Luigi’s Mansion - After a long night of facing his fears, seeing Luigi tear up while howling in laughter at Mario’s silly expense was a legendary moment. He saved his brother, the man who had saved the world many times before and yet needed his help…what a bro! Let’s be proud of our green ghostbuster! Danganronpa V3 - Kodaka was right, in the end. Danganronpa was actually quite horrible and we were all stupid for liking it! It was a nightmare that we all needed to wake up from! I know a lot of people hated the ending, but to me, that’s just post-nut clarity in video game form. Be glad it’s over and cherish the memories that sweet lie left you…never more. Undertale Pacifist - Still my favorite game! Saving everyone, choosing to create a peaceful future for the monsters I befriended and choosing to let Toriel adopt me made me feel like I truly accomplished something! Would have loved to save Asriel, too…but he has accepted his penance. I have no choice but to respect that. Star Fox Command (Goodbye, Fox) I want a new game with Marcus McCloud, dammit! Fox and Krystal have both suffered enough, Nintendo! Let them just enjoy their retirement picnic of sandwiches and sponge cake and let their son take the torch! Let the emotional baggage of Command be worth something! Don’t give me that “non-canon” bullshit excuse, either! Samurai Jack Battle Through Time - The true end to the entire series! The ending that Jack deserves after all he’s been through. Words cannot do justice for how satisfying it is to see the suffering hero, who was cheated out of a happy ending so many times throughout his whole career FINALLY get it! I’m glad Genndy Tartakovski considers it the true ending for his creation.
Majora’s Mask has a very satisfying ending. After stressing to save Clocktown with the impending doom of the moon possibly killing you, finally seeing all the characters move in to the “4th day” and the rest of their lives, is an amazing feeling.
A few good candidates off the top of my head: -Hades ("In The Blood" playing as Zagreus and Persephone move through the regions of the Underworld is so cathartic, and the epilogue of the Olympians reconciling with the cthonic gods is a delightful cherry on top.) -Ocarina of Time (Seeing the world you saved and its inhabitants celebrating as one of if not the most beautiful rendition of Zelda's Lullaby plays over it is so pleasant, and _to this day_ my eyes well up every time I hear those bells.) -Hollow Knight (The "Dream No More" ending specifically is just so delightfully bittersweet, the whole thing just exudes this palpable sense of relief as Hallownest and its long-dead inhabitants can finally be at rest.)
My favorite game ending is Fire Emblem Awakening, specifically the version where Robin/the player's avatar character gets the final blow. The intentionally mimicry of the beginning cutscene plus the confirmation that you truly succeeded in your goal is very satisfying to me.
@@amirgarcia547 That's actually what I meant by the "confirmation that you truly secceeded in your goal" bit, I was just being more vague about it on the main comment to minimize how much of a spoiler is shown to people casually scrolling through.
Persona 5. Spending the last day in Shibuya talking to every Confidant you have maxed out, talking about their future plans, and then either driving out with your friends (original) or giving the cops the slip and taking the train with Maruki and Sumire seeing you off (Royal) gives me a sense of catharsis that everyone you met and helped will be okay
I'm still grateful you're on RUclips, especially right now in the midst of many other content creators I follow announcing their departure or their imminent departure. Really great video like usual and I'd like to throw in the ending to Paper Mario: TTYD. I played through the remake recently and the ending was just so cozy and loveable. You leaving and all your partners giving you their fond farewell, Goombella writing you and letting you know how everyone is doing with pretty much everybody getting a happy ending, and then of course, you can just go back to Rogueport whenever to continue where you left off with all your partners welcoming you back and joining up with you again without skipping a beat. I loved it and it helped cement my newfound love for TTYD. It seems like it's ending shares a lot of the same strengths as Earthbound's.
My personal favorite ending in a video game is Final Fantasy IX's. One of the best cases of "how the characters are doing now" I've ever seen, and seeing Zidane show himself alive before everyone just felt so uplifting. Yes, Necron as a final boss came right outta nowhere, I don't care, I'm talking about the sequence after the final boss.
Final Fantasy 9 by far. It's fantastic and gives all the characters who went through hell some much deserved closure. Also, random idea for a video if rabbid is reading this, but games that punish you for playing them like videogames, stuff like the fair/trial from Chrono Trigger or the microwave thing from MGS4. If that hasn't already been done
Off the top of my head, five of the most satisfying for me are: - Ultima VI: The False Prophet - Valkyria Chronicles - Chrono Trigger - The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC - Final Fantasy IX
I'll stay fairly vague, but *Trails in the Sky Spoilers* I really love revisiting the gravestone at the end of Trails in the Sky SC, but I like Sky the Third's ending even more. Estelle's little speech to Renne in particular hits right in the feels perfectly, but It also gave every character from the Sky Trilogy such a great sendoff. I honestly would've been satisfied if the Trails series had ended there. (Don't get me wrong though, I'm glad the Trails series continued after Sky and is still ongoing).
@@FirstLast-mn4re That's true. Sky the 3rd wrapped up the Sky arc perfectly. That seems to be a very underrated entry in the series, and Kevin is an excellent protagonist.
The "hug" ending from "Detroit: Become Human" is up there for me. And even "Stray" with the cat finding their way back to their grassy home with the hint that their friend survived after all with the little light flickering was surprisingly impactful in a positive way.
Part of what makes Uncharted 4's ending so satisfying is that is that it was so unexpected. I spent that whole game bracing for Nathan Drake's seemingly-inevitably bittersweet finale, so for him to come out of it with an honest to goodness happy ending didn't just make me feel happy -- it made me feel relieved.
I got 2 The first one is Kingdom Hearts 2. Even with out playing any of the previous entries hearing Sora constantly talk about and agonize over reuniting with his friends throughout the game for it to end with everyone getting home together never fails to tug my heartstrings whenever I play. The second is actually Hades. Playing run after run, hearing Zagreus try to convince his mother to return home only for the last run before the credits ending with Hades refusing the fight and Persephone finally let Zagreus convince to head back is a wholesome and satisfying conclusion to what could be a weeks long escapade and it is so worthwhile when you start sailing down the Styx with her. …Maybe I have a bias for endings where people reunite with their loved ones though…
Given how much of a wet fart KH3's ending was, I definitely feel, in hindsight, that KH2 should have been the (chronologically) final game in that series.
@MarkieDood ya not going to lie the build up was much better then the pay off for KH3 really it left me wanting more and made me feel like rather then putting more into the game play or story the put way to much into making it look nice. Like I much would have preferred a tighter combat system like KH2 and the story most of the world's felt pointless? Like honestly it felt like the start of kingdom hearts 1 where it's setting everything up but it's worse because it's the 3rd game and we are waiting for the big conclusion which honestly felt a tad anti climactic because at least for me most of the bosses in the final world aren't the most memorable and if anything a tad of a let down with a few notable exceptions. I am also not the biggest fan of the key blade transformations not because I don't love the concept I do but because of the fact that to many of the share their alt modes like with how many fewer we got I would have hoped each one had their own gimmicks all their own with their own special feel but I don't get that with them one bit with the exception of Ultima and of course oath keeper and oblivion.
I really enjoy how the three numbered Xenoblades end, with 3 being a highlight. And then 3's DLC comes in and provides an even more satisfying closing scene that wraps up the trilogy so nicely. Also have a soft spot for YS VIII, which is weird to say given the themes of death and extinction present. But Dana gets closure and gets an ending that feels sad but gratifyingly appropriate at the same time.
