Top 10 Video Game Endings

The Video Game Ending. It’s what every gamer seeks when playing the game. Gamers spend hours trying to conquer a game just to be able to see the resolution of their whole adventure or lack thereof. Sometimes tragedy strikes in the ending of the game, alluding to a subsequent game in the series. Sometimes the ending of a game just plain sucks like the end of Ghost’s n’ Goblins. Bad endings can ruin the experience of a whole game, which we will cover in a future list. For now though, we’ll go through the games with the best endings video game history. Making the choices was hard, and objectivity in these cases is always treading the line of subjectivity. Nevertheless, these are the endings that stood out the most for us.

10. Ninja Gaiden

The classic Ninja Gaiden game had to have a classic ending. After all, you were fighting to find and save your father. This was not going to be any mediocre ending. Unfortunately for Ryu, he would not be able to save his father as his destiny was too tied to the “Demon Statue” as the Demon world was exploding before both of their eyes. Like a true hero, Ryu’s father tells his son to “save the girl and escape with his own life”. Ryu has become a man and no longer needs the assistance of his soon to be missed father. Besides this touching scene between father and son comes some “behind closed door” scenes between Irene and Ryu involving some kissing, and…well that’s it for an 80′s 8-bit ending! Ryu and Irene watch the perfect sunset go down as the gamer unwinds in what was one of the most difficult games for the 8-bit era. With a great story to the ending and one of the most aesthetically pleasing sunsets in gaming history, Ninja Gaiden deserves its place on this list.

9. Contra

The first time in gaming history where an island blows up, Contra gave the gamer the ending he wanted when playing this apparently unbeatable game (without the code of course). With seconds left, and the island about to detonate, you would see the protagonists fly off of the island in a little 8-bit helicopter just in time. The satisfaction that came over the gamer here was immense, considering how long and difficult the journey was. Seeing the island destroyed raised emotions of victory more than any other game for the NES. The simple dialog after the destruction of the island is not very thoughtful, but this still doesn’t take away from one of the most powerful endings for the NES console.

8. Final Fantasy 7

The ending to Final Fantasy 7 can be summed up in one word; “Epic”. It’s not a coincidence that many of the selections in this list are RPG’s. When playing these massive games, it was only logical for there to be massive endings, and this was epitomized most noticeably in Final Fantasy 7. The ending to this game was aesthetically jaw-dropping for its day. Cloud’s flying through stars, the planet is being saved through colors as serene as an Aurora Borealis, and all the characters in the game are sitting watching in pure serenity. More than any other video game ending before, Final Fantasy 7 can be seen as the most “artful” experience for the video gamer. What the ending of Final Fantasy 7 showed more than anything was how great graphics could actually be utilized to create beauty rather than just mirror-image reality.

7. Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger had multiple endings. To fully enjoy the game, you had to complete the whole conquest rather than just completing the game halfway and watching Lavos destroy the shit out of the world. Going into the heart of the beast of Lavos and destroying him with all the characters you meet throughout the entire history of the Chrono Trigger world would give you the best endings. Whatever ending you obtained through beating it fully would show still and moving pictures of all the grand lands in the Chorno Trigger history from the rustic elegance of the prehistoric age to the dismal and lugubrious themes of the meta-contemporary dark ages. Trying to go through all the endings of this game is not for this description though. Among many great endings are Frog fighting Magus one final time on top of Magus’s castle with one of them (we don’t know which) standing on top with there cape breezing in the air. Whatever ending you get, you will be satisfied after your long journey (except the easy one of not really completing the game and watching the world be destroyed).

6. Super Metroid

What I consider to be the ending of Super Metroid is actually playable. I consider the moment you enter Tourian in Super Metroid to be the official ending of Super Metroid. The Metroid’s are easy to destroy and your packed with loads of energy and weapons at this point (You had to be to defeat Ridely). The whole scene of watching the baby metroid you saved kill the nucleus form of Mother Brain is one of the more emotional moments for the Super Nintendo medium. Escaping Tourian and saving your friends on the way is an incredibly unique addition to an already ingenious game. Of course, if you beat Super Metroid in the good time, you not only get to see Samus with her helmet off, but with her whole suit off making any gamer interested in efficiency when completing the game.

