RPGs with satisfying endings

[rusty_shackleford]

The final act and the ending itself seem to be by far the hardest point to get down correctly. For a variety of reasons of course, obviously RPGs tend to have large, sprawling stories that are difficult to wrap up in a satisfying way. There's also the business side, there's very little incentive to put a lot of effort into the part of the game that will impact sales the least. Most players don't finish games, and by the time you get near the end you're probably going to push yourself to finish it anyways. Getting the first impression right is key to hooking people into your game, especially in the era of unlimited 2 hour refunds. Additionally, so-called game journalists tend to review games without fully completing them.

There's also too much emphasis on trying to wrap everything up in a neat little package, make sure all the loose ends are tied. I'm not suggesting every ending has to be a cliffhanger or a sequel hook, but there's nothing wrong with leaving information that wouldn't be available to the PCs simply unknown. That is, I strongly dislike powerpoint slide endings, how they attempt to forcefeed you story they could not otherwise fit into the game but wanted you to know. It's okay to leave things unknown and give yourself more material to work with in the future — whether it be a video game, novel, comic book, or so forth.

With that out of the way, what are some examples of RPGs that have satisfying endings?

I suppose I'll get the obvious out of the way and say Fallout had an excellent ending that fit right in with the theme of the game itself. A downer to be sure, but not all endings need be happy. That is despite my dislike for exposition dump endings.

[The_Mask]

Revenant: Not the fact that you kill your nemesis and save the island, which turns out that it's your kingdom, but the fact that you regain all your memories. A more personal satisfying end.

Septerra Core: You save the world. I guess I'm a sucker for simple and positive endings to things.

NOX, Wizard Ending: You transform Hecubah into a gloriously hot woman that likes you. Heh.

A Legionary's Life: You can end up a venerated patrician and a Consul of Rome, that lives a long and successful life. Can't ask more than that.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, Aeon Ending: Because you retcon the whole ******* game.

Not sure if it counts: Neverwinter Nights: Mask of the Betrayer: because you can solve your problems, Akatchi's, everyone else's and everything, but... you can also become one of the most destructive forces off the face of Faerun, just one notch below a god. Not sure if it counts, because it's a DLC.

[aeternalis]

Fallout 1's ending is iconic for a reason.

I would add Deus Ex; it was satisfying for me, anyway, as a culmination of the philosophical thought-threads that run throughout the game.

Also, I think MotB absolutely counts, because it's its own story and a quite good one.

[Tweed]

Archolos: Powerpoint slides, Marvin telling his story to a certain someone, more bitter than sweet ending with even more bittersweet foreshadowing. I guess potatoes love everything to be grim.

Lands of Lore 2, dark path ending: Luther kills just about everyone including Baccada, Dawn, Belial, and Anu to become the new dark god, then he blows up the huline village because they were rude to him earlier, feels good man.

Lands of Lore 3: I can't imagine a lot of people caring for this game since it was so dated when it came out, but if you played all three games then finally getting to kill Geron postgame is very satisfying and the ending being a slight variation on the beginning with Richard teaching Copper about the boar hunt is comfy, at least to me. Of course, Copper just saved the world so I don't think a wild boar is going to be much trouble.

Might and Magic 7, evil ending: You get the forge up and running again to make blasters and conquer the world, much more satisfying than the crappy, unresolved cliffhanger of the good side. For TRUE FANS of M&M and Heroes it'll always be a pisser that this was meant to be the canon ending and HoMM3 was suppose to get the forge, but whiny ******* who never played the RPGs screamed when they saw the futuristic units. It's also left a legacy of dozens of slavmods trying (and failing) to recreate it.

Avernum 1: Finally getting to the surface and slaughtering the king who put you there feels pretty satisfying.

Geneforge, use the Geneforge ending: "You form your nation in the wilderness, populated by creations, your creations, multitudes of them, sprung out of your power and will. They live under you, under your absolute control, as it should be. Your kingdom lasts as long as you live.

And you live for a very, very long time."

Fountain of Dreams: The ending is satisfying because it's over.

