Now, there are a lot of games out there with a lot of endings. Endings in video games are a way to tie up the story loose ends and to reward the player with a sense of satisfaction. However, there are also THOSE endings. You know, those endings that are just bad. Now, when I say bad endings, I don’t mean bad as in “These endings are terrible. How could they be released?” I mean those endings that punish you for your poor choices throughout the game and give you a bad ending. Now, the rules are as followed. Only games that I have played, and only one per franchise. Also, this should be obvious, but spoilers are EVERYWHERE! Now, with all that said, lets start the list
#10: Bubble Bobble - Now, this is a well known arcade classic, where you go through ninety nine floors and defeat all the games enemies. However, this is one of those times where you can’t just play the game on your own. So, if you play through the game on single player mode, you will defeat the games main villain, and free the main characters girlfriend, and another girl. However, once you do, they will disappear, and the game will tell you you got the bad ending and you will need to play with a friend in order to get the good ending. This is on the list because this was the first game ever to have multiple endings. Also, the bad ending was sadly MUCH easier to get then the good one. However, this bad ending is heartwarming compared to later entries on this list
#9: Fable - Now, I love the Fable games. Even though my favorite is Fable 2, I can always enjoy the first one just as much for its brilliant story and gameplay. However, the ending is really punishing. After you defeat Jack of Blades (Who is now a dragon for some reason), you suck his soul into his mask (For some reason), where you are then told by Scythe, another Hero, that you must destroy the mask. However, the mask begins telling you to wear it, but Scythe tells you not to. Here, you can decide weather to wear the mask or not. If you do not, you throw the mask into the lava and free Albion from Jack of Blades. But, if you don’t, then you wear the mask and your mind is forever taken over by Jack of Blades. Once you do, you are forced to play the remainder of the game as Jack of Blades and are unable to take off the mask. But, this is lower because, even if you kill villagers, and make every poor choice imaginable, the bad ending is still unavoidable. That just makes it less of a bad ending, if you ask me
#8: Grand Theft Auto V - Now, Grand Theft Auto V is a massively huge game, filled with tons of exploration in it, and had some of the best characters in a GTA game. However, there is the moment when you are forced to make a choice. You are given three choices at the end of the game. There is choice A, B, or C. C is basically the only good ending. Ending A is where you listen to Steve Haines and go and kill Trevor. Then, there is Ending B, where you go and kill Michael for Devin Weston. Both these endings are real hard for the player. These were characters we were with the whole game, and yet they can just be killed in a matter of minutes. However, this is lower because, just like Fable’s ending, this could be chosen right at that moment, making all of your choices in the game kinda pointless to the ending
#7: Pikmin - Wait, Pikmin? Yeah, you know, that game where you play as an astronaut and lead an army of adorable lifeforms as you collect pieces of your ship. Yeah, that’s Pikmin for you. So, how can a game this cute, and a game made by Nintendo of all people possibly have bad ending… simple. This will happen if you have collected none of your ship parts and launch right into space anyway. Once you do launch into space, you will see that the Pikmin are still defenseless. Also, there are only red Pikmin now, probably hinting that you have doomed their race no more than ever. But, that’s not all. Since you don’t have the necessary parts, your ship goes and crashes on the planet, where Olimar is found unconscious by Pikmin. The Pikmin then take him to their pod, where Olimar will be turned into a Pikmin and will be stuck in the ground forever. That is pretty dark, especially for a Nintendo game. I’m starting to think they aren’t so kid friendly after all
#6: Silent Hill - Now, I am just going to say something that everyone already knows. Silent Hill is easily the scariest game ever made. It gives you a dark and desolate area, filled with little to defend yourself with and hundreds of dangerous monsters. However, this game has many endings. Throughout the game, Harry, the protagonist, is looking for his missing daughter, Cheryll. Once you defeat the games main villain, Cheryll will thank you, then disappear. However, it gets worse. After that, it cuts to a clip of Harry in a car crash, who is now dead. In other words, everything that Harry had just witnessed throughout the entire game was just a dream. One, that is a terrible plot twist for any story, and two, at least it was a dying dream and not a normal one. Still, this ending is screwed up
