A
bad ending occurs when the player finishes a video game but is not completely successful for some reason, as opposed to a good ending. Generally speaking, in a "bad ending", the player has reached an end-point of the game, and has technically won, but the victory is incomplete, and, in some cases, isn't much of a victory at all. Most bad endings are achieved by being defeated in a certain fight, but some cases are simply glorified
Game OverGame Over is a traditional message in video games which usually signals the game has ended with a negative outcome. Notably used first in pinball machines and, later, arcade games, it has since been adopted widely and is now commonly associated with video games in general; however, many other...
screens. A bad ending is similar to a
false endingA false ending is a narrative device where the plot seems to be heading to its conclusion, but in reality, there's still more to the story.The presence of a false ending can be anticipated through a number of ways. The medium itself might betray that it isn't the true ending A false ending is a...
, although with the latter, the player still continues with the story.
In Japanese
visual novelA is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art. As the name might suggest, they resemble mixed-media novels or tableau vivant stage plays. Visual novels are commonly called dating sims in English, a misnomer as visual novels are classified as a...
s/dating games/
erogeAn is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork.In English, eroge are often called hentai games in keeping with the English slang definition of hentai...
s (and derived works), "bad end" refers to a characteristic technique of the genre wherein an alternative ending depicts things ending poorly for most or all of the characters. Exactly how things turn out can range from a romance simply not forming to brutal murders or suicides by a
yandereis a Japanese term for a person who is initially very loving and gentle, then at one point becomes deranged or psychotic, often brutally so. Yandere is a combination of the two words , meaning to be sick, and , which is defined as exhausted or lovestruck...
character and the protagonist.
Examples
In
The House of the DeadThe House of the Dead may refer to:* The House of the Dead , a novel published in 1862 by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky.* The House of the Dead , a light gun video game series made by Sega:...
arcade series, if the player fails to obtain a certain amount of points, an ending will show in which one of the main characters becomes a zombie. In
The House of the Dead IIIThe House of the Dead III is a 2002 light gun arcade game with a horror theme, and the third installment to the House of the Dead series of video games, developed by Wow Entertainment and Sega. It was later ported to the Xbox in 2003, PC in 2005, and the Wii in 2008, in a compilation with The House...
, the "zombie ending" will show if the player defeats the bosses in a certain order.
In the arcade version of
Street Fighter Alpha 3, failure to defeat the game's end boss
M. BisonM. Bison, known in Japan as , is a video game character created by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, the character is a recurring boss and antagonist in the Street Fighter series of fighting games....
at the 10th and final stage results in an ending where the player character is placed in a machine and his power is used to destroy a city.
In
Chrono Triggeris a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. The game's story follows a group of adventurers who travel through time to prevent a global catastrophe...
, losing to the final boss Lavos results in a short scene followed by the Earth being destroyed with the message "But...the future refused to change."
In Persona 4, the player is presented an option to kill Taro Namatame. If the player chooses that option, the bad ending occurs. The bad ending also occurs if you choose not to kill Taro Namatame, but are unable to find the true killer's identity.
Most games with multiple endings have a simple three-tier structure with at least one bad, neutral and good ending usually depending on the player's dialog choices or items he may or may not have collected.
The
CastlevaniaCastlevania is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986 with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
games for the Nintendo DS both have multiple endings. In
Castlevania: Dawn of SorrowCastlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami. It is part of Konami's best-selling Castlevania video game series and the first Castlevania game to be released on the Nintendo DS. The game is the sequel to Konami's Castlevania: Aria of...
, the game ends with a bad ending if the player fails to equip a certain accessory when entering a specific room. If the accessory is equipped, however, the game continues, and the good ending will be achieved upon beating the final boss. (The path to these endings is determined by how the player defeats a boss earlier in the game; if the presented boss is defeated, the neutral ending will be attained, but if the player instead enters a mirror and fights an alternate boss, the story continues and the player can potentially earn the bad or good endings.) In
Castlevania: Portrait of RuinCastlevania: Portrait of Ruin, known in Japan as , is an action video game developed and published by Konami. The game was released on November 16, 2006 in Japan, and in the US on December 5, 2006 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console...
