Summary
- Horror games with multiple endings encourage replayability & decision-making.
- Variety in endings can lead to different outcomes, adding value and fun to the game.
- Each game offers unique endings based on player choices, enhancing the overall experience.
When a horror game offers multiple endings, it encourages players to think a little more about how they play, considering a lot of these final scenes can only be seen by meeting certain conditions within the game itself. Having more than one finale also means the developers can get a little more creative and experimental, since while one may be considered the 'canon' ending, there can still be several ways the protagonist's nightmarish journey can end, whether it be on a hopeful or more terrifying note.
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Of course, being able to unlock more than one ending also adds a lot to the replay value, since it's always a ton of fun seeing all the unique ways the story can end, especially if there are also some joke or bad endings thrown in. The game itself still needs to be enjoyable to play through to incentivize players to earn these endings, and thankfully, there are plenty of excellent horror games that fit this description.
8 The Walking Dead Season 2
Clementine Will Be Forced To Decide How To Deal With Kenny As He Grows More And More Unpredictable
Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 2
- Released
- December 17, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Telltale Games
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Android, PS3, iOS, Xbox 360
Initially, Clementine is overjoyed to reunite with Kenny in season 2 of Telltale's The Walking Dead series, considering she spent so much time around him in the first game, but it soon becomes clear that the grizzled survivor is struggling to hold himself together. Kenny's emotions constantly get the better of him, and after being tricked by Jane, Kenny ends up trying to strangle her, forcing players to decide whether to shoot him or not in the closing moments of the game, depending on how they feel about him as a character.
There will even be extra endings that can be unlocked after this final fight occurs, which will all see Clementine and AJ ending up in entirely different scenarios after the journey finally ends. The game excels at getting players invested in the characters before throwing brutally difficult choices their way, and with seven endings in total to see, the game is packed full of replay value, especially with how many different outcomes there are to see with each chapter.
7 Project Zero 2: Wii Edition
The Wii Edition Of Fatal Frame 2 Contains All Possible Endings For This Beloved Entry In The Franchise
Project Zero 2: Wii Edition
- Released
- June 28, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Tecmo Koei Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Wii
The original Fatal Frame 2 only included a total of three endings, but this number was bumped up to four with the Xbox version, and eventually six with the Wii remake. With how fast and dangerous the ghosts in this game are, it makes a typical playthrough pretty challenging, and as a result, the difficulty players decide to go with will have a big impact on how the final few scenes play out.
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There are, however, many other creative ways that players can end the game, such as seeking out a hidden passageway, for example, to leave the forest behind them for good. The entire game leads up to the moment where Mio and Mayu must decide how to deal with a cursed ritual which has been placed on them due to being twins, resulting in a very compelling story packed full of haunting imagery and fascinating characters to explore.
6 Until Dawn
Keeping Everyone Alive Until Dawn Might Be Considered The Good Ending, But It's No Easy Task
Until Dawn
- Released
- August 25, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Supermassive Games
- Genre(s)
- Horror
- Platform(s)
- PS4
The first few choices players will have to make in Until Dawn won't have too big of a long-lasting consequence, but once the real enemies of the game start to show themselves, it's not an understatement to say almost every decision matters. After a group of teens finds themselves on a mountain occupied by not only a killer, but also a batch of cannibalistic Wendigo, they must try to survive the ordeal until dawn, which is when the evacuation team is set to arrive.
The reason Until Dawn has become such a cult classic is because of how honest it is when it comes to abiding by its commitment to killing off characters. One fatal slip-up and a survivor won't be there to see the sun rise at the end, which can result in entirely different conversations between the characters, and even different scenes entirely, especially in the remake, where more of them have been added.
5 Haunting Ground
Whether Fiona Escapes The Castle Or Not Depends On A Few Specific Factors
Haunting Ground
- Released
- May 10, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
Haunting Ground is a game that many survival horror fans have been begging Capcom to bring back in some form or another, and it's because of how unique this title is in terms of gameplay. While the main protagonist, Fiona, is completely defenseless, she does still have her loyal canine companion Hewie to help her out, resulting in a fun and frantic gameplay loop where players must do all they can to evade a swarm of dangerous stalker enemies along their journey.
