Top Five Most Depressing Endings

After investing precious time out of your life into a game, you want to feel rewarded. Whether it’s unlocking a new secret or finally seeing what happens in the end, a game's conclusion can leave a player ecstatic or worse, leaving the player in shambles as their beloved hero falls into calamity. A lot of us wish for a happy ending, to see the character we’ve developed and experienced this adventure with thrive, but some developers decide to take an alternate route, leaving the player broken and shocked as they witness their journey end in tragedy. These are the top five most depressing endings in games of all time.

5. Halo: Reach

Spartans never die; at least that’s what the UNSC tells everyone. Instead, these legendary warriors are marked as MIA, but this doesn’t mean we don’t know the truth. Bungie decided to leave the Halo franchise with a bang, killing off over five different Spartans one by one in a series of suicide missions across the human colony planet of Reach. 

Jorge, Kat, Emile and Carter all perished in the line of duty, and the sacrifice of Noble Six was the worst. Noble Six successfully delivers Cortana to Captain Keyes and saves the remaining surviving crew members on the Pillar of Autumn, but his job wasn’t finished. Rather than being rescued, the Spartan was left behind to fight off the remaining Covenant forces. In this final fight we see the lone warrior takes on an endless horde of Covenant forces, only to succumb to the blades of several Elites. Even while pinned Noble Six continues to fight until finally succumbing.

4. Red Dead Redemption

Before John Marston’s perishes at the end of Red Dead Redemption, it was bewildering to shift from playing as a outlaw and hunter, to the role of a farmer and family man. While John Marston seemed to enjoy farming, I was bored with it, but then I remembered Dutch’s warning that the bureau wouldn’t simply let John go. Edgar betrayed John and launched an attack on John’s ranch, using the combined forces of the Bureau and U.S. Army. With victory just an illusionary goal, John willingly sacrifices himself to save his family, killing as many of Edger’s men before dissolving into a pool of blood and bullets. Although John’s path towards redemption was grisly, he did it all for the sake of his family, hoping his son wouldn’t follow on the same muddled path that shaped his own life.

3. Shadow of the Colossus

How far would you go to save someone you love? Would you travel to a forbidden land and make a deal with the devil? Wander did, sacrificing everything he had to save his love. Wander agrees to murder sixteen legendary creatures throughout the forbidden land in exchange for Mono’s life, regardless of the consequences. Successful in his task, Mono is resurrected, but Wander loses his humanity in the process. While his intention was selfish, it was human, therefore, it's hard to hate Wander. Losing someone he cared about dearly for something he didn’t fully understand had to foster a uncontrollable myriad of feelings that caused him to desperately seek help. Wander was the cause of Dormin’s freedom  but seeing him attempt to fight his way to Mono in one desperate feat of defiance only to fail still leaves a heavy feeling of remorse and pity despite his sins. 

2. The Walking Dead: The Game

Lee and Clementine experienced a myriad of horrible problems. They witnessed everything from suicide to cannibalism, all to find out whether Clementine’s parents were still alive. After reaching their goal, Lee unfortunately gets bitten after searching for Clementine. With time a precious resource, Lee embarked on one final adventure to find her, and the final moment these two shared left gamers shocked, their eyes soaked with tears.

It’s here that Lee directs Clementine in escaping the garage, guiding her through simple tasks and defending herself against a walker with the use of a gun. Despite this, Lee understands that his time is up and must decide whether Clementine should leave him to transform or end his life before he turns. Regardless of the player’s choice, the ending is the same and the effect unchanged.

1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 

What made Crisis Core truly extraordinary was that despite knowing  Zack’s fate at the end of the game, it still left a lasting impact. Zack’s fate was sealed regardless of what he accomplished throughout his adventure. Saving civilians, falling in love and saving the world, Zack's accomplishments sadly went unnoticed to many. This SOLDIER fought, endured and survived so many emotional and physical hardships, yet when his time came, he didn’t feel sorrow. Instead he accepted his fate, knowing he defended his honor and pasted on his Buster Sword, his most prized possession, to his best friend and protégé, Cloud.    

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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