, an alternate ending can be unlocked if the Sanctuary spell is used on a certain boss instead of defeating it. In
Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondois a Japanese PC Engine Super CD-ROM² video game in the popular Castlevania series, released on October 29, 1993. The "X" of the title refers to the Roman numeral for ten, since it is the tenth chronologically released game in the Akumajō Dracula series in Japan...
and its remake,
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, if Richter Belmont fails to save the maidens, the player will get a bad ending, but once the player gets a good ending for the first time in this game, he or she will no longer see the bad ending again unless he or she starts a new save entry.
In
Avenging SpiritAvenging Spirit, known in Japan as , is a 1991 2-player platform arcade game developed and published by Jaleco.-Plot:During a walk with his girlfriend, the player is ambushed by unknown enemies who take his girlfriend away and shoot him to death...
, if you defeat the final boss yet forgot the keys to unlock the girl's cell, you fade away to join the girl in the afterlife.
In
Banjo-KazooieBanjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo as the inaugural game in the Banjo-Kazooie series. It was released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 and later re-released in 2008 for the Xbox Live Arcade.The game is set in the fictional location of...
, if you quit the game or run out of lives before rescuing Tooty, a bad ending will play in which Klungo activates Gruntilda's machine and Grunty steals Tooty's looks. As Gruntilda steps out of the machine looking slim and gorgeous (with Mumbo running in with a flower for her, declaring his love), Tooty limps out as a hideous, green troll, declaring she must have a word with Banjo. Many gamers make fun of this ending and mockingly refer to it as "bad" ending due to the new Gruntilda's appearance.
In
Comix Zoneis a arcade-style action game. The game's unique feature is that it is set within the "panels" of a comic book. Each level consists of two "pages" and secrets are discovered by shredding the "paper" and revealing items. The unique dialogue is rendered within talk bubbles with the typical comic font...
, if you do not save Alisa from drowning in the end, you receive a bad ending.
In
Contra: Hard CorpsContra: Hard Corps, released in Japan as and in the PAL region as Probotector, is the sixth original installment in the Contra series of games by Konami, and was released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994. The character designs were done by Yasuomi Umetsu .-Plot:Set in 2641 A.D...
, Col. Bahamut will ask you to join his cause. If the player agrees, the world would be in complete chaos.
In
Dead RisingDead Rising is an action-adventure, survival horror video game with RPG elements developed by Capcom and produced by Keiji Inafune. Originally developed as an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 video game console, a Wii console remake was released in February 2009 under the name Dead Rising: Chop...
, a bad ending occurs if the player either is late for the helicopter rescue after the 72-hour period, and/or if the player fails to complete each Case in the main story. If the player completes each Case and reaches the helicopter pad in time, then an Overtime mode begins, in which the player is infected and must collect items for the cure before Frank turns into a zombie. Defeating the final boss in Overtime mode unlocks the Good Ending.
In
Donkey Kong 64Donkey Kong 64 is a platformer video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in North America on November 22, 1999 and in Europe on December 6, 1999. The game is a follow up to the Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System...
, quitting the game results in viewing a bad ending where King K. Rool laughs maniacally as the Blast-o-Matic finishes charging. The scene then cuts to outside with the Blast-o-Matic preparing to fire on DK Isles, but fades away to the title without viewing the actual firing sequence.
In
Fatal Frame II: Crimson ButterflyFatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, known in Japan as and in Europe as Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly, is a survival horror video game developed by Tecmo. It is the second installment in the Fatal Frame series...
, the player is given the option of escaping the village without their sister, whom they have spent most of the game protecting. If the player chooses this option, a cut scene will be played but no points will be scored, and it does not count as a true ending.
In
King's Quest VII, if the rose is placed on the injured prince instead of the extra life, he will die.
In many games in the Kirby series, if the player doesn't collect the object needed to defeat Dark Matter or some other villain, the game shows a bad ending.
In
Magic Sword, fully titled as Magic Sword - Heroic Fantasy, is a side-scrolling fantasy arcade game released by Capcom in 1990. The game casts the player as a hero who must journey to and fight his way through a mystical tower in order to confront the dark lord, Drokmar, and destroy a magic orb which he plans...
, you have 2 choices over the black orb. If you choose to keep it, you will be corrupted by the temptation for power and become the new dark lord.
In
Max PayneMax Payne is a BAFTA award winning third-person shooter video game developed by Finnish Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers in July 2001 for Windows. Ports later in the year for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and the GameBoy Advance were published by...