All of the Xenoblade endings are great, but I think Xenogears really stuck the landing best. Getting to see a happy ending for Noah and Mio might be the only thing that could've topped that.
Having finally played Ys VIII just recently, I can't help but agree. The epilogue as a whole still feels a bit strange for me to think about, considering what actually happens, but that doesn't stop the final scene between Dana and Adol from still being an incredibly touching moment.
Banjo-Kazooie: Beating Grunty and seeing her fall off of her tower and then enjoying Sly 3: Everyone moves on and shares in the Cooper fortune. Super Mairo RPG: Getting a parade for saving the world. Resident Evil 4: Escaping the island on a wave racer and accomplishing the mission Bowser's Inside Story: You vanquish the evil spirit and stop Fawful. Ocarina of Time: Defeating Ganon and saving the Hyrule. Perfect Dark: Finishing off the Alien leader and saving the Earth.
Xenoblade’s endings are immaculate. The original is very rewarding, 2’s is heartwarming beyond belief, 2’s DLC broke my heart, 3’s made me sob uncontrollably, and 3’s DLC was satisfying to see it all tied up by the end.
Probably GOW Ragnarok for me. We get time to talk with all the different characters we met along the way, including a moving sendoff to Atreus as he sets off on his own. More importantly, we get to see Faye's dying message for Kratos. It's an encouragement to embrace his godhood, something he constantly struggles with and rejects, as well as showing her own rejection of the fate her people saw for him. She confronts him with the possibility that he can be a figure worthy of respect, and leaves him with a hope he never before believed in. It's a wonderful conclusion that also leaves room to see Kratos' story develop further in the future.
KH2 is probably up there. An incredible final level and final boss, capped off by one of the few 100% HAPPY endings in the series where everyone reunites on Destiny Islands. ...Actually, it's astonishing to think how many endings in the franchise are at best bittersweet. (...and yeah, I know that Roxas and Namine's part in the ending can be seen as kinda sad, but it is presented in the context of the ending as something you should be happy about, so I'd count it)
Uncharted 4 all the way! Not only it was a great and satisfying way to finish the story, but it was a _playable_ satisfying way to finish the story, 30 amazing minutes of discovering the situation of the characters, their new life and so on, in an unforgettably beautiful location. Great stuff.
Some of mine. God of War Ragnarok. Becomes the person Faye always knew he could be. Halo Reach. They fail to save the planet but save the Chief. Gears of War 3. Seeing Anya put her hand on Marcus shows that they’ll be okay.
You know I'm glad I found your channel so long ago thanks to matpat shouting you out. Thank you for these videos I love them and I literally said out loud "thank you rabbid Luigi!"
It’s a bit of a weird one, but if you go with the DLC mission, Ace Attorney’s first game is incredibly satisfying, you could also argue that AA: TT has a brilliant and satisfying ending, where you banish….the villain, feel guilt for the finding the real culprit…its just awesome. The anime also did that well too.
_The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past._ That flyover with the royal-sounding music playing as just about everybody you and Link have met during the adventure (including the ones who died; Link must have wished them back to life!) waves to you as you pass overhead somehow (the Flute Boy's bird, maybe?!) is a near-perfect anticipation or callback to/of one of my favorite movie endings: _The Neverending Story._ I wonder whether the designers saw it at some point?
One of my favorites is Final Fantasy IV, and the music is so similar to A Link to the Past that I had to listen to them at the same time to realize that they were different. FFIV’s ending is similar in that it also checks in on everyone in the game (though FFVI is closer in spirit since your characters are also flying over the world).
Most satisfying ending for me is when rabbidluigi makes a countdown video in the beautiful old style and the entire world erupts in thunderous applause and boundless joy.. sorry you asked for cheeky..
Trails of Cold Steel 4 has my favorite soft ending to a series. It isn’t the final game but it wraps up a saga 10 games in the making and gives all the characters a sense of accomplishment and finality. It’s accompanied by a gorgeous ending theme and a wedding to two characters that’s been with us for so long. Can’t think of any ending as satisfying.
Legacy of kain: Defiance - what a way to end. Not a cliffhanger but makes it obvious that the story is yet to be resolved but with clear character development for Kain. Dammit, im still dreaming about that final part that'll never come to life
That’s a tricky question for me, usually the satisfaction comes from beating the game or just an entertaining ending. Keyword “satisfying” endings are something that I don’t usually think about. Maybe the persona 4/5 endings are the most satisfying for me.
Recently the most satisfying ending has to be from "In Stars and Time.", the whole game is such a ride of ups and downs and yet despite everything, even as the game itself seems to tear apart, everything gets tied up and you get to wander around and share that moment with your travel companions and if you've done the prerequisites you can even tie up a loose end around a mysterious support character. Highly recommend the game. Another would be Chicory: A Colorful Tale, everything just gets resolved really nicely and made me smile. The "perfect harmony" endings from the Fuga: Melodies of steel games were also some of the most satisfying given how the game is driving you towards taking the easier route of sacrifice. Full Metal Furies also deserve a mention, but that game is just satisfying in general to puzzle out once you realize there is more to it than what greets you on a surface level. The special requirement endings of he Metro games also fit this, more so if you didn't realize they existed on your first playthrough because they are not telegraphed at all to exist. The extra ending of Omensight is also absolutely amazingly satisfying, tying everything up nicely. Moreso for the absolute hell it is to get to it, but the final ending of Skul: the hero slayer is also really amazing and you finally get to lay the smackdown on those who are actually responsible for everything. The grand finale of Triangle Strategy is something you build up to through several playthroughs and the payoff is rather satisfying. and finally the "secret" ending of Tunic, just for the sheer adventure it takes you on to get there along with all the eye-opening realizations you get along the way.
I still consider Mass Effect 2 to have a near perfect ending. Mass Effect 3 dropping the ball doesn't change how good the game before it is. I honestly can't think of a better final level than the Suicide Mission. That final walk through the Normandy with the entire crew surviving what was considered certain death after accomplishing everything they intended to do is just legendary for me. Especially since it requires the player to actually work for it rather than it just being handed to them. It feels like a reward for spending all the time gathering resources and earning each teammates loyalty. I like a bittersweet ending more often than not but I love when there is a perfect ending that requires you to work for it. You want the happy ending? It's there, you just need to earn it.
So, there are two endings that come to mind that feel very satisfying to me. Spoilers. Final Fantasy IV is my favorite entry in the series, and I feel it has a great ending. Zeromus is stopped, and Golbez & Fusoya go into a deep sleep as the party returns to Earth. Rydia continues to stay with the Eidolons(memory's iffy rn, so I might have gotten the name wrong or misspelled it) while visiting every now and then, Palom & Porom continue to study, Kain broods a ton as he works to find himself, Yang continues to train and I think becomes king of his kingdom, Edge becomes King of his Cid continues to make stuff, Edward I think also becomes a leader, and Cecil & Rosa wed as Golbez telepathically bids farewell to his brother. Mind you, there's a sequel that I have yet to properly play, but from what I remember, it's not as bad as people say it is. Probably hated it cause it was originally sold in parts, and I don't blame them. A Link Between Worlds is not my #1 Zelda game, but DAMN is it close! After Link defeats Yuganon and Ravio works things out with Hilda, Zelda & Link return to Hyrule with the Triforce, and the wish they make is the most selfless thing I've ever seen in my life and I strive to be that selfless. They wished for Lorule to get their Triforce back, as Hilda cries at the kind gesture and thanks them endlessly. Not as much detail as with FFIV but it's still a perfect ending.
