As much as we love our protagonists,some games decide to break our hearts by killing them offat some point in the game.
Though some sacrifices are worth making, seeing the character we spent countless hours with and have grown to care about pass away while we are unable to do anything is always a depressing sight.
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Whether you are just curious to know which games feature this trope or looking for recommendations to send your unsuspecting friends, I have listed all the best games I have played throughout the years that kill off the protagonist.
It goes without saying that this list consists of some major spoilers.
10Murdered: Soul Suspect
Solve Your Own Murder
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Let’s start off with the game that kills off its protagonist during the starting cutscene. Although at first, our protagonist, Ronan O’Connor, is somewhat relieved that he can now be reunited with his dead wife.
Ronan finds himself stuck and unable to move on to the next world. It is a very interesting trope never really done before in a video game, as even thoughyour protagonist has died, his soul still lingers in this realm, and you play the game as his ghost, trying to solve your own murder.
Even though Ronan “dies” before we even form a meaningful connection with him, you end up forming a strong bond with his ghost instead as you try to piece together a murder and ultimately help Ronan move on.
It is a very interesting concept, and this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioningMurdered.
9Assassin’s Creed 3
Forgot About Desmond?
Assassin’s Creed III
Assassin’s Creed 3served as an end to Desmond’s trilogy, but not the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Desmond, who has been with us since the first Assassin’s Creed game, has to make the ultimate sacrifice and lay down his life to save the world.
A lot of people (me included) consider it wasted potential asDesmond was set up as the character who would ultimately give meaning to this never-ending fightbetween the Templars and the Assassins, as stated by Ezio inAssassin’s Creed Revelations.
However, instead of following through, Ubisoft decided to kill off Desmond in an attempt to simply prolong the inevitable. Desmond never got to fulfill the purpose for which he was created, which leaves much to be desired.
8Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Hesitation Is Defeat
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Fextralife Wiki
Before you ask, no, I am not referring to the hundreds of deaths that you will face by simply playing the game.Sekirois among thebest FromSoftware games, and if you have only played it once, then you may have missed the ending in which our protagonist, Sekiro, has to lay down his life, just so his master, Kuro, can live on.
As you are given the objective ofendingthe Dragon Heritage, if you play the game without doing any side content, then the game ends with you having to kill Kuro as you perform the Immortal Severance by giving him the Divine Dragon Tears.
However, if you perform some extra steps throughout the game and obtain the Aromatic Flower before defeating the finalboss, then the ending changes. Your master can live on, but all the people who have received the Dragon Heritage blessing have to die first, which in this case is only Sekiro.
In an act of loyalty and duty,Sekiro puts the Mortal Blade on his neck and takes his own life just so Kuro can live on, and it is among the best endings in video games.
7Halo Reach
“Tell ‘Em To Make It Count”
Halo Reach
Halo Reachwas released as a sort of prequel to the Master Chief trilogy with a brand-new set of characters and protagonist. While the Halo games put you in the shoes of the legendary Spartan 117, Halo Reach takes a different approach to showcase how grim things looked during the Covenant War while Master Chief was still asleep.
As you and your team of Spartans try their best to repel the Covenant forces on planet Reach, you are forced to watch your team fall prey to the Covenant one by one.
With so many sacrifices made throughout the journey, in the end,the protagonist, Noble 6, also has to stay behind on planet Reach, so the rest can escape to the Pillar of Autumn with Cortana, which ultimately ends up changing the tide of the war.
While Master Chief succeeds in ending the war between the humans and the Covenant, we all know that it wouldn’t have been possible without Noble 6’s sacrifice.
6Shadow Of The Colossus
A Tragic Tale
Shadow of the Colossus (2018)
The tale of Wanda is a tragic one that I often think about.Shadow of the Colossusbegins with him arriving in the Forbidden Lands with the corpse of his beloved Mono, who was sacrificed because she had a cursed fate.
Wanda meets a deity in the Forbidden Lands named Dormin, who commands him to slay the sixteen Colossi wandering the Forbidden Lands if he wants his wish of bringing Mono back to life to be granted.
Wanda, not knowing the consequences, agrees and feels the corruption taking over him as he kills the Colossi one by one. But despite that, his determination to save his beloved doesn’t allow him to stop.
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Upon killing the final Colossi, Wanda becomes fully corrupted, and Lord Emon orders his warriors to kill himas punishment. This is when Dormin (now freed from the colossi) possesses Wanda to fight Emon, but Emon seals Dormin away for good as well.