, failure to shoot down the mast (using a
sniper rifleIn military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a rifle used to ensure accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military centerfire cartridge...
) will result in the helicopter taking off and shooting Max with its miniguns.
In
Mario's Time Machine on the SNES version, if the player runs out of time, or puts artifacts in the wrong order, Bowser will escape, using his time machine, to either a tropical island named "Paradise", or the Jurassic Period, Respectively. Putting artifacts in the correct order, and within the time limit, will result with Bowser escaping again to the Jurassic period, but he is stomped by a T. Rex.
In
MegaRaceMegaRace is a video game created by Cryo Interactive, released in 1994. It features pre-rendered 3-D graphics and over twenty minutes of full motion video of fictional game show host, Lance Boyle. It was released for MS-DOS on March 28, 1994, for the Sega Mega-CD/Sega CD on July 30, 1994 and for...
, if the user quits Lance Boyle will say shamefully, "The Enforcer can't take it."
In
Metroid Prime: Hunters, if
Samusis a fictional character and the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a bounty hunter typically fitted with an armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles...
does not fulfill a prophecy at the end of the game, then a scene will play where the planet she is on explodes without showing her escaping, while if she does fulfill said prophesy, an extra boss will appear, with Samus escaping following the boss' defeat.
In
Metal Gear Solidis a stealth action video game directed and written by Hideo Kojima. The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Kojimas early MSX2 computer games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid...
there is either an ending where
the main characteris a fictional character and the main protagonist of Konami's Metal Gear series of stealth video games. Created by Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear is Konami's main franchise and has sold approximately 26.5 million units as of February 2009. Introduced in the first game of the series, Metal Gear , Snake...
's love interest survives (the good ending) or dies (bad ending). Another example is
The SufferingThe Suffering may refer to:*The Suffering , by Midway Games** The Suffering: Ties That Bind, the sequel to the aforementioned game** The Suffering , an upcoming film based on the game* "The Suffering" , by Coheed and Cambria...
(and its sequel) which has three endings which can be described as "good", another "bad" and the other neutral (interestingly, in this case all three can be canon).
In
MystMyst is a graphic adventure video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn Miller and Rand Miller. It was developed by Cyan Worlds, a Spokane, Washington-based studio, and published and distributed by Brøderbund. The Millers began working on Myst in and released it for the Macintosh...
there are 3 possible bad endings that can result if the final page is not given to Atrus. Giving either Sirrus or Achenar the final page of their book causes the Stranger to switch places with the son, leaving the player trapped inside the Prison book. Linking to D'ni without the page Atrus asks for leaves both the Stranger and Atrus trapped on D'ni.
In
NAM-1975NAM-1975 is a war-themed action shooting game released by SNK. It was the first game released for Neo Geo arcade and home platform.- Plot :"The roar of the helicopters overhead snaps us back into reality...
, losing to Dr. Muckly in his laser weapon results in a scene of the Earth being destroyed.
In
Oddworld: Abe's OddyseeOddworld: Abe's Oddysee is a multi-award winning platform video game developed by Oddworld Inhabitants and published by GT Interactive. It was released in 1997 for the PlayStation video game console, DOS and Microsoft Windows in North America, Australia and Europe...
,
Oddworld: Abe's ExoddusOddworld: Abe's Exoddus is a multi-award winning platform video game developed by Oddworld Inhabitants and published by GT Interactive. It is a sequel to the video game Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. It is considered a bonus title in the Oddworld series, and not part of the main Oddworld Quintology...
, if Abe doesn't rescue enough Mudokuns by the end of the game, they will become ungrateful and leave him to be killed. The follow-up
Oddworld: Munch's OddyseeOddworld: Munch's Oddysee is the third game made by Oddworld Inhabitants. Originally announced as a title in development for Playstation 2, it was instead released exclusively as one of the launch titles for Microsoft Xbox. It is the second chapter of the Oddworld pentalogy, following Abe's Oddysee...
features a similar scenario.
In
Operation ThunderboltOperation Thunderbolt is a one- or two-player shooter arcade game by Taito made in 1988.-Description:This game is the sequel to Operation Wolf. Roy Adams and Hardy Jones, two green berets, must save American hostages from a hijacked airliner which was forced to land in the fictional African...
