7 Difficult RPG Choices That Completely Broke You

4. Mordin, Mo’problems - Mass Effect 3

The genophage - a horrific biological weapon used on the Krogan species to combat overpopulation - hung over the lore of Mass Effect like a black cloud through the entire series. In Mass Effect 2, we meet Mordin, the salarian scientist responsible for working on the project. Then, in Mass Effect 3, we can end up having to make one of the most difficult choices imaginable. We can cure the Genophage, but Mordin will die in the process.

There’s a good chance that by this point, you’ve got a couple of close Krogan companions whose lives will be seriously affected by this choice. Then, there’s Mordin himself, a morally complex character who is nonetheless charming, hilarious, and absolutely steals any scene he’s in. Any way you slice it, you’re going to end up losing a friend. Cheers, Mass Effect.

It’s a testament to the quality of Mass Effect’s writing that it manages to make a galactic level decision that affects millions of lives feel so personal by framing it through the perspective of individuals. Doesn’t make it hurt any less, though.