I mean, _MY_ Shepherd got to become a cyber god and assume direct control of the Reapers, but I guess if you choose the Destroy ending, the ME3 ending sucks or something?
One thing I love about most of the final levels in Halo is that it ends with a race against time. Some are definitely better than others (1 and 3 as well as Reach had some of the best races against time to save yourselves from annihilation) but the feeling I get running through the levels was always hype thanks to knowing that I'm fighting back against not just the enemies, but the doomsday clock telling me that Master Chief/Noble Six/The Rookie/Spirit of Fire/Fireteam Osiris is about to die. Not many other games get to do that with their final levels.
I'd like to nominate The Missing: JJ MacField and the Island of Memories. Maybe not the absolute most satisfying, but an excellent example of tying together themes, gameplay mechanics and sheer catharsis to great effect.
In the visual novel Digimon Suvive, a game with multiple endings, I feel nearly every ending in it is satisfying, EXCEPT what's treated as the "true ending". The true ending felt very underwhelming to me. Thankfully, I merely watched a streamer get that ending. I only had the heart to play through the game once. One of my favorite endings to that game is, the one where Takuma and the others become basically freedom fighters, where they fight against people who oppress those with a Kemonogami (what that game calls Digimon) partner. I think they beat up a cop targeting a kid and their Kemonogami in that ending
Man, you are so consistent, and I love that. You deserve more views and subscribers. As I'm poor and can't help you with patreon, I do want to thank the patreons of this channel, helping to keep this content alive.
My pick is the series of endings to Xenoblade Chronicles the Klaus Saga Also the ending to Neo: The World Ends With You And the true ending to Sea of Stars.
If you can count Halo 2’s final playable chase as an ending, then I’m going to have to mention Super Metroid. Getting saved by the now-giant baby Metroid is some of the best in-game story telling in gsming history. Also, the way Mother Brain’s head snaps back when you get the hyper beam is incredibly satisfying.
This might be a bit strange, but I will always remember Tales of Berseria's incredibly bittersweet ending. After such a long journey, seeing all of Velvet's pain and suffering finally come to an end as she reunites with the one person she cared about most was very cathartic.
Earthbound's satisfying epilogue feels like it was also carried over to Undertale, seeing as you can also revisit every NPC and town in the best ending and talk to them again to get a nice little conclusion to their mini-arcs, including one very heart-breaking conclusion in particular... so thank you once more Itoi for your ideas. Wish more rpg's took after them. Also dig TWEWY and NEO TWEWY, particularly due to how the post-endings let you unlock a bunch of cool extra files that give further context to the plot.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 if the true ending was something you could get on base. It's incredible and beautiful Paper Mario hard to say which is best. Og ttyd and super are all great endings that touch my heart. Fea both slaying and silencing grima are nice getting the marriage and children telling you how they care for you and finding robin again. Beautiful Tales of the abyss. I cry more each time I see it as I get older. The rest don't compare. God of war 3 4 and 5 dlc all great
Totally have to agree with mgs4. When Big Boss appeared on screen looking exactly like Solidus and tied up everything that happened across the entire quadology, my jaw DROPPED. Turning off Zero's life support system too made it all the better. Mgs4 had a fuck ton of issues but I absolutely love the way it tied the previous three games together. As for my personal choice I would have to go with Celeste and the first AI: The Somnium Files game. AITSF wraps everything up beautifully and has an epilogue similar to the end of Earthbound, where you can visit everyone and talk to them about what happened. As for Celeste, hoo boy. Just sitting atop the mountain with the evil doppelganger that Madeline has finally made peace with, overlooking the gorgeous view after two nights of climbing. Then of course there's Farewell which adds 15 trillion more layers to the story. Madeline overcoming her grief and finally being able to "talk" to Granny who she was so desperate to try and bring back. And yeah while the whole "it was all a dream" thing does suck from a meta standpoint, in terms of the actual story it works really well. And of course the video chat with Theo (and the trans flag on Madeline's desk!) that gives Madeline the closure she needs. Celeste is a fantastic game that I hold dear to my heart and always will
I love the ending of Square Enix's Chrono Trigger, since we get to see what happened to our characters after they saved the entire world from a gargantuan alien monster.
Uncharted 4 takes the cake of the series but I would like to add Lost Legacy’s ending is marginally satisfying. Chloe stops the terrorist, makes a new friend, and gets a celebration pizza that she promised the kid in the beginning.
I loved the entire plot of Days Gone, it still makes me emotional at probably like 4 different moments throughout the game. I’ve beaten it all the way through two times and watched several lets plays and it still gets me.
Pizza Tower. As lite on story as the game actually is, it's satisfying as hell watching this nervous wreck of a man backed into a corner finally *snap* and unleash hell on his tormentors set to some of the best music from any indie game was iconic.
Oh! Another baller ending is Baldur's Gate 3. Not gonna spoil it but it basically does an Earthbound. After one of the most climatic battles I have *ever* played with me tearing up because of the music alone; everyone get their personalised endings. Then they all meet back up again. All the survivors of the adventure you were part of. It is so good I actually cried again. Top tier game. Game of the decade for me so far.
My candidates: Super Robot Wars W: The ending of this crossover game manages to give characters that had bittersweet endings at best on their canon a full on happy ending. Examples include: Akito managing to recover from alll his problem he had in Prince of Darkness, nearly all of Athrun's friend managing to survive, Tekkaman Rappier being alive, Noal and Mao surviving. And the cherry on top? The Database, the main baddies, turning a new leaf. Undertale: Do I need to explain? Solatorobo: Red the Hunter: Everybody lives, the final boss is convinced that humanity deserves to exist and the computer gal that helped you decides that humans are ready to ascend.
Probably a controversial take, but I kinda wish the MC actually did disappear. Or I guess to be more specific I wish the partner had to actually do something to bring the MC back. It always kind of irked me that Dialga is just like "oh you're still depressed after saving time itself? Well let me just break the laws of time in this universe because you are still sad." I just wish that at minimum the partner had to actually go on some sort of independent journey in the post game to bring back the MC. Since the partner's whole character arc is overcoming their own cowardice. Having to bring the MC back on their own would also be a nice conclusion to the partner's little characrer arc. I still liked Explorers of Sky's ending a lot, it was almost perfect for me, but that part always kinda rubbed me the wrong way.
Cyberpunk 2077's Star Ending, and maybe the Sun Ending if you did the solo run of Arasaka Tower. The Star is arguably the most optimistic ending as far as V's long term survival goes, riding off with the Aldecaldos and (if you're playing Fem V and romanced her) Judy after raiding Arasaka Tower, leaving Night City in the dust. Sure V might be leaving their friends (Vik, Misty, Kerry, River etc.) behind, but they've got a family/clan at their back now, which for Nomad V was what caused for them to go to NC in the first place. The Sun on the other hand is just the culmination of everything they wanted to achieve in Night City, becoming a Night City Legend, complete with a nice penthouse, owning the Afterlife and pulling off the most high-profile gigs. Pure wish fulfillment, at least as far the Night City goes. The only main caveat being V is still dying with probably less than 6 months left.