, if you accidentally kill the pilot, after beating the final boss, you see that you are not able to fly away from the hostile territory. Also, if you accidentally kill all of the hostages, you see that your mission has failed.
In several
Sonic games on Genesis and Game Gear, a bad ending is earned by failing to gain all available Chaos Emeralds, usually resulting in the game ending early due to Sonic not being able to transform for the final boss battle.
The first three games of
Ace Attorney series also feature bad endings. In the exclusive fifth case of the
Nintendo DSThe is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 in Canada, the United States, and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside—with the bottom one being a touchscreen...
version of the first game (
Phoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyPhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, released in Japan as , is a visual novel-type adventure video game published and developed by Capcom in Japan, North America, and Europe, and published by Nintendo in Australia...
), revealing a crucial piece of evidence prematurely causes the case to end immediately, with dire consequences for Phoenix and his client. The second game (
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for AllPhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice for All, released in Japan as , is a visual novel adventure video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo DS video game console. It is the sequel to 2005's Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. It was released in Japan on October 26, 2006 and in North...
) features a bad ending if the player fails to present a crucial piece of evidence at the last possible cross-examination which drastically changes the outcome of the final case. In the fourth game (
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney) having a juror vote for a
guilty verdictIn law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a...
triggers the bad ending, and the case ends immediately without a real verdict, as the defendant is left to die in her hospital bed.
In
Pikminis a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001. Pikmin is the first game in the Pikmin series of video games, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. Pikmin was released on October 26, 2001 in Japan, December 2, 2001 in North...
, if the player reaches the 30 day limit, Captain Olimar must leave the Pikmin planet, even if he hasn't picked up every spaceship part. If the player leaves the planet without every "key" part, the ending results in Captain Olimar crashing into the planet, only to be turned into a Pikmin.
In
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year DoorPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, released in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube...
,
Mariois a fictional character in his eponymous video game series, created by video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
is asked by the final boss if he will be her servant. If the player gives a positive answer, the game cuts to a
game overGame Over is a traditional message in video games which usually signals the game has ended with a negative outcome. Notably used first in pinball machines and, later, arcade games, it has since been adopted widely and is now commonly associated with video games in general; however, many other...
screen.
In Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, if Sailor Moon and her 4 party members are unable to defeat the final boss, but subsequently Chibi Moon and her 4 party members are, the "bad" ending will play.
In
Red SteelRed Steel is a first person shooter video game published by Ubisoft for Nintendo's Wii console. It was developed by the Ubisoft Paris studio and was unveiled in the May 2006 issue of Game Informer...
, you are presented with a choice after defeating Tokai, protect Tokai or let Otori kill Tokai. If you let Otori kill Tokai, Otori and Mariko succumb to the Komori poison and Scott and Miyu will escape on their own.
In
Revolution XRevolution X is an arcade light gun game released in 1994 by Midway featuring the band Aerosmith.The plot concerns a dystopian version of 1996 where an alliance of corrupt government and corporate military forces have taken control of the world in the guise of the "New Order Nation"...
, failure to find all of the hidden
AerosmithAerosmith is an American hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and seen by some as America's greatest rock and roll band. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues,, and has...
members, will result in the player being praised for winning, but be told "
Get Your WingsGet Your Wings is the second studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released March 1 1974. The album is the first to feature production from Jack Douglas, who would go on to produce the band's next four albums....
to be a True Rock Legend!"
In
Streets of RageStreets of Rage is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. The game was also converted over to Sega's Game Gear and Master System...
on the Genesis, a bad ending is earned on the final level by a two player coop game. The last boss will ask both players if they want to join him. If the two players entered conflicting answers, the players will be forced to fight each other and the victor will get the chance to beat the boss and become the crime lord himself.
In
Streets of Rage 3Streets of Rage 3 is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the last part of the Streets of Rage series. It was later released for the Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection for the GameCube and PlayStation 2, and for the Wii Virtual Console...
, if you let the timer expire and defeat Robot Y, the bombs go off and destroy the city. Another bad ending is if you let the chief die and take on an alternate final stage.
In
Super Paper Mariois a platform/console role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. Originally developed for the Nintendo GameCube, it was released for the Wii. The style of gameplay is a combination of the previous Paper Mario titles and Super Mario Bros. titles...
