10 Good Video Game Endings That Were Actually Bad

For every good ending that you’ll find in a game, there’s usually an equal and opposite bad ending to find in another. Most times, there’s a complexity to the conclusion that are equal parts uplifting and sad. However, there can be times where the good ending – the so-called right ending – is actually pretty sad, if not downright terrible and depressing in retrospect. Let’s take a look at 10 so-called “good” endings that gave this feeling. Major spoilers follow for each game so be warned.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Initially, you pity Daniel – he’s trapped in a strange castle with no memories of how he got there and with a murderous Shadow that’s out to get him. Nothing can stop the Shadow and it becomes more commonplace as time goes on. However, it’s revealed that Daniel accidentally unleashed the Shadow upon discovering a strange orb during an archaeological dig. With no other options, he would eventually be contacted by Alexander, a mysterious being who says he can help repel the creature.

Doing this requires gathering vitae from people suffering from immense pain. And so Daniel helped Alexander to capture and torture people (whom the latter claimed to be criminals but were in fact not), using amnesia potion to ensure they remain terrified throughout. Eventually, however, it’s revealed that Alexander is harvesting the vitae to return to his own dimension using the orb. Daniel is betrayed in the process and seeks revenge, using the amnesia potion on himself to push past his guilt.

Upon venturing into the inner reaches of the castle, where Alexander is conducting a ceremony to open a portal, the player can either let him continue and thus be killed by the Shadow, or disrupt it, causing the Shadow to only kill Alexander. The latter seems pretty good but given Daniel’s hand in the torture of innocents, it’s hardly all sunshine and rainbows by the end.

Another choice is to throw the head of Agrippa, a prisoner with knowledge of the orb, into the portal. Both Daniel and Alexander then die to the Shadow but the former won’t descend into darkness because Agrippa will help him…or something. Even if you were being kind and felt Daniel deserved to be saved, there’s no guarantee that the Shadow wouldn’t still be pursuing him.