10 Video Game Tragedies That Elevated Stories
7. Sarah's Death - The Last Of Us
Widely regarded as Naughty Dog's magnum opus, 2013's The Last of Us was a smash hit that closed out the seventh generation of consoles with a powerful impact. Incredibly well-performed and intense in its gameplay, the PlayStation 3 couldn't have asked for a better exclusive.
We follow the aftermath of a cordyceps virus that has devastated the world. To set up its brutally emotional story, we start in the perspective of the young Sarah as the chaos erupts. After fleeing with her father Joel through the streets, it appears they've reached the safety of the military. The two are fatally mistaken as a lone soldier guns opens fire to make no exceptions for the virus spread.
The bullets catch Sarah in the process and she dies in Joel's arms. Moving from a romantic to a familial connection, Joel's heartbreaking loss opens The Last of Us with a gut-wrenching death. It's more than just a mortifying moment to open the game. Sarah's death sets Joel on his path to rugged survivor twenty years later.
The relationship formed between him and Ellie is heavily driven by happened two decades prior. As a result, the player cares deeply about them as characters and roots for them all the way through the game.