Favorite Bad Endings
Bad Endings are so fun, which makes me sound weird, but how about-
I am distinguishing between endings and "game overs" the best I can, and will also give the best requirements for the ending that I can.
This goes without saying but obviously don't read the notes unless you don't care about spoilers.
I am distinguishing between endings and "game overs" the best I can, and will also give the best requirements for the ending that I can.
This goes without saying but obviously don't read the notes unless you don't care about spoilers.
11 Games
A Painting's Demise
Prerequisites: Have Garry fail the Doll Room and go insane beyond recovery. You must make sure that Ib's bond with Mary is less than four points upon failing the Doll Room.
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This ending was what inspired me to, after long period of reminiscing over bad endings that I loved, make this list. I consider this to not only be my favorite bad ending, but also one of my favorite endings to any video game, primarily due to how effectively it can fill the viewer with a feeling of pure dread that I have yet to ever see implemented as properly as this.
That feeling of hope when you escape the painting world as Mary, the horror that floods over you as you find that the real-world museum doors are locked and that you're trapped inside, and this is all intensified as the lights slowly start to dim over the course of two minutes as your character continues to scream for anyone to help her. Hopeless is a very good word I would use to describe this experience, as seeing every scrawled letter on the wall and every warped exhibit on each floor tell you in very unsubtle terms "You are going to die", all while complete silence is blaring through your speakers spells so much doom that it could win a million spelling bees.
One of the most effective displays of horror I've seen in a long time.
Prerequisites: Have Garry fail the Doll Room and go insane beyond recovery. You must make sure that Ib's bond with Mary is less than four points upon failing the Doll Room.
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This ending was what inspired me to, after long period of reminiscing over bad endings that I loved, make this list. I consider this to not only be my favorite bad ending, but also one of my favorite endings to any video game, primarily due to how effectively it can fill the viewer with a feeling of pure dread that I have yet to ever see implemented as properly as this.
That feeling of hope when you escape the painting world as Mary, the horror that floods over you as you find that the real-world museum doors are locked and that you're trapped inside, and this is all intensified as the lights slowly start to dim over the course of two minutes as your character continues to scream for anyone to help her. Hopeless is a very good word I would use to describe this experience, as seeing every scrawled letter on the wall and every warped exhibit on each floor tell you in very unsubtle terms "You are going to die", all while complete silence is blaring through your speakers spells so much doom that it could win a million spelling bees.
One of the most effective displays of horror I've seen in a long time.
Ending F
Prerequisites: Fail to collect all of Carlito's bombs during Case 7-2.
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Full disclosure, I have not played this game, but the wide bevy of endings really makes me want to give it a try. There were a lot of options, but this one takes the cake for a particular reason.
If you "achieve" this ending, you blast a zombie virus straight into the upper atmosphere due to some explosives you failed to defuse. This virus is implied to spread all over the world and essentially cause the end of humanity. What makes this crazier is that this occurs way before you can get any other ending, so what would ordinarily be a game over has a full fledged end sequence.
But the best part is the ending screen. All endings show you how many people died and who survived, out of over like, 30 people at least. In this ending however, you will have the express pleasure of seeing every single name and portrait grayed out as everyone died from your incompetence. This is the only ending where this happens, and the sight alone is quite saddening.
Prerequisites: Fail to collect all of Carlito's bombs during Case 7-2.
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Full disclosure, I have not played this game, but the wide bevy of endings really makes me want to give it a try. There were a lot of options, but this one takes the cake for a particular reason.
If you "achieve" this ending, you blast a zombie virus straight into the upper atmosphere due to some explosives you failed to defuse. This virus is implied to spread all over the world and essentially cause the end of humanity. What makes this crazier is that this occurs way before you can get any other ending, so what would ordinarily be a game over has a full fledged end sequence.
But the best part is the ending screen. All endings show you how many people died and who survived, out of over like, 30 people at least. In this ending however, you will have the express pleasure of seeing every single name and portrait grayed out as everyone died from your incompetence. This is the only ending where this happens, and the sight alone is quite saddening.
Bad Ending
Prerequisites: Choose to kill Ryoji on New Year's Eve.
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Absolutely haunting in every way imagineable. You choosing to wipe everyone's memories of everything they've done leaves you with a timeline where everything is just off. Characters you've grown to love don't even recognize you, and the only character who does have any recollection of the past has to hide from you in order to make sure you didn't waste your decision.
The elephant in the room here is that the world, at some point during this sequence, ends off screen. So not only is this entire ending rife with awkward, melancholic situations, but you're left with a single still image which may have been the last moments in all of our characters' lives.