#5: Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee - Now, Abe’s Oddysee is a really funny game. You play as an alien who entire alien race has been enslaved by a greedy alien, named Molluck and you are trying to free your people. However, you can actually ignore this and go about your business. But, doing so will lead to, you guessed it, a bad ending. Once you complete the game, you will be taken by Molluck’s men, who will then drag you to a meat grinder, where he will have you killed. While this is happening, the other slaves talk about how Abe never bothered to help them, so they all decide to just let Abe die, and… that’s what happens. Abe gets thrown into the meat grinder and dies. And, let me remind you, this is a comedy game. Well, it is dark comedy, so… yeah
#4: Splatterhouse 3 - Now were going into a Sega Genesis game called Splatterhouse. And no, not that XBox 360 remake. That one was terrible. Now, Splatterhouse 3 has the main character be attacked by a bunch of deadly monsters, who have taken his wife and son. His son is being used for a ritual while his wife is infected with a worm that is turning her into a monster, and you need to save them before time runs out. But, if you are unable to save either one of them in time, they both will die. After that, the game will end with the monsters being forever dead, but the main character will be looking at a picture of his family, stating that he is alone. And to think that this ending paved the way for more family deaths in video games
#3: Dead Rising 2 - Now, Dead Rising 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. This game lets you fight off zombies and psychopaths using literally everything as a weapon. However, this game has multiple endings. While I COULD talk about the story, the games worst possible ending comes when you don’t give Katey her medicine. For those who don’t know, Chuck’s daughter, Katey, has been bitten by zombies and is infected with the zombie virus. So, the only way to keep her from turning is to give her a daily dose of a medicine called Zombrex. However, if you do not give this medicine to her, she will turn into a zombie, which will lead to Ending F, which is the worst ending in the entire game. Once you go back to the safe house, it will be under attack by zombies, but Chuck, who is depressed over his daughters death, does nothing, and he is then killed by the zombies. That’s right, major badass Chuck Greene is so heartbroken, that he just lets himself die. That is some heavy stuff right there
#2: Heavy Rain - Oh man, this game. It’s something, let me tell you. Of course, with a game where one of the main characters sons gets killed at the beginning, its bound to have at least one depressing ending. Like Origami Blues, where Ethan kills himself. Or Tear In the Rain, where Ethan’s only son dies and he… well, kills himself. But, easily the worst is Helpless. Throughout the game, Ethan is trying to find his son, who was taken by a dangerous killer, known as the Origami Killer. However, later in the game, Ethan could be chased by the police. Here, the player can escape the police, or get arrested. However, once in prison, there is a chance for Shaun, Ethan’s son, to get killed by the Origami Killer. If he does die, you get the ending titled Helpless. Here, Ethan is framed as the Origami Killer, and his son is dead. While in a cell filled with the origami figures found at the crime scenes, Ethan hangs himself. And, let me remind you, the Origami Killer actually gets to go free. I mean, my god. What ending could be worse.
#1: Chrono Trigger - Oh, right. This could be worse. It’s no doubt that Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest RPGs of all time. But, there is no doubt that is also has one of the most powerfully bad endings in any video game. Throughout the game, you and your party are trying to defeat an evil alien, known only as Lavos, whose goal is to destroy all life on earth, no matter what. What makes this game so good is that you can go and fight Lavos whenever you want. However, the time in which you do it will change the ending. But, no matter how far you get in the ending, if you die from Lavos, then you will get the same ending, no matter what. Once you do die, LAvos will rise up and begin raining chaos on the world. It is then shown that Lavos’s destruction has spread all across the Earth, and, it eventually leads to the Earth, and everyone on it, dying. But, just to add salt to the wound, you are given one final message. The message states “And yet… the future refused to change”. And, as the message appears, you are given one last evil scream from Lavos. This game really takes it far. Not only does your friends die, and not only does your family die, and not only do YOU die, but everyone on earth, who ever lived, is now dead, all because you failed in your mission. That easily makes it one of the most powerful bad ending in video games of all time.
