FEZ (Switch eShop)
FEZ has two endings — one for getting most of the game's 64 cubes, and one for getting all of them. For a game that pretends to be a platformer with a neat gimmick, Fez quickly unravels into a game about so much more — it's about creation, game development, and the fundamental truths at the heart of reality, soundtracked by the melancholic Chopin’s Prelude #4 in Em.
Get all the cubes, though, and the ending will be different — instead of digging down into fundamental truths, we instead zoom out from Gomez's existence, to learn that we are all ultimately insignificant.
But both endings are ultimately about us, about Fez's creators, and about what it all means — even if the answer, at the end, is a shrug.
Bastion (Switch eShop)
As you play Bastion, the Narrator — Rucks — speaks about you and to you in his mellifluous, deep voice. There's something extra special about the combination of Darren Korb's incredible music and that voice accompanying you throughout the game, but right at the end, the themes of two of the most important characters at the heart of the story, Zulf and Zia, get combined to create the tear-jerking 'Setting Sail, Coming Home' as the background to your final journey.
To The Moon (Switch eShop)
To The Moon is a beautiful little narrative adventure about exploring and lightly altering a dying man's dreams to grant his last wish — to go to the moon. The problem is that the man can't remember why he wants to go, so it's your job to dig deep into his memories and find out the reason before he passes away.
Unfortunately, his wish is tangled up, because it both requires and conflicts with his love for his wife. In the ending, the two scientists tasked with fulfilling this wish are forced to alter the dying man's memories in the most heartbreaking way. But is it a happy ending, or a sad one? You decide.
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Super Mario Odyssey goes to some weird and wonderful new places for the series, including the literal moon. After the hardest level in the game — Bowser's Kingdom — Mario finally gets the power to fly to the moon, where suddenly his jumps are all floaty and the colourful backgrounds have been replaced by nothing but grey rocks.
It's a fantastic subversion of what the game has been about all along, with the goal of the level — the gigantic chapel — visible from just about anywhere in the landscape, making it feel more like a playground to have fun in than a challenge.
Of course, at the centre of this serene place is the actual hardest level in the game, the insanely hard lava platforming challenge that tests everything you've known so far. And after all that, Peach almost leaves you and Bowser stranded on the moon because you're both grandstanding idiots.
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Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (Switch)
Dragon's Dogma is underrated, and its ending deserves to be seen by more people. What looks like a pretty standard fantasy RPG with dragons and bandits turns out to be much, much more complicated, and that includes the ending — which pulls a bait-and-switch on you.
You think that killing the dragon that stole your heart is the ending, only to discover that it has, in fact, opened up a new world to you — a deep, almost-bottomless pit in the earth, at the centre of which lies your destiny. And after all that, you have to make a decision; one that has nothing to do with dragons and bandits, but with yourself.
Celeste (Switch eShop)
Celeste's story is deceptively simple: climb the mountain. But during that quest, you'll meet yourself along the way — and you might not like what you see. Madeline, the protagonist, struggles with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, as represented by Badeline, your antagonist/evil persona, who tells you that you can't do anything right.
And so, when you get up to the top of the mountain, you haven't just beaten the summit — you've proved yourself. Accompanied by the beautiful soundtrack by composer Lena Raine, it's a touching moment that serves as a fitting tribute to your hard work.
And then, of course, you have to climb back down again!
What Remains of Edith Finch (Switch eShop)
What Remains of Edith Finch is one of those games that people call "walking simulators", since all you do in them is walk forward and experience events — but that downplays how incredibly moving the story is as you experience it through the eyes of those who have passed on within the Finch family. It's a sorrowful tale of an unfair curse, and the myriad ways we can lose people even knowing that loss is coming.
Since it's a game all about walking forward, the ending is necessarily a dead end, but it's the perfect finish to the story: A graveyard, filled with the bodies and memories of all the lives you've come to know while exploring the Finch house.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Switch eShop)
At the very beginning of this incredible trilogy, you could be forgiven for thinking the developers were just making a series of disconnected murder cases. And at the time, they probably were.
