Top 5 game endings, leaving players contemplative despite the happy aftermath

Fundamentally, they are conclusions that make many ponder...

Game endings can take various forms. It could be a happy ending with the main character defeating evil and bringing peace to everyone. Sometimes, it's a heartbreaking conclusion, making gamers go through a rollercoaster of emotions, empathizing with the characters. Here are the top 5 game endings that, though having a positive outcome, are filled with melancholy, making players reflect deeply.

In the final moments of Arkham City, both Batman and Joker are not in their best condition due to being infected. Although Batman has the antidote and heals himself, he faces a dilemma: should he use the remaining antidote to save his sworn enemy or not?

Before Batman can make a decision, Joker attacks him, causing the vial containing the antidote to accidentally shatter on the floor. Consequently, the Clown Prince of Crime departs while laughing at Batman's inner turmoil while trying to save him. The anticipation of Batman deciding to save Joker only to witness his demise is a bittersweet emotion. Following this is a gloomy scene where Batman hands over Joker's lifeless body to the police. Truly, a bittersweet ending with the villain's death, leaving a lingering sorrow in the hearts of gamers.

In the gripping finale of Red Dead Redemption 2, the protagonist, Arthur Morgan, meets his demise after a fierce battle with Micah Bell. This sets the stage for a new storyline where John Marston takes the lead role. Despite striving to live his own life, John harbors hope for avenging Arthur someday. Arthur is the reason why John and his family can live safely to this day. Discovering Micah's whereabouts, John, along with a few allies, embarks on a journey to confront this villain, and the game concludes with him achieving his vengeance.

Despite successfully avenging, John feels unsatisfied as Arthur cannot return. Moreover, this revenge quest attracts the attention of the Pinkertons – the ones who later hunt down John and his family. If you've played the first Red Dead Redemption game (set after the events of part 2), you know that the Pinkertons eventually succeed in killing John. Therefore, in this case, revenge is a bitter end to the game.

At the end of the prologue of Metal Gear Solid 3, The Boss – Naked Snake's mentor – betrays her own country and defects to join Colonel Volgin's forces. Our main character has a lot on his plate, including eliminating The Boss.

Naked Snake completes his mission and is praised as a hero. However, after The Boss is eliminated, Snake discovers that she never actually betrayed her country. The Boss's goal was to infiltrate Volgin's forces, but after the research facility is destroyed, her plan had to change. The Boss is willing to sacrifice her life to prevent war. This creates a bittersweet ending: on one hand, war is averted, and The Boss remains a hero in Snake's eyes; on the other hand, he is the one who ended his mentor's life.

The Last of Us is a drama-filled game, presenting players with the moral dilemma of one of its two main characters – Joel. Clearly, he knows that the Fireflies organization can create a cure for the fungus that has devastated civilization. However, to achieve that, they must dissect Ellie and sacrifice the young girl. Joel, heartbroken over losing his little daughter, and fond of Ellie, refuses to let that happen. Instead of sacrificing Ellie to save the world, Joel sacrifices the world to save Ellie, willing to kill any Firefly who dares to stand in his way.

This is not a tale of a hero, as no hero sacrifices countless others to save one person. In the eyes of the world, Joel is truly a selfish individual, and his successful rescue of Ellie is humanity's nightmare. However, from Joel and young Ellie's perspective, this is a story with a conclusion, as after enduring numerous hardships, they are still alive and together (at least until the end of the first game).

Life is Strange is a journey full of challenging twists and turns. When a destructive storm sweeps through the town at the game's end, the protagonist Max realizes that this is the consequence of using her time-rewinding ability. The only way to prevent this catastrophe is to go back to the time before she first used her power. Ironically, that time, she used her ability to save her dearest friend – Chloe.

If Max chooses to save the town, it means accepting leaving Chloe behind. Both endings are truly conflicting and heartbreaking. However, the ending without saving Chloe is even more poignant, as Max has to let Chloe go without intervening. What's more painful for the gamer is that Chloe is the most outstanding character in the entire series. On the positive side, many others get to live, but none of them is as crucial to Max as Chloe.

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