Horrifying, and I couldn't be happier that they don't show the world ending. It means so much more.
Prerequisites: Choose to kill Ryoji on New Year's Eve.
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Absolutely haunting in every way imagineable. You choosing to wipe everyone's memories of everything they've done leaves you with a timeline where everything is just off. Characters you've grown to love don't even recognize you, and the only character who does have any recollection of the past has to hide from you in order to make sure you didn't waste your decision.
The elephant in the room here is that the world, at some point during this sequence, ends off screen. So not only is this entire ending rife with awkward, melancholic situations, but you're left with a single still image which may have been the last moments in all of our characters' lives.
Horrifying, and I couldn't be happier that they don't show the world ending. It means so much more.
Undefined Error
Prerequisites: Answer the door when The Uncle arrives.
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This game was such a curve ball and surprised me in many areas, one of those places being that the endings in this game are rather chilling. This is the first ending most people will probably get, and it takes you by surprise the instant in-human noises reverberate from the door.
As soon as you open the door and encounter the "uncle", it seems like the game is breaking the fourth wall with the strange debug text and Zalgo effects on display here. This sequence is uncontrollable, and leaves you with a feeling of overwhelming dread due to the sheer volume and abrasiveness of the ending.
There are other endings here that can be considered more chilling, but this one with its audio/visual mind-flood takes the cake for me, and I even saved a picture of the Uncle way back when because I enjoyed the abstract design a lot.
Prerequisites: Answer the door when The Uncle arrives.
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This game was such a curve ball and surprised me in many areas, one of those places being that the endings in this game are rather chilling. This is the first ending most people will probably get, and it takes you by surprise the instant in-human noises reverberate from the door.
As soon as you open the door and encounter the "uncle", it seems like the game is breaking the fourth wall with the strange debug text and Zalgo effects on display here. This sequence is uncontrollable, and leaves you with a feeling of overwhelming dread due to the sheer volume and abrasiveness of the ending.
There are other endings here that can be considered more chilling, but this one with its audio/visual mind-flood takes the cake for me, and I even saved a picture of the Uncle way back when because I enjoyed the abstract design a lot.
Bad Ending
Prerequisites: Have Cuphead and Mugman agree to hand the soul contracts over to The Devil.
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You know how in a lot of other "E for Everyone" games, you'll get these fake choices where if they allowed you to go through with your convictions, the game would just end. Paper Mario does this a lot, but it's usually just a Game Over, but Cuphead rolls the credits and that means so much more.
I would've left it at that, but this ending actually pulls the rug out from under you a second time once the credits are done. The shock and awe on me and my friend's faces when we opened up the main menu and the music was reversed could never be described with words. What an evil trick, and Studio MDHR should be proud that they made the best ending of this particular genre.
Prerequisites: Have Cuphead and Mugman agree to hand the soul contracts over to The Devil.
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You know how in a lot of other "E for Everyone" games, you'll get these fake choices where if they allowed you to go through with your convictions, the game would just end. Paper Mario does this a lot, but it's usually just a Game Over, but Cuphead rolls the credits and that means so much more.
I would've left it at that, but this ending actually pulls the rug out from under you a second time once the credits are done. The shock and awe on me and my friend's faces when we opened up the main menu and the music was reversed could never be described with words. What an evil trick, and Studio MDHR should be proud that they made the best ending of this particular genre.
Worst Ending
Prerequisites: Install no upgrades for the Normandy and recruit zero optional squad members. Accept the Act 2 Collector Ship Mission with a minimal crew, and do at least four more side missions after the Normandy crew has been kidnapped. During the Suicide Mission, choose either disloyal or incapable squad members for each challenge, and do not escort the surviving crew back to the Normandy.
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Probably the only bad ending I have included on this list so far because I think it's hilarious.
Just imagine a crew of fully stocked soldiers, weapons armed, falling down twenty flights of stairs in slow motion, and that's what this ending feels like. The incompetency on display is unending, and I think it's all the funnier that this ending is almost impossible to get naturally. Like you can try to get this ending, really hard in fact, and still fail because the prerequisites are so specific.
But what makes this ending so great, is that if you were unlucky enough to witness this exchange, you're character cannot continue into Mass Effect 3. Your story ends in the middle of the trilogy, and that is so fucking funny that they allow this to happen.
