Nintendogames aren’t exactly known for leaving players on an unhappy note. Nevertheless, there have been many games over the course of the company’s history that prioritize storytelling over fan service, delivering final moments that are sure to leave players of all ages fighting back tears as the end credits begin to roll.
These eight games from across Nintendo’s history not only spanthe company’s biggest franchises, but they’ve also become iconic in their own right for how devastated some fans were when they ended.
Spoiler Warning: this article contains ending spoilers for every game on this list!
TheFire Emblemfranchise has always gone to some dark places, but there’s a reason whyfans were particularly enchanted byFire Emblem Awakening. The 3DS title features one of the franchise’s most emotional stories, where players control an avatar (default named Robin) who befriends a band of royal mercenaries in the midst of a world-ending war.
However, despite Robin’s newness to the Shepherds, players have to make the ultimate sacrifice at the end of the game to destroy Grima, the Fell Dragon. While Chrom and the others mourn Robin in the present, a post-credits scene reveals Robin waking up in the same field where Chrom and Lissa first discovered them, potentiallyhinting at a time loop.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timewas a huge step forward for video game storytelling, making clever use of time travel as Link and Navi spend seven years locked inside the Temple of Time to become old enough to defeat Ganondorf — onlyafterHyrule has been decimated and Zelda has been forced into hiding as a warrior named Sheik.
After players defeat Ganon at the end of the game, Zelda offers them the chance to return to their past and relive the seven years they lost. While Link takes this opportunity to prevent Ganon’s rise to power as a child, he also must say goodbye toNavi, his fairy companion. It would be a more bittersweet ending if there wasn’t the knowledge of Ganon’s eventual and inevitable return.
As far as Nintendo’s IP goes,Xenoblade Chroniclesis among the more story-centric. However, many fans of the franchise may have forgotten about the Wii U-exclusive titleXenoblade Chronicles X, which features a much sadder ending than the others, where it’s revealed humans were created as a weapon against the volcanic-dwelling Ganglion.
Furthermore, players' teammate, Elma, is revealed to be an alien species herself, whose presence on Earth was solely to protect humanity from Ganglion. An end credits scene features Elma discovering that humanity’s memories, initially preserved by the Lifehold, have been destroyed, leaving her to only wonder about the past.
Mariogames typically aren’t sad at all, butthePaper Mariofranchise has made players shed a tear or two. This is especially true forSuper Paper Mario, in which Mario’s universe is threatened by a dimensional rift created by Count Bleck, and Mario must team up with a pixie named Tippi to stop him and save his friends. But, Count Bleck and Tippi have history.
The two were once betrothed, but Blumiere’s father sabotaged their romance and cursed Tippi to become a pixie, while Bleck went down a villainous path. In the end, the two star-crossed lovers reunite, and the final shot of the game shows their silhouetted true selves, finally together. However, Bleck’s minions still vow to further his evil mission on their own.
Pokemon Black & Whiteand its sequels explore heavy themes for the franchise, such as the morality behind forcing Pokemon to battle. However, despite the preaching of Team Plasma, there’s hypocrisy to the father-son dynamicbetween Ghetsis and their king, N. At the end of the first games, Ghetsis is arrested and N disappears, stepping away from Team Plasma.
The two reunite inPokemon Black 2 & White 2, in which a freed Ghetsis attempts to take control of the Legendary Pokemon, Kyurem, until N stops him. Ghetsis lashes out at his own son, despite N’s attempt to empathize with his father. Although N has lots of family trauma to sort through, players can join him at the Nimbasa City ferris wheel weekly in the post-game.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Maskisperhaps the most disturbingZeldatitle out there, centering on the land of Termina that is set to be destroyed in three days' time. The apocalypse is caused by Skull Kid, a lonely forest boy who becomes cursed by the titular Majora’s Mask, after being abandoned by his friends, the Giants who guard Termina.
While Skull Kid makes amends with his friends and Link is able to return to Hyrule, the story doesn’t end well for one character: the Deku Butler. Earlier in the game, the Butler is in search of his son, who Link finds as a dead Deku Scrub who was killed by the Skull Kid to make the Deku Mask. The final scene of the game shows the Deku Butler mourning his son.
ThroughoutSuper Metroid, players will inevitably become attached to an infant Metroidtaken by Samus to the Ceres space colonyto be studied. However, early in the game, the baby Metroid is kidnapped by Ridley and the Space Pirates, forcing Samus to rescue it, given that the Metroid has imprinted on Samus as its apparent mother figure.
Samus' final battle is against the all-powerful Mother Brain, and she would have been defeated were it not for the fully-grown Metroid that saves her, sacrificing itself so Samus can heal. Samus takes the opportunity to avenge the Metroid by blasting Mother Brain with her Hyper Beam before escaping Zebes, leaving players to mourn the loss of their surrogate child.
Earthboundis quite a dark game, so it’s not very surprising that after all this time, Nintendo has still opted not to localizethe even darkerMother 3. In that game, players control a party that includes Lucas, a boy searching for his missing twin, Claus. Eventually, they discover that Claus has been brainwashed by Porky, one of the main villains from the previous game.
As the Masked Man, players have to confront Claus while their parents telepathically encourage them to stop fighting. Eventually, Claus comes to his senses and, in an effort to save Lucas, kills himself. It’s a heartbreaking way to leave the game with no sense of hope for Lucas' beloved twin, but it’s in the tone of theMotherfranchise.
