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Top 5 Most Heartbreaking Scenes in Gaming

Top 5 Most Heartbreaking Scenes in Gaming

Games tell amazing stories filled with adventure, intrigue, love, and tragedy. When a game can do all four, there’s a good chance it will be talked about and an even better chance that its heartbreaking scenes will stick in your memory.

This is a list of such scenes. Due to the impact they may leave, I must offer the strongest spoiler warning. If you don’t mind finding out what happens, then feel free to proceed. Just make sure you glance at the game name in each item, so you will know if you need to flee!

Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X

There are many memorable moments throughout the Final Fantasy series that evoke emotions. The ending of XV is strong. The big Aerith scene in VII is iconic. VIII has its sappy moments, and VI is just one tragedy after the next. My wife says IX had an effect on her, although I may be too jaded to totally understand that one.

At the end of Final Fantasy X , there is a giant build-up as the main cast enters its final battle with Sin. They believe that they’ve found a way around the traditional method of sacrificing a guardian and the summoner. There is also an encounter with the main character’s father, Jecht, who has taken on a cursed form—a side effect of the typical ritual. There’s already the perfect confluence of emotions, but add on a potent musical score and the secret sacrifice of Tidus, and you have a recipe for tears. You beat the game, he fades away, and his love interest, Yuna, realizes what is happening. It’s awesome.

Gears of War 2

Gears of War 2

The Gears of War franchise takes great strides towards establishing the wholesome relationship between Dom and his wife. It isn’t the main plot by any means, but we do see depictions of Dom’s grief over the loss of his children. Worse, his wife was eventually taken away to a locust prison camp, where she was lobotomized and made to mindlessly serve them.

Their paths eventually cross and the image is too much for Dom to take. He decides to do the merciful thing; he kills his wife to spare her from her fate. His heartfelt apology and regret preceding this action is perhaps the reason this scene really tugs at the heartstrings. You can see a man breaking.

Telltale’s The Walking Dead

Telltale’s The Walking Dead

The way in which Telltale Games tells a story is why the company’s titles became a common talking point in the industry. One of the first major demonstrations of their command of human emotion was in the final episode of the first season of The Walking Dead.

This game tells the story of Lee and his struggles with loss in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. He basically has nothing, but he can’t focus on that. Hee discovers a little girl by the name of Clementine, and all of his effort is put towards teaching her how to survive in their zombie infested world.

It’s heartwarming to watch the bonds they form in the short time they are together. It’s saddening to watch Clementine hold out hope that she’ll be reunited with her family. It’s gutwrenching when Lee is bitten by zombies and has to teach Clementine one final lesson.

In my game, I chose to have Clementine shoot Lee. You could also choose to have her leave, which would presumably leave Lee to be devoured. Considering her age, there might be an impulse to shield her from this action, to hopefully preserve her innocence, but that wouldn’t actually be doing her any favors.

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption

At first glance, it wouldn’t seem that Rockstar’s western, Red Dead Redemption , would be as narratively compelling as it is. It has the makings of a fun action game where the protagonist is out to save people, kill baddies, and probably struggle with morality in a mostly lawless world. That isn’t the case.

After the player defeats the apparent final boss, the game’s tone shifts to something that is almost surreal. The protagonist, John Marston, returns home, and you live a day to day life of bonding with your family, doing chores, and enjoying the small things that weren’t possible in the main plot. This emphasis on family and life makes it seem so utterly heartless and meaningless when the feds show up and gun down John Marston.

Doki Doki Literature Club

Doki Doki Literature Club

This is not a AAA game by any means, but that didn’t stop Doki Doki Literature Club from being a mind blowing experience that inspired conversations from excited fans. The game is also such a trip, it is hard to recommend. Why? You can’t capture what makes the game great without giving things away.

At first glance, Doki Doki Literature Club looks like a bubbly visual novel where the player can interact with archetypal anime girls. As the relationships between the girls are revealed, their complicated personalities are defined by their behavior, as well as the poems they share with you.

This is particularly true with Sayori, the protagonist’s neighbor. She seems to slide more and more into depression, and it is almost inexplicable why it’s happening. You make some choices and you might try to help her, but there’s really nothing you can do. When you go to check in on her and see hanging from the ceiling, emotionless, it brings you to your knees. I had to set the controller down for a bit. Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t that.

The game does open with a trigger warning of sorts, so I should have known it wasn’t all fluff. From that moment, the game continues with its twists and turns, until the experience is entirely unlike the first couple hours of play.

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