PlayStation Games With Perfect Endings
Endings are tough to nail in any medium. Sometimes they can be satisfying, other times they can be mysterious to set up a sequel, and more often than not, they can be disappointing for several reasons. Nailing a video game ending is seemingly harder because games are longer than any other medium.
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How can developers sum up a story that has lasted players dozens of hours? Let’s look at the history of PlayStation to see what its related developers have done to mesmerize fans for over thirty years. Across a variety of consoles and genres, these games still have striking endings that are satisfying in their own ways.
This list contains spoilers!
The Last Of Us
What Any Father Would Do
The Last of Us is a journey across the United States for protagonists Joel and Ellie to get to Seattle, so that Ellie can be researched and turned into a cure for humanity in this fungus-zombie world. When they get there, Joel learns Ellie has to die to make it work, so he slaughters the entirety of the hospital staff and takes Ellie away. When she wakes up, Joel lies about the research not working, leaving things on a cryptic note, whether Ellie believes him or not. This ambiguity helped leave things open for a sequel, and was good in its own way since both heroes survived an otherwise dangerous world.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
To New Horizons
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has a more heartwarming ending from the same developer as The Last of Us, Naughty Dog. The entire game builds up the hero, Nathan Drake, as his last Indiana Jones-like adventure with his friends and family. Seemingly, true to his word, Nathan gives up the hunt as the ending flashes forward to his daughter, Cassie, waiting for her parents to return. It’s a sweet ending that could set up Cassie as a future lead, or it could just be the ending for the Drake family, who settled down and chose bonds over treasure.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
VERY Kojima
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a spectacle that is hard to put into words for those who haven’t played it, other than to say it is very Hideo Kojima. It involves Kaiju-like enemies, a big mech, a guitar battle, a dance off, an angelic baby, and more. The most pleasing part of this finale is learning that Tomorrow is actually a grown-up version of Lou, who was thought to have died at the beginning of the game. The embrace between father and daughter, Lou and Sam, is heartwarming to say the least, and the final icing on the cake is a glimpse forward with Lou even older, taking on the job as a courier over Sam.
Final Fantasy 7
Aerith Returns
Final Fantasy 7 is a classic JRPG build-up wherein the chosen party fights through numerous obstacles to save the world from human-based and mystical forces. In this case, it involves the antagonist, Sephiroth, summoning a giant meteor to crush humanity, and after several long battles, he is defeated.
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The final dungeon starts to collapse, and even though the heroes escape and Sephiroth is dead, the party witnesses the meteor’s imposing body creep closer. That is, until the Lifestream rises up to destroy the meteor, all thanks to the ghostly form of Aerith, who died earlier, in a triumphant moment. It’s a happy ending for all, and it too has a fun glimpse forward to sort of tease that humanity corrected itself.
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Breaking Peter
Marvel’s Spider-Man thankfully does not begin with an origin story, but it is an origin of sorts for specific characters. The main antagonist is Doc Ock, with whom Peter develops a relationship throughout the game, leading to a climactic fight between the two. Even after learning Peter is Spider-Man, Doc does not back down, and Peter has to put him in his place. He sadly loses a father figure, followed by Aunt May’s death in the hospital. It’s a dark day for Peter, but like all Spider-Man stories, this is a key moment that helps build his character, however sad it may be, because as a hero, his duty of justice compels him forward no matter what.
Ghost Of Tsushima
Get Over It, Uncle
Ghost of Tsushima’s main story is a struggle for the Japanese people of Tsushima being oppressed by Mongolian invaders. To win, protagonist Jin has to fight dirty and put his pride and honor as a samurai aside for victory. Even though his efforts help save the island, his uncle, Lord Shimura, is displeased by Jin’s lack of honor. In the end, players must face their uncle in battle and leave family behind to start anew, whether that means giving Lord Shimura an honorable death or leaving him behind in disgrace to think about his own failures as a samurai.
God of War (2018)
Boy, Spread The Ashes
The 2018 God of War game is a reboot and sequel, relocating the story from Greek mythology to Norse mythology as Kratos begins anew. Beyond the scope of fighting a pantheon of new gods, the ultimate journey of the game finds Kratos and his son, Atreus, journeying to a mountain to scatter ashes. Despite bombastic showdowns, the two succeed in their journey, embrace one another, and spread the ashes over a mystical view. As estranged as they are, this journey helped Kratos and Atreus grow closer, and it’s a sweet way to end things overall.
Persona 5 Royale
Reworking The Lore
The original ending to Persona 5 was satisfying in its own way, but also bittersweet, as the protagonist, Ren, had to move away from his new friends after defeating a godlike evil to save Japan. Persona 5 Royal featured a remixed story with new characters and an ending that is tacked on to rewrite things.
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The new ending area and antagonist help make sense of the Mementos dungeon and how adults got so much power through an experiment in the first place. It’s a non-canon addition to the story that is not necessarily better than the original ending, but it’s worthwhile to get through the game a second time.
Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)
Never Trust The Gods
The story of Shadow of the Colossus is simple: a young adventurer, Wander, wants to revive a woman named Mono, presumably his love interest. To revive her, godly entities tell Wander to kill titans wandering around the world, and after players go through this grueling process, they are rewarded with betrayal. Wander is sacrificed to the dark power of the gods, but in return, Mono does get rescued, so it’s another bittersweet ending. Also, it’s unexplained, but there is a baby in place of Wander, so he could have been reborn, making it an even more mysterious finale. The ending is the same in the remake and in the original on PS2.
Astro Bot
A Nostalgia Trip
Astro Bot, overall, is a celebration of PlayStation as a brand. In each level, players can rescue bots themed across thirty years of PlayStation icons from Parappa to Amaterasu to Leon S. Kennedy and so on. In the end world, all of these bots join the titular Astro Bot hero in a shooter segment wherein they use PlayStation consoles and peripherals to fight aliens. For PlayStation fans, it is indeed a perfect ending as a triumph for the brand, which celebrated thirty years upon Astro Bot’s release in 2024.
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