The game features four endings, which can all be unlocked through fairly simple requirements, but one of the major factors is how players treat Hewie. If he's continuously ignored and thrown into danger, Hewie won't be there to save Fiona near the very end, resulting in the bad ending. Haunting Ground is a game that is so much fun to replay, not just for its multiple endings, but also due to the creative gameplay formula and the incredible setting of the castle.
4 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
The Climax To Daniel's Adventure Into Darkness Can Be Influenced Once Players Enter The Sanctum
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
- Released
- September 8, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Frictional Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Indie Games, Adventure, Action, Puzzle
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS
Though the game is excellent in its own right, Amnesia: The Dark Descent really became a household name thanks to how much it was played by streamers. One of the most exciting parts of watching someone play, aside from the jump scare reactions, is seeing which of the three possible endings they will receive, which all depends on how the player acts in the final area of the game, The Sanctum.
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Upon finally confronting Alexander, who has been manipulating Daniel for much of the story, players are forced to decide what to do with him once he begins conjuring up a mysterious portal. Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a game that feels scarily real thanks to the inclusion of the sanity bar and the attention to using darkness as a way to avoid monsters, so having multiple endings provides a great excuse to run through this horror classic one more time.
3 Dead Rising
It's Up To Players Whether Frank Will Get His Precious Scoop In One Piece Or Not
Dead Rising
- Released
- August 8, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
There are seven endings players can receive in Dead Rising, and though that might sound like a lot, there are some pretty unexpected and outlandish ones thrown in there to make them all feel very distinct from one another. The biggest factor that decides which ending Frank will get depends on how many cases players complete, and whether they can finish certain objectives, such as defusing all of Carlito's explosives.
Whether or not players talk to Isabela near the end of the game, and if they make it to the helipad in the time limit, also play a big part in determining the ending scene, which can range from Frank making it out in time and trying to warn the world of zombies, to him being left behind in the mall to fend for himself. Dead Rising's challenging gameplay and tongue-in-cheek humor, paired with the fun selection of intriguing characters, make it easy to understand why the game is fondly remembered, but the wild variety of endings also plays a part in this.
2 Resident Evil
Not Everyone Is Guaranteed To Make It Out Of The Spencer Mansion In One Piece
Resident Evil
- Released
- March 22, 1996
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original), Sega Saturn, Nintendo DS, PC
As players navigate their way around the bleak and gloomy Spencer Mansion in the first Resident Evil game, they'll encounter all kinds of terrifying zombies and B.O.Ws that will stand in their way as they try to make a grand escape. At certain points in the game, other characters will ask the player to help them with something, such as saving Chris from danger or even simply handing Barry his magnum.
In the final moments of the game, when the helicopter arrives to carry the survivors to safety, only those who have been treated fairly and kept safe will make it out in time. Technically, the canon ending is that everyone escapes, considering all of them appear in later games, but it still helps to add some weight to the choices players make in between blowing zombie heads off and solving tricky puzzles.
1 Silent Hill 2 Remake
James' Journey Of Self Torment Can End In Drastically Different Ways Depending On The Players' Actions
Silent Hill 2
- Released
- October 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bloober Team
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
As players make their way through the Silent Hill 2 Remake, the game will be keeping tabs on how they behave over the course of a playthrough in order to dictate the ending they receive. Because of how well the game manages to create an intense and immersive atmosphere through its environment and audio design, it means most players will simply do all they can to survive without even thinking about meeting these requirements, which is a testament to just how effectively the game nails its horror gameplay.
However, James' journey of trying to deal with his inner guilt can end in a few different ways. If players spend a little too much time with Maria, for example, they can receive a bad ending where James continues living in his delusion, but if players look back on May's letter and keep themselves healthy for much of the game, James will have a much more hopeful outcome. Silent Hill 2 Remake manages to build upon everything that made the original so great, from the eerie dialogue to the frightening enemy designs, but it also has plenty of memorable and emotional endings to unlock as part of the experience, too.
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