this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2023
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Just for the heads up, this thread will probably have a lot of spoilers. I'm gonna try to go vague on spoilers for anybody that hasn't played Hotline Miami 2. If you've played the game, you'll probably know what I mean, but I'm going to say some purposefully esoteric shit to keep it out of full spoiler territory.

My pick has to be Richter's plotline from Hotline Miami 2. One part that makes me cry is when Richard, arguably a god of death, helps Richter escape from his previous entanglement. In these games, Richard doesn't show up to help. He shows up when someone did some fucked up shit. Richard consistently shows up to help Richter though. He just tells him "run" in that moment and you feel the fucking urgency to get out like nothing else. One of the harder levels I've ever played, but holy shit I wanted Richter OUT. I was so frustrated with the game but I just would not stop until Richter had escaped.

Hotline Miami is a series of bad endings, but there are 2 happy conclusions in the sequel, both are direct consequences of Richter and his love for his mother. His ending isn't even THAT happy. But there's something about his final conversation with Richard that just made me fucking bawl the every time I played. Richter's indifference to what Richard is saying. He barely got any time to enjoy what he had been fighting for for years. But when he knew it was over, he was comfortable because he was just vibing with his mom in Hawaii like they had always wanted. He was just happy that he got to spend his last days with the person he loved the most.

His love for his mother can even give Evan, the writer, a happy ending where he picks up the letter instead of the pen. Richter's plotline manages to poignantly deliver the point of Hotline Miami 2 in one short and digestible bit. Love the people you hold close. Wanting violence only brings violence. The only way forward to true peace is accepting whatever terrible situations you're in and just going forward.

I could rant about this forever. It was just such an amazing part of the game. What are your favorite emotional moments from games?

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[–] Stillhart@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago

In my mind there's no question: the opening of The Last of Us is absolutely tragic.

[–] MrKarato@beehaw.org 15 points 1 year ago (4 children)

When the big brother dies in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The game is short, but does a great job of getting you emotionally attached to these brothers. Even through the controls, you control both brothers at once with each getting half of your controller. When he dies, it also essentially kills half of your controller. I found myself trying to move the brothers together as I have for the rest of the game.

[–] LeylaLove@lemmy.fmhy.net 7 points 1 year ago

Such a great way to implement gameplay into the emotions of a game. It was like after someone died in real life, you keep thinking about messaging them all the cool things you find that they'd like only to realize they're not there. You just sent a meme to a phone number that hasn't been paid for in months. Maybe you even start paying the phone bill so you can keep hearing their voicemail. Continuing to reach for half of the controller that can't do anything now is just amazing.

[–] nieceandtows@programming.dev 5 points 1 year ago

I was playing this game with my 4 yo daughter, giving her a controller pretending she was controlling the younger brother. We would talk to the characters as if the younger brother was her and the elder brother was me. It was an amazing experience. Then the elder brother dies, and it's not even a quick thing. There's a whole big segment of the younger brother carrying the elder brother's body and burying it. My daughter doesn't exactly understands what is happening, but keeps getting more and more upset and scared, and keeps asking me why I wouldn't wake up. That segment fucked me up as I was trying to get through that part while also trying to comfort my daughter.

[–] TQuid@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

I cried that whole bit with the controller feeling like you're missing an arm. So exact a representation of grief.

But the last scene, where the father simply falls to his knees at his son's grave. He's been granted his life back at a price no human parent would ever, ever accept. I cried racking sobs. It was so awful and true.

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[–] Xariphon@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago (4 children)

People have already said two of mine (Aeris and Sarah), so I'll go with a third:

"Had to be me. Somebody else might have gotten it wrong."

[–] LeylaLove@lemmy.fmhy.net 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mass Effect as a series had so many heartbreaking moments. I'll never forget the horror of finishing 2 without doing enough loyalty quests and seeing that final mission play out. For me, it was Legion and Tali that got me. I always sided with the quarians over the geth, but Legion's death was always just so hard

[–] Xariphon@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

I went through that whole thing waiting for -- apparently -- a Paragon option that never showed up, that would've managed to save them both. It kinda put me off the series.

