SPOILERS FOR METAL GEAR SOLID 4, KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS, TO THE MOON, VIRTUE'S LAST REWARD, PERSONA 4 GOLDEN, PERSONA 3, RADIANT HISTORIA, EXPLORERS OF TIME, AZRAN LEGACY, AND UNWOUND FUTURE
I know that I've been trying to avoid doing top ten lists to write more critical pieces, but when I'm almost fifteen hours past when a blog should be done...I sort of need to start writing. Let's ignore the negativity of this, though, and focus on the good. By the good, I mean the sad. The wonderfully sad. Those moments when video games completely tear into your soul and make your gut wrench in agony. Where tears flow from sympathy, anger, hatred, and woe. Where you see the utter beauty of storytelling and writing. That's what I want to focus on for today. Let's take a look at my ten favorite moments in gaming that deal with sadness, depression, but also sometimes a tiny bit of joy. I can't possibly rank this list...so I'm just going to dole them out one by one instead.
The Final Boss (The World Ends with You)
The World Ends with You ends on a high note. It sees Neku, Beat, Rhyme, and Shiki restored to life, and the world saved from the red pins. However, before this happens, Neku is forced to confront Joshua. Originally, Neku saw Joshua as an annoying child, but he turned out to be the Composer, and Joshua had chosen Neku as his pawn...and thus was his killer. The amount that gets loaded onto Neku is enough to bring him to tears, and he refuses to stand up against Joshua, even after everything that's happened. He accepts that he was used, and hangs his head while tears fall from his eyes. I couldn't help but feel so sad at this point; he'd gone through so much in the three weeks the game takes place, but none of that matched what he, Neku, faced at the end. And yet, he still dealt with it...by accepting his fate, and by changing who he had been three weeks beforehand.
Snake's Attempted Suicide (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)
Solid Snake's lifetime was filled with numerous betrayals, and an incredible amount of hardships. He shouldered burdens no man should ever have to deal with, but he kept trekking on. How was his endless pain rewarded? With the knowledge that he had to kill himself to prevent the virus inside of him from being released, that would surely have killed off humanity. This ends up not being true, but the reasoning for that is bit winded so I won't go into it. The sad part about this moment is that Snake accepts that he needs (or at least believes he needs) to die. He saves the world from Liquid Ocelot, and then goes off alone to kill himself. After years of pain, he doesn't lash out for not getting a good life; he also accepts his fate. That is truly the mark of a brave soldier.
"What's Your Problem!?" (Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days)
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days sees Roxas, Xion, and Axel face a lot tough times together, but at the end of the game it unravels. Axel is forced to attack Xion, and Roxas protests, leading to quarrels and eventually the events that lead to Xion's death and Roxas being captured by Riku and DiZ. However, the moment that stands out for me is when Axel confronts Xion for the last time; he manages to find her at the mansion in Twilight Town, and is forced to fight her since she won't go back to the Organization. Axel angrily screams "What's your problem?!" at her...and that's when you know things can never be the same again for the three of them. Their friendship is over, and it's heartbreaking.
Everything's Alright (To The Moon)
To The Moon is perhaps the saddest story to ever exist. If you haven't played the game, you should stop reading this and go pick up the game off of Steam this minute. That's a firm belief of mine. For those of you who have already played it, you know what I'm referring to. The sequence that shows how Johnny's life would have turned out if Joey had never died, and if he was never reunited with River at school. It's so moving that...I just can't talk about it anymore.
Tenmyouji's Ending (Virtue's Last Reward)
Virtue's Last Reward is my favorite game of all time, and while this isn't my favorite moment from the game overall, it is my favorite that is the saddest. After Quark and Tenmyouji escape through the number nine door, Sigma reads the letter Quark wrote for Sigma, which chronicles their life together; how Tenmyouji found Quark as a baby, cared for him, and everything else they went through. I can never get over how beautiful this ending is.
The Ending (Persona 4 Golden)
When you leave your friends behind, you're probably going to cry. I've done it several times in my life, so that's why the ending of Persona 4 Golden hit me so hard. After spending a year at Inaba, Yu is forced to return to his parents in the city, and all of his friends see him off. I was reminded so much of when I've had to do the same in the past, and it hit me as one of the best moments in gaming overall. I was saying goodbye to characters I'd just spend a long time with, and now I just had my memories of spending time with them.
The Ending (Persona 3)
After awakening the power of the Universe Arcana, Minato travels to where Nyx is, and sacrifices his life to prevent the destruction of humanity. The final move "Great Seal" saps all of his HP, but he still lingers on Earth for a month, fulfilling the promise he made to his friends to meet on the school's roof at graduation. As Aigis comforts him, he closes his eyes and dies, as his soul goes on to hold together the Great Seal. His sacrifice will never be forgotten...
The Ending (Radiant Historia)
One of the most underrated games of the past generation is Radiant Historia, a little-known DS RPG from Atlus. At the end of the game, the main character Stocke gives up his own life to prevent the desertification of the world-essentially the death of the planet and humanity. It's not really any different than some of the other endings on this list, but it hit me enough to make me really remember it to this day.
Your Death (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time)
Both Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games for the Nintendo DS see your character sort of "die" at the end. In Explorers of Time, it's really that your character ceases to exist because the future is changed, but that's beside the point. The sad thing is that it's not really just your player character that's going away, it's you specifically, and your Pokemon partner is distraught from it. In the end, Dialga does restore you because of your efforts to save the world...but I still think that moment you disappear is magical...in that sad way...
Everyone Dies (Professor Layton and Azran Legacy)
When Bronev activates the Azran ship at the end of Azran Legacy, he causes a number of lifeforms to come out of the structure, and they began the systemic elimination of humanity. Yes, a Professor Layton game got THAT dark. However, Aurora tells the group that there is a way to stop the carnage; by giving up their lives. At first the characters hesitate, but then Luke, the young boy, bravely walks into the light. That killed me inside. I knew that the characters weren't going to die (they do but are brought back) for real, since this was a prequel, but it was so sad to see Luke, this young child, be willing to sacrifice his life for the world. That's so inspiring and just...emotional...
The Ending (Professor Layton and the Unwound Future)
Finally...at the end of the third Professor Layton game, the good man finds out that the girl who's been with him, Celeste, is not his lost lover Claire's younger sister...but actually Claire herself. After a brief moment of being reunited, Claire's body goes back in time again, to the moment when everyone thought she died. That's truly heartbreaking...
That's all I have for today. If you all have any sad moments you like...please don't spoil them.
Peace.