VOICE OVER: Alex Crilly-Mckean
#20: “Before Your Eyes” (2021)
We all know the saying, that everything in life flashes by in the moments leading up a person’s death. Well, that serves as the bedrock for this hit first person narrative, where players literally go through the life of the deceased via their point of view. Aside from the beautiful imagery and imaginative approach to the afterlife, its real selling point is its use of eye tracking. You blink, and the game instantly switches to a new scene. This in turn invokes the bitter inevitability of having to let go, no matter how much you want to cling onto happier times. Might hit a bit too close to home for some, but definitely worth checking out!
#19: “Shadow of the Colossus” (2005)
Taking the concept of a boss rush and turning it into a legitimate piece of art, there’s so much praise to be heaped onto Shadow of the Colossus in just about every regard. It’s also really, really depressing. Not only are you slaying these majestic beasts that aren’t doing anyone any harm, but you’re doing so because an ominous voice said it was necessary to bring back Wander’s lost love. The longer this goes on, the more the doubt piles up, especially when it seemingly claims the life of best horse Agro. Naturally, it all ends in tragedy for Wander, acting as a cautionary tale for those who attempt to make deals with devils.
#18: “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons” (2013)
The dialogue may be literal gibberish, but we’ll be damned if this story of brotherhood and sacrifice didn’t knock us in all of our feels. To save their ailing father, two brothers embark on a journey that sees them overcome just about every danger one can expect in a fantasy world – including beasts, brutes and hormones. With every puzzle that’s beaten, you really grow attached to both Naia and Naiee. Of course, things take one tragic turn after another, with the game unafraid to end things on the most bittersweet of notes.
#17: “Yakuza 0” (2015)
Yes, we’re serious. The same game that has disco mini-games, real estate battle royales, cabaret club management and watching soft-core you-know-what also features some of the most tear-jerking character moments ever to be found in sprawling narrative. Between Kiryu risking it all to stop the yakuza from destroying itself, to Majima protecting an innocent blind woman caught up in a web of conspiracies, some of the story beats here hit exceptionally hard. You couldn’t ask for a better introduction to the franchise.
#16: “Marvel's Spider-Man” (2018)
It wouldn’t be a game about Peter Parker if there wasn’t just as much melancholy and heartbreak as there were super heroics. There’s no better example of this than in the aftermath of Doc Ock’s defeat – with Peter given the sad*stic choice of either providing a cure for the citizens of New York, or saving the life of Aunt May. With some last encouraging words, and a whole lot of willpower, Peter chooses to do the responsible thing, even at the cost of the one person he holds most dear. It’s incredibly upsetting, but that’s Spider-Man’s character to a tee! Feel free to cry now.
#15: “God of War Ragnarok” (2022)
Kratos’ reimagining was already a monumental feat of character and narrative design, so naturally the sequel doubled down on it, and in doing so upped the ante when it came to moments of misery and ambivalence. Honestly, there is so much here that brought us to tears it's hard to keep track. Kratos and Atreus’ relationship continually being tested before concluding in a pitch perfect manner, the tragedy of Thor, Brok’s brutal end, Sindri’s grief, the tale of the old man and death – the hits just keep on coming, and every one of them feels earned. When the end of the Norse world felt like a stepping stone compared to the character interactions, you know the writers were cooking!
#14: “Valiant Hearts: The Great War” (2014)
With its cartoony art style and its roots in 2D puzzle solving, you wouldn’t think it was possible for a game like Valiant Hearts to be able to fully capture the authenticity and magnitude of a topic like the First World War. On the contrary, it magnificently portrays the devastation and loss on all sides of the conflict, shown through the lens of a handful of soldiers and citizens as they struggle to survive the war’s ongoing peril. Seasoned with historical accounts and photos, this game is as much an education on World War One as it is a damning and heartrending tale inspired by it.
#13: “Spiritfarer” (2020)
Oh, you thought you were about to indulge in a colorful management sim? Traversing the ocean, picking up anthropomorphic additions to your crew and having a grand old time? Well, that’s only one half of it – the other is slowly learning the backstory of every character, helping them come to terms with their baggage…before ushering them off to the afterlife. Beneath the fantasy and the flashiness, this game is all about accepting death, coming to terms with the decisions you made in life, and having the strength to say goodbye. It’s an exquisite game that will have you pondering on the connections you have with your own loved ones.
#12: “Red Dead Redemption 2” (2018)
Arthur Morgan may not have been a saint, but his final outing in the dying days of the old west was one for the ages, and was certainly packed with bitter moments to swallow. Between all the gunslinging and horse wrangling, we were witness to a man faced with his own imminent death, forced to confront his own misgivings and the fracturing of the Van Der Linde gang. We don’t think there’s been a gaming moment in recent memory that’s struck as hard as watching Arthur take his final breath while watching the sun rise.
#11: “That Dragon, Cancer” (2016)
We can’t think of a worse situation than discovering your child has been diagnosed with cancer, but that’s exactly what happened to Ryan and Amy Green, who in turn chose to pseudo-document the life of their son Joel before his eventual passing. As you can imagine, this isn’t a game meant to be enjoyed, more as it is experienced, meshing together the high and low points of the Green family’s life, complete with evocative imagery that explore themes of grief and faith. It’s a deeply personal project that is both humbling and hollowing, and we can only hope that the final result has brought about some measure of peace.
