Given how beloved God of War was, the upcoming November 9th release of God of War Ragnarök game has many fans incredibly excited. However, some are growing more nervous by the day. After all, while the game appears to be building on everything that made its predecessor great, many fans fear that the ending could tarnish the strength of the franchise as a whole.
After all, there have been many games over the years with endings that took the industry by storm, but there have been just as many that completely tanked a franchise or game. Some game endings are so bad that they truly ruin absolutely everything.
Mass Effect 3
While the first two iterations of Mass Effect endeared millions of fans to the story of Commander Shepherd, many were disappointed enough after the trilogy's ending that they discounted the games entirely. "99% of the series was incredible, but the last 5 minutes left me feeling deflated," says Redditor Miggz989.
At the end of the game, fans were forced to take specific options just to keep Commander Shepherd alive, completely dismantling any chance of maintaining the game's interactive dialogue structure. While Mass Effect is still Bioware's best franchise, that ending hurt the games so much that Mass Effect Andromeda was forced to present a new conclusion.
Fable
A proper ending is one where each tie feels well concluded as if there was no other direction that it could go. A poor ending is one that comes abruptly, without build-up, and which confuses gamers. The ending of the original Fable was one of those abrupt endings that came completely out of nowhere by suddenly revealing that the player character had been a murderer all along.
"You go through all this stuff and send your character through to gain like ancient knowledge," says Reddit user CrazyCoKids. "Cut to him reading a book about it in prison when the narrator says it was amazing he killed his family and it was his birthday." The ending was so poorly received that the developers released a new ending, just to satisfy angry fans.
Batman: Arkham Knight
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
After Batman fans were promised a new villain in the Arkham Knight games, Batman: Arkham Knight disappointed many by revealing that the Arkham Knight was no more than a variation of the Red Hood. Considering that many fans hoped to see a new and lasting threat, having it just be another tired villain was ruinous.
To make matters worse, fans needed to completely perfect the game just to get a good ending. "My enjoyment of a game's ending should not be penchant on suffering through the dev's tedium," says Reddit user GentlemanBAMF. It was a valid critique that made many fans completely tired of the series.
Dying Light
Another game that felt unfinished, Dying Light completely disappointed fans after building up an interesting story and then falling apart at the ending. "It didn’t really feel like a conclusion, you just kill Rais, a helicopter circles and leaves, then it fades black and credits play," says Reddit user Shoddious.
In a game like Dying Light, a confrontation needs to be as impactful as it is well-established. Though Rais was built up well as a villain, the ease of the final fight and the lack of any consequences after his death left the game unsatisfying, as fans wanted more than it had to offer.
Metal Gear Solid V
While many games have moments cut and replaced as the development process goes on, few remove a complete ending from the final cut. Yet Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was released without its intended ending. Without that conclusion, the game just abruptly ends, leaving many fans confused about the messages of the game.
"Have some repeat missions to build up the final which is the first mission again," says Reddit user SettVisions. Missing that deleted finale completely ruined Snake's development, as fans struggled to comprehend why he would grow more corrupt as the game went on.
Diablo III
There are some games where it would be better if the final boss did not speak at all. Diablo III is one of those games. For many gamers, having the same meaningless phrases repeated time and time again during the final confrontation was as tiring as it was needless.
"The bosses not talking to you unless they're fighting you directly would have been much better," says Reddit user coffeesalad. While Diablo III is not a game fans played for the story, that final fight was incredibly frustrating and ruined its chance to be one of the best dungeon crawlers.
Halo 5
Though the series has always relied heavily on storytelling to keep fans invested in both its heroes and its villains, Halo 5 took a step in a different direction. With a lackluster story and a conclusion leaving fans confused about the cliffhanger and Cortana's fate, many were turned off of the franchise entirely.
"I still struggle to remember what happened in that game," says Redditor Other-Barry-1. "They took a series that had a hugely dedicated and loving fan base and in the space of a single game, ended it all." While some fans are still excited for Halo Infinite, interest in the game is at a low.
Final Fantasy XII
For a game series known for having intelligent villains, Final Fantasy XII left fans scratching their heads after a boring final fight. With an ending that saw players utterly destroy the final boss without any problem whatsoever, the conclusion was so unsatisfying that it soured fans on the game.
"It's like they ran out of time or money," says Reddit user Speedly. "The story ramps up and then it's suddenly, 'everyone lived happily ever after. The end.' The story doesn't really resolve; it just stops." A rushed ending that was entirely predictable, Final Fantasy XII could have benefited from a twist or at least a more difficult final fight.
No Man's Sky
A game centered around space exploration, No Man's Sky is all about journeying into the unknown. While that exploration can go on forever, fans still expected a decent ending for the game. Many were unhappy to learn that the game didn't initially have an ending at all.
"You reach the center of the galaxy... only to be thrown into a new galaxy where you can start over again with base building, etc," says Redditor BlackPete73. "It's better these days where you can at least teleport between galaxies but wow, talk about an anti-climatic ending." No Man's Sky has certainly improved since, but that initial ending left a bad taste in the mouths of fans, who wanted at least some form of a story conclusion from the game.
The Last Of Us Part II
While fans had been waiting for nearly a decade to see The Last of Us Part II, the bleak ending to the series turned some fans off entirely. "ALL the characters that I genuinely cared about in Part 1 and 2 turned out either DEAD or BROKEN," says Reddit user Outrageous-League-69. "So it was hard for me to feel satisfied at the end."
While that was the intention of the developers, it was still disappointing for some fans to see Ellie broken, Joel dead, and the world seemingly falling apart around them. With no further development into the story of Ellie's immunity, fans found themselves upset about the lack of any overarching plot progression. So, while the game conclusively ended in tragedy, many were still tired of the franchise afterward.