[GothGirlSupremacy]

Daggerfall ending made me feel like this.



Still the best Elder Scrolls. Knife fight me in the alleyway behind Dom's Bistro if you think otherwise, pussy.

[Gregz]

[Landers78]

I always liked the little parade at the end. And after getting the land and title off the king, the ******* wizard sends you off to another world, saying "oh, you will never return" haha!

[Atlantico]

Baldur's Gate had an excellent ending.
Mass Effect had an excellent ending.
Fallout 1 and 2 had excellent endings.

to name a few

[Hando]

[wndrbr]

I like Underrail's ending, though the actual final act (Deep caverns) is really bad.

[agentorange]

I love the ending of Planescape. It's the perfect finish to a story that has a lot of existential themes. It's like Camus' Myth of Sisyphus, but instead of being condemned to push a boulder up a hill endlessly, Nameless One gets condemned to an endless futile war, giving that little nod at the end showing that he accepts his fate and without hesitation goes off to join the fight.

Somewhat interesting and uncommon case of a game having a lackluster last third, everything after leaving Sigil, but the actual very end is a return to quality.

[ERYFKRAD]

Alpha Protocol had a decent endgame, for what it's worth.

[Tweed]

Anvil of Dawn: Not a 4deep8me game, just a nice "evil is beaten and you survived" happy ending after a long and winding journey of boulder traps and pressure plates. You only get the best ending if you remember to do certain things which in and of itself is kind of clever. Otherwise the ending is a bit sad, but still good guys win type stuff.

Ultima VII and Serpent Isle: Nice to finally **** The Guardian off after being mocked by him for the entire game, plus the set up for the sequel. Serpent Isle is the same way, it was a very nice cliffhanger that left you in anticipation, shame that Pagan was a disaster.

Not an RPG, but since I mentioned Pagan, you can get back at the Ultima 8 "Tin Can" Avatar in Dungeon Keeper in a very funny ending.

[aeternalis]

I love the ending of Planescape. It's the perfect finish to a story that has a lot of existential themes. It's like Camus' Myth of Sisyphus, but instead of being condemned to push a boulder up a hill endlessly, Nameless One gets condemned to an endless futile war, giving that little nod at the end showing that he accepts his fate and without hesitation goes off to join the fight.

TNO's head-nod is amor fati as hell, Nietzsche would've been proud.

[Lhynn]

I havent found too many good endings in rpgs. I liked diablo 1 ending, it was just perfect. You are the hero, but that doesnt mean you get to celebrate, no, vigilance and sacrifice are what you have to do after you beat evil, because it is not something that can be dealt with indefinitely. I think it teaches a very valuable and often overlooked lesson

I found the rest of the franchise to be a ******* train-wreck, so much so that I refuse to acknowledge anything happened after the first game, but yes. I found it very satisfying.

Pretty much the same thing with Mass effect 1, the others screwed the pooch, the villain in that game was such a fine reflection of the hero and how things develop in such a way that he is just a victim and not the true antagonist. The mad scramble that was the entire ending is brilliant. To this day it sits at the top of the best endings Ive ever played. The ending music is ******* awesome too, and its designed to make you feel good about what you just accomplished.

[GhostCow]

Yakuza 7 had a pretty great ending. I definitely left feeling extremely satisfied. Not a second in that game was wasted and I was very well rewarded for putting in the time.

[Bonerstorm]

Lands of Lore II - the hero gets laid at the end. That's a quality victory!
Fallout 1 - legendary ending. A punch in the gut that makes sense. Made even better by finding out you can go back and kill the Overseer. It is the best of endings, it is the worst of endings!
Might and Magic: World of Xeen - they have a full wedding, all kinds of stuff happening
Disco Elysium - Your old girlfriend kicks you in the balls one last time, Kuno takes over for gay asian

[Serus]

Jagged Alliance 2. The queen is dead, the country will probably turn a new Cuba (or worse because it is smaller and shittier ) but... My favourite character, who wasn't in any of the mercenary organisation earlier, asks "Where i can sign?". Points for codexers rpghq-ers who know the name. Isn't it a wonderful ending?
A bit more seriously now, every mercenary has to say something at the very end that was a great touch. It was like you heard everyone's opinion on the campaign you just concluded. It almost makes one want to replay with other mercenaries to see what they think o all the trouble afterwards. I found it very rewarding and the actual ending, not killing some poor woman.

