Do you remember an adventure game ending that you really liked?
Maybe something that touched your emotional cords in a special way or maybe a conclusion that was deeply satisfying or maybe a cliffhanger that left you wondering what would come next.
It’s difficult to talk about this subject without spoiling other players, so I’ll blur some parts of the following texts.
For me, the ending of Syberia was a very good completion of the story, because the journey of the main character takes a turn that redefines her values and priorities.
The ending of Gray Matter also comes to mind, because there is a little detail that reveals an important psychological side of one of the main characters. It’s the kind of detail that some players might miss and noticing it was a rewarding moment.
I also liked the part of the Thimbleweed Park ending in which Delores pushes the last tube and switches off her world.
I’m noticing that it hasn’t come to my mind any ending that follows the classic simple rule of “good guy beats bad guy and gets the girl”, I think that these kinds of endings don’t impress me in a particular way but I liked the ending of The Secret of Monkey Island, when I was a teenager.
I liked the controversial ending of MI2 very, very much. I actually played MI1 after MI2 and was surprised how straightforward the story (and the ending) in MI1 was.
Planescape Torment is an RPG that feels very much like an adventure game and it has a great ending, it was very emotional for me.
Back then, I perceived the ending of MI2 as a cliffhanger. I didn’t consider it a real ending at all, just a way to tell the player “This story continues”. I’m aware that I’m one of the few people who considered it a cliffhanger.
It was mysterious, though, and for sure an unexpected twist in the story!
You should ask Ron for a forum-wide mass-find-and-replace. Here is the regex:
‘zac?k\sma?c\s?[ck]ra[ck]{1,2}en’
It’s a forum in-joke: every time someone miswrites the name of that game or character, @ZakPhoenixMcKracken shows a GIF of a peculiar kraken. But this time he just has expressed his demoralization.
Are you absolutely sure about that? I would check it again.
I continuously misspell it and the solution that I’ve found is to do a copy-and-paste from Wikipedia (but the text on @ZakPhoenixMcKracken profile is probably a more secure choice).
I loved how this ending explained (if you can say so) the modern elements that are in the game. Piping, syringe, waterfall from a pump. Stuff that doesn’t fit a pirate game. So yes, it was a cliffhanger, it gave more questions than answers but at the same time, it was a strong ending, a punch in the face that made me think about the whole game. It’s not like the final was moved to another game, it’s just the whole thing changed direction.
I can see why people would prefer a traditional ending. I wouldn’t though. Anyway, I hope Ron doesn’t regret this choice!