Yeah, Halo ending was pretty amazing. The music just entered your brain and kept you going. It's a shame I couldn't drive that bloody Warthog very well and had to keep re-doing it!!
I usually like game endings or series that give good closure to a character and journey. Some of my favorite endings are OOT from saving all of Hyrule from Ganondorfs tyranny, FF6 from saving all from Kefkas tyranny, Uncharted 4 for giving good closure to Nathan Drakes journey and even having a family years later, GOW and GOW Ragnarok from being pretty emotional and giving nice closure for Kratos, Atreus, and many others, and Metal Gear Solid 4 for tieing up a lot of loose ends through not just the game but the majority of the series.
The second and third Trails in the Sky games also deserve a mention. 3 is very interesting because it's an entire game of essentially nothing _but_ catharsis and closure.
I think Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Future redeemed has the most satisfying, rewarding, and hopeful ending to end the trilogy if you've been there since the beginning
I'm going to highlight some lesser known / forgotten / underappreciated games, so here goes... Spoilers, obviously! Braid The reveal of the protagonist's true intentions re-contextualizes the whole journey that makes you pity him for his desperate and pitiful attempts at getting back control of his true dark vision. Odin Sphere: Leifaseir's true ending I particularly chose this one for the one change they made to the final "the end" screen compared to the original. Seeing Ingway in the underworld being presented a flower from the roots of the tree that grew where Mercedes fell made me cry on the floor for 10 minutes straight. Also, the reveal that the books were actually true and alice, the girl reading said books, had ironically allowed Cornelius and Velvet to finally get their happy ending with her wish attempt, drawing them to the last coin needed to make it happen because of the magic actually kicking in (this whole part was in the original). Dark cloud 2 / dark chronicle's bonus dungeon ending Monica choosing to stay in the past with max / rush to live her life by his side and to start anew, max revealing that the book from dark cloud existed in his world, and coming to the conclusion that the story was in fact real history and not a fairy tale like some people thought because of fighting the fake dark genie at the end of that dungeon, and max writing one last letter to his mother from the future to leave for her saying he's going to live his life to the fullest as him and monica go to enjoy the circus that had come into town is a great cap to the game, and the duology as a whole. Klonoa 2: lunatea's veil Klonoa choosing to ring the final bell instead of sealing it, bringing sadness back into the world that he ended up in so that people can live normal lives again and not in oscillation, and the final goodbyes to lolo and pooka being bittersweet as klonoa tells lolo to live with that sadness and live on as she cries asking him want to do with this feeling since she knows klonoa's time is up in that world and pooka telling klonoa to take care as klonoa walks off silently and fades away to dream worlds unknown once again is some character growth compared to the ending of the 1st one. (1st one is still good. I just like 2's a little more). Digimon World 3's jp / eu ending The protagonist and his friends go back into the digital world 2 months after the final fight with the main bad, iirc that's the amount of time that passes, so the protag can have a fight with the last digimon master, since the event was derailed by the bad guys during the course of the game and you didn't get the chance to fight them before that for various reasons. Protag wins and becomes the new champion of the digimon event and celebrates with his friends and his digimon partners. Good ending to a weird game. For some dumb reason, this whole ending was removed from the us release, and it just abruptly ends after the fight with the main bad right before this. Yes, i'm still pissed. For some more well-known games, i'd go with final fantasy tatics, origins, 6, 9, 10, & 12, hi-fi rush, sonic and the black knight, okami, kingdom hearts 2, persona 5 & strikers, sly 3, uncharted 4, psychonauts 1 & 2, crash 3's true ending, tales of the abyss, berseria, xillia, & xillia 2's true ending, & neo: the world ends with you.
-Dead Space 2, especially if you'd just played Dead Space 1. -Riding off into the sunset with my girlfriend on my military grade sex tank. -Future Redeemed -Lightning smiles for the first time in her life. -"You guys are the best." -"War, war never changes... but men do." -"Health, wealth, love, and above all, problems worth solving."
For me, I think my favorite video game ending has to be Outer Wilds. It takes everything the game's been leading up towards until that point - all the themes of the universe, and the place you and everyone else has within it, and it just gives you a spot to rest and watch the end of everything in peace.
My big ones would be Ghost Trick & both TWEWY games. For the TWEWY games, the way the conflict resolves ties in very nicely with the personal struggles each protag had, with Neku needing to "trust his partner" one last time after 3 weeks worth of plot twists & being the puppet for both sides of the conflict & Rindo being forced to make the decision of whether to go for high risk for a high reward after spending the whole game dealing with his crippling decision paralysis (for context the first thing you do in Neo TWEWY is choose whether to have curry or ramen & HE ACTIVELY WEIGHS THE PROS & CONS IN HIS HEAD WHILE BEING INDECISIVE. OVER LUNCH). As for Ghost Trick, well that's hard to explain without accidentally spoiling but OH MY FUCKING GOD THE WAY IT ENDS. Just play all three games.
Having just completed Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, the True Ending is the exact right mixture of much needed closure while also being bittersweet. Like, I couldn't imagine a better ending that would fit as much. It's also not that hard to get, which makes it that much better.
Trust me. The point of no return is definitely a common thing in open world games. I don't have a problem with those that put you back in the open world after the final story mission is done though like in the Far Cry games or Insomniacs Spider Man.
A solid list! If I had to add one, although it kind of feels like cheating considering Earthbound is on here, Undertale basically does the exact same thing and I love it.
Luigi’s Mansion - After a long night of facing his fears, seeing Luigi tear up while howling in laughter at Mario’s silly expense was a legendary moment. He saved his brother, the man who had saved the world many times before and yet needed his help…what a bro! Let’s be proud of our green ghostbuster!
Danganronpa V3 - Kodaka was right, in the end. Danganronpa was actually quite horrible and we were all stupid for liking it! It was a nightmare that we all needed to wake up from! I know a lot of people hated the ending, but to me, that’s just post-nut clarity in video game form. Be glad it’s over and cherish the memories that sweet lie left you…never more.
Undertale Pacifist - Still my favorite game! Saving everyone, choosing to create a peaceful future for the monsters I befriended and choosing to let Toriel adopt me made me feel like I truly accomplished something! Would have loved to save Asriel, too…but he has accepted his penance. I have no choice but to respect that.
Star Fox Command
(Goodbye, Fox)
I want a new game with Marcus McCloud, dammit! Fox and Krystal have both suffered enough, Nintendo! Let them just enjoy their retirement picnic of sandwiches and sponge cake and let their son take the torch! Let the emotional baggage of Command be worth something! Don’t give me that “non-canon” bullshit excuse, either!
Samurai Jack
Battle Through Time - The true end to the entire series! The ending that Jack deserves after all he’s been through. Words cannot do justice for how satisfying it is to see the suffering hero, who was cheated out of a happy ending so many times throughout his whole career FINALLY get it! I’m glad Genndy Tartakovski considers it the true ending for his creation.
Majora’s Mask has a very satisfying ending. After stressing to save Clocktown with the impending doom of the moon possibly killing you, finally seeing all the characters move in to the “4th day” and the rest of their lives, is an amazing feeling.
Final Fantasy 9, no question. "Bring my beloved Dagger to me!" will have me sobbing every single time
Mega Man Star Force 3.
All I need to say is three words:
"I'm finally home."
