Jinx's Top 10 Saddest Video Game Moments

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MQJinx

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Video games have been debated as to whenever they're a new art form. And just like art, sometimes video games are able to stir up emotions, like fear, anger, and in the case of this list, sadness. When you play a character in the video game world, you feel as if you're part of their drama. And if something depressing happens, it can pull off an emotional plunge, especially if real-life issues are being applied to video games, such as family issues or more traumatic experiences like death. We are moved by the complexity of what this video game has to offer. For you sensitive people out there, go get a Kleenex box, because these moments will move you.

WARNING

This list contains massive spoilers.

#10
CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM SONIC ADVENTURE
Most of the characters in the Sonic series don't offer much in terms of development. However, there are two exceptions. Shadow the Hedgehog had great development in Sonic Adventure 2, then Sega messed him up by reviving him and giving him amnesia. The other exception is E-102 Gamma. Gamma is a creation of Eggman's that appears to have emotions. He is disturbed by Eggman's harsh treatment of his brothers and has sympaphy for a bird he was supposed to abduct. This led him to his betrayal of Eggman and determination to free the animals from his brothers. Eventually, he comes across Beta, whom he damages in battle. Out of sympaphy, Gamma walks towards Beta who then shoots him at point-black range. Beta then explodes, releasing a bird. Gamma realizes that the bird he was supposed to abduct and Beta's bird were family with his own bird. And so, Gamma gives in to his own damage and explodes, releasing his own bird.
(Sonic Adventure DX) E-102 #15) E-102 Gamma: Rescue Complete
10. Gamma's Death

Let me get this straight. A robot, built by the maddest of scientists that captured animals, risked his life for freedom of them. If this heart-wrenching family reunion isn't enough to make you shed a tear, the music that plays through this scene will. This death hit me hard because of how real of a character Gamma seemed, even for a robot. Of all the souls I have encountered in the characters, his was the most... human. Gamma, I will never forget you.
 
#9
CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE LEGEND OF DRAGOON
The Legend Of Dragoon (PS1) Cutscene - Lavitz's Death (HD)
9. Lavitz's Death

They say no good deed goes unpunished, which is shockingly true in the case of this game. The life of the king is threatened, Lavitz battles his attacker head-on to defend the king, resulting in him getting stabbed in the chest and dying... at the end of the game's first disc. Part of the whole tragedy in this scene was that Lavitz was very likeable. He was level-headed, selfless, and even a bit of a jokester. As a chosen Dragoon alongside Dart, he acted much like Dart does and was like the brother he never had. Plus, Lavitz was one of the strongest characters in the game. His death is even more painful when you're devoted a lot of time to level him up. After saving the king, Lavitz dies in Dart's arms. The expressions on everyone's faces when they see Lavitz die show the whole point of seeing this depressing scene. These are completely realistic reactions to the sum of death. As such, this scene not only becomes affective, but also relative.
 
#8
CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM JAK 3
In the Jak and Daxter series, the subject of Jak's parentage is never really touched upon until the third game. However, it's in the third game that Jak gains a bit of a father figure in Damas, a king that initially sees Jak as a mere tool, but he slowly starts to show legitimate character development and becomes a father figure for Jak in giving him life advice. During the Metal Head invasion, Damas personally goes to rescue Jak when he could've easily sent someone else to do it for him, and it's this care that gets him killed in an explosion. As he dies, Damas goes and tells Jak to find his lost son. He gives Jak an emblem that his son supposedly wears. It's here that Jak finds out that Damas's son was his own past self. That just adds ten levels of intense right there.
Jak 3 Cutscenes: Find My Son...
8. Damas's Death

Damas's death and the reveal that Jak was Damas's son pretty much happened at the same time. So the amount of sadness that you feel at this point gets even higher. But then, the emotions go from mere sadness to a mix of sadness and anger, when Count Vulgar reveals that he was the one that took Jak from Damas, then proceeds to be a big pr
censor.gif
through what he says next.
 
#7
CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA'S MASK
The Zelda series is famous for its replayability with so much extra content in each game that will add several hours to your game time, the majority of these being sidequests. The main sidequest of Majora's Mask is an entire sub-plot, an entire romance sub-plot at that. This is the Couple's Mask sidequest, aka the Kafei Romance, and once you know it, given the game's darker tone for an appropriate time, this sub-plot is a tearjerker. An old lady asks you to find her son Kafei who went missing 3 days before his wedding. You come across his wife-to-be, Anju. She asks you to come at midnight to talk about Kafei whom she reveals has sent her a letter recently. Confused and scared, Anju asks you to send him a letter in return. The next day, a small boy wearing a mask is at the Laundry Pool. Asking you to keep a secret, he reveals that he as actually Kafei. He was cursed by Skull Kid to have the appearance of a child as a prank, and in his weaker state, had his ceremonial wedding mask stolen by a thief. Lately he's been hiding from Anju out of complete shame. It's like losing your wedding ring right before the wedding! The last day, Kafei and Link team up to retrieve the mask from the thief's hideout, and by the time you get the mask back, it has become nightfall. The end of the world is near and during all of this, Anju is waiting for Kafei at home beside her wedding dress. What follows is a particularly powerful moment as you wait with Anju for Kafei to arrive as the world itself is about to come to an end. The music fits the tension before Kafei arrives. Kafei and Anju fuse their masks together and become a couple and become determined to die with the rest of the world together. That is what you call love.
Majora's Mask - Cutscenes - Anju & Kafei Reunite
7. Kafei Romance

