8 Games Where The Bad Ending Is Canon

I’ve spent countless hours immersed in the dark and gritty worlds of these games, and boy, do they know how to make a player feel guilty! Each of these titles offers a unique twist on the concept of player choice and its consequences.

Have you ever found yourself appreciating a series finale, only for its follow-up to disappoint? Or perhaps you’ve disliked the way a fantastic game concluded, yet felt relieved when discovering that the official ending was something else entirely?

Be aware that this list contains potential plot reveals, so proceed cautiously.

These are great games where all endings were created equal until the director said otherwise.

Many fan groups, as detailed below, spent several years speculating about the events, only to later receive follow-ups that confirmed, indeed, things took an extremely bad turn.

Let’s take a nostalgic journey together, revisiting the painful conclusions of your cherished games. Remember to bring some tissues along and a comforting plush toy for later.

8 The Last Of Us

A Mandatory Slaughter

8 Games Where The Bad Ending Is Canon

Some people say The Last Of Us is the videogame equivalent of Oscar bait, but that argument is moot considering how well Naughty Dog executed that concept.

Unfortunately, there are some qualms about the ending of the first game.

At the concluding stage of “The Last of Us,” Joel elects to rescue Ellie, thereby sealing humanity’s fate. The player is given the option to proceed stealthily or launch a full-scale attack.

Initially, Naughty Dog contemplated including two possible conclusions: the ending that eventually was featured in the completed game, and a different one featuring Joel engaging in a violent spree within the hospital instead.

Initially, the developer abandoned the footage related to the alternative ending, but when The Last of Us Part II was released, many dialogue scenes revolving around the hospital incident predominantly referenced Joel’s brutal attack on its inhabitants.

The final outcome of “The Last of Us” is considered official, even though it wasn’t part of the original game content.

7 Ghost Recon Wildlands

Serving Justice Through Gunshots

In the game Ghost Recon Wildlands, the constant tension between DC administrators and on-site agents significantly impacted the storyline.

This chasm is so vast that even elite military units and an undercover CIA operative struggle to find shared interests against it. Sadly, their efforts alone are insufficient.

As I painstakingly took apart the Santa Blanca Cartel and pinned down El Sueño within his grandiose tomb, my team and I received a call from D.C., instructing us to halt our operations.

In a turn of events, El Sueño struck an agreement with the Department of Justice. As part of this arrangement, he will receive complete immunity if he provides information leading to the prosecution of other drug cartel leaders.

From my perspective as an ardent admirer, it seems like a double advantage: by outmaneuvering his rivals, the path is being smoothed for Sueño to wield unquestioned authority in Bolivia.

In response to what she perceived as a failure by the U.S. judicial system, Karen Bowman took matters into her own hands and fatally shot the kingpin, leaving Nomad and his team in shock.

Bowman gets sentenced to life for murder, but she does not seem to mind.

Should you choose to repeat the final mission following the completion of all Cartel Destabilization Missions, a hidden “benevolent” conclusion unfolds, with Sueño receiving house arrest in the United States. However, this resolution doesn’t compare to the thrilling excitement of the main storyline.

6 Shadow Hearts

Nothing A Little Time Travel Can’t Fix

Back in the day, if I was into gaming around the millennium, chances are I was either deeply engrossed in Final Fantasy VIII on my trusty PlayStation, or immersed in Shadow Hearts on the sleek PlayStation 2.

Back then, we lived in times that were less complex, characterized by acts of selflessness, sporting attire reminiscent of a J-Rock frontman, and engaging in conflicts that mirrored spreadsheet calculations.

The Shadow Hearts series often prefers complex conclusions. The primary game continues from the unfortunate ending in Koudelka, and in its established conclusion, Alice sacrifices herself to save Yuri.

Should playing that game cause your heart to ache, you’ll find solace in knowing that Shadow Hearts: Covenant offers a means to reverse this effect.

In the second installment, the satisfying conclusion transports you back to the beginning of Shadow Hearts, except this time, Yuri has figured out a way to rescue Alice. If only real life were as simple!

5 XCOM: Enemy Unknown

You Thought You Won, Commander?

2012’s revival of the XCOM series sparked a wave of nostalgia and delight, while also introducing a new generation to an exceptional tactical game that stands among the best.

Who isn’t fond of preserving humanity from recurring alien attacks, avoiding the interpretative debate about the author’s intent that often arises in discussions about Starship Troopers and Helldivers?

Experiencing the intense challenge of XCOM makes triumphing against the extraterrestrials an incredibly thrilling experience for gamers, yet players transitioning to XCOM 2 in 2016 found themselves utterly astonished.