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[–] aksdb@feddit.de 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

To The Moon.

I think the game is full of different emotional triggers. The one that got me was the revelation why the person in question actually wanted to the moon. All the mysteries in the game around weird behaviors and circumstances suddenly made sense and the implication of what the moon really meant to this person made me cry. That was so damn sad. It still makes me cry just thinking about it.

[–] pete@social.cyano.at 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Played that one only 2 or so years after my mother's succumbing to cancer.
That game helped me im more ways than one - fantastic experience, still can hear some of the musical themes of it in my head as I type this out.

[–] LeylaLove@lemmy.fmhy.net 2 points 1 year ago

Art is just so cathartic for some reason. I think it's just easier for us to think about another fictional person's emotions than our own.

[–] dingus@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ending credits of Nier Automata. Weight of the World.

[–] LeylaLove@lemmy.fmhy.net 5 points 1 year ago

Nier had some pretty amazing endings, although I don't know the one you're responding to specifically. The one where other people sacrifice their save files to help you at the end gets me. I doubt the game actually takes other people's save files for that ending, but the idea that someone else would give a random person 100+ hours of effort to help another person by deleting their save is very beautiful to me. The fact that most users decide to delete their saves for that ending is such a huge statement on humanity as a whole.

The ending of Soma.

[–] CatBusBand@beehaw.org 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The entire questline of Alice (hedgehog grandma) in Spiritfarer. After that, I just couldn't finish the game. I don't know why it affected me so much.

[–] Thebazilly@pathfinder.social 5 points 1 year ago

The entirety of Spiritfarer, really.

[–] meleecrits@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

For me it was later when the child crosses over. My son was the same age at the time and when the kid says "I'm afraid," I completely lost it. Ugly cried for a solid five minutes.

[–] LeylaLove@lemmy.fmhy.net 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not one I've played, but I looked it up and I really want to play it now.

[–] CatBusBand@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

Prepare some tissues because that game hits you like a truck

[–] Resonant1061@beehaw.org 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Red Dead Redemption 2 - >!the death of Arthur Morgan!<

Tales from the Borderlands - >!Scooter's sacrifice!<

Edit: can't figure out how to use spoiler tags, oh well.

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[–] iagomago@feddit.it 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] Hundun@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

The big finale with cracks in the screen always gets me crying pearl-sized tears. Even when watching someone else play, just can't help it.

Also, the scene at the lost escape pod in Dark Bramble. Also, the inside of the Interloper. So many hard-hitting moments in this game.

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[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

MyHouse.wad. It's astonishing that a fucking Doom level can do better environmental storytelling than most modern games. Don't read much about it, just download it and play!

I also played Life is Strange: True Colors with my daughter and she was amazed at how a video game can just influence our emotions.

[–] LeylaLove@lemmy.fmhy.net 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

MyHouse.wad is definitely one of the better gaming moments from recent years. It reminded me a lot of imscared, and I'd consider that game to be secured in the top 100 games of all time. The environmental storytelling is top tier, and the natural unsettling nature is just great.

Life is Strange is also a great one. My little sister loves the series far more than me, but I also played Fahrenheit and The Walking Dead early in life, so I'd say I had high standards for those games. Would you say True Colors is worth checking out to someone that was lukewarm on the original? I love the style of game, but I'm not invested in the characters so it'd practically be my first introduction to the universe yk?

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[–] walkingears@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There's a big moment in SOMA that really stuck with me. Not gonna spoil it. Mostly it's a horror game but it engages with some pretty intense ethical questions and does so in a way that feels very personal.

[–] UwixTheWizard@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

Oh fuck… I remember getting to “that point.” I was so engrossed in the game that I wanted more and didn’t want it to end. But I was also happy to see how the story concludes.

[–] ichbinjasokreativ@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

Lots of