When you said this i just started hearing Summoning Salt HOME music lol
A few good candidates off the top of my head:
-Hades ("In The Blood" playing as Zagreus and Persephone move through the regions of the Underworld is so cathartic, and the epilogue of the Olympians reconciling with the cthonic gods is a delightful cherry on top.)
-Ocarina of Time (Seeing the world you saved and its inhabitants celebrating as one of if not the most beautiful rendition of Zelda's Lullaby plays over it is so pleasant, and _to this day_ my eyes well up every time I hear those bells.)
-Hollow Knight (The "Dream No More" ending specifically is just so delightfully bittersweet, the whole thing just exudes this palpable sense of relief as Hallownest and its long-dead inhabitants can finally be at rest.)
My favorite game ending is Fire Emblem Awakening, specifically the version where Robin/the player's avatar character gets the final blow. The intentionally mimicry of the beginning cutscene plus the confirmation that you truly succeeded in your goal is very satisfying to me.
Plus, the fact that Robin no longer has the Grima mark on their hand means that they’re free of their connection to them and can start anew.
@@amirgarcia547 That's actually what I meant by the "confirmation that you truly secceeded in your goal" bit, I was just being more vague about it on the main comment to minimize how much of a spoiler is shown to people casually scrolling through.
Persona 5. Spending the last day in Shibuya talking to every Confidant you have maxed out, talking about their future plans, and then either driving out with your friends (original) or giving the cops the slip and taking the train with Maruki and Sumire seeing you off (Royal) gives me a sense of catharsis that everyone you met and helped will be okay
I'd also add Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, if only because it is among THE greatest games of all time.
I'm still grateful you're on RUclips, especially right now in the midst of many other content creators I follow announcing their departure or their imminent departure.
Really great video like usual and I'd like to throw in the ending to Paper Mario: TTYD. I played through the remake recently and the ending was just so cozy and loveable. You leaving and all your partners giving you their fond farewell, Goombella writing you and letting you know how everyone is doing with pretty much everybody getting a happy ending, and then of course, you can just go back to Rogueport whenever to continue where you left off with all your partners welcoming you back and joining up with you again without skipping a beat. I loved it and it helped cement my newfound love for TTYD. It seems like it's ending shares a lot of the same strengths as Earthbound's.
My personal favorite ending in a video game is Final Fantasy IX's.
One of the best cases of "how the characters are doing now" I've ever seen, and seeing Zidane show himself alive before everyone just felt so uplifting.
Yes, Necron as a final boss came right outta nowhere, I don't care, I'm talking about the sequence after the final boss.
Final Fantasy 9 by far. It's fantastic and gives all the characters who went through hell some much deserved closure.
Also, random idea for a video if rabbid is reading this, but games that punish you for playing them like videogames, stuff like the fair/trial from Chrono Trigger or the microwave thing from MGS4. If that hasn't already been done
Off the top of my head, five of the most satisfying for me are:
- Ultima VI: The False Prophet
- Valkyria Chronicles
- Chrono Trigger
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
- Final Fantasy IX
I'll stay fairly vague, but
*Trails in the Sky Spoilers*
I really love revisiting the gravestone at the end of Trails in the Sky SC, but I like Sky the Third's ending even more. Estelle's little speech to Renne in particular hits right in the feels perfectly, but It also gave every character from the Sky Trilogy such a great sendoff. I honestly would've been satisfied if the Trails series had ended there. (Don't get me wrong though, I'm glad the Trails series continued after Sky and is still ongoing).
@@FirstLast-mn4re That's true. Sky the 3rd wrapped up the Sky arc perfectly. That seems to be a very underrated entry in the series, and Kevin is an excellent protagonist.
The "hug" ending from "Detroit: Become Human" is up there for me. And even "Stray" with the cat finding their way back to their grassy home with the hint that their friend survived after all with the little light flickering was surprisingly impactful in a positive way.
As much as I do not like Detroit: Become Human, I will admit that ending is pretty swell.
Stray ends with a slow blink right at the camera, which is a nice bit of 4th wall breaking.
Part of what makes Uncharted 4's ending so satisfying is that is that it was so unexpected. I spent that whole game bracing for Nathan Drake's seemingly-inevitably bittersweet finale, so for him to come out of it with an honest to goodness happy ending didn't just make me feel happy -- it made me feel relieved.
I got 2
The first one is Kingdom Hearts 2. Even with out playing any of the previous entries hearing Sora constantly talk about and agonize over reuniting with his friends throughout the game for it to end with everyone getting home together never fails to tug my heartstrings whenever I play.
The second is actually Hades. Playing run after run, hearing Zagreus try to convince his mother to return home only for the last run before the credits ending with Hades refusing the fight and Persephone finally let Zagreus convince to head back is a wholesome and satisfying conclusion to what could be a weeks long escapade and it is so worthwhile when you start sailing down the Styx with her.
…Maybe I have a bias for endings where people reunite with their loved ones though…
Persona does the whole “victory lap” thing as well and it is indeed very satisfying
Dragon Quest also does this in several games starting from the first. You can even carry the princess around.
I would add kingdom hearts 2s ending to this tbh i wouldnt have even been mad if that was the end of the whole series
I second this, KH2 has the greatest final boss and ending ever!
Given how much of a wet fart KH3's ending was, I definitely feel, in hindsight, that KH2 should have been the (chronologically) final game in that series.
@MarkieDood ya not going to lie the build up was much better then the pay off for KH3 really it left me wanting more and made me feel like rather then putting more into the game play or story the put way to much into making it look nice. Like I much would have preferred a tighter combat system like KH2 and the story most of the world's felt pointless? Like honestly it felt like the start of kingdom hearts 1 where it's setting everything up but it's worse because it's the 3rd game and we are waiting for the big conclusion which honestly felt a tad anti climactic because at least for me most of the bosses in the final world aren't the most memorable and if anything a tad of a let down with a few notable exceptions. I am also not the biggest fan of the key blade transformations not because I don't love the concept I do but because of the fact that to many of the share their alt modes like with how many fewer we got I would have hoped each one had their own gimmicks all their own with their own special feel but I don't get that with them one bit with the exception of Ultima and of course oath keeper and oblivion.
I really enjoy how the three numbered Xenoblades end, with 3 being a highlight. And then 3's DLC comes in and provides an even more satisfying closing scene that wraps up the trilogy so nicely.
Also have a soft spot for YS VIII, which is weird to say given the themes of death and extinction present. But Dana gets closure and gets an ending that feels sad but gratifyingly appropriate at the same time.
I just want Xenoblade 4 to come out so we can learn more about what happened before and after the events of Xenoblade 3!
All of the Xenoblade endings are great, but I think Xenogears really stuck the landing best. Getting to see a happy ending for Noah and Mio might be the only thing that could've topped that.
Having finally played Ys VIII just recently, I can't help but agree. The epilogue as a whole still feels a bit strange for me to think about, considering what actually happens, but that doesn't stop the final scene between Dana and Adol from still being an incredibly touching moment.
Banjo-Kazooie: Beating Grunty and seeing her fall off of her tower and then enjoying
Sly 3: Everyone moves on and shares in the Cooper fortune.
Super Mairo RPG: Getting a parade for saving the world.
Resident Evil 4: Escaping the island on a wave racer and accomplishing the mission
Bowser's Inside Story: You vanquish the evil spirit and stop Fawful.
Ocarina of Time: Defeating Ganon and saving the Hyrule.
Perfect Dark: Finishing off the Alien leader and saving the Earth.
Xenoblade’s endings are immaculate.