The Kafei romance is an almost Shakespearean kind of depressing moment. Kafei has been hit setback after setback after setback, Anju is feeling depressed and hopeless, and when they finally reconnect, it's literally minutes before the world ends. It's an unrequited romance that's depressing through proof. ...unless you use the Song of Time to rewind it three days.

Crowd Boo Sound Effect

Yeah, yeah, I know, kill the moment, now shut up.
 
#6
CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
Shadow of the Colossus is a game that has undoubtedly been made for art's sake. In particular, this game has a deep message to it. The main character, Wander, is so desperate to resurrect Mono from the dead that he trusts Dormin, which he knows next to nothing about, and kills 16 colossi. Dormin warns Wander that the price he will pay will be heavy. This comes to life in the game's final act that Wander suffers so much that you just want to hug the poor guy. Before you reach the final colossus, Wander's horse companion Agro falls off a cliff, leaving him completely alone. And as you reach the final colossus, the ominous music and harsh weather add to the despair. Wander's tired, filthy, alone, and through all of this feels like something isn't right. All these feelings of doubt, uncertainty, sadness, and anxiety just build up. Still, he presses on and slays the tower of a colossus. Dormin is then revealed to be a demon that slowly possessed Wander as he killed the 16 colossi. This leads an attack by Lord Emon with his troops firing arrows and stabbing Wander with swords. As Wander slowly dies, he reaches out to Mono, who is still dead. As Dormin reveals his true form, Lord Emon proceeds to seal him away for good. Dormin and Wander then get sucked into the vortex. Once the temple is empty, it has been revealed that Dormin kept his promise and resurrected Mono and Agro. However, Wander is left as a horned infant, meaning he will never know about any of these things.

Shadow of the Colossus Classics HD - Ending
6. Final Act

The final act of Shadow of the Colossus is a powerful and yet depressing, moral fable about following authority and the consequences that come into play should one defy it. This ending is a huge punch-out to the player, essentially calling you out for trusting a demon to resurrect a girl whose fate has already been cursed to begin with. Wander may have deserved it, but we feel immense sympathy for him.
 
#5
CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM SUPER PAPER MARIO
Super Paper Mario is a dark game. I'm sure we all know how creepy Mimi and Super Dimentio are, but this game also contains a lot of deeply emotional subject matter. The main villain is a tragic villain that wants to destroy all worlds and it is later revealed that he is doing this out of love and misery. It comes to life in backstory segments through Count Bleck and Tippi used to be lovers back when they were known as Lord Blumiere and Lady Timpani. Blumiere became Count Bleck after his father banished Tippi to another route to die. If he couldn't live with his love, then no one would live at all. This already depressing backstory comes to the main plot in the game's final chapter. When Bleck reforms and instead Dimentio attempts to destroy all worlds, the love of Blumiere and Timpani is put to the ultimate test. Since the Chaos Heart was summoned through a forced marriage, Count Bleck and Tippi decide to use the Pure Hearts and their true love to banish the Chaos Heart, though at a price. Without the Chaos Heart, they believe that their link to the Pure Hearts will make them cease to exist. After exchanging some heart-wrenching words at the altar, the two get married and disappear in a flash of light. All worlds have been saved, and even Nastasia, who has been killed earlier by Dimentio, has been revived. She says she believes that Blumiere and Timpani are somehow alive, which is hinted by the post-credits scene, but even then she starts bawling her eyes out. At this point, I believe that it's safe to say she's a substitute for the audience.
Super Paper Mario Ending
5. Super Paper Mario Ending

And what makes this scene even sadder is the message delivered in this segment, that to be sad is to live, but as long as you're living, you never know when it could change for the better. That may be true, but it doesn't change the fact that it's still freaking sad!
 
