Horror games can uniquely trigger intense emotions, including fear, suspense, and sadness. While many players seek the adrenaline rush that comes with overcoming terrifying challenges, some games take a different approach, leaving players with a lingering sense of sorrow and melancholy as the credits roll.
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These games deliver stories that tug at the heartstrings, exploring themes of sacrifice, loss, and the human condition. Games where the protagonists' journeys end with heart-wrenching conclusions that resonate with players long after the game ends.
10Telltale’s The Walking Dead
Throughout Telltale’sThe Walking Dead, players develop a strong emotional attachment to one of the main characters, Clementine, as they guide and protect her through the post-apocalyptic world as the protagonist, Lee. As the story progresses, players witness Clementine’s growth, struggles, and the relationships she forms with other characters, particularly her bond with Lee Everett in the first season. Telltale’sThe Walking Deadhas impactful choices, where players and Lee will teach Clementine important lessons for her survival in this new world.
In the game’s final moments, players face difficult choices that ultimately determine Clementine’s fate. One of the most impactful choices involves sacrificing Lee, the protagonist of the first season and a father figure to Clementine, as he succumbs to a bite from a walker. The deep emotional connection players intensify during thisheartbreaking momentdeveloped with Lee throughout the game. Choosing to end Lee’s suffering and say their final goodbyes is a poignant and tearful experience for many players.
9The Last of Us
InThe Last of Us, Joel is faced with a choice that prioritizes his personal attachment and love for Ellie over humanity’s potential greater good or fate. This decision has significant consequences and sets a series of events that conclude the narrative. Through masterful storytelling and nuanced character development, players becomeinvested in Joel and Ellie’s relationshipand their journeys.
Moreover, the ending ofThe Last of Usraises thought-provoking moral questions and challenges players' perceptions of right and wrong. Joel’s decision can be seen as morally ambiguous, as it prioritizes personal love and protection at the expense of potential hope for humanity. This moral complexity forces players to grapple with the consequences of Joel’s actions and question their ethical beliefs. The game ends with a distrustful “Okay.” from Ellie, as she has to live her life never truly knowing if she could have been the cure that saved the world. That is, untilThe Last of Us Part 2…
8The Witch’s House MV
As players progress throughThe Witch’s House MV, they become aware of the horrifying truth behind the witch’s motives and the events unfolding in the house. The true ending occurs when players reach the game’s conclusion and discover the ultimate fate of Viola. The end is marked by atragic turn of eventsthat leaves players with despair and loss.
Players witness her struggles, vulnerability, and determination to survive the horrors of the house. They connect with her and root for her escape, only to be confronted with a tragic twist that shatters hope.The Witch’s House MVsubverts expectations and delivers a gut-wrenching conclusion that resonates with players emotionally.
7Silent Hill
Harry Mason, the main protagonist ofSilent Hill, discovers the truth about his daughter Cheryl Mason. It is revealed thatCheryl is Alessa Gillespie, a young girl involved in a ritual conducted by a cult in Silent Hill. At the end of the game, Harry confronts the cult leader, Dahlia, and defeats the god, Freeing but killing both Alessa and Cheryl in the process.
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The iconic horror video game franchise’s first entry,Silent Hill, ends in tragedy; Cheryl and Alessa are gone, sacrificed by people for power. Though he is handed a new baby, it’s not the child he came to rescue. Harry ultimately fails in the end; he fails to save his daughter, Cheryl, even after the horrors he has been through.
6BioShock Infinite
At the end ofBioShock Infinite, the protagonist, Booker DeWitt, discovers that he is, in fact, an alternate version of Zachary Comstock, the game’s primary antagonist. It is revealed that Booker and Comstock are the same person but exist in different timelines and realities. In one fact, Booker chose to be baptized and became Comstock; in another, he decided not to be baptized and remained as Booker. Some regardBioshock: Infiniteas confusing, andnot as good as the originalBioshockfor that reason among many.
In this final moment, Booker is faced with a choice: to accept the baptism and become Comstock or to reject it and remain as Booker. The player is given control to decide Booker’s fate. If the player chooses to have Booker accept the baptism, the cycle continues, and Comstock’s reign of tyranny persists across multiple realities. However, if the player decides to have Booker reject the baptism, it creates a paradox that collapses the different realities and erases Comstock from existence. This choice, symbolized by Booker drowning himself, is aimed at preventing the birth of Comstock and the subsequent suffering caused by his actions. The end is somewhat sad as he sacrifices himself to free Elizabeth from the cycle and end Comstock, and no one likes the protagonist dying at the end.
5Heavy Rain
In a shocking revelation in the interactive thriller,Heavy Rain, the Origami Killer is revealed to be Scott Shelby, a former investigator. Ethan Mars rescues his captive son Shaun but fails to capture Scott. Devastated, Ethan and Madison mourn at Shaun’s grave. Suddenly, Ethan takes out a gun and tragically ends his own life.
Madison’s world shatters as she witnesses the loss of her beloved. Overwhelmed by grief, she is left alone, grappling with unanswered questions and the weight of her sorrow. The grave of Shaun stands witness to the profound tragedy that engulfs her.
4Limbo
In the game’s final moments, the boy encounters a giant spider, which he has encountered several times throughout his journey. In a climactic and intense encounter, the boy defeats the spider. However, instead of celebrating his victory, the game takes a sad turn.
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After the spider’s defeat, the boy continues, traversing through a forest and eventually coming across a hill. As he ascends, the player sees the boy walking toward a girl standing in the distance. As the boy approaches, he suddenly freezes in place, and the game abruptly ends. There is no resolution, no closure, and no explanation provided. The boy and his sister meeting in Limbo may mean they have already died.
3Alan Wake
Throughout thestory-heavy gameofAlan Wake, Alan battles against the forces of darkness, searching for his missing wife. In the climactic finale, he reaches the cabin where Alice has been held captive. However, it is revealed that the events he experienced were part of his creation. Alice was taken into the lake by the Dark Presence.
Alan realizes that he must sacrifice himself to save his wife and the town of Bright Falls. He plunges into the depths of Cauldron Lake, where the Dark Presence resides, knowing he will be trapped there forever. Although perhaps this ending is undermined thanks toAlan Wake 2, that remains to be seen.
2Rule of Rose
InRule of Rose, Jennifer, a survivor of an airship accident, is taken in by a man who lost his son. She befriends Wendy from an orphanage but becomes more attached to a stray dog named Brown. Jealous, Wendy forms the Red Crayon Aristocrat Club to bully Jennifer and get rid of the dog.
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Jennifer defeats the club, but Wendy manipulates Gregory, pretending to be his dead son, and sends him to attack Jennifer. Gregory ends up killing everyone except Jennifer. Aware of his suicidal thoughts, Jennifer hands Gregory a gun, and he tragically takes his own life, leaving Jennifer as the sole survivor again.
In the True ending ofMad Father, Aya learns the truth about her father’s intentions to turn her into a doll and rushes towards the Morgue, seeking refuge among the corpses. When Alfred betrays Maria, she searches a bookshelf for Bandages to tend to Maria’s wounds. They flee together, but. Alfred catches up, kicking Maria aside and chasing Aya into the Shrine. As he attempts to kill her, But ends up being killed by Maria and Dio to save Aya and escape the burning Mansion.
Years later, Jean Rooney visits Aya’s Medical Clinic, as her previous doctor turned her away due to her inability to pay. She offers free treatment, guiding Jean to a patient table and administering a sedative. It is revealed that Aya continues her father’s work, while Maria comments that it runs in the family.