But slowly, over the course of the three games, an epic tale of revenge, familial ties, and tragic misunderstandings starts to unravel, and by the end of Trials and Tribulations, you finally get to the heart of it all. The Fey family has had a rough go of it, and as soon as the mysterious prosecutor Godot gets revealed for who he is and what he's done, it feels like a knot at the centre of the tragedy of Mia and Maya Fey finally gets loosened. And Dahlia Hawthorne is still one of the best villains in video games.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Switch eShop)
In a move that's pretty much par for the course for Moon Studios' platforming adventure, the ending to Ori and the Will of the Wisps is incredibly bittersweet. It brings the game to a close in perhaps the only way it could, with both a heartwarming revival and Ori's own crushing sacrifice. It's not all tears though, as the plucky titular protagonist lives on in the form of a Spirit Tree, growing and flourishing as his loving family grows old alongside him.
It also turns out that the game's narrator was actually Ori himself all along, recounting his tale in the form of the Spirit Tree. It's a lovely ending, even if it's not necessarily the happiest one imaginable. Then again, devs always find some way to bring their main characters back to life, so here's hoping we see Ori again in the future!
Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Switch eShop)
Much like Celeste, Chicory is a story all about self-doubt, anxiety, and the harm that a person can do to themselves by not believing in their own talents and importance. In the end, Chicory and Pizza decide together that trying to live up to a legacy is just a way to perpetuate generational trauma, and that gatekeeping creation is pointless.
There were times in the story where we wondered how on earth this true-to-life tale of the artist's struggle to find themselves would end, but Chicory executes it flawlessly — in a fittingly messy way.
It's time for us to say goodbye, too — but not forever! Thank you for reading this list, and for making our endings special, too.
Let us know in the comments what your favourite game ending is, and what you think makes a "good" ending, too!
Comments (53)
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Pizzeria Simulator. All I’m gonna say is that you’ll have to see the true ending for yourself.
We don’t talk about Help Wanted and Security Breach.
Link's Awakening, on top of being my favorite Zelda game and among my Top 5 games of all time, remains one of the most bittersweet endings. Also because I adore Marin and the subtle romance hinted at between her and Link. Best pairing for Link, fight me.
Aside from that, because it's now on Switch: Final Fantasy IX, which still makes me cry every time I reach those credits.
Xenoblade games need a mention. Sometimes the success of an ending is dependent on the journey taken to get there.
I remember being about thirteen years old and really sad when I beat Earthbound. I hated that it had to end.
I would also beat Super Mario Bros. 2 religiously. It was always good to see Wart passed offstage and taking a righteous beating. The ending music was also wonderful and soothing.
A Link To The Past's ending always made me happy. Used to give me goosebumps.
I haven't finished Nier: Automata. I plan to finish it at some point. Just too many games and too little time.
"best endings" but doesn't include Persona 4 Golden true ending
Nier Automata has 26 endings 🤣
So The Best Endings is Kate's last article, nicely played!
For me it has to be Final Fantasy IX.
I loved the Odyssey ending - nostalgia maximised. And such fun!
I’m not ashamed to admit I got pretty teary eyed during Xenoblade 3’s bittersweet ending.
@KateGray Thanks for all your writings, they always gave me a chuckle.
I played Link’s awakening ages ago on gb, and it felt weird the whole “it was all a dream” ending. I even remember being mad about it 😂. I have quite liked many ending in games, like 999’s true ending, vice city, baten kaitos origins, tales of symphonia, abyss and berseria.
@kategray thanks for the memories!!
The best ending I ever saw on the switch is when the battery gave out, and the system powered off.
Clearing Link’s Awakening on gameboy as an eight year old was, oh, let’s say affecting. I was already, unfortunately, death-obsessed and that ending hit me immediately and haunted me.
When I finally escaped hell for the first time in Hades and realized I was still going to be pulled back, I had the horrible feeling of the end of Shadow of the Colossus on PS2, but I was resolved to return again and again until hopefully the end changed. I consider reuniting the lovers, Eurydice/Orpheus and Achilles/Patroclus, to count as endings as well. Especially after reading The Song of Achilles.
I would throw the beautiful and heart crushing ending of Banner Saga 1 in here as well. I thought I was saving her, and after that ending I thought, just let the world end.
If we’re cheating by using ports, Final Fantasy X and X-2 endings /still/ get me.
@RadioHedgeFund Zidane really proves to be such a true-of-heart hero in Kuja’s final moments. The sequence at the play, damn, it’s just sweet as hell.
If Super Mario Odyssey can be here, where's Kirby and the Forgotten Land? I went in blind for its finale and it was an incredible experience all around
Gris was pretty good of an ending if I remember right?