#4
CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM XENOSAGA
You know Albedo? Sure, he's the last person you'd ever feel sorry for, right? Well, you wouldn't, until you find out why he's insane in the first place. Remember how he can always regenerate limbs? Well, ask yourself this. Do you really want to live forever? Albedo... does not. To be fair, Albedo already started out with a violent streak, viciously beating up others like him. However, he's only this violent since he believes that other people can regenerate like he can, until his brother Rubedo informs him that they can't. As soon as he finds out, Albedo freaks out. However, instead of being frightened, we feel sorry for him. I'm sure I'm not the only person who got weepy seeing little kid Albedo hug his brother. Imagine yourself, gifted with the ability to never die. Imagine seeing yourself every day in the mirror looking the exact same way. Imagine seeing everyone you know, everyone you love get old around you and eventually die. Well, Albedo begins thinking of all of these thoughts at once. To say the leasr, these thoughts crush him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgrhxvDaMxg#
4. Albedo's Change

See? Albedo may be messed up, but he's a character that has layers. Deep down, Albedo experiences the same emotions we all feel. He can't bear to hear that he'll never see his friends or family ever again over time. These thoughts eventually deteriorate his mind and ultimately make him into the madman he's known for being. This change is emotionally jarring to not just Albedo, but to the player as well. Now ask yourself again: Do you really want to live forever?
 
#3
CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM FINAL FANTASY VI
Meet Celes. She's a general of the Gestahlian Empire who turned traitor for undisclosed reasons. A Magitek infused test subject of the empire, Celes has been witheld from society until she is saved by the charming thief treasure hunter Locke. They grow close and romance appears to start blooming between them. Unfortunately, Kefka sprouts the seeds of doubt in Locke, causing tension between him and Celes. Then Kefka destroys the world. What a jerk. Celes is left alone on an island with her assumed father from the empire, Cid. Unfortunately, Cid becomes ill and eventually succumbs to illness. Alone without Cid or Locke to look for, Celes decides that there's nothing left for her in this world and throws herself off a cliff. This is surprisingly graphic for something on a Nintendo console at the time. We see Celes lament the loss of those dear to her. We see her falling. We even see her cry while she falls. This is a disturbingly accurate portrait of suicide in a video game made worse by the already distressing subject in hand. Of course, since this scene needs to hve dramatic importance, Celes survives her fall. When she wakes up, she notices what appears to be Locke's bandana on the beach. This gives her hope to live on and find the man she loves. Little did she know that he would be hiding out in an irritably massive cave that requires two parties to travel through. That's a depressing thought in itself.
Sad Moments: FF6 Celes Suicide Attempt
3. Celes's Suicide Attempt

In all seriousness, Celes's suicide attempt is this high for its shock value. Suicides in a video game, attempted or otherwise, weren't very heard of before this. The absolute hopelessness and despair that Celes is feeling is just heartwrenching.
 
WARNING
#2 AND #1 ARE ENTIRE GAMES THAT ARE SAD MOMENTS.
#2
MGS4_North_American_Cover.jpg

2. Metal Gear Solid 4

All of it. Let's start with the concept. You play as Snake, who you may notice is looking a bit older from the original Metal Gear Solid. That is because as a clone, he is beginning to degenerate. Even though he's an old man, he's brought on the mission anyways. As you progress through the game, beloved characters from the rest of the series begin to spontaneously drop dead. Eva from MGS3, who was revealed to be surrogate mother, dies in Snake's arms while trying to retrieve Big Boss's fighting corpse. Snake isn't the only one who recieves grief, however. Otacon forms a relationship with Naomi Hunter, who reveals two things throughout the Metal Gear years. One, she's haunted by all the wrong she's done. Two, she has cancer and is essentially out of mite support. Overwhelmed by guilt, she puts herself off her nanomachines and dies right in front of Otacon. Geez, does every girl Otacon likes have to die? And let's not forget the infamous microwave tunnel scene, where Snake endangers his own life crawling through a giant microwave in order to reach the Patriot Core. Even while this happens, his allies are risking their lives in the battle of the Patriots. However, even after Snake makes through and saves the world, it still isn't over for him. It comes to light in this game that Snake is infected with a virus that can spread and cause a deadly epidemic. Snake... has had a harsh life. He's been cursed with rapid aging, his job means he couldn't be with Meryl who is now married, he can't have children, and now his genes are corrupted by a virus. And so, Snake pulls out a gun and does the unthinkable... except he doesn't go through with it. After quickly pulling out the gun, Snake turns around to see an unexpected face: his father, Big Boss, very much alive. Big Boss arrives with a rifle and Snake is ready to fire at Big Boss as a result. However, Big Boss drops his gun and proceeds to hug Snake like a father would. After a lengthy exposition about Big Boss's activities and how he's still alive, Big Boss explains that the virus planted in Snake was overwritten by another more dangerous pandemic, except it's going to kill Big Boss. Big Boss already starts to feel FOXDIE's effects and after attempting to shake hands with Snake, he collapses to the ground. In his last moments, Big Boss explains to Snake that since the decades of war are finally over, he should no longer waste his life with violence and begin living like a man should. He tries to light one final cigar, but has become too weakened to go through with it. Snake, as an act of forgiveness and finale, picks up Big Boss's cigar and lights it for him.