[Tweed]

Cadash is a weird attempt at making an RPG arcade game, it has a fantastic ending :

[Eyestabber]

not killing some poor woman.

I must have played a different version of the game.

KOTOR has satisfying endings. Same with Neverwinter Nights 2. NWN 2's ending is so good, so iconic that the GoT **** copied it for their crappy TV show. "Rock falls, everyone dies" is masterful storytelling.

[agentorange]

AoD has some unsatisfying endings but also some of the most satisfying. More RPGs need a just nuke everything ending.

[Serus]

not killing some poor woman.

I must have played a different version of the game.
...

Well, technically she probably wasn't poor. Although with a country so small and so ****** as Arulco there isn't much to steal. And she probably wasn't anyway. Remember that most of what you learn about the Queen is from her (commie) enemies or her ex-husband - those always say the truth about their exes, right? Anyway, the ex-husband looked more like a CIA agent to me - and they are known for their trustworthiness too. Maybe he was both. In short, the Queen was probably the "good guy" (gal?) of the story. Or at least as good/bad as the other side. Ergo - "poor woman".
Just shoot her, that's why they pay you. Or do they?
A propos, that never made any sense to me. How do they pay you? It is never explained in the game. You get some ridiculously small amount of money up front used to cover basic expenses but what after you kill her? I finished this game 2 or 3 times but had to miss that part every time. Are you supposed to pillage the country to get something out of the whole mess? You are a mercenary. You aren't Queen's ex best friend. You aren't from CIA or doing it for Uncle Sam's glory. You are not a commie. Nor someone who cares enough to care about some 3rd world hellhole. Where is my money?

[Eyestabber]

I always assumed the in-game income would continue after the Queen is dead. In other words, now YOU are the one running the mines and exploiting cucaracho child labor. You are paid in the form of now having your own island full of slaves + all the valuables you loot along the way.

[Emphyrio]

>PST
>find the knife that can kill me
>kill myself
>Game over

I don't know what I expected.

[Mr.Wonderful]

Everyone of them

[Val the Moofia Boss]

As far as Western RPGs go, I thought that Shadowrun Dragonfall's ending was neat. You defeated the big bad, but the greater geopolitical conflict has resulted in the neutral zone you were hiding out in getting annexed, so you are moving on. You get a visit from one of the big bad emperors of the setting who invites you to become one of his lieutenants, and the two of you step off the train into the night. So your character got a very good ending in that he is now pretty secure, has the power to change the world for the better, could return in sequels as a formidable adversary or a helpful vizier, etc.

The Banner Saga 1: Rook died fighting against Bellower, and gets a viking funeral sent on a boat off to the spirit world. The invasion has been repelled and the people under Rook's command were saved. TBS3's ending was also neat but less satisfying, as very few people from Rook's original group would have survived to the inner walls of Arberrang, and the landscape of the world appears to be ruined and uninhabitable.




Most JRPGs, since they are much more heavily story focused than Western RPGs. But in particular, Suikoden 1, Final Fantasy XII, Valkyria Chronicles 1, Trails in the Sky the 3rd, Trails of Cold Steel 2, and Trails into Reverie.

Suikoden 1 was a bitter war story with major character deaths left and right, and killing the emperor felt bad. So when the ending montage plays as you read off the fates of what happened to the 108 rebel characters while the choir music played, it felt pretty heavy. A lot of people wound up vanishing or having uncertain fates, while others settled down and got happily ever after endings.




Aselia the Spirit of Eternity Sword: (Aselia route) you succeeded in conquering the world and rendering all magitek useless, meaning most of the mana should return back to the earth and avoiding ecological collapse. A barrier will be erected over the world that will prevent interdimensional travelers from arriving in the future and screwing up things. You join an interdimensional order of heroes and leave your sorrows behind with your wife for new worlds, and have a cute daughter.





