Gaming has evolved a lot since the days of family-friendly platformers jumping through obstacles to save a princess in distress, and the medium encompasses a broad range of stories that all stretch over a ton of different emotional tangents. Some can be light-hearted journeys, while others can be intentionally dark and depressing. We will be taking a look at the latter types of stories with this feature, specifically the ones that start out dark. To that end, here are 15 dark openings in video games:
Dark Souls 3
Dark Souls 3 might as well be the sendoff for this genre-defining series, and it’s a depressing send-off for sure. The flame that breathes life into the once glorious kingdom of Lothric has faded away into ashes, sending the entire world into a spiraling descent to madness and turning them into lifeless Undead. The champions of the land like the Abyss Watchers and Aldrich have also turned into a shadow of their former glory, and the player embarks on a destined quest to once again link the flame and save what little is left of this kingdom. You literally start off in the cemetery, waking up from your own grave – which is made all the more depressing thanks to the game’s muted color palette and melancholic orchestral soundtrack.