"This is good, isn't it?"

With these words, Big Boss passes on, at last. This is a well-written, emotionally intense scene, with plenty of character resolution and incredible music to boot. This game is so well-crafted and real that it immerses you in the game. When a character dies or when Snake experiences more suffering, we feel it. We know these characters. That is a sign that you've made a game for the ages. Solid Snake, here's to you.
 
WARNING
JUST... WARNING.
#1
Mother_3_box.png

1. Mother 3

You know, that quirky little underdog with cute chuckle-worthy humor, colorful visuals, clever cultural references, quirky party members, horrendously evil villains, depressing soundtrack and family-unfriendly deaths? Yeah. It's sad. It's really, really sad. The game begins with Lucas, Claus, and their mother Hinawa visiting her father Alec's house. Hinawa sends a long, sweet letter to her husband Flint that she is about to leave the house for her home. Gee, Hinawa sounds really nice. It makes you care that they're going on a long trek home. Sure, they went and completely turned the tables on us by having her get killed early. Well, what do you think? Yes, it's around this time that things start going horribly wrong. Back in Tazmily Village, a group of wildfires has been started by a group of men wearing Pigmasks. In the middle of all this happening, Hinawa was brutally killed by the Mecha Drago. GOODNESS GRACIOUS LIE, THIS IS A FREAKING NINTENDO GAME! If you didn't see this coming, this scene will hurt! When Flint discovers that Hinawa has been killed, he gets engulfed by despair and enters a terrifying blend of rage and sadness, taking it all around people across town and getting sent to prison. This is an exceptionally accurate description of a response to grief, and the it's handled adds tenfold pain to the already jarring death of Hinawa. And when we get to Hinawa's funeral, oh boy. Lucas runs away, unable to comprehend that he has just lost his own mother. To make this worse, sunflowers, a recurring symbol in Mother 3 that represents Hinawa, have become all the more common in this game, as if the game is actively trying to make Lucas and us cry. This is displayed at its saddest in Chapter 6 where Lucas sees Hinawa's ghost in a sunflower field. But wait. There's more. During all of the turmoil surrounding Hinawa's death, Claus, Lucas's brother, has gone missing. It goes unnoticed for a while until the very end of the game. A mysterious masked man has been on a quest for 7 Needles just like Lucas is in the game, and after Porky's defeat, Lucas and the masked man meet in front of the last one. Lucas discovers that the masked man was, in fact, Claus, who was killed, resurrected, and brainwashed by Porky to be a minion. Lucas and Claus duel 1 on 1, with Claus clearly having the upper hand. That is, until Hinawa's ghost brings Claus back to his senses. As Claus is going on with his fight, Claus slowly realizes what he's been doing and removed his mask. In the single saddest moment of Mother 3, Claus remembers who he is and fires a bolt of lightning at Lucas's Franklin Badge, reflecting the attack back at himself, and doing mortal damage. The moment of realization is sad enough, but you will cry when you think this: Claus has just committed child suicide. What makes this scene the saddest scene is how it relates to us. After this suicide attack, we see a psychological portrait of Lucas's reactions to this. He remembers Claus based off sensory memory. All of these wonderful things, these senses, will be lost forever. The last Lucas ever feels of Claus is him cradling Claus's corpse. It's a wonder Lucas had it in him to pull the final Needle. Speaking of... Wait a minute. All this adventure was just leading up to a cataclysm? After all Lucas has suffered, this is his "reward." THIS... THIS IS A FREAKING JOKE! Everyone's going to be crying through the credits, too! The worst part is that the game ends ambiguously. On the end screen, you'll be able to talk to characters in the game who are all invisible. They congratulate you for all that you've accomplished, then say they're alright, even though we don't know exactly what happened to them. The depression you'll experience from this ending will probably last. Aside from the already depressing nature of the ending, the ambiguity of the ending will haunt you. With no word of a sequel, it's likely that it will stay this way. Mother 3 is the saddest moment in video game history as a whole. It's shockingly sad due to this game's dark content in such a cheery-looking game, it's stunningly realistic with how it handles loss, and the ending leaves you hanging with such an absurd amount of pent up sadness. This game truly deserves all the hype it gets about the sheer, raw emotion it conveys in its story. This game is living proof that video games can be art. And yes, it is incredibly, incredibly sad. I'm Jinx, and would someone get me a drink?
Mother 3 - Final Battle + Ending English *SPOILERS*
 
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