10 Video Game Characters Who Had To Die To Win
2. Shadow Of The Colossus - Wander
In Shadow of the Colossus, you play as Wander; a man grief-stricken after losing his partner, Mono. As he lays Mono's body upon the Shrine of Worship, a mysterious entity called Dormin tells Wander he can revive her.
If Wander slays 16 gigantic golems called The Colossi, Dormin can bring Mono back from the dead. Riding his horse, Wander traverses The Forbidden Land, destroying the enormous idols in the hope he can be reunited with his lover.
Only after defeating the final automaton does Wander learn that Dormin has deceived him. Dormin's essence was split into The Colossi in order to trap his spirit. Dormin knew the only way he could be revived is if the giants were slaughtered. After Wander succeeds in his quest, Dormin obliterates his essence and is then resurrected in Wander's body, now as a newborn.
If that sounds depressing, it gets worse. Just as the story is wrapping up, the game decides to hit you square in the feels by revealing that Dormin held up his side of the pact and resurrected Mono.
The ending implies she will care for the infant, Dormin, oblivious that he resides in the body of her deceased lover.