, one of the antagonists attempts to convince Mario to help him. If he agrees, he is enslaved through mind-control.
The
Silent Hillis a survival horror video game franchise, developed and published by Konami. The first four games in the series were created by Team Silent, which has since disbanded...
series is notorious for its endings, at least one always being bad, one being always good, and one neutral (The UFO endings) or of some different degrees of good and bad.
In
Star Fox 64, known in Australia and Europe as Lylat Wars because of trademark issues, is a scrolling shooter video game for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released on April 27, 1997 in Japan, on July 1, 1997 in North America and on October 20, 1997 in Europe and Australia. It was later ported to...
, if the player reaches Venom from Bolse rather than from Area 6, the player will go through a level known as Venom 1 which ends with a battle against the final boss, Andross. However, it is only a robotic copy and after the credits, the real Andross shows up and delivers his laugh, suggesting that he still alive.
In
Sexy Parodiusis a scrolling shooter arcade game. It is the final title in the magical world of Parodius series produced by Konami. Like the rest of the series, it is a parody of the Gradius series and other Konami games. It is also the game containing the highest level of explicitly sexual level and enemy...
, failure to defeat the boss of the bonus level quickly enough results in the death of Takosuke.
In
T2: The Arcade Game, there are two endings that can be received by destroying all or near-most of Cyberdyne Systems near the end of the game. The good ending (No equipment intact) says "
John ConnorJohn Connor is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Terminator science fiction franchise. In a fictional post-apocalyptic future first referred to in The Terminator, powerful, intelligent machines have dedicated themselves to the eradication of humanity, and John Connor is the...
is alive.
CyberdyneThe Cyberdyne Systems Corporation is a fictional company depicted in The Terminator films, as well as various novels and comic books all taking place in the Terminator universe...
is destroyed. Your future is what you make of it." The bad ending (At least 1 Equipment Intact) says the same as the good one, except the last two lines say "But Cyberdyne Research will continue. Judgment Day still could happen."
In
Total CarnageTotal Carnage is a arcade shooter, developed by Mark Turmell for Midway in 1991. The game was released for the SNES in 1993 and the Amiga CD32, Amiga, and DOS in 1994. Later the game was re-released in 2004, as part of Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and...
, there are 2 different bad endings. If you fail to collect 200 keys and let Akhboob escape you will be praised for winning but also be called a dufus for letting Akhbood escape and leaving 200 keys behind and be told "No pleasure for you today.". If you capture Akhboob but forgot 200 keys you will thanked for saving the world and killing Akhboob but also tell you the real goal of the game to join the heroes of Smash T.V..
In
Warriors of Fateis a side-scrolling beat-'em-up produced by Capcom first released as a coin-operated arcade game in . It is the second arcade game based on the Tenchi o Kurau manga, following Dynasty Wars.-Gameplay:...
, if you let
Cao CaoCáo Cāo was a warlord and the penultimate Chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during its final years in ancient China. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become Cao Wei and was posthumously titled Emperor Wu...
escape, he will reign supreme and take over Jing.
In
Zombie Raid, after defeating the 3rd boss you are to make the right decision of crystals. If you make the wrong choice you will be dropped into a pit of spikes. Your grave is shown as the villain will give you this speech: "I congratulate you. You made it pal. However, you may not know that this castle has a mystical force which silly humans can never understand. You know you made a mistake. In order to see me think about the arrangement of the 3 crystals! I look forward to your effort. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!". This ending also occurs if you don't procure all 3 crystals except with a slight change of the villain's speech.
In
Earthworm JimEarthworm Jim is a run and gun platform video game starring an earthworm named Jim in a robotic suit who battles evil. The game was developed by Shiny Entertainment, released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994, and subsequently ported to the SNES, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Master System, and...
, if the player completes the game in "Practice" difficulty, the game ends up with Jim reading a 5-minute speech about worms, which he can't keep up with and ad-libs in a humorous fashion. This ending is only available in the Special Editions for Sega CD and
Windows 95Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
.
In
Rayman 2: The Great EscapeRayman 2: The Great Escape is a platforming video game and the sequel to Rayman. It was developed by Ubisoft and first released on January 6, 1999. It is considered to have raised standards regarding 3D, level design and game play, being praised by numerous reviews. It was first released for the...
