Which ending would you satisfy in RPG games?

[Kupotepo]

Greeting friends and acquaintances. I would like to hear your wisdom. I find people ask the same question in 2018, but world outlooks do change minimal to extreme today. In the game, there is a restriction to kill of main characters because many players feel that leaves a bad taste in their mouths. Some feel betrayed because of their beloved characters died.
[External survey shows Forty-one per cent [of respondents are overwhelmingly in favour of books with a happy ending.] The forum 2018 responds shows any of us prefer happy ending because it is escapism.

"Young people were most likely to prefer books with a sad ending – 8.6% of under 16s. Those aged 41-65, however, a group with more personal experience of sadness, dislike sad endings, with only 1.1% preferring books that end this way."
It is trigger for some people still feel bad about their personal tragic. I guess it is true that art mirrors life.

The problem, is I wonder is how utopia ending and dystopia ending would be too much. What are your measurement and baseline of those ending if it is too painful or it is too artificial sweet? Thank you for understanding. [Formulas, examples, or methods than feeling]
I will narrow the options down as much as possible. I hope it is easy to understand [Just General Picture of what you think].

Bittersweet ending: Some protagonists [preferingly, Deuteragonist] are gone, but some are survived. Evil is gone but at the price of losing people who they care about. Some attend a funeral, but some attend a wedding ceremony.

Happy ending: All of main characters win the day and everything is wonderful like something cleaning a world. Everyone has a hung environment. All heroes and heroines have a wedding.

What level of clarity of endings would you prefer?
Explicit ending: everything up and answers all the questions. Tell what happens to each of the major characters.
Implicit ending: use symbolism instead of showing what happens to major characters and leaves for the player's interpretation.
The twist ending: Signal players about what likely to happen, but quickly switch and bait out from player's expectation. Now a game designer is explained new revelation. If this is done poorly, players will feel cheated.
Tie-back ending: This ending ties the end of the story back to clues planted in the beginning. I think it is like a reverse time like to the moon. Traveling into the memories games.
Unresolved ending: The player is left to ponder the outcome. I believe the mystery detective games use a lot. The major crime is not solved, but minor crime is solved. I think Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter
Long view ending: what happens to the characters a significant timeframe into the future. Timeshift, ends telling who married whom, who had kids, and the protagonist becomes older somehow.

Thank you for your time. Please inform me if something is unclear.

 

[Finnuval]

It's very hard (for me anyway) to give a singular distinct answer to this as it all boils down to overall story for me.

If at the end I feel I experienced a complete story with all the ups, downs and sideways that story has the ending is not so important aslong as it is inline with the rest of thhe story.

So if the entire story is your typicaal Jrpg feel good. Then I dont like sudden deaths at the end, but when it is more like fire emblem for example or a more gritty, dark story then killing of characters should be a thing.

Same with how much info I want on the back end. It depends on how much was given upfront, though I do generally like it when a game gives me some info om what happend to the characters.

The one thing however I DISLIKE are cliffhanger ending Unless this is something I know before even starting the game (for instance when its an episodical game).

Anyway, that's my two cents xD

 

[CraneSoft]

Some stories are meant to be depressing, or have already spell out the inevitable early on, so I generally knew what to expect and probably wouldn't mind how it turn out. With that said however, in a serious game, I would prefer a happy (or bittersweet if someone has to die) ending, life is depressing enough as it is, so naturally I would love to see characters earn that much-needed happiness they deserve after the hell they went through. Nevertheless, some realism is needed so it doesn't look like the ending is forced.

As for level of clarity... I love a combination of tie-back and explicit/implicit(the latter depend on story), I've played games where some characters just...disappear after the great final battle with no mention of them whatsoever, so yeah, at least provide exposition on what they are currently doing like an actual human being instead of letting me guess for something I care for. Implicit are good for large-scale stories and conflict where it is realistically impossible for the main characters to resolve anything on their own (ie, Killing your archnemesis/tyrant in a war-torn dystopia will not magically make the world a better place).

I do loathe twist and unresolved for one reason - they are either lame attempts at a sequel hook which more often that not, will not see continuation, or are just rushed out as an incomplete game.

 

[ShadowDragon]

that depends, which can go 3 ways:

1) fully, give the ending so the story is compleet and answer the questions.
2) Bad ending (you failed and or not correct ending, but when you finish it fully,
you can get the correct ending (like in Radiant Historia with multiple ending and true ending)

3) Open Ending, which the story is compleet, but some points confused
this is ideal for dev that makes a sequency of the game where it continues and open more
parts of story or gabs to fill.

but however you end the game, happyness, sadness, enjoyable etc depends on the game itself.

