9S, 2B and A2 are given another chance at life on another world to change things for the better. Getting all of the necessary upgrades and loyal companions to keep everybody alive requires specific actions and a significant time investment from the player, as well as tasking them with several rapid-fire choices. Doing so ensures the player can keep all of their beloved crew alive, a happy ending far less controversial than the infamous endings to Mass Effect 3. One often described as the best comes about from aiding resistance organization EZIC, allowing their members through to carry out anti-government acts. If the player does, the government begins to fall, rewarding the player's agency in a game that often makes them feel powerless. Indie darling Papers, Please takes place in the unconventional setting of an immigration centre in the dystopian nation Arstotzka.
The ending of a game can make or break a title’s legacy, regardless of how good the gameplay, graphics, and storyline are to that point. One need only consider the ruin that became of Mass Effect 3 thanks to its awfully received ending. Speaking of mothers, that Metroid appears again during your climactic battle against Mother Brain. This time, it intervenes on your behalf during that final boss fight and even fully restores your health. While Mother Brain tragically kills the Metroid soon thereafter, the Metroid manages to gift Samus the powerful Hyper Beam weapon right before its death.
12 Batman: Arkham City
Many see it as a disappointing end to an emotional, introspective journey across the galaxy. We know he is extremely selfish and objectively wrong, but given the chance, it's probably what we would have decided to do to save those that we love. It perfectly reflects the themes of the game, and elevated storytelling for the entire gaming medium. After having done all that the Bureau has asked of him, John realises that he is Edgar Ross’ last target. Ross finds John and tragically guns him down, leaving a widowed mother and a devastated son to pick up the pieces.
He claimed me as drunk and deranged, he went to the other room and grabbed a gun from his cabinet. Since he was older, I wrestled the gun from him and killed him with it. She said I changed and she already planned on leaving with Norman, he bought her a train ticket. I confessed that Norman was no longer around and our lives would be back to normal and great again. She left her suitcase on the bed and sat at the dining table to "think".
12 Portal 2
The player has to fight through a complex and nightmarish quest to get to the Kiln of the First Flame and is given a choice to Link the Fire or not. The game's default ending is "Age of Fracture," where the player Tarnished becomes Elden Lord, repairs the Elden Ring, and looks ready to fix the instability plaguing the Lands Between. However, they do so by making no changes to the Golden Order, making it very likely that the same events will just repeat themselves, and the world will end up in an equally broken state.
Thematically, this ending does an amazing job of capturing how difficult it is to escape the circle of violence. More importantly, though, this ending lets you properly experience those incredible moments in ways that only a video game allows for. You get to play out a few precious moments of a more peaceful life, you get to try to survive an impossible fight, and you get to choose to seek revenge. Any of those moments could have been handled via a cutscene, but Red Dead Redemption lets you carry out and really feel all of them. The finales to these games proved to be head-scratchers that fans still debate to this day. Any of the endings where Ciri survives can be considered a good ending, but most players prefer the ending where she joins Geralt as a Witcher, rather than becoming Empress of Nilfgaard.
Batman: Arkham City
Before working at Screen Rant, she worked as the Senior Arts Editor for "The Spectrum" newspaper at the University at Buffalo. Her quest to avenge Joel's murder sees her lose virtually everything. Dina and Jesse are both forced to leave her and her obsessive pursuit of violence. Joel's brother Tommy is left maimed by that same pursuit, yet he admonishes Ellie for not finishing the task. In the end, Ellie tracks Abby down and saves her life, before she attacks her and loses two fingers in their final fight. Ellie finally gives in and abandons her need for revenge, which had become empty and pointless.
The underwhelming nature of this ending is deliberate, however, as both sequels explore the downsides of prolonging the Age of Fire. The canon of either continuity of Star Wars is a convoluted, often-contradictory thing, with dozens of creatives attempting to make a coherent narrative from thousands of stories. However, most expanded universe stories, whether in Canon or Legends, know to avoid interfering with the storyline of the movies. Elden Ring has six endings, of which only two – "Blessing of Despair" and "Lord of Frenzied Flame" – are outright bad.
10 Arthur Morgan Redeems Himself With High Honor
However, during a battle with Batman, Joker accidentally destroys the antidote he was seeking. Batman tells Joker he would have allowed him to use the antidote, but it’s too late for all of that. The Joker dies, and Batman carries him out into Arkham City before disappearing into the night. It’s the only ending that isn’t directly triggered by scenes of additional violence. On the one hand, it means that both Walker and the player are allowed to “escape” after having done so many terrible things.
If players find them, Zelda tells Link she intends to rebuild Hyrule to its former glory, looking to do more than just sustain the world how it is. With game after game portraying the kingdom in disrepair and decay, the prospect of the world brightening and improving is one many players support. The plot of Inside is minimalist, but still manages to build a sense of hope before snatching it away.
The combat encounters afterward are brutally difficult, and dying once triggers the ending. While many of these can be easily seen by doing a quick YouTube search, sometimes one wants the satisfaction of earning it themselves. Also, some of these came out before internet video streaming was a thing. Whether one wants to achieve the following ten endings themselves or just look them up on the internet, they have to admit they are all ridiculous in one way or another. Video games with secret endings aren't exceedingly rare, but some of them truly go over the top.
I'm a drunk hobo who imagined Rachel and though that Norman has slept with her. Jack began working at Game Rant as a List writer and has worked his way up to the position of Evergreen Editor. Jack enjoys games from a wide range of genres but has a soft spot for puzzle and platform games. Games, music, TV shows, movies, and a little bit of everything else. ERROR143 is an exciting visual novel with some absolutely stunning artwork.
In a vain attempt to rekindle some memories or feelings within her, he kisses her and is promptly chastised. He rewinds time to a few seconds and tells her a secret she once shared with him before departing. While the final puzzle of Grim Fandango shows signs of a rushed production, the conclusion that follows is a suitably heartfelt sendoff to Tim Schafer's time at LucasArts. The ending sees Manny redeemed for his past sins and giving a tearful goodbye to Glottis - the demon who stuck with him through thick and thin. As the souls board the train to their final destination, Meche asks Manny if he thinks they'll be together in the next world.
Thankfully, you get a chance for redemption as you get to control John’s son, Jack, years later on his quest for revenge. Jack tracks down Ross and shoots him dead, honouring his father and serving a satisfying dose of justice before the credits roll. Years after Nate and his brother Sam are reunited, and he and Elena decide to continue to live a life of adventure, we find their young daughter living in an idyllic tropical beachside house.
To me, Red Dead Redemption’s ending properly begins as you ride home while the song “Compass” plays. After everything you’ve been through, you finally get to see your family again and even participate in a few homestead missions that allow you to reconnect with your wife and son. In a stunning epilogue sequence, you’re allowed to control an older version of John’s son, Jack, who soon tracks down Ross and murders him to get revenge for his father. Manage to defeat The Master and secure the Water Chip, and you’ll finally return home to Vault 13. It’s then that the Vault Overseer will tell you that he’s grateful for everything that you’ve done, but he can’t allow you to return to your life in the vault. He believed he was sending you on a suicide mission, and he isn’t willing to risk the consequences of your existence.
Although not quite the romantic Hollywood ending you might hope for, it is still one of the best showcases of a deep and nuanced relationship within a game. When the other girls start getting killed by a man with a giant pair of scissors, who is known as Scissorman, Jennifer must try to find any other possible survivors and escape from the mansion alive. During the game, the player follows three protagonists as they try to escape the town while dealing with their personal struggles.