, after the player defeats Jano in the Cave of Bad Dreams, he offers the player a treasure. If the player accepts the treasure, the scene changes in which Rayman has grown terribly obese and is seen sleeping on an island with a large "THE END" text.
In
True Crime: Streets of LATrue Crime: Streets of LA is a video game developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube in 2003. Activision later released versions for Windows and the Mac in 2004. The computer versions contained various extras, such as multiplayer games, unlockable...
, the game has multiple endings, depending on how much good cop/bad cop the player has. In the "Bad Ending" if Nick is defeated by Kim, he wakes up, only to realize his fate has turned against him by falling 30 stories down the building. The chapter ends with Nick falling to his death. In "Average Ending", if Nick is unable to defeat Rocky, he collapses on the ground, seemingly dying. In "Good Ending", if Rocky successfully escapes in a jet plane, leaving Nick behind or Nick has been defeated at the hands of Kim, he collapses to the runway, either dying or passing out from his severe injuries he has.
In
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, at the end of the game, you are given the choice to face Emperor Palpatine or Darth Vader. If you choose to kill Darth Vader, the game ends with a "dark side" ending.
In
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New WorldTales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, known in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai for the Wii as a cross of spin-off and sequel of Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of...
, should you defeat Marta and Lloyd, you'll get an ending where Emil will kill himself and you would not be able to use the grade shop after the cinematics.
Time-based bad endings
Some bad endings may trigger if the player takes too long to finish the game. For example,
Shenmueis a 1999 adventure game developed by Sega-AM2 and published by Sega for the Sega Dreamcast, produced and directed by Yu Suzuki. Suzuki coined a genre title, "FREE" , for the game, based on the interactivity and freedom he wanted to give to the player...
and
Shenmue IIis an Adventure game for the Sega Dreamcast and Microsoft Xbox. It is the sequel to Shenmue, and was produced and directed by Yu Suzuki of Sega-AM2.Due to exclusivity rights obtained by Microsoft, the North American Dreamcast version was cancelled...
start on specific dates in game time, and the player character, Ryo Hazuki, has a certain amount of game-months to complete the game (for example,
Shenmue II starts on February 23, 1987 and the player has until July 31, 1987 in game time to finish). Failure to do so would mean the antagonist of the series, Lan Di, returns for the Phoenix Mirror and kills the player's character. Or, in
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, when the 72 game hour timer ends, the moon crashes into the earth. Similarly, the Bungie game
Pathways into DarknessPathways Into Darkness is a video game created for the Apple Macintosh and published by the Bungie Software Products Corporation in 1993...
for
MacintoshThe Macintosh, or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced on January 24 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a graphical user interface rather than a...
has six (or, as is rumored, seven) different endings, depending on how fast the player completes the game and whether they manage to perform key actions. In addition to dying without completing the game, failing to finish within the five game-day time limit (thus being destroyed when the game's main antagonist awakens), and reaching the goal of the game but not coming away alive (thus reaching the 'neutral' ending in which the world is saved, even if the protagonist is killed), the player can:
- Escape the pyramid in which the game is set, but forget to detonate the nuclear device that will bring victory (bad);
- Escape the pyramid, but set the device to detonate after time runs out (bad);
- Detonate the device and escape the pyramid, but fail to collect the radio beacon that will call in the extraction team and be killed in the blast (neutral);
- Detonate the device, escape the pyramid, and collect the radio beacon, but get out too late for the extraction team to rescue the player (neutral);
- Detonate the device and fail to collect the beacon, but escape the pyramid early enough to escape on foot (good);
- Detonate the device, collect the beacon, and escape the pyramid on time (the 'perfect' ending).
(Due to Bungie's repeated use of 'sevens' in their games, players have long suspected the existence of a seventh ending. The most likely candidate for the title is a scenario in which the player detonates the device, escapes the pyramid, collects the radio beacon, and is picked up by the extraction team, but fails to reach minimum safe distance with them - the manual states that it takes ten minutes for the team to rescue the player
and another ten to reach safety.)
Another time-based "bad ending" takes place in King's Quest 7. The player (as Rosella) only has a short time to revive Edgar, who sacrificed himself to stop the game's villain. If the player fails to revive him, he perishes, and the ending takes on a sorrowful note, with Valanice and Rosella riding home on a black swan.
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