Video game endings that stuck with you forever. (Spoilers)

Sheikah_Witch · May 25, 2020

What are the best of the best - the truly memorable, awesome and gut-punching video game endings you'll never ever forget? Where the credits roll, and you just go - whoa!

Here's some of mine:

Twilight Princess

Despite all of their adventures together, Midna still chooses to depart and sever ties with Link and Zelda completely. It's heartbreaking, and melancholic. They did save the world, but for a huge, personal cost.

Shadow of the Colossus

It's so damn dark. We knew Wander was the bad guy all along, sure, but the way he meets his demise is something I simply wasn't prepared for. The pure bittersweetness of having his loved one wake up only for him to be dragged down in the well of darkness is something I'll never get over.

Undertale

At the complete opposite, I adore Undertale for it's sugary sweet happy-ever-after ending. It's just so beyond pretty and warm and just awesome.

Nier: Automata

Dude, EVERYONE DIES.

Spirit · May 25, 2020

Oooh.

Well, Nier Automata for the absolute feels. Like, bloody hell. It doesn't just punch you in the gut, it pierces your heart and wounds your soul.

Shadow of the Colossus is amazing. I didn't like it at first because I didn't understand the ending. I felt as if I'd been shafted and screwed out of a better ending, but I hadn't, and that's the point. You were selfish, you killed innocent things to suit your own ends and achieve something against the laws of nature. The ending you get is the ending you deserve but it still ****ing hurts.
I also like that the evil is defeated, not by taking up arms against it, but by literally throwing down your sword.

Super Mario Odyssey, I love this ending. It is so hype and adrenaline-fuelled and then it's tense and then it's funny as hell. I love this ending and the exchange between Mario and Bowser at the end is golden, it is hands down my favourite Mario moment.

The Wind Waker, no other Zelda game has made me believe so much that Link is worthy of the Triforce of Courage. Everything he does in Wind Waker is so brave, from the little things like rescuing Tetra from the woods to the slightly bigger things like leaving home forever!
So young and so brave, but then comes the ending. What we knew is gone, what we were fighting for isn't coming back aaaaaand we just committed straight-up murder. Good game.

mαrkαsscoρ · May 25, 2020

shadow of the colosseus is a good one, it's one where soon after I looked up discussion online to try to understand what happened, and how it potentially ties into Ico

GoronGainz · May 25, 2020

Pokemon Leaf Green - Took me literal years to figure out how to beat the champion, even grinded up my team to level 60+ including all 3 legendary birds & still couldn't beat them (I wasn't very good). First time I won that battle & made it to the hall of fame will always stick with me.

Xenoblade Chronicles - The way this game manages to end after all that's taken place during the adventure is incredible. The credits theme & Beyond the sky are truly wonderful pieces of music. Game comes out in 4 days 100% would recommend for any JRPG fans.

Portal 2 - After a pretty steady but fun puzzling solving main game, that final chapter ramps it up to 11 and runs with it. Creative all the way through & open ended enough should they decide to return to the series.

Professor Layton & The Lost Future - End of the original trilogy. Like all Layton games the craziness of the ending is off the charts but this ones bittersweet. I can see why the series continued after this as it definitely leaves you wanting more.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Time, Darkness & Sky - Just an amazing story with an even more amazing ending.

Cfrock · Jul 2, 2020

Halo: Reach
As someone who played Halo from 2001, the ending to Reach is perhaps my favourite video game ending ever. It ends where the first game began, with the Pillar of Autumn approaching the first Halo. It's like a loop, or a ring, you geddit?

It served as not only a reminder of how far the series has come since the first game, but of the personal journey I'd taken as a player. I have friends today I met because of Halo. I owned an Xbox 360 for Halo, and without it I would never have played the likes of Dishonored, Mass Effect, or Bioshock. I had spent ten years of my life with this franchise, some of the happiest years I'd ever had, and that ending drew it all into focus.

It also recontextualises the moment narratively, too. In the original Halo, the ring is a mystery and the Pillar of Autumn lands on it out of desperation while being attacked by an enemy fleet. The first few missions of the game are about escaping the ship, gathering survivors, and regrouping with the captain. The ring represents a desperate fight for survival. It's not a haven.

But when you see that same shot again at the end of Reach, knowing what Halo is, knowing what happens on that ring, what it leads to, and how this moment of discovery is the turning point that saves all of humanity, you don't see it as a desperate ploy by a threatened crew, you see it as mankind's salvation. The Bungie Halo games end, then, on a note of contented reassurance. The fight has been long and hard but it will be over. We will win.

It's one of the few video game endings that has ever made me well up because it held such personal weight. The message in the original Reach from Bungie thanking the community for ten years of support hit me, too. It was a wonderful moment to get some perspective and appreciate the series as a whole, and what it's meant to me over the decade I'd been playing.

twilitfalchion · Jul 2, 2020

Link's Awakening - Even though I didn't get the secret ending, I did watch it online. I love how happy yet tragic it is when Link wakes the Wind Fish and the people of Koholint Island as well as the island itself disappears. The game cuts to Link at sea, the Ballad of the Wind Fish starts playing, and the vision of Marin and seagull in the sky appears. It's not the most complex or grand ending, but it hits right in the feels for me. The story was an absolute delight from beginning to end.

Skyward Sword - As much as Fi did become an annoyance, it was still touching to see her and Link's scene when she returns to the sword and Fi's Farewell is playing. And Link and Zelda's happy ending together on the Surface always puts a smile on my face.

Fire Emblem: the Blazing Blade - There isn't anything special about this ending in particular, but it sticks out in my mind as being memorable because it was satisfying from my perspective as the player to see Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector complete their journey after being there from the beginning.

Metroid Prime - Seeing Samus take off her helmet and look out over the destroyed Impact Crater was a very strong ending to a game that nailed setting its atmosphere. And seeing Metroid Prime begin to form into Dark Samus was a great way of foreshadowing a sequel.

Ending to games others have already mentioned but I loved as well: Wind Waker, Super Mario Odyssey, Twilight Princess

thePlinko · Jul 11, 2020

Yeah, WW and Mario Galaxy are my two favorite games of all time, so both of those are on the list, but I also have some others.

Pokemon Sun and Moon
I don’t exactly think I’m in the minority when I say that the 7th generation of Pokémon was a serviceable entry in the franchise, but nothing more. That being said, the final boss is possibly tied for my favorite in the entire series.

It’s all because of the music.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-dkK9r57BNk

About halfway through is when you realize that you’re the person in the chair, not the professor. The professor isn’t the champion, you are. This isn’t the professors theme, this is your theme. The entire battle feels like a love letter to all of the fans and is the perfect way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of a series as downright magical as Pokémon.

Minecraft
For a game that you wouldn’t think to have an ending, Minecraft’s is pretty in depth. Two deities having a discussion about al the things you have done is pretty interesting way to end a game as complicated as Minecraft.

Smash ultimate
Master hand