The story ends with Wanda dying, being reborn as a baby, and being found by Mono, indicating that Wanda succeeded in bringing his beloved back to life.
5Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Shepard’s Sacrifice
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
TheMass Effect Trilogyis gaming’s most influentialspace-based RPGs. Leading the Normandy Crew through a journey of life or death is Commander Shepard, also one of gaming’s most beloved protagonists.
What begins as a wild goose hunt with chasing Saren in Mass Effect 1 slowly devolves into a fight for the galaxy and one of the most bittersweet protagonist sacrifices in Mass Effect 3, as our belovedCommander Shepard has to sacrifice himself to destroy the Reapers once and for all, giving him a proper heroic end.
Sure, it’s not the most masterfully executed sequence, but for what it’s worth, it goes to show how much the whole cast and time spent with them mean towards the ending.
4Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion
“My Honor, My Dreams, They’re Yours Now”
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion
Players who have playedFinal Fantasy 7 Remakemay remember the subtle flashbacks from Cloud about another first-class soldier named Zack Fair. Crysis Core Reunion sheds light on Zack and his epic journey.
Our protagonist’s demise starts off with Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth going on a mission to Nibelheim. As the story progresses, Sephiroth learns of his origins and turns against his team. Although Zack loses to him with severe injuries, Cloud defeats him through sheer luck, but not without passing out as well.
Zack grabs his fellow incapacitated soldier, Cloud, to escape Hojo’s Lab and return to Midgar. Upon their arrival, the two of them are ambushed by Shinra troops. Here,Zack makes his last stand against the ambush, successfully repelling the attack while keeping Cloud safe, but at the cost of his own life.
Zack Fair is among the most beloved Final Fantasy characters, and his sacrifice is considered one of the most heartbreaking moments in gaming.
3The Walking Dead
“I’ll Miss You”
The Walking Dead
Probably the most tragic end to a protagonist, the story of Lee starts off with him finding a little girl, Clementine, in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.
Lee takes it upon himself to protect and take care of her, and from there, we see their relationship evolve from two strangers to a father-daughter relationship. Lee teaches Clementine how to take care of herself and puts her needs above his.
With Clementine kidnapped near the end of the game and Lee infected, he fights through a horde of zombies to save Clementine from her kidnapper.
While trying to get her to safety,he realizes that he doesn’t have much time left and is about to turn into a zombie as well. With Lee asking Clementine to stay strong and that he will miss her as his life is fading away, it is one of the saddest and most heartbreaking moments in video game history.
2Persona 3 Reload
“My Eyes Feel Heavy…”
Persona 3 Reload
This is an ending I think about every day.Persona 3 Reloadstarts with asilent protagonist, whose canon name is Makoto Yuki, who is very reserved at first but makes new friends, nurtures new bonds, and comes to appreciate life.
With all life being threatened by the arrival of Nyx,Makoto chooses to leave his friends behind to seal Nyx away, ultimately costing him his life, so everyone else can live on. But despite “dying”, Makoto still returns because of a promise he made to his friends that they would meet again on Graduation Day.
With the Dark Hour gone, the memories of the Dark Hour disappear with it. As the promised day draws closer, you’re able to see Makoto growing weaker and weaker as he tries to hold on to his life.
On graduation day, Makoto’s friends regain their memory of the Dark Hour and their promise. They run towards the school’s rooftop while Aigis is already with Makoto and tells him how she will always protect him and stay by his side.
In the end, just as everyone reaches the rooftop to be reunited with their beloved friend, Makoto passes away with a smile on his face, knowing that the promise he made has been fulfilled.
“I Guess… I… I’m Afraid”
Red Dead Redemption 2
Arthur Morgan is among the most beloved characters in gaming, as his charm and character never stop developing throughout the story ofRed Dead Redemption 2.
Near the end, when Arthur is diagnosed with tuberculosis,it is the cataclysm of Arthur’s world that makes him acknowledge his mortalityand accept that he doesn’t have much time left in this world.
From there, you can see Arthur’s health deteriorating witheach passing missionas he looks back on his life and tries to make up for it by doing good. The game does not shy away from letting you know that the inevitable is nigh.
The story of Arthur Morgan, from being a hardened outlaw with little sympathy for others to redeeming himself by helping others and saving his best friend/brother, will always be remembered as one of thebest stories in video gamehistory.
