10 Powerful Video Game Endings That Gave You Chills

2. Bioshock: Infinite

Bioshock: Infinite is a surprisingly controversial game. Its plot is at times quite nonsensical, and has been criticised for relying far too heavily on shock tactics and twists that obfuscate the many, many holes in the storytelling. And still, in spite of all those valid criticisms, Bioshock: Infinite has an ending that works overtime to tie itself into the wider Bioshock lore in a meaningful, surprising way.

Although mostly unconnected apart from some superficial details, the story of Infinite and the original two games are mostly kept separate, until the ending intertwines them in such an intelligent way. By being able to warp around different realities and dimensions, Elizabeth essentially deconstructs the very matter the franchise is structured around, ushering Booker and the player down familiar and unfamiliar variations on this story.

One of dimensions returns everyone to Rapture, which bridges the gap between the titles in a way just about nobody expected. It's more than just references and beloved iconography that makes it so special, though, but how Elizabeth recontextualizes everything you've previously experienced. It's during this stretch where she sums up the philosophies of the entire series: "There's always a lighthouse. There's always a man. There's always a city."