10 Video Game Endings That Pissed EVERYONE Off

7. "This Story Is Happy End" - Ghosts ‘N Goblins

Ghosts n goblins
Capcom

You’ve almost definitely encountered Ghosts ‘N Goblins either in your own nightmares or on a list of ours about infamously tough games. For the uninitiated, this 1985 run-and-gun platformer hurt many a child and subsequently their extended families via its gauntlet of especially difficult levels.

While there was more than enough pain to be found in the main game it somehow got even worse with the fake out ending and then the even shittier one after that.

After battling your way through a sea of monsters you finally face off against the final boss, Satan, in your attempt to rescue Princess Prin Prin. The big reveal is this is actually only the halfway point of the game and everything that happened was all just a dream, meaning you need to play through every level again except they’re even harder.

Of course, that isn’t the real ending but it sets you up with enough frustration to get pissed off by the real ending which rewards you with the following phrase “CONGRATULATION. THIS STORY IS HAPPY END. BEING THE WISE AND COURAGEOUS KNIGHT THAT YOU ARE, YOU FEEL STRONGTH WELLING IN YOUR BODY."

And that’s it! I can forgive the localisation typos but that’s a lot of effort to go through twice for a quick pop up letting you know you’re done and it’s all good.

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Contributor
Contributor

Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.