The original is very rewarding, 2’s is heartwarming beyond belief, 2’s DLC broke my heart, 3’s made me sob uncontrollably, and 3’s DLC was satisfying to see it all tied up by the end.
Probably GOW Ragnarok for me. We get time to talk with all the different characters we met along the way, including a moving sendoff to Atreus as he sets off on his own. More importantly, we get to see Faye's dying message for Kratos. It's an encouragement to embrace his godhood, something he constantly struggles with and rejects, as well as showing her own rejection of the fate her people saw for him. She confronts him with the possibility that he can be a figure worthy of respect, and leaves him with a hope he never before believed in. It's a wonderful conclusion that also leaves room to see Kratos' story develop further in the future.
KH2 is probably up there. An incredible final level and final boss, capped off by one of the few 100% HAPPY endings in the series where everyone reunites on Destiny Islands. ...Actually, it's astonishing to think how many endings in the franchise are at best bittersweet.
(...and yeah, I know that Roxas and Namine's part in the ending can be seen as kinda sad, but it is presented in the context of the ending as something you should be happy about, so I'd count it)
Uncharted 4 all the way! Not only it was a great and satisfying way to finish the story, but it was a _playable_ satisfying way to finish the story, 30 amazing minutes of discovering the situation of the characters, their new life and so on, in an unforgettably beautiful location. Great stuff.
Number 5: There is admittedly something weird about being able to bring Paula back home to your house and then end the game
Only if you have a degenerate mindset
Ghost of tsushima's ending is perfect it's a crime it was never mentioned in the video
Some of mine.
God of War Ragnarok. Becomes the person Faye always knew he could be.
Halo Reach. They fail to save the planet but save the Chief.
Gears of War 3. Seeing Anya put her hand on Marcus shows that they’ll be okay.
Cold Steel 4's true ending is always gonna be one of my favorites. Rean finally smiling after everything that he went through really just hits
You know I'm glad I found your channel so long ago thanks to matpat shouting you out. Thank you for these videos I love them and I literally said out loud "thank you rabbid Luigi!"
For me Persona 5 Royal's true ending (the canon one) was one of my favourite video game endings of all time.
It’s a bit of a weird one, but if you go with the DLC mission, Ace Attorney’s first game is incredibly satisfying, you could also argue that AA: TT has a brilliant and satisfying ending, where you banish….the villain, feel guilt for the finding the real culprit…its just awesome. The anime also did that well too.
_The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past._ That flyover with the royal-sounding music playing as just about everybody you and Link have met during the adventure (including the ones who died; Link must have wished them back to life!) waves to you as you pass overhead somehow (the Flute Boy's bird, maybe?!) is a near-perfect anticipation or callback to/of one of my favorite movie endings: _The Neverending Story._ I wonder whether the designers saw it at some point?
One of my favorites is Final Fantasy IV, and the music is so similar to A Link to the Past that I had to listen to them at the same time to realize that they were different. FFIV’s ending is similar in that it also checks in on everyone in the game (though FFVI is closer in spirit since your characters are also flying over the world).
Most satisfying ending for me is when rabbidluigi makes a countdown video in the beautiful old style and the entire world erupts in thunderous applause and boundless joy.. sorry you asked for cheeky..
Trails of Cold Steel 4 has my favorite soft ending to a series. It isn’t the final game but it wraps up a saga 10 games in the making and gives all the characters a sense of accomplishment and finality. It’s accompanied by a gorgeous ending theme and a wedding to two characters that’s been with us for so long. Can’t think of any ending as satisfying.
The Warriors on PS2. Beating up The Rouges during the credits was very satisfying.
Legacy of kain: Defiance - what a way to end. Not a cliffhanger but makes it obvious that the story is yet to be resolved but with clear character development for Kain.
Dammit, im still dreaming about that final part that'll never come to life
GTA San Andreas ending was cathartic.
"Ser you around... Officer!"
That’s a tricky question for me, usually the satisfaction comes from beating the game or just an entertaining ending. Keyword “satisfying” endings are something that I don’t usually think about. Maybe the persona 4/5 endings are the most satisfying for me.
Recently the most satisfying ending has to be from "In Stars and Time.", the whole game is such a ride of ups and downs and yet despite everything, even as the game itself seems to tear apart, everything gets tied up and you get to wander around and share that moment with your travel companions and if you've done the prerequisites you can even tie up a loose end around a mysterious support character.
Highly recommend the game.
Another would be Chicory: A Colorful Tale, everything just gets resolved really nicely and made me smile.
The "perfect harmony" endings from the Fuga: Melodies of steel games were also some of the most satisfying given how the game is driving you towards taking the easier route of sacrifice.
Full Metal Furies also deserve a mention, but that game is just satisfying in general to puzzle out once you realize there is more to it than what greets you on a surface level.
The special requirement endings of he Metro games also fit this, more so if you didn't realize they existed on your first playthrough because they are not telegraphed at all to exist.
The extra ending of Omensight is also absolutely amazingly satisfying, tying everything up nicely.
Moreso for the absolute hell it is to get to it, but the final ending of Skul: the hero slayer is also really amazing and you finally get to lay the smackdown on those who are actually responsible for everything.
The grand finale of Triangle Strategy is something you build up to through several playthroughs and the payoff is rather satisfying.
and finally the "secret" ending of Tunic, just for the sheer adventure it takes you on to get there along with all the eye-opening realizations you get along the way.
I still consider Mass Effect 2 to have a near perfect ending. Mass Effect 3 dropping the ball doesn't change how good the game before it is. I honestly can't think of a better final level than the Suicide Mission. That final walk through the Normandy with the entire crew surviving what was considered certain death after accomplishing everything they intended to do is just legendary for me. Especially since it requires the player to actually work for it rather than it just being handed to them. It feels like a reward for spending all the time gathering resources and earning each teammates loyalty.
I like a bittersweet ending more often than not but I love when there is a perfect ending that requires you to work for it. You want the happy ending? It's there, you just need to earn it.
So, there are two endings that come to mind that feel very satisfying to me. Spoilers.
Final Fantasy IV is my favorite entry in the series, and I feel it has a great ending. Zeromus is stopped, and Golbez & Fusoya go into a deep sleep as the party returns to Earth. Rydia continues to stay with the Eidolons(memory's iffy rn, so I might have gotten the name wrong or misspelled it) while visiting every now and then, Palom & Porom continue to study, Kain broods a ton as he works to find himself, Yang continues to train and I think becomes king of his kingdom, Edge becomes King of his Cid continues to make stuff, Edward I think also becomes a leader, and Cecil & Rosa wed as Golbez telepathically bids farewell to his brother. Mind you, there's a sequel that I have yet to properly play, but from what I remember, it's not as bad as people say it is. Probably hated it cause it was originally sold in parts, and I don't blame them.
A Link Between Worlds is not my #1 Zelda game, but DAMN is it close! After Link defeats Yuganon and Ravio works things out with Hilda, Zelda & Link return to Hyrule with the Triforce, and the wish they make is the most selfless thing I've ever seen in my life and I strive to be that selfless. They wished for Lorule to get their Triforce back, as Hilda cries at the kind gesture and thanks them endlessly.
Not as much detail as with FFIV but it's still a perfect ending.
I mean, _MY_ Shepherd got to become a cyber god and assume direct control of the Reapers, but I guess if you choose the Destroy ending, the ME3 ending sucks or something?