5. Star Fox (SNES)

The Star Fox ending was great for many different reasons. First off, it had one of the best ending soundtracks for the SNES era. The voice acting was beyond superb for the mere 16-bit technology. Polygrams blasting up in front of other polygrams and Fox McCloud calmly flying off into the serene clouds was a perfectly satisfying ending to one of the great games for the SNES. The ending is long and goes through all the levels like many of the great endings on this list. It also goes through all the ships as an added bonus. The ships all have their own stats from their specific weapons to their sizes. You watch your fleet rise into space with perfect symmetry on par with the great Star Wars movies (the old ones, not the new ones!). A Star Wars quality ending for a video game? What else could you ask for?

4. Mega Man 3

The Mega Man series never skimped on their endings, although they always showed the demise of Dr. Wily “once and for all”, over and over again. This was not so in Mega Man 3 where we meet a new mysterious character who is added into the Mega Man fold. Out of nowhere comes the one and only Protoman. Protoman’s true identity is revealed. Just when it looks like Mega Man is down and out from the crumbling castle of Dr. Wily’s; in comes Protoman to knock out the block that is crushing Mega Man. What happened to Dr. Wily? Does Protoman ask this or Mega Man? Whoever asks this question further adds to the mystery of this simple yet entertaining ending. After this Homeric ending comes a conversation between Dr.Light and Mega Man regarding who brought Mega Man back to Dr. Lights base. The final scene of the game shows Mega man running in front of an incandescent grassy background with the bosses being shown on the bottom half of the screen with their “stats”. Mystery, great dialogue and superb backgrounds (even if just 8-bit) make for one of the greatest endings in video game history.

3. Metal Gear Solid

The Metal Gear series showed a depth not seen in adventure games with the ending of Metal Gear Solid. The intricacy of the story line throughout the game doesn’t come to a simple resolution, showing off the developer’s smart taste for Dionysian tragedy. We find out Snake is inferior to Liquid. We find out that Snake only has a certain amount of time before FoxDie kills him. The destiny of Ocelot is one of the most surprising moments in video game history. By Metal Gear Solid not giving a firm foundation to the ending of the game, they created a further suspense for the subsequent games that were obviously to come. Great games usually breed great endings and Metal Gear Solid was no exception. This story line was like a best selling detective novel. Please, more of this.

2. Secret of Mana

Secret of Mana was one of the greatest videos games of all time (which is in the top 10 our “ top 100 greatest games of all time list“) and it wouldn’t disappoint with a monumental ending that showed off the prestige of all the lands in the game. After the tragic and Homeric dialogue between the characters at the end of the game was a repetition of all the areas in the game. They were shown with clarity and an aesthetic placidity not fully grasped when playing the game itself, mostly because of the fact that you were busy destroying the enemies and not looking at the landscapes. Getting to look over the massive ice land and the towering forest areas was a more than pleasant ending to a video game that took the gamers mental and emotional energy. Revisiting all the old towns gave the gamer a sense of nostalgia knowing they have finished one of the greatest games of all time.

1. Zelda Link to the Past

After apparently destroying Gannon for good (as in every Zelda game) Link is faced with the essence of the Triforce. The essence of the Triforce grants the wisher anything they want in their heart and mind. Finally Link gets a reward for all his hard work in a wish that he can only make. With Link’s Golden Heart, the light world is restored to its former glory. The King returns to his castle. The lonely bully makes a friend and your uncle recovers from his ailing sickness. The light world not only extirpates any remnants of the dark world, but becomes a heavenly abode for all that reside in it. The similarities between the ending of Link to the Past and other artistic renditions of religious art are obvious. Link to the Past though captures this inspiration in a guilt-free way where self-interest is lost to the golden heart. We at Old-Wizard believe in Zelda Link to the Past. In a certain sense, its our religion and the ending of the game confirms our belief in the heart that went into it.