Final Fantasy XII: Ashe and Larsa assume their place as sovereigns and are able to call off the world war after the battle has only lasted for an hour or two. Basch assumes his brother's identity as Gabranth and as Emperor Larsa's right hand man. Sadly, the ending for the other four party members isn't as satisfying. Vaan and Penelo are still poor people in Rabanastre, though they get an airship in the last shot. Balthier is still an aging vagrant.

Valkyria Chronicles 1: the war ends. A year or two later, Welkin is now a teacher, and returns home to his wife and his cute daughter.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky: Grovyle and Dusknoir return to the ruined dark future and offer their lives up in sacrifice, and wind up saving it and surviving. They will become the founders of a new civilization.

Trails in the Sky the 3rd: you get an emotional farewell to all of the party members.

Trails of Cold Steel 2 has an unexpected fourth act. The bad guy wins, you got duped into helping the Chancellor consolidate power and eliminate his internal enemies, your best friend died for nothing, but life goes on. Now the cold war has escalated into skirmishing and you can't squabble over domestic conflicts anymore, so now you are working as an agent of the Chancellor to defend Erebonia from its foreign adversaries. So after the final boss, you get a playable epilogue chapter in which you get to crack down on dissidents, and then return to your home town and see the fallouw of the game upon the lives of the NPCs and get to say farewell to your friends. You also get an extra, non-urgent dungeon to go on one last ride with your friends.

Trails into Reverie: The heroes survived a harrowing encounter. Rean and Crow check the computers of their mechs in the garage to see if the spirits of Valimar and Ordine still inhabit them. Rufus gets a pardon but is also banished, and begins a new life traveling the world with his friends.

A few games had really good cliffhangers. Probably my favorite is Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception, which ends with a military coup with the emperor being assassinated and you fleeing with his daughter to the hometown of her bodyguard, the great hero Oshtor. Except you get intercepted and Oshtor dies fending off your assailant. Since Oshtor is the only supporter the princess has, the weak protagonist Haku dons Oshtor's mask and assumes his identity and walks into town to rally the people and take back Anju's throne. Got me pretty excited for the sequel.

I strongly dislike powerpoint slide endings, how they attempt to forcefeed you story they could not otherwise fit into the game but wanted you to know.

I think a reason why powerpoint endings are so common is because the protagonist is rarely fleshed out enough (and the player not invested in him enough) for the player to want to see what he is doing after the conflict has ended. A common screenwriting idea you see touted is to get to the credits as soon as the conflict is over.

[Cipher]

Baldur's Gate had an excellent ending.

Yes.

Fallout 1 and 2 had excellent endings.

Yes.

Mass Effect had an excellent ending.

Not at all.

If you meant ME1 then yeah, the ending was good. I wouldn't say excellent due to being so open ended due to all the dangling plot threads that weren't paid off. But yeah, the fight with Saren is cool and emotionally satisfying and the final cutscenes are tense and climactic.

ME2 had an excellent ending, if we include the Suicide Mission as part of the "ending". The Suicide Mission is one of the best final missions ever. But, ME3 had a terrible ending and as a whole ME3 had a lot of problems outside of the improved gameplay elements. Control is the best ending and still is ******** how we get there and the "Crucible" and "Starchild" plot elements are the worst way to finish a trilogy. And since Control can be achieved with minimal war effort points, it makes the entire thing pointless, since securing those resources is meaningless.

[Lhynn]

[Atlantico]

If you meant ME1 then yeah, the ending was good. I wouldn't say excellent due to being so open ended due to all the dangling plot threads that weren't paid off. But yeah, the fight with Saren is cool and emotionally satisfying and the final cutscenes are tense and climactic.

Yes, I meant ME1. The sequels are IMO not worth playing or talking about really. Terrible ending, but also terrible journey. ME2 and ME3 look and feel like different games from ME1 and they are different from ME1. They're made for mass-market appeal, with plenty of money and time put in for focus groups, consumer psychology and safe choices. They are worse than bad, they're mediocre and forgettable.