First one that came to my mind for this idea was Kingdom Hearts 2.
One thing I love about most of the final levels in Halo is that it ends with a race against time. Some are definitely better than others (1 and 3 as well as Reach had some of the best races against time to save yourselves from annihilation) but the feeling I get running through the levels was always hype thanks to knowing that I'm fighting back against not just the enemies, but the doomsday clock telling me that Master Chief/Noble Six/The Rookie/Spirit of Fire/Fireteam Osiris is about to die. Not many other games get to do that with their final levels.
Alice madness returns
I'd like to nominate The Missing: JJ MacField and the Island of Memories. Maybe not the absolute most satisfying, but an excellent example of tying together themes, gameplay mechanics and sheer catharsis to great effect.
In the visual novel Digimon Suvive, a game with multiple endings, I feel nearly every ending in it is satisfying, EXCEPT what's treated as the "true ending". The true ending felt very underwhelming to me. Thankfully, I merely watched a streamer get that ending. I only had the heart to play through the game once. One of my favorite endings to that game is, the one where Takuma and the others become basically freedom fighters, where they fight against people who oppress those with a Kemonogami (what that game calls Digimon) partner. I think they beat up a cop targeting a kid and their Kemonogami in that ending
Man, you are so consistent, and I love that. You deserve more views and subscribers. As I'm poor and can't help you with patreon, I do want to thank the patreons of this channel, helping to keep this content alive.
Also, the ending for Dragon Quest 8. You save the world, and then you get to steal the girl, who is your childhood best friend and true love.
Ciel... Believe in me! - Last moments before the Legendary Reploid becomes True Legend.
Best Satisfying Ending is Majima saying KIRYU-CHAN at the end of Yakuza 0
🎶Rolling eyes fall~!
Ruling dies out~!🎶
Best ending to a karaoke simulator
My pick is the series of endings to Xenoblade Chronicles the Klaus Saga
Also the ending to Neo: The World Ends With You
And the true ending to Sea of Stars.
Good topic, couldn't agree more with that Halo pick
Gtrandia, Legend of Dragoon and Advent Children were some of my favorite endings in video games.
Skies of Arcadia: Legends
If you can count Halo 2’s final playable chase as an ending, then I’m going to have to mention Super Metroid. Getting saved by the now-giant baby Metroid is some of the best in-game story telling in gsming history. Also, the way Mother Brain’s head snaps back when you get the hyper beam is incredibly satisfying.
Have been taking a break from this channel but gonna binge what I missed.
This might be a bit strange, but I will always remember Tales of Berseria's incredibly bittersweet ending. After such a long journey, seeing all of Velvet's pain and suffering finally come to an end as she reunites with the one person she cared about most was very cathartic.
The ending of Portal 2 is sooooooooooo satisfying. Just brilliantly done.
Mine are:
Mother 3
Kingdom Hearts 2
MGS4
Earthbound's satisfying epilogue feels like it was also carried over to Undertale, seeing as you can also revisit every NPC and town in the best ending and talk to them again to get a nice little conclusion to their mini-arcs, including one very heart-breaking conclusion in particular... so thank you once more Itoi for your ideas. Wish more rpg's took after them.
Also dig TWEWY and NEO TWEWY, particularly due to how the post-endings let you unlock a bunch of cool extra files that give further context to the plot.
all the best for you and yours rabid
You are the MFDOOM of top 10s. I've been subbing before going to and finishing college and so glad you are still going, always great vids
Valkyria Chronicles 4 if the true ending was something you could get on base. It's incredible and beautiful
Paper Mario hard to say which is best. Og ttyd and super are all great endings that touch my heart.
Fea both slaying and silencing grima are nice getting the marriage and children telling you how they care for you and finding robin again. Beautiful
Tales of the abyss. I cry more each time I see it as I get older. The rest don't compare.
God of war 3 4 and 5 dlc all great
Totally have to agree with mgs4. When Big Boss appeared on screen looking exactly like Solidus and tied up everything that happened across the entire quadology, my jaw DROPPED. Turning off Zero's life support system too made it all the better. Mgs4 had a fuck ton of issues but I absolutely love the way it tied the previous three games together.
As for my personal choice I would have to go with Celeste and the first AI: The Somnium Files game.
AITSF wraps everything up beautifully and has an epilogue similar to the end of Earthbound, where you can visit everyone and talk to them about what happened.
As for Celeste, hoo boy. Just sitting atop the mountain with the evil doppelganger that Madeline has finally made peace with, overlooking the gorgeous view after two nights of climbing. Then of course there's Farewell which adds 15 trillion more layers to the story. Madeline overcoming her grief and finally being able to "talk" to Granny who she was so desperate to try and bring back. And yeah while the whole "it was all a dream" thing does suck from a meta standpoint, in terms of the actual story it works really well. And of course the video chat with Theo (and the trans flag on Madeline's desk!) that gives Madeline the closure she needs. Celeste is a fantastic game that I hold dear to my heart and always will
Fire emblem games in general have satisfying endings as you read about their lives afterward. Even more when you read how your shipping works out.
NieR Automata Ending E, enough said.
Honestly, Live A Live's true ending satisfying in seeing how the seven heroes got to return to their lives.
I love the ending of Square Enix's Chrono Trigger, since we get to see what happened to our characters after they saved the entire world from a gargantuan alien monster.
Uncharted 4 takes the cake of the series but I would like to add Lost Legacy’s ending is marginally satisfying. Chloe stops the terrorist, makes a new friend, and gets a celebration pizza that she promised the kid in the beginning.
I loved the entire plot of Days Gone, it still makes me emotional at probably like 4 different moments throughout the game. I’ve beaten it all the way through two times and watched several lets plays and it still gets me.
Pizza Tower. As lite on story as the game actually is, it's satisfying as hell watching this nervous wreck of a man backed into a corner finally *snap* and unleash hell on his tormentors set to some of the best music from any indie game was iconic.
Metal Gear Soild 4 imo.
Oh! Another baller ending is Baldur's Gate 3.
Not gonna spoil it but it basically does an Earthbound. After one of the most climatic battles I have *ever* played with me tearing up because of the music alone; everyone get their personalised endings.
Then they all meet back up again. All the survivors of the adventure you were part of. It is so good I actually cried again.
Top tier game. Game of the decade for me so far.
Halo's final escape is still so epic even all these years later.
My candidates:
Super Robot Wars W: The ending of this crossover game manages to give characters that had bittersweet endings at best on their canon a full on happy ending. Examples include: Akito managing to recover from alll his problem he had in Prince of Darkness, nearly all of Athrun's friend managing to survive, Tekkaman Rappier being alive, Noal and Mao surviving. And the cherry on top? The Database, the main baddies, turning a new leaf.
Undertale: Do I need to explain?
Solatorobo: Red the Hunter: Everybody lives, the final boss is convinced that humanity deserves to exist and the computer gal that helped you decides that humans are ready to ascend.
Mass Effect 3's ending touched my happy place.
The subway footlong to save monetization was great
Xenoblade 3 has one of the most satisfying endings of any game of all time, as does PMD sky.
Probably a controversial take, but I kinda wish the MC actually did disappear. Or I guess to be more specific I wish the partner had to actually do something to bring the MC back. It always kind of irked me that Dialga is just like "oh you're still depressed after saving time itself? Well let me just break the laws of time in this universe because you are still sad."