Prerequisites: Install no upgrades for the Normandy and recruit zero optional squad members. Accept the Act 2 Collector Ship Mission with a minimal crew, and do at least four more side missions after the Normandy crew has been kidnapped. During the Suicide Mission, choose either disloyal or incapable squad members for each challenge, and do not escort the surviving crew back to the Normandy.
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Probably the only bad ending I have included on this list so far because I think it's hilarious.
Just imagine a crew of fully stocked soldiers, weapons armed, falling down twenty flights of stairs in slow motion, and that's what this ending feels like. The incompetency on display is unending, and I think it's all the funnier that this ending is almost impossible to get naturally. Like you can try to get this ending, really hard in fact, and still fail because the prerequisites are so specific.
But what makes this ending so great, is that if you were unlucky enough to witness this exchange, you're character cannot continue into Mass Effect 3. Your story ends in the middle of the trilogy, and that is so fucking funny that they allow this to happen.
Apartment Ending
Prerequisites: Take the right door, go into the Warehouse, take the cargo lift across without jumping and answer the phone in the Phone Room.
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What's amazing about the Stanley parable is that while it is undoubtedly a comedic game, it doesn't hesitate to completely shift the mood for particular situations. If I recall correctly, this was the first ending I ever got, and boy was it quite a mouthful.
Basically watching this hypothetical Stanley lose control completely as the setting slowly changes is very ominous, and it leaves you feeling helpless under the thumb of the now malicious narrator. All of this culminates with the in-game text literally asking you to die, as the narrator's voiceover loops like a record player before a hard cut occurs. I don't think there's a much better examples of a chilling juxtaposition than that.
I do sometimes feel like a baby for finding this ending disturbing, but fuck it I don't care, it's wildly interesting and such a standout in a game that mostly tries to make you laugh.
Prerequisites: Take the right door, go into the Warehouse, take the cargo lift across without jumping and answer the phone in the Phone Room.
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What's amazing about the Stanley parable is that while it is undoubtedly a comedic game, it doesn't hesitate to completely shift the mood for particular situations. If I recall correctly, this was the first ending I ever got, and boy was it quite a mouthful.
Basically watching this hypothetical Stanley lose control completely as the setting slowly changes is very ominous, and it leaves you feeling helpless under the thumb of the now malicious narrator. All of this culminates with the in-game text literally asking you to die, as the narrator's voiceover loops like a record player before a hard cut occurs. I don't think there's a much better examples of a chilling juxtaposition than that.
I do sometimes feel like a baby for finding this ending disturbing, but fuck it I don't care, it's wildly interesting and such a standout in a game that mostly tries to make you laugh.
Bad Ending
Prerequisites: Defeat Miracle Matter without collecting all of the crystal shards.
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Whenever Shinichi Shimomura was in charge of a Kirby game, it was clear that he wanted a very particular tone that has yet to be replicated. Probably the most adorable presentation mixed with final boss fights that cry blood is such a strange mixture that it makes this trilogy of games very culturally fascinating. Also, all three of them have bad endings, with Kirby 64 being probably the most effective in my opinion.
The ending is so unassuming it's almost hilarious. You see the evil darkness fly away, Kirby and his gang leave, everyone is happy, and then with one evil glare and musical sting you experience an immediate gut-punch and a reminder that you suck and need more crystals. It's so simple, but yet you're left in a bad mood almost instantly.
Prerequisites: Defeat Miracle Matter without collecting all of the crystal shards.
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Whenever Shinichi Shimomura was in charge of a Kirby game, it was clear that he wanted a very particular tone that has yet to be replicated. Probably the most adorable presentation mixed with final boss fights that cry blood is such a strange mixture that it makes this trilogy of games very culturally fascinating. Also, all three of them have bad endings, with Kirby 64 being probably the most effective in my opinion.
The ending is so unassuming it's almost hilarious. You see the evil darkness fly away, Kirby and his gang leave, everyone is happy, and then with one evil glare and musical sting you experience an immediate gut-punch and a reminder that you suck and need more crystals. It's so simple, but yet you're left in a bad mood almost instantly.
Terminan Apocalypse
Prerequisites: Allow the 72 hour timer to reach zero without playing the Song of Time.
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This might not be the official name of this ending, and some would also consider this an elaborate game over, but come on have a little fun here, this sequence is genuinely brilliant and may be one of the most powerful scenes in any Zelda game.
You have this constant reminder of your demise at all times, ticking slowly down no matter what you do. It makes sense that a feeling of dread would increase as the clock ticked down to doomsday. I'm also usually a proponent of "don't show or tell", but the sheer destruction on display in this ending feels like it's enough to melt the console. Watching Link getting engulfed in a wall of fire is genuinely painful, and it's just such a perfect display of an apocalypse in a video game.