So, there you have it. Do you agree with the list? Tell me what you thought below. With that, I will see you all next time
#10: Bubble Bobble - Now, this is a well known arcade classic, where you go through ninety nine floors and defeat all the games enemies. However, this is one of those times where you can’t just play the game on your own. So, if you play through the game on single player mode, you will defeat the games main villain, and free the main characters girlfriend, and another girl. However, once you do, they will disappear, and the game will tell you you got the bad ending and you will need to play with a friend in order to get the good ending. This is on the list because this was the first game ever to have multiple endings. Also, the bad ending was sadly MUCH easier to get then the good one. However, this bad ending is heartwarming compared to later entries on this list
#9: Fable - Now, I love the Fable games. Even though my favorite is Fable 2, I can always enjoy the first one just as much for its brilliant story and gameplay. However, the ending is really punishing. After you defeat Jack of Blades (Who is now a dragon for some reason), you suck his soul into his mask (For some reason), where you are then told by Scythe, another Hero, that you must destroy the mask. However, the mask begins telling you to wear it, but Scythe tells you not to. Here, you can decide weather to wear the mask or not. If you do not, you throw the mask into the lava and free Albion from Jack of Blades. But, if you don’t, then you wear the mask and your mind is forever taken over by Jack of Blades. Once you do, you are forced to play the remainder of the game as Jack of Blades and are unable to take off the mask. But, this is lower because, even if you kill villagers, and make every poor choice imaginable, the bad ending is still unavoidable. That just makes it less of a bad ending, if you ask me
#8: Grand Theft Auto V - Now, Grand Theft Auto V is a massively huge game, filled with tons of exploration in it, and had some of the best characters in a GTA game. However, there is the moment when you are forced to make a choice. You are given three choices at the end of the game. There is choice A, B, or C. C is basically the only good ending. Ending A is where you listen to Steve Haines and go and kill Trevor. Then, there is Ending B, where you go and kill Michael for Devin Weston. Both these endings are real hard for the player. These were characters we were with the whole game, and yet they can just be killed in a matter of minutes. However, this is lower because, just like Fable’s ending, this could be chosen right at that moment, making all of your choices in the game kinda pointless to the ending
#7: Pikmin - Wait, Pikmin? Yeah, you know, that game where you play as an astronaut and lead an army of adorable lifeforms as you collect pieces of your ship. Yeah, that’s Pikmin for you. So, how can a game this cute, and a game made by Nintendo of all people possibly have bad ending… simple. This will happen if you have collected none of your ship parts and launch right into space anyway. Once you do launch into space, you will see that the Pikmin are still defenseless. Also, there are only red Pikmin now, probably hinting that you have doomed their race no more than ever. But, that’s not all. Since you don’t have the necessary parts, your ship goes and crashes on the planet, where Olimar is found unconscious by Pikmin. The Pikmin then take him to their pod, where Olimar will be turned into a Pikmin and will be stuck in the ground forever. That is pretty dark, especially for a Nintendo game. I’m starting to think they aren’t so kid friendly after all
#6: Silent Hill - Now, I am just going to say something that everyone already knows. Silent Hill is easily the scariest game ever made. It gives you a dark and desolate area, filled with little to defend yourself with and hundreds of dangerous monsters. However, this game has many endings. Throughout the game, Harry, the protagonist, is looking for his missing daughter, Cheryll. Once you defeat the games main villain, Cheryll will thank you, then disappear. However, it gets worse. After that, it cuts to a clip of Harry in a car crash, who is now dead. In other words, everything that Harry had just witnessed throughout the entire game was just a dream. One, that is a terrible plot twist for any story, and two, at least it was a dying dream and not a normal one. Still, this ending is screwed up