I just wish that at minimum the partner had to actually go on some sort of independent journey in the post game to bring back the MC. Since the partner's whole character arc is overcoming their own cowardice. Having to bring the MC back on their own would also be a nice conclusion to the partner's little characrer arc.
I still liked Explorers of Sky's ending a lot, it was almost perfect for me, but that part always kinda rubbed me the wrong way.
Cyberpunk 2077's Star Ending, and maybe the Sun Ending if you did the solo run of Arasaka Tower.
The Star is arguably the most optimistic ending as far as V's long term survival goes, riding off with the Aldecaldos and (if you're playing Fem V and romanced her) Judy after raiding Arasaka Tower, leaving Night City in the dust. Sure V might be leaving their friends (Vik, Misty, Kerry, River etc.) behind, but they've got a family/clan at their back now, which for Nomad V was what caused for them to go to NC in the first place.
The Sun on the other hand is just the culmination of everything they wanted to achieve in Night City, becoming a Night City Legend, complete with a nice penthouse, owning the Afterlife and pulling off the most high-profile gigs. Pure wish fulfillment, at least as far the Night City goes. The only main caveat being V is still dying with probably less than 6 months left.
Yeah, Halo ending was pretty amazing. The music just entered your brain and kept you going. It's a shame I couldn't drive that bloody Warthog very well and had to keep re-doing it!!
I usually like game endings or series that give good closure to a character and journey. Some of my favorite endings are OOT from saving all of Hyrule from Ganondorfs tyranny, FF6 from saving all from Kefkas tyranny, Uncharted 4 for giving good closure to Nathan Drakes journey and even having a family years later, GOW and GOW Ragnarok from being pretty emotional and giving nice closure for Kratos, Atreus, and many others, and Metal Gear Solid 4 for tieing up a lot of loose ends through not just the game but the majority of the series.
For me, every Tales Of games has a good satisfyingly endings
The second and third Trails in the Sky games also deserve a mention. 3 is very interesting because it's an entire game of essentially nothing _but_ catharsis and closure.
My favorite satisfying ending is when she licks the brown eye
Xenoblade 3 Future Redeemed is such a perfect end for the series ♥️
agreed with these choices.
I think Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Future redeemed has the most satisfying, rewarding, and hopeful ending to end the trilogy if you've been there since the beginning
Deponia endet so good!!!
I'm going to highlight some lesser known / forgotten / underappreciated games, so here goes...
Spoilers, obviously!
Braid
The reveal of the protagonist's true intentions re-contextualizes the whole journey that makes you pity him for his desperate and pitiful attempts at getting back control of his true dark vision.
Odin Sphere: Leifaseir's true ending
I particularly chose this one for the one change they made to the final "the end" screen compared to the original. Seeing Ingway in the underworld being presented a flower from the roots of the tree that grew where Mercedes fell made me cry on the floor for 10 minutes straight. Also, the reveal that the books were actually true and alice, the girl reading said books, had ironically allowed Cornelius and Velvet to finally get their happy ending with her wish attempt, drawing them to the last coin needed to make it happen because of the magic actually kicking in (this whole part was in the original).
Dark cloud 2 / dark chronicle's bonus dungeon ending
Monica choosing to stay in the past with max / rush to live her life by his side and to start anew, max revealing that the book from dark cloud existed in his world, and coming to the conclusion that the story was in fact real history and not a fairy tale like some people thought because of fighting the fake dark genie at the end of that dungeon, and max writing one last letter to his mother from the future to leave for her saying he's going to live his life to the fullest as him and monica go to enjoy the circus that had come into town is a great cap to the game, and the duology as a whole.
Klonoa 2: lunatea's veil
Klonoa choosing to ring the final bell instead of sealing it, bringing sadness back into the world that he ended up in so that people can live normal lives again and not in oscillation, and the final goodbyes to lolo and pooka being bittersweet as klonoa tells lolo to live with that sadness and live on as she cries asking him want to do with this feeling since she knows klonoa's time is up in that world and pooka telling klonoa to take care as klonoa walks off silently and fades away to dream worlds unknown once again is some character growth compared to the ending of the 1st one. (1st one is still good. I just like 2's a little more).
Digimon World 3's jp / eu ending
The protagonist and his friends go back into the digital world 2 months after the final fight with the main bad, iirc that's the amount of time that passes, so the protag can have a fight with the last digimon master, since the event was derailed by the bad guys during the course of the game and you didn't get the chance to fight them before that for various reasons. Protag wins and becomes the new champion of the digimon event and celebrates with his friends and his digimon partners. Good ending to a weird game.
For some dumb reason, this whole ending was removed from the us release, and it just abruptly ends after the fight with the main bad right before this. Yes, i'm still pissed.
For some more well-known games, i'd go with final fantasy tatics, origins, 6, 9, 10, & 12, hi-fi rush, sonic and the black knight, okami, kingdom hearts 2, persona 5 & strikers, sly 3, uncharted 4, psychonauts 1 & 2, crash 3's true ending, tales of the abyss, berseria, xillia, & xillia 2's true ending, & neo: the world ends with you.
Undertale's True Pacifist ending, the hopeful ending of Tales of Symphonia, as well as the bittersweet ending of Megaman Zero 3 (4 too i guess!)
Remember that one game where the character went on that journey and then fought god and saved the universe? Yeah me too mate. Faakin *Zorlda*
My bro Rabbidluigi is such a Western gamer tm
-Dead Space 2, especially if you'd just played Dead Space 1.
-Riding off into the sunset with my girlfriend on my military grade sex tank.
-Future Redeemed
-Lightning smiles for the first time in her life.
-"You guys are the best."
-"War, war never changes... but men do."
-"Health, wealth, love, and above all, problems worth solving."
For me, I think my favorite video game ending has to be Outer Wilds. It takes everything the game's been leading up towards until that point - all the themes of the universe, and the place you and everyone else has within it, and it just gives you a spot to rest and watch the end of everything in peace.
FF XIV Endwalker would be prime candidate for closing such a long saga. Not just the ending, but the whole game.
My big ones would be Ghost Trick & both TWEWY games. For the TWEWY games, the way the conflict resolves ties in very nicely with the personal struggles each protag had, with Neku needing to "trust his partner" one last time after 3 weeks worth of plot twists & being the puppet for both sides of the conflict & Rindo being forced to make the decision of whether to go for high risk for a high reward after spending the whole game dealing with his crippling decision paralysis (for context the first thing you do in Neo TWEWY is choose whether to have curry or ramen & HE ACTIVELY WEIGHS THE PROS & CONS IN HIS HEAD WHILE BEING INDECISIVE. OVER LUNCH). As for Ghost Trick, well that's hard to explain without accidentally spoiling but OH MY FUCKING GOD THE WAY IT ENDS. Just play all three games.
Having just completed Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, the True Ending is the exact right mixture of much needed closure while also being bittersweet. Like, I couldn't imagine a better ending that would fit as much.
It's also not that hard to get, which makes it that much better.
Trust me. The point of no return is definitely a common thing in open world games. I don't have a problem with those that put you back in the open world after the final story mission is done though like in the Far Cry games or Insomniacs Spider Man.
Ace attorney 3's ending was satisfying as hell
Fun fact originally the ending to uncharted 4 was going to connect to the last of us.
A solid list! If I had to add one, although it kind of feels like cheating considering Earthbound is on here, Undertale basically does the exact same thing and I love it.