 

[Kupotepo]

@Finnuval, @CraneSoft, @ShadowDragon thank you for your inputs. All of you, I hope you have a wonderful day.
I do not just ask to forsake of asking. So, I will sum up your respond similar to to the Socratic method to make sure I understand correctly. Thank you for your patience.

So if the entire story is your typicaal Jrpg feel good. Then I dont like sudden deaths at the end, but when it is more like fire emblem for example or a more gritty, dark story then killing of characters should be a thing.

@Finnuval, What type of sudden deaths you did not like? I agree with you that sudden deaths for no reason. It is bad faith and instead to create drama out of nothing. However, how about a natural disaster like traping in a wildfire and die from an earthquake. Sometimes, things happen without murder like a disease. Here my factual dark sense humor: the most popular accidental death relating to royalty and nobility at least in the Western world is failing of a horse during a hunting trip.

Ok, you like a resolution of major answers of the story.

The one thing however I DISLIKE are cliffhanger ending Unless this is something I know before even starting the game (for instance when its an episodical game).

Back to the future to be continued.

With that said however, in a serious game, I would prefer a happy (or bittersweet if someone has to die) ending, life is depressing enough as it is, so naturally I would love to see characters earn that much-needed happiness they deserve after the hell they went through.

Is the cause of death have a different impact on you? like accidental, intentional, disease, natural disasters. Thank you for expanding into more detail.

Implicit are good for large-scale stories and conflict where it is realistically impossible for the main characters to resolve anything on their own (ie, Killing your archnemesis/tyrant in a war-torn dystopia will not magically make the world a better place).

Thank you for let me know how do use it properly.

I do loathe twist and unresolved for one reason - they are either lame attempts at a sequel hook which more often that not, will not see continuation, or are just rushed out as an incomplete game.

I see that type of ending is for professional writers. Imitation is a hard act to do.

 

[Shikamon]

Any endings are fine, as long it's properly executed. some people just wanna make a sad ending for sadness' sake, without a foreshadowing or good explanation.
Players just wanna be entertained or feel pleased about their playing experience because different from movies or books, video games have a better connection with people because we take part in all characters' experiences, decisions, or emotions.
Good conclusion needed to make our invested time feel worth. I don't like my main character who has a max level and great equipment suddenly has to die for no reason. at least make it a more open ending so I can draw a personal conclusion.

 

[Manik Rooster]

Personally, I like an ending that has me waiting for more. I get bummed when it's a one and done kind of deal. I get excited when there is a cliffhanger...a properly executed one. I'm not a huge fan of killing off a main character, (unless there is a plot point where he/she is coming back to life i.e. Goku from Dragon Ball Z) especially if I'm invested into him/her. As a previous poster said, I too like an open ended ending where you can kind of draw your own conclusions.

 

[Kupotepo]

@Shikamon, thank you for your input. You are easy to please. I agree with you on execution. Do you prefer seeing death, execution or you prefer keep it is sweet and everyone is happy?
I get you that is why I do not touch on the main character. I talk about the second important character like the family, some they know or friend of main characters.

That is why I do not include tragic ending on the list, many many players feel betrayed.

 

[pasunna]

Actually I don't care...
I'm not much of a nitpicking
just eat what it is
if I play or watch something till the end
that mean I like that thing to some degree
if I don't like it hardly I will finish it and care what's the ending

well... I still complain one or two time if I don't like
but not keep it in mind go out post hate speech everywhere
I know the Author can't please every one
because I'm the Author too...

 

[Shikamon]

@Kupotepo Depend on the game's theme, I guess. When the game has a sacrifice theme, I accept any character's death if there any meaning of it. being happy or tragedy as long it fits doesn't matter.

 

[Kupotepo]

Personally,I get excited when there is a cliffhanger...a properly executed one. I'm not a huge fan of killing off a main character, (unless there is a plot point where he/she is coming back to life i.e. Goku from Dragon Ball Z) especially if I'm invested into him/her. As a previous poster said, I too like an open ended ending where you can kind of draw your own conclusions.

thank you for sharing your opinion. I think Cliffhanger is a great plot device if a game creator decides to create a chapter, create a ******* system, and upload it monthly or weekly. I agree not to kill the main character that intended to caring about. That would be a funny plot twist to find Dragon Balls and wish villain to come back. Thank you for your input.