Need I mention the final five minutes, which isn't technically part of the ending but serves an important role of making you even more despondent for the end of the world.
Also something something creepypasta whatever.
Prerequisites: Allow the 72 hour timer to reach zero without playing the Song of Time.
----
This might not be the official name of this ending, and some would also consider this an elaborate game over, but come on have a little fun here, this sequence is genuinely brilliant and may be one of the most powerful scenes in any Zelda game.
You have this constant reminder of your demise at all times, ticking slowly down no matter what you do. It makes sense that a feeling of dread would increase as the clock ticked down to doomsday. I'm also usually a proponent of "don't show or tell", but the sheer destruction on display in this ending feels like it's enough to melt the console. Watching Link getting engulfed in a wall of fire is genuinely painful, and it's just such a perfect display of an apocalypse in a video game.
Need I mention the final five minutes, which isn't technically part of the ending but serves an important role of making you even more despondent for the end of the world.
Also something something creepypasta whatever.
Papyrus Ending
Prerequisites: Kill Toriel, Undyne, and Mettaton, but spare Papyrus.
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Something cool about Undertale is that it has a large variety of neutral endings. Neutral is a strong word, because some of these are clearly more positive than others, and while I had a large gallery of endings to choose from, this one was an easy choice for being the only neutral ending to make me feel really sad.
With Papyrus as the only major monster left, and Sans not wanting to do jack or shit, Pappy is now the ruler of the underground. He seems so positive about it, but when he shoes Sans away to tell us how much he misses his friends, and how he can't do this alone, it's honestly soul-crushing. This is amplified even more by the fact that Papyrus doesn't even know his friends were murdered by you, with Sans pulling the classic "They went to a farm" trick, and this lack of knowledge on his part makes this even more depressing.
The final straw has to be Papyrus's sprite as he talks, constantly stuck in a forlorn expression and un-moving, which of course is very uncharacteristic.
Prerequisites: Kill Toriel, Undyne, and Mettaton, but spare Papyrus.
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Something cool about Undertale is that it has a large variety of neutral endings. Neutral is a strong word, because some of these are clearly more positive than others, and while I had a large gallery of endings to choose from, this one was an easy choice for being the only neutral ending to make me feel really sad.
With Papyrus as the only major monster left, and Sans not wanting to do jack or shit, Pappy is now the ruler of the underground. He seems so positive about it, but when he shoes Sans away to tell us how much he misses his friends, and how he can't do this alone, it's honestly soul-crushing. This is amplified even more by the fact that Papyrus doesn't even know his friends were murdered by you, with Sans pulling the classic "They went to a farm" trick, and this lack of knowledge on his part makes this even more depressing.
The final straw has to be Papyrus's sprite as he talks, constantly stuck in a forlorn expression and un-moving, which of course is very uncharacteristic.
Bad Ending
Prerequisites: When defeated by the final boss, choose not to retry or continue after dying.
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Way back in 2020, before I had ever even heard of this game, I stumbled upon a quaint little song while I was studying for finals called "My Time". It was a song by this guy I had never heard of called bo-en, and I must have replayed this song over 200 times, so much so that it became my top song on Spotify for that year. So when I heard that the song appears in this game called Omori, well I had to see what it was all about.
What I didn't expect was that the song would only play as our main character Sunny careens off a building and plummets to his death, yet somehow the chaos and dark undertones of the song fit perfectly with this grim sequence. The ending itself is so close in proximity to the good ending that it doesn't have time to do a lot of interesting things, but it puts a cap on a worst-case scenario to the tune of a certified banger and that's all we need sometimes.
Prerequisites: When defeated by the final boss, choose not to retry or continue after dying.
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Way back in 2020, before I had ever even heard of this game, I stumbled upon a quaint little song while I was studying for finals called "My Time". It was a song by this guy I had never heard of called bo-en, and I must have replayed this song over 200 times, so much so that it became my top song on Spotify for that year. So when I heard that the song appears in this game called Omori, well I had to see what it was all about.
What I didn't expect was that the song would only play as our main character Sunny careens off a building and plummets to his death, yet somehow the chaos and dark undertones of the song fit perfectly with this grim sequence. The ending itself is so close in proximity to the good ending that it doesn't have time to do a lot of interesting things, but it puts a cap on a worst-case scenario to the tune of a certified banger and that's all we need sometimes.