make sure of it.