Edit: yeah it was, i remembered
@Deady I like how Shadow of Colossus portrayed the nativity of humans and the foolish things we do in the name of love.
While I sympathize with Wander's plight, I was okay by the ending because sadly, it had to be done.
So many games with good ending. Good to see this.
Resident Evil. Blow the Tyrant up with a rocket launcher, before the mansion explodes, then fly off in a helicopter as the sun rises. Perhaps not the most profound ending in a game, but iconic none the less.
Wow, amazing article and don't know how I missed that you were leaving @kategray but I am sad to see you go. Good luck on all future endeavors and thank you for being my favorite writer online, almost said favorite writer but can't lie that goes to Ray Bradbury.
Favorite endings:
Megaman 3: First game ending I can remember with that awesome protoman theme playing. Great even to this day.
Metal Gear Solid (so serene snow mobileing away after all that insanity)
Max Payne 2 good ending (didn't even know it existed just beat it on the hardest mode and was pleasantly surprised by the twist).
Super Mario World: still makes me happy to this day. amazing music, seeing every character in the game and the final the end picture was so cool at that time.
Good idea for an article list - links awakening and Nier automata both have interesting story conclusions
Danganronpa V3, come at me.
"Best endings in switch games"
Okay then
Two games I will shout out at every available opportunity: Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and Skyward Sword. Both have fantastic stories right up to the ending, with the former taking me through maybe the craziest narrative rollercoaster I've ever been on, and the latter just being flat out epic and beautiful in every respect. I have to say, even though I love a lot of the games on this list, I feel like the ending was the weakest part for like half of them. Of the ones I've played, Inside, Link's Awakening, Portal 2, Bioshock Infinite, Dragon's Dogma, and potentially Witcher 3 all end with some variation of "Congratulations, everything you've done was pointless/made things worse". Plus, the choices that lead to the "good" endings for Witcher 3's main story and second DLC are often either confusingly vague or flat out bad decisions. I don't even remember anything about Bastion's story, other than finding the narrator pretty annoying. Though I will say Link's Awakening, Bioshock Infinite, and Portal 2's endings are at least beautiful presentation-wise if nothing else.
@Vexx234 You sum it up well. There was an excellent fold-out print ad in magazines back then where the cover was just Wander on a moonlit mountain path and the words, “How far will you go for love?”
I’m having all sorts of thoughts about how this and the endgame of FFX are sort of related to one another but it would be a monstrous text wall.
Best of luck with everything. Will miss your crazy articles
Any Xenoblade or Legend of Heroes game. They all have amazing endings.
Owlboy was a good one
@KateGray I think I've barely done anything but criticize most of the lists you've written, but to be clear, I do appreciate you writing them all the same. They've been good fun to read and respond to. So thanks for all the work you've done, and good luck with whatever you do in the future.
@Deady Then make it happen, and just end the wall with tl:dr. Joking there, but share your thoughts freely!
NieR: Automata is a very easy nomination. Ending E is one of the coolest things I've ever seen in a video game.
I'd also nominate Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Torna: The Golden Country. Both had deeply affecting endings that thoroughly explored the emotional consequences of their stories.
Danganronpa 2 and Danganronpa V3 both have amazing endings as well. I know the latter is divisive, but it's still one of the ballsiest ways I've ever seen a creator wrap up a reasonably successful franchise.
Surprised INSIDE is on here. That game just sort of... ends, and is deeply unsatisfying as a result. It's possible that's the intended artistic effect, but it kind of spoiled the tail end of my experience. Not everything needs to have a definitive ending, but it's best to build up to something memorable and lasting.
To me, the best endings will always be Okami, Wind Waker, Chrono Trigger, Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Kinda unsurprising that the best endings belong to the best games of all times.
Bioshock Infinite was a major step down from the original and the B2, let's just face it, and a horrible ending with a plothole big enough for the 3:15 express to come through didn't serve it well either
Nier Automata Ending E! I have never experienced an ending quite like that one. More than worth the sort of three play through to get it!
Mario Odysseys ending was pretty damn epic and I wouldn’t even consider myself a huge 3d Mario fan. Just pure spectacle and enjoyment.
The ending level to the Octo expansion for Splatoon 2 was probably the only single player content in the Splatoon series I actually loved.
The twist with how Little Nightmares II ends I thought was chilling. Really helped make that game my GOTY for that year.