#10: “Gears of War 3” (2011)
The “Gears of War” series is all about a group of unnaturally large macho men sawing monsters in half with chainsaws attached to their guns, so you can't exactly blame gamers for not expecting emotion. However, due to gripping writing and performances, the waterworks come, and they come hard. “Gears of War 2” had the extremely sad scene involving Dom and his wife, Maria, but it's Dom’s death in the third game that really got to us. Complete with Marcus’s chilling scream and use of the song Mad World, Dom’s death still haunts us.
#9: “Mass Effect 3” (2012)
Regardless of your feelings surrounding the ending itself, you can't deny that this third installment brought the hammer down hard when it came to the war against the Reapers. Seeing as how this was the final game of the original trilogy, there were many climactic and dramatic moments littered throughout the story, some of them happy, some of them...not so much, depending on the choices you make. Among them, you can guarantee the likes of Mordin and Anderson’s deaths will leave you sobbing.
#8: “Mother 3” (2006)
Released in Japan for the Game Boy Advance, “Mother 3” tells the harmless and run-of-the-mill story of a young boy defending the world from an inv ading force. The usual. Unlike most Game Boy games, however, “Mother 3” deals with themes like feudalism, morality and a serious amount of death. You’ve got Flint breaking down after finding Hinawa’s body, flashbacks of Lucas and Claus as young children, and that absolute downer of an ending! These kids didn’t deserve all of this!
#7: “Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)
While many of the “Metal Gear Solid” games contain stellar stories, this third installment has what is perhaps one of the greatest endings in video game history. In order to complete his mission, Snake is tasked to kill his mentor, The Boss, leading to players being forced to pull the trigger and ultimately end her life. Throw in a cacophony of revelations in regards to the Boss’ true nature and the truth of Snake’s mission, and all he can do is salute at the grave of the person he respected most of all, burdened with the knowledge that he was puppeteered into killing a true patriot.
#6: “Professor Layton and the Unwound Future” (2010)
Here for a feel good time and to test your brain? Too bad. Have a heaping helping of misery instead! This final chapter once again sees players controlling the cool, calm, and collected Professor Layton, at least until the conclusion rears its head. Layton's deceased girlfriend of ten years, Claire, returns to him through the magic of time travel. Their reunion is, however, cut short, when she is forced back to her own time, ensuring her demise. For a quaint collection of puzzle games, it’s a shockingly dark way to end things.
#5: “Life is Strange” (2015)
One of the many episodic adventure video games that popped up back in the day, “Life is Strange” follows the antics of a college student who one day discovers she can manipulate time. While the premise may sound thrilling, the story goes out of its way to explore uncomfortable elements, such as broken family dynamics, death, toxic relationships, all layered against a murder mystery and alternate timelines. Max and Chloe’s relationship lurks at the heart of this, and naturally, given the game’s reliance on player choice, things don’t always work out for the best.
#4: “Final Fantasy VII” (1997)
While “Final Fantasy X” may also make you tear up on the regular, there's one moment in the seventh mainline game that cements itself as a continued source of grief for gamers everywhere - Aerith’s death. Her end is a landmark event in the franchise and beyond, one that still ripples all these later. At the time, the abrupt and brutal end to everyone’s beloved healer was met with such shock that players went above and beyond to try and find a way to prevent the tragedy – all to no avail.
#3: “The Last of Us” (2013)
There are zombie apocalypses, and then there’s the Last of Us. Naughty Dog’s magnum opus is nothing if not depressing, focusing on the struggles of Joel and Ellie as they endeavor to journey across a ruined America under the assumption that they can find a cure for the ongoing virus that has ravaged the world. Unfortunately for them, there’s no cure for the wickedness that lurks in the hearts of man. Between the death of Joel’s daughter, what becomes of Henry and Sam, the ordeal with David and his cannibals, let alone Joel’s final solution in order to protect Ellie, the Last of Us offers a glimpse into the horrors all are capable of when it comes to protecting what they love.
#2: “The Walking Dead” (2012)
Quite possibly the best thing to ever come out of the Walking Dead license, the interactive, episodic formula pioneered by Telltale Games offered a fresh approach to the horror and heartbreak when it came to the Walkers. Lee and Clementine’s bond as a surrogate father and daughter will have you continually invested, borderline desperate to keep them safe, with every action leading to one bloody outcome after another. Things may have trailed following its latter seasons, but the first outing remains a marvel, one that broke us come that unbearably bleak ending!
#1: “To the Moon” (2011)
A little indie that seemed to slip under the pop culture radar at the time, “To the Moon” is a hauntingly beautiful game that will stay with you long after you've completed it. Following two “Eternal Sunshine”-like scientists as they implant false memories into a dying man, as a means to live out the dream he wished to share with his emotionally withdrawn wife, things become a tad more complicated as they delve deeper into his past. Even with the sci-fi additions, To the Moon is an incredibly human story about seeking happiness, and how life is rarely ever kind enough to make the journey an easy one.
Which game have you bawling by the end? Let us know in the comments!