#5: Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee - Now, Abe’s Oddysee is a really funny game. You play as an alien who entire alien race has been enslaved by a greedy alien, named Molluck and you are trying to free your people. However, you can actually ignore this and go about your business. But, doing so will lead to, you guessed it, a bad ending. Once you complete the game, you will be taken by Molluck’s men, who will then drag you to a meat grinder, where he will have you killed. While this is happening, the other slaves talk about how Abe never bothered to help them, so they all decide to just let Abe die, and… that’s what happens. Abe gets thrown into the meat grinder and dies. And, let me remind you, this is a comedy game. Well, it is dark comedy, so… yeah
#4: Splatterhouse 3 - Now were going into a Sega Genesis game called Splatterhouse. And no, not that XBox 360 remake. That one was terrible. Now, Splatterhouse 3 has the main character be attacked by a bunch of deadly monsters, who have taken his wife and son. His son is being used for a ritual while his wife is infected with a worm that is turning her into a monster, and you need to save them before time runs out. But, if you are unable to save either one of them in time, they both will die. After that, the game will end with the monsters being forever dead, but the main character will be looking at a picture of his family, stating that he is alone. And to think that this ending paved the way for more family deaths in video games
#3: Dead Rising 2 - Now, Dead Rising 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. This game lets you fight off zombies and psychopaths using literally everything as a weapon. However, this game has multiple endings. While I COULD talk about the story, the games worst possible ending comes when you don’t give Katey her medicine. For those who don’t know, Chuck’s daughter, Katey, has been bitten by zombies and is infected with the zombie virus. So, the only way to keep her from turning is to give her a daily dose of a medicine called Zombrex. However, if you do not give this medicine to her, she will turn into a zombie, which will lead to Ending F, which is the worst ending in the entire game. Once you go back to the safe house, it will be under attack by zombies, but Chuck, who is depressed over his daughters death, does nothing, and he is then killed by the zombies. That’s right, major badass Chuck Greene is so heartbroken, that he just lets himself die. That is some heavy stuff right there
#2: Heavy Rain - Oh man, this game. It’s something, let me tell you. Of course, with a game where one of the main characters sons gets killed at the beginning, its bound to have at least one depressing ending. Like Origami Blues, where Ethan kills himself. Or Tear In the Rain, where Ethan’s only son dies and he… well, kills himself. But, easily the worst is Helpless. Throughout the game, Ethan is trying to find his son, who was taken by a dangerous killer, known as the Origami Killer. However, later in the game, Ethan could be chased by the police. Here, the player can escape the police, or get arrested. However, once in prison, there is a chance for Shaun, Ethan’s son, to get killed by the Origami Killer. If he does die, you get the ending titled Helpless. Here, Ethan is framed as the Origami Killer, and his son is dead. While in a cell filled with the origami figures found at the crime scenes, Ethan hangs himself. And, let me remind you, the Origami Killer actually gets to go free. I mean, my god. What ending could be worse.
#1: Chrono Trigger - Oh, right. This could be worse. It’s no doubt that Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest RPGs of all time. But, there is no doubt that is also has one of the most powerfully bad endings in any video game. Throughout the game, you and your party are trying to defeat an evil alien, known only as Lavos, whose goal is to destroy all life on earth, no matter what. What makes this game so good is that you can go and fight Lavos whenever you want. However, the time in which you do it will change the ending. But, no matter how far you get in the ending, if you die from Lavos, then you will get the same ending, no matter what. Once you do die, LAvos will rise up and begin raining chaos on the world. It is then shown that Lavos’s destruction has spread all across the Earth, and, it eventually leads to the Earth, and everyone on it, dying. But, just to add salt to the wound, you are given one final message. The message states “And yet… the future refused to change”. And, as the message appears, you are given one last evil scream from Lavos. This game really takes it far. Not only does your friends die, and not only does your family die, and not only do YOU die, but everyone on earth, who ever lived, is now dead, all because you failed in your mission. That easily makes it one of the most powerful bad ending in video games of all time.
So, there you have it. Do you agree with the list? Tell me what you thought below. With that, I will see you all next time