What Remains of Edith Finch had a real gut puncher- and Citizen Sleepers was quite memorable too.
@ComfyAko Wind Waker to me is tied with with Link's awakening for best ending in the entire series.
Ganondorf is actually given a bit of depth here. More so than all his other incarnations combined into a somewhat sympathetic villain.
For me, it has to be Mother 3.
@KateGray Thank you for bringing Madeline Miller into my life. “In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.”
!!!Spoilers abound for shadow of the colossus and final fantasy X!!!
@Vexx234 Here we gooooo. Well in Shadow, Wander’s beloved was sacrificed to prevent some sort of foul curse from taking hold. He goes to summon a supposed demon to bring her back, which may or may not destroy the world. In the end he succeeds in reviving her, but the church destroys him and the demon, though the curse may live in the horned children. Wander is sacrificed, unwillingly and with only sorrow and regret in his heart, never knowing he succeeded in reviving Mono.
In FFX, we find out in order to slay (for simplicity’s sake) a demon, we have to sacrifice our love interest and probably ourself in the process. We deny the church, destroy the only thing that could have stopped the demon, and still somehow manage to slay it, and save Yuna, but only by sacrificing ourself. Tidus would die either way, and chose to go forward into oblivion with an abundance of joy and love in his heart, knowing the cycle had ended and no one would ever have to make that choice again.
I love Yuna’s “I don’t like your plan” speech in FFX-2. It’s a strong commentary on the terrible things people can do when they lose hope, or convince themselves there is no other choice.
The fact that this is likely @KateGray 's last article on this site has made me actually and literally get teary eyed 🥺
I didn't realize Kate was reading! They make such good Back Page articles! Ahh well, all good things must come to an end eventually...
On the topic at hand though, yea, Celeste's ending is pretty good. So is the ending for its final chapter, Farewell... if you can beat it, of course!
Removed - trolling
@ChaoticKirby Yes.
@Deady Very well written! I enjoyed it!
@CharlieGirl Her articles were always interesting. Not to say I agree with everything (like trying to connect Celeste with lgbt topics) but she is a really talented and witty person, I wish her all the best.
@Fangleman32 ok but make that article a page shorter and I'm revoking your license.
I can't express how much I love Celeste. This game is so well done on every level!
@ComfyAko the Celeste team include some of my close friends, many of whom are gay, bi, and/or trans. The lead designer is trans too 😊
@CharlieGirl Charlie I have to be honest, I meant this to be my final article but I have a couple more things scheduled that are still good (but less perfectly fitting!) soooo be ready for that 😅 We can say this is my final article though, since it was the last thing I wrote
Super Mario World is the gold standard for endings for me. The jaunty music, the cast credits, the thank you. I love it when a game thanks me for playing. No, no, thank you. Finishing a game always feels hollow but being thanked for it... it's just nice to feel appreciated.
More importantly, KateGray is leaving? That's such sad news. I really enjoy your sense of humour and the games you covered. Thank you, Kate! We'll miss you.
Can't believe all of you forgot fire emblem three houses. We got 3 good endings. Actually felt rewarding putting all the time in and seeing where the stories went. And they did it 3 times! Also Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask had great endings too.
Not reading the article because of spoilers, but what a great idea for your final article (even if not the actual last one released according to what you said in your comment, less fitting but honestly glad that's the case) here on Nintendo Life @KateGray, thanks again for everything and wish you the best with whatever you're doing next!
@KateGray oh I didn't know that. I meant that the game itself doesn't really address nor hint at those topics. It's nice that the designers represent the community, though. I guess that would make the game somewhat relevant to the topic. On a sidenote, Meeting people who made Celeste must be super neat.
Kate's are the only ones I fully read.
I mean... I, uh... no, that was the truth.
You'll be missed
Wait, how is this list missing Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons? For shame!
Huuuh?! No BLAZBLUE CENTRALFICTION Special Edition on this list?! Oh yeah, NL staff usually don't play fighting games, so that shouldn't be surprising for me... BLAZBLUE CENTRALFICTION Special Edition's ending is sad, cool, and amazing. Rest in peace, Ragna the Bloodedge... And CHAOS CODE -NEW SIGN OF CATASTROPHE- have a few cool and interesting endings.
@KateGray Wait, what, you're leaving?? Well that's a bummer... I love your sense of humor and lists of things I didn't know I needed lists of, and I will miss your articles dearly. Good luck in the future!
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