Indeed, commander, even with your valiant efforts and those of your team, XCOM 2 unveils that the aliens managed to triumph in the conflict.

In case this brings you some relief, the creators clarified that although XCOM 2 narrates the consequences when you lose, the events in your specific game save are genuinely authentic within that miniature universe.

As someone who’s conquered XCOM: Enemy Unknown, no doubt about it – victory was mine. Is admitting my mastery a way to cope with the challenges ahead? Maybe. But let me tell you, I’m more than ready to embrace this badge of honor once again!

4 Far Cry 5

Living The Dream With Armageddon Cultists

Experience often warns against putting faith in fanatical groups, yet regrettably, there’s a grain of truth in what Joseph Seed said.

In the game “Far Cry: New Dawn,” we learn that his prediction about the world’s impending doom proved true, as depicted in the Resist ending of “Far Cry 5.

Following your victory over The Father, three nuclear explosions occur, transforming the region into a sea of glass. The vehicle transporting Seed towards Dutch’s bunker meets with an accident, yet both Dutch and the Deputy manage to reach the shelter safely on foot.

The seed first eliminates the Dutch and then arrests the Deputy, only to later free them. Speaking of reliable companions during a nuclear disaster, isn’t it?

15 years have passed since the chaos of Far Cry 5, and I find myself stepping into a post-apocalyptic Montana. Life here isn’t exactly a picnic, with Joseph Seed still orchestrating his cult’s activities, only now it seems to be thriving more than ever.

3 Blood Omen: Legacy Of Kain

Dooming The World All By Yourself

1996 saw the release of “Legacy of Kain,” a game known for its robust top-down gameplay and uncompromisingly dark narrative that left no room for sugarcoating.

In the final stage of the game, the player overcomes the Dark Entity and rejuvenates eight pillars in Nosgoth.

It dawns on you that you’re the final protector, known as the Pillar of Balance, and the destiny of Nosgoth lies within your grasp.

Soul Reaver,” released in 1999, confirmed this as the true outcome.

Following his actions of slaying the other pillar guardians and resisting self-sacrifice, Kain’s decision caused a ripple effect that ultimately stopped the rotation of destiny itself, resulting in Nosgoth becoming a barren wasteland.

2 Spec Ops: The Line

Pick Your Horrible Fate, Captain

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and in no place does that resonate more than in Dubai.

In my opinion, not many games that take place in our reality are as harrowing as “Spec Ops: The Line,” and every conclusion seamlessly aligns with the narrative.

If you’re someone who likes to focus on details, you might question this submission: isn’t it strange for any conclusion in ‘Spec Oops: The Line’ to be exceptional when they’re all terribly poor?

Following the discovery of Konrad’s corpse, Walker and the colonel’s hologram pointed weapons at one another. Should Konrad not have been fired upon, the colonel would have shot instead, ultimately causing Walker to take his own life. Quite the cheerful situation, isn’t it?

As a gamer, when I take down Konrad’s holographic likeness, my character, Walker, takes a moment to scan his surroundings. To my surprise, both the colonel’s physical form and the 33rd soldier who sought my command are nowhere to be found.

Upon sending an evacuation signal, you find yourself encountering a line of Humvees outside, all the while donning Konrad’s formal attire.

“You have the option to accompany them out of Dubai without resorting to violence, or stand your ground and engage in a confrontation. In the event that you are killed, Walker will succumb to his wounds, ruminating about how men like him can never return home.

Should you triumph despite long odds, Walker secludes himself within the remnants of the city, bidding farewell with a haunting “welcome to Dubai.” As the city’s water resources have depleted, it seems unlikely that Walker will survive more than a few days beyond this point.

Sadly, I found myself disappointed in early 2024 when many stores removed Spec Ops: The Line from their shelves because the music licenses had expired.

1 Metro 2033

No Karma Means No Mercy

In a more casual and understandable style, here is one way of paraphrasing the original text:

After ascending Ostankino Tower, Artyom held the visage of a whole species within the span of his hand.

If you’ve gone to great, laborious efforts to accumulate good karma throughout your gameplay in one of gaming’s most unforgiving karma systems, you’ll be rewarded with the Enlightened ending, where character Artyom saves the Dark Ones.

It transpires that the talk about enlightenment is merely empty chatter, as evidenced by the games Metro: Last Light and Exodus, which reveal that Artyom was responsible for ordering the missile attack on their nest, causing the near-extinction of the Dark Ones.

2024-11-27 19:09