@ShadowDragon, thank you for your helpful advice.
@pasunna, thank you for your input.
I agree I cannot please everyone. I try to keep that in mind. I just do a reality check and learn so much of new knowledge that I do not know. I think people call it cautious optimism. Thank you for your option again.

 

[Manik Rooster]

I also love, love LOVE games that offer multiple endings!

 

[Taireaah]

Greeting friends and acquaintances. I would like to hear your wisdom. I find people ask the same question in 2018, but world outlooks do change minimal to extreme today. In the game, there is a restriction to kill of main characters because many players feel that leaves a bad taste in their mouths. Some feel betrayed because of their beloved characters died.
[External survey shows Forty-one per cent [of respondents are overwhelmingly in favour of books with a happy ending.] The forum 2018 responds shows any of us prefer happy ending because it is escapism.

"Young people were most likely to prefer books with a sad ending – 8.6% of under 16s. Those aged 41-65, however, a group with more personal experience of sadness, dislike sad endings, with only 1.1% preferring books that end this way."
It is trigger for some people still feel bad about their personal tragic. I guess it is true that art mirrors life.

The problem, is I wonder is how utopia ending and dystopia ending would be too much. What are your measurement and baseline of those ending if it is too painful or it is too artificial sweet? Thank you for understanding. [Formulas, examples, or methods than feeling]
I will narrow the options down as much as possible. I hope it is easy to understand [Just General Picture of what you think].

Bittersweet ending: Some protagonists [preferingly, Deuteragonist] are gone, but some are survived. Evil is gone but at the price of losing people who they care about. Some attend a funeral, but some attend a wedding ceremony.

Happy ending: All of main characters win the day and everything is wonderful like something cleaning a world. Everyone has a hung environment. All heroes and heroines have a wedding.

What level of clarity of endings would you prefer?
Explicit ending: everything up and answers all the questions. Tell what happens to each of the major characters.
Implicit ending: use symbolism instead of showing what happens to major characters and leaves for the player's interpretation.
The twist ending: Signal players about what likely to happen, but quickly switch and bait out from player's expectation. Now a game designer is explained new revelation. If this is done poorly, players will feel cheated.
Tie-back ending: This ending ties the end of the story back to clues planted in the beginning. I think it is like a reverse time like to the moon. Traveling into the memories games.
Unresolved ending: The player is left to ponder the outcome. I believe the mystery detective games use a lot. The major crime is not solved, but minor crime is solved. I think Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter
Long view ending: what happens to the characters a significant timeframe into the future. Timeshift, ends telling who married whom, who had kids, and the protagonist becomes older somehow.

Thank you for your time. Please inform me if something is unclear.

This is a hard question to answer and you'll likely get a lot of answers that span all across the board. For me personally It doesn't matter how the story ends so long as it works with what you have been given prior to the ending. If its sad then make it sad, or bittersweet. If its happy then have it be happy. If its happy then sad well so be it. It should just make sense with the story and be told well. If you're going to make an audience feel something, make them feel it HARD. I have never looked at a good story, a story told well with amazing characters with personalities and a life that spans father in my mind than it does in the game, and thought to myself that I wish it had ended different. If the story is made in such a way where the ending feels like it is the only possible ending( not through lack of story lines to lead you to believe otherwise but because it fits with what you've been given) then you've done well to create an amazing and memorable story. I don't know if all that really made sense but basically, to me, if the story is good, I won't ever complain if it ends in cute fluff or if it absolutely shatters my heart.

 

[Kupotepo]

@Shikamon, thank you for responding back to my question.
@Misterblack, thank you for clearing.
@Taireaah, Thank you for responding. Thank you for supporting a game creator fre
Surprisingly, many many many people here agree that killing beloved main characters are bad ideas. [I am not a professional writer, so I try my best.]

 

[FirestormNeos]

Frankly? Where I draw the line at is whether or not the characters in question are LGBTQ+ or not. Yeah, it's a shallow standard to have, but IDGAF.

If you have LGBTQ+ characters, I'm going to want that ending to be as explicitly happy for them as possible, because the number of stories where an explicitly LGBTQ+ character gets an explicitly good ending is few and far between, and I'm tired of people who think that such a character would be "too unsubtle" and that such an ending would be "too artificially sweet."

If your story doesn't involve LGBTQ+ characters, however, go as bleak and open-ended as you want. Many of my favorite stories-- Europa Report, Snowpiercer, Ex Machina, Revenge of the Sith, Of Mice & Men, The Visit, Hamlet, G1 Bionicle's main plot in 2008 (the theme continued to 2010 on another planet with a more positive ending), Portal 2, MGS2 and MGS3 --end either ambiguously, on a downer note, or both.

