If there’s one part of a story that most will remember, it’s the ending — the art world is filled with books, movies, and indeed games that have memorable conclusions. Depending on the success of a title, creators will use it as a platform to continue a story or tell a new one with the same tools.
However, some of the best endings are those which are definitive. Not every story needs new installments, because it finished how it was meant to finish. Gaming is full of ever-growing series that continues to thrive through familiarity, but among these are titles that stand alone perfectly.
10 Bioshock Infinite
Although it’s the third game in the Bioshock series, Infinite marked a big departure from the first two games. Instead of taking place in a Cold War-era underwater city, it’s set in a flying city during the early 1900s. You play Booker DeWitt, a man tasked with finding and delivering a girl named Elizabeth to a pair of mysterious contacts.
The game incorporates recognizable Bioshock elements such as plasmids and modded weapons but has a more complex and in-depth story. It focuses a lot on the relationship between Booker and Elizabeth as their characters develop in an increasingly perilous situation. The ending of this game brings all its pieces together and leaves things ambiguous, yet concluded.
9 Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most recognized fantasy universes still thriving today. Though there are plenty of games that bear its name, it’s the Shadow series that broke new ground. It follows the story of Talion, a Ranger of Gondor, and Celebrimdor, an Elven Wraith. The two are fused together in Shadow of Mordor and continue their partnership into Shadow of War.
The two realize they must raise an army to conquer Mordor in order to have a chance at challenging Sauron. The game combines stealth, combat, and management mechanics into a very filling experience. It feels like you’re building up to a massive conflict that ends with a bleak, if not solid, payoff.
8 The Binding Of Isaac
Before the massive tidal wave of roguelikes and roguelites, there was The Binding of Isaac. Initially released as a flash game, an official and more polished version known as Rebirth was released. The game follows the dark and horrifying tale of Isaac, who descends through numerous nightmarish levels in hopes of escaping his murderous mother.
With tears as his only means of defense, Isaac must collect anything he finds in order to combat the hordes of horrors. The game has multiple endings, which are designed to encourage you to keep going on the off-chance that you’ll get a happy one.
7 Days Gone
When playing zombie games, there’s a lot of emphasis on the combat rather than the narrative. Days Gone provides masses of undead to fight against the backdrop of a sincere story. It follows Deacon St. John, a biker who survived the zombie outbreak and continues to roam the Oregon wilderness.
You’ll go on quests to help survivors maintain what little society remains, all the while attempting to build the best bike and keep those close to you safe. It’s a third-person adventure that encourages stealth as the zombies are incredibly sound-sensitive with tendencies to swarm, especially at night. It’s a long journey that has an important destination.
6 Celeste
One of the most popular platformers to come out in recent years, Celeste has been praised both for its tight gameplay and emotional story. You play Madeline, a young woman struggling with her current state of affairs. In search of accomplishment, she decides the climb to the peak of Mount Celeste.
However, as she begins her ascent, she encounters a dark reflection of herself representing her doubts and insecurities. As she goes from natural areas to more supernatural ones, she is hounded by creatures and her reflection every step of the way. You’ll need to move quickly and precisely in order to reach the top and end on a high note.
5 Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden
Many turn-based tactical games are slow-paced to give you time to think and examine the playing field. This allows for more time to develop the lore and setting of the world you’re fighting to save. In Mutant Year Zero, humanity has been wiped out and mutants have inherited the earth. You control a ragtag group of animal-human hybrids trying to survive in this new and hostile world.
The last safe haven is threatened by mutant scavengers and lack of resources, which prompts a quest for Eden, a legendary place that survived the terrors on the surface. You can use stealth to eliminate enemies individually and use mutant’s special abilities to get the edge on stronger opponents. Your fight pauses toward the end, only to be neatly concluded in the Seed of Evil DLC.
4 Axiom Verge
Thanks to series like Metroid and Castlevania, there continues to be an influx of games that depend on lots of exploration and backtracking. Axiom Verge is a 2D sci-fi adventure that has plenty of both. The explorer is Trace, a human scientist who awakens in a desolate and grim alien world.
He is tasked by the few remaining beings to take up arms and destroy the one responsible, known as Athetos. A lot of the story is left up to mystery and revealed as you shoot your way through perplexing environments and twisted wildlife. Even though there’s a sequel on the horizon, this journey has build-up that releases toward the end, just as it should.
3 Hyper Light Drifter
Some of the most effective storytelling is told entirely through visuals. Actions, body language, and sound are powerful tools that work toward this, and Hyper Light Drifter uses all of them. It takes place in an alien world and follows a lone nameless warrior. The warrior is haunted by images of an ominous entity and suffering from a mysterious ailment.
You must explore this world, gathering the necessary skills and weapons needed to visit the surrounding temples. As you explore, you learn more about the state of the world and the inhabitants in it. It’s a quest with a well-deserved ending.
2 Owlboy
The silent protagonist was designed as a way for players to easily project themselves onto them. However, the hero of Owlboy being mute is an important part of his character. His name is Otis and he is seen as the black sheep of his community. Despite this, he is sent on a quest to retrieve a powerful artifact from a thief before it is used by robotic pirates to destroy the world.
You’re able to use a device to call different allies to Otis, who is able to fly them around and make use of their different firearms. The game starts off somewhat harmless and colorful before immediately raising the stakes. With a formidable villain and a universal ticking clock, it’s a race to save all you know and end as a hero.
1 Bloodborne
When a game gets a reputation for being difficult, that can outshine its other aspects. FromSoftware gained recognition for its challenging Dark Souls series before branching out to Bloodborne. In place of a medieval setting, this game is more gothic with a Victorian feel and Lovecraftian elements.
You play as a Hunter who is trapped in a world that is causing humans to turn into beasts. Armed with crude but vicious weapons and tools, you must hunt through crowds of beasts and slaughter the most corrupted beings. It’s a hard road to the dark ending but it feels immensely satisfying to reach it.
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