Many video games beyond justRPGsfeature exceptional storytelling that ropes us in, making us truly feel for the characters the same way a good film or TV show does. And when that happens, the inevitable death waits around the corner.
Some character deaths are expected, yet still hurt nonetheless. Others take us completely by surprise. These are the video game character deaths that we can’t move on from, no matter how many times wereturn to their stories.
These deaths aren’t ranked in any particular order, and to be clear:there are massive spoilers ahead for several games.
Life Is Strange
Life is Strange
Rewind powers are fun until you start drastically changing the future. Max learned that the hard way in Life Is Strange, leading to theultimate choiceto sacrifice the best friend she spent the entire game saving or let the entire town die.
Letting her die leads to a heartbreaking montage. Despite Chloe’s willingness to sacrifice herself, the Chloe who died is the one who thinks Max abandoned her since none of the events in the game happened to her. It makes it all the more gut-wrenching.
14Mordin Solus
Mass Effect 3
Our Salarian scientist redeemed himself more than anyone during the events of Mass Effect 3. It just hurts that the redemption brought fans one of the saddest deaths in the franchise.
Mordin Solus goes out of his way to fix his mistake of nearly wiping out all the Krogan people with his hand in making the Genophage. Him opting to cure it in spite of the obvious danger of delivering that cure, makes his sacrifice noble and sad all at once. But it had to be him, right?
You can save Mordin from his fate, or you can make his fate even worse. Both require Shepard to be an awful person, however, which is great for that renegade run.
13Aunt May
Spider-Man
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Superheroes are expected to have something tragic happen in their past. But Peter Parker has already experienced that off-screen in Marvel’sSpider-Manwith Uncle Ben dying. That didn’t prepare us for the tragic death of Aunt May.
She fell victim to illness brought on by the Devil’s Breath, and she worked to help the people in that city until the bitter end. Seeing her at her deathbed, admitting to knowing Peter was Spider-Man the whole time, is not a scene that’s easy to forget.
12Dom Santiago
Gears of War 3
Dom has been put through the ringer by the time Gears of War 3 comes around. Forced to mercy kill his wife Maria in the second game, he’s one of many that bears the brunt of the true terror from the Locust horde.
And even knowing all of that, it was still a hard pill to swallow to see him check in with the others before speeding headfirst into the fuel depot. He went out in a true blaze of glory though, wiping out the overwhelming enemy forceoverwhelming enemy force.
Ghost of Tsushima
Yes, we’ve got a horse making history as one of the saddest video game deaths we can’t get over at all, thanks toGhost of Tsushima. You don’t have to be an animal lover to feel the punch from this one. Nobu did everything he could to get Jin out safely, taking arrow after arrow.
The fact that he succumbed is no surprise. Our horse truly remained with us throughout the entire journey because, after Nobu’s death, Jin’s tale ended and the Ghost’s journey began. It’s just sad that he never got to take Nobu out for that peaceful ride.
10Zack Fair
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
We’re given a pretty good idea who Zack is inFinal Fantasy 7, being shocked at the twist that Cloud isn’t who he thought he was. And we know Zack sacrifices himself to save Cloud. But Crisis Core, the prequel, filled in a lot of the blanks.
We fully understand just how likable and caring of a person Zack really is, and we grasp his deep love and care for Aerith. Knowing that he never got the happy ending he deserved makes his death, although heroic, a bitter moment.
9Sam and Henry
The Last Of Us
The Last of Us
No one went into The Last Of Us expecting sunshine and rainbows, but Sam and Henry’s deaths exemplified just how tragic and unforgiving that world is. The brothers became an unlikely pair to go along with Joel and Ellie, leading players to believe they’d be around longer or simply go their separate ways.
Once Sam revealed hiszombiebite, the truth settled in. Still, that didn’t prepare players for Henry’s reaction following it. The TV show did an excellent job recreating the scene and making players and non-players alike cry out all over again.
8Arthur Morgan
Red Dead Redemption 2
It all started with a cough, and later, a diagnosis of TB. We knew Arthur was going to die. His illness is incurable. But that didn’t stop players from bawling by the end.
And there are still two different ways Arthur can go out. Choose the less-than-nice path and he’s stabbed in the back. But stay as kind as you possibly can throughoutRDR 2, and you simply lie there and witness the sunset as Arthur slowly loses his life. A soft way for him to go out, but a harsh ending for the fans.
7Noble Team & Noble 6
Halo Reach
It’s hard to pick just one from Halo Reach, so we’ve combined them all into one big bundle of heartbreak. Jorge stands out as proof that even self-sacrifice can be entirely pointless, since his death didn’t help the way he hoped it would.
Then on the other end, you’ve got Kat who highlights the simple evils of war as she was killed mid-sentence with no ceremony or heroics behind it. And Noble 6 becomes a lone wolf after witnessing the whole team perish, only to die alone. It’s a brutal depiction of just how uncaring war can be.
6Joel Miller (& Sarah)
The Last Of Us Part 2
The Last of Us Part 2
After the horrific opening to TloU with Sarah’s violent and depressing death, players figured Joel would at least go on to live a relatively okay life once he grew closer to Ellie. But his actions at the end of the first game carried over.
We knew there would be consequences, but not those kinds of consequences. Taking a step back, we understand why it happened. That doesn’t negate that many players couldn’t accept Abby’s actions (or the lack of vengeance at the end).