 

[Kupotepo]

@FirestormNeos, thank you for your response. You like a dystopia story. That is great. I like a futuristic dystopia story, too. I like the story because of like enjoy a ride, not destination. It is strange buildings and strange society norms. It is very excited despite not happy ending to crusader main characters.

 

[Lornsteyn]

Im actually fine with every ending.
I actually never felt the need to whine about an ending, be it a game or movie.
For games I prefer multiple endings.

 

[ScorchedGround]

You know, personally I don't like sad or tragic endings.
That's because I like to see the characters I got to know during the story happy.
But by that I don't mean that I never want to see these kinds of endings, I just don't like them.

In the end, it's all about the impact of the ending. As long as the ending comes naturally and
logically, it can be whatever ending you want it to be.

Some of the most memorable games, movies and shows I have experienced had sad, tragic or dramatic endings. Some are stuck in my head to this day.

I believe creating such a effect is way more plausible with a sad or tragic ending, because it leaves a bitter
taste in your mouth and you tend to feel empty inside.

I think the kind of game I enjoy most is where the game generally is serious but not too grim.
Then you put in a couple of dramatic or tragic scenes in there.
Then you also put in a couple of funny and upbeat moments.
Basically, juggle around with sad parts and happy parts.
But ultimately I like the ending to be happy.

 

[ave36]

Several endings. My project, Legend of Terra Firma, has four endings. In one, the protagonist takes the place of the BBEG and the entire world goes to hell. In another, the world is saved but the protagonist is executed for betrayal. In the third, the world is saved and the protagonist lives, but the magic goes away. In the fourth, everyone and everything lives.

 

[olddelo]

I do alot of reading, and have seen both extremes so ill share with you the stories (games and books) that took something too far and why IMO (ill spoiler because major spoilers)
Bad ending i did not like

Spoiler

The most recent translation of "The Legend Of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel 3:

Spoiler

in the end, a main character who has been very close and important to the story turned traitor along with many others who were at least partially good, then at the last moment the traitor character sacrificed themselves to help the hero who then accidentally released a curse on the land, end
I dont like this because the character that betrayed our hero had recently swore to choose the heroes side over anything, alright betrayl is betrayal thats not so bad but then they immediately say well actually, still care for this traitor, oh now they are dead, and bad stuff happens... like alright then...

bad end i liked:

Spoiler

the book series "the First Law"

Spoiler

In the end one of the major characters who has been manipulating things in order to stop the bad guy, is revealed to be just as bad, and manipulative, our main hero group is: 1 made king, but is a puppet to manipulative dude 2 the leadder of all the barbarians (think king in the north) buuut all his friends are dead (by his own hand) or against him actively trying to kill him, and he might be dead? (cliff hanger) 3the love interest for #2 they dont get together instead she goes off hunting for vengeance and blood, maybe to die?, maybe to go insane?

so why is this bad end good, well it doesnt break character, the characters have all been playing in this direction the whole time, it would feel rather artificial if it were any other way. The twist of manipulative dude being what he is is not so much a twist that its unbelievable, but is just enough to be "woah... now what?!

good end that was bad:

Spoiler

book series "The Light Bringer

Spoiler

Im going to preface this by saying, i love this series enough so that the end doesnt bother me hugely, but if i look at it objectively, the end was a bit too rosy, one of the major antagonists, is turned good'ish' our main hero dies but... nah that'd be sad, lets bring him back with a mother figure crying over him, A main character who turned out to be insane (with suuuper compelling writing making us insane with him) turns out fine, and he and his buddy who was very close to invading and killing everyone but also turned back to good, went off into the sunset to fight evil together

just... too much coming back for the sake of not killing their characters off, deus ex machina

and a good end that was good:

Spoiler

book series The Wheel of Time

Spoiler

This one skirts the edge of TOO good, they defeat an evil god and the hero comes back from the dead, all the bad guys died and the hero walks into the sunset

Why doesnt this one trigger the too sweet? well it was led into better i think, the resurrection of our hero is understated, he walks away form everyone no fame or glory, and outside of that there isn't really any last minute turns to make things work out, the conflict was resolved by the power our heroes had there wasnt any last minute "hey we better not do that or people will be sad" i might be biased for this one as i loved this series and love these authors, so take this one with a grain of salt, i will say it DOES toe the line though

TLDR: bad endings are good so long as your characters lead into them by being themselves, similarly good endings are bad, if you have to reach down with the hand of the developer to save them