Depends on how satisfying the bad ending is. In a way I consider the ending of The Grim and I a bad ending (all of the endings), but it’s still one of my favorite games. But if the ending is just “you had a misfortunate timing while you walked by a working site and a brick fell on your head” that would definitely be unsatisfying. I think with a bad ending the author especially has to be careful to not make the mistake of rushing the ending. The game either has to make the reader ready for the ending or if it’s the surprising ending the author goes for then it should be explained why.
@augustus27 actually I think wonderland is a bad example. Like the whole thing is based on drugs so if anywhere then there it would be justified that it has a bad ending.
But if (let’s go by CoG examples) A Midsummer Nights Choice would had ended with a bad ending it would have been weird for me. That. Always seemmed like a comedy to me and comedies as far I know tends to have happy endings.
In a way this makes sense. For example there is @Samuel_H_Young’s WIP Mass Mother Murderer I definitely don’t expect a happy ending for the MC in that game. Actually the only satisfying ending I can imagine for a game about a serial killer MC is a bad ending.
You mean
The Noble hero gets the girl, the money family, and happily ever after.
The Evil Villain gets death or prison.
Dexter isn’t a villain so no death or prison.
But he’s also not a noble hero so no money or girl or family or happy ending
End result: an empty life of manual labor ignored and forgotten probably like every unknown serial killer.
I have to agree with you there. “Bad” endings, though heartbreaking, are a lot more emotionally provocative and much more memorable than, “And the world entered a new age of prosperity and no died and you were recognised as a hero.”
A great example of a “bad” ending was my ending when I played the Heroes Rise trilogy. In the end, a small part of me was crying but the larger part was just so broken. I was so emotional because my hero’s future was not looking good since I did murder the president. Also one of my all time favourite characters died. And I died inside. It was done so brilliantly that I had to give a standing applause even though I had tears in my eyes and shards of my heart scrapping against the floor.
All in all, it does depend on execution but a dreamy, peachy ending where every last loose end is tied up and the sun comes out to shine on a perfect place just doesn’t do it for me. It can’t all be perfect. If I wanted that, I’d read a kid’s book or something.
All of you seem consider Bad synonym of sad or tragic. For me that’s NOT a bad ending. Bad for me mean BAD EXECUTED it could be super happy or super sad but if doesn’t make sense, is too rushed or just destroying all the damn lore and theme that’s a bad ending right there.
So for me when I heard all bad ending means ending that have no account your choices and look like a lotto and makes you want throw the mobile or game pad to moon.
An example for me are two Mass effect games 2 and 3.
The ending in mass effect 2 is one of best interactive endings ever made. Where if you screwed everything is all your fault and you deserved ending alone in a wrecked ship. And you see what you did wrong and the consequences in a awesome way. Is sad yes… Is bad no is a great ending.
In mass effect 3 your choices are mere numbers that can be cheated via play multiplayer and choices are mere changing colors in explosions ever with the extended cut still being just randomly generating and offensive to someone like me had played trilogy hundreds of hours. I could have the best ending still IS A BAD BAD BAD ending that impede me just replaying again to suffering that trash
“Bad End” is a standard term for when you reach the end of the game and the outcome is bad for the player characters; usually it’s in contrast to “Good Ends” where things go better and a “Golden Ending” where every single thing goes right.
So in ME2 in the “Bad End” literally everyone who goes on the Suicide Mission dies; the kidnapped crew also dies. In the “Good Ends” Shepard and some squad mates survive. In the “Golden Ending” everything goes perfectly, you arrive in time to save the kidnapped crew and safely escort them back to the ship and don’t lose a single squadmate. By this terminology Mass Effect 2 has an extremely well-executed Bad End; a poorly executed Bad End would be if you went through the Omega Relay and oops you hooked the IFF up wrong and you emerged inside the event horizon of a black hole. Game over. That could be fun if it’s like sleeping with Morinth when you are clearly warned it’s a bad idea that will kill you and if you choose to do it then you discover it is a bad idea that will kill you, but that’s not really an “ending” any more than losing a gunfight is.
I do like game overs like that, but I only consider things real endings if they close out the narrative; ME2’s Bad End resolves the Collector Base plot.
His whole “You’re crazy and I’m a doctor noone will ever believe you” speech before hand makes it doubly satisfying. It reminded me of that movie where James Spader ends up in an Asylum because of his wife and when she comes to gloat he has another inmate lure the security away and strangles her telling her that he may have to stay here longer but when he “recovers” from his Insanity he’ll get his life back and she’ll still be dead.
Eh,no.
Like in DOS2,some endings are worse,some are better,but all have their bad sides.What I consider as bad endings are like in Outlast.The whole point of the story is to survive,yet you can’t.
As for ME3,I’m not happy with the endings,but I can live with them.If we can only let leviathans eliminate all races,that’s what I called only bad endings
I don’t mind bad endings at all lmao. Good endings that are also, if you think about it, bad endings are great too.
Though I have to say, I do prefer bad/grim endings where there’s still hope in them? Some of my all-time favorite games have pretty grim endings, but there’s also hope in them, like in SOMA or Nier: Automata.
An ending where everyone dies for no reason though is stupid. If you want to do a bad ending where everyone/almost everyone dies, it has to be rooted in choices.
Like in Mass Effect 2, if you don’t upgrade the Normandy or just place your crew in wrong positions in the final push, your crew can and will die. Even you can die at the end if you messed up so bad. It’s a bad ending, but it’s also kinda your fault. The game did tell you that the Normandy as it is cannot survive the trip intact multiple times, and sending a soldier-type character to do maintenance or something is obviously a Bad Idea.
Bad ends are powerful and actually enjoyable for me as long as it’s clearly explained to the player that “this will not end well” but for narrative or character reasons there’s a compelling reason to choose to go there anyway.
One off the top of my head that I really thought was powerful was in A Study in Steampunk where after Grace dies you can wander the streets and basically look to get murdered as a form of suicide.
You’re saved, but can then choose to become a murderous vigilante who kills evil men until the authorities finally catch you and put you down.
(Hoping I remembered that correctly. I should really go back and replay it!)
BTW this is an example of a game without (as far as I can tell) any truly happen endings in the IFComp. (There might be, I’ve only run through it twice. Wish IFComp wasn’t in October, I usually don’t get to play much of the stuff before it ends)
If it had multiple bad endings, sure. If it had only one bad ending, hell no. I want my outcomes to vary based on my choices, even if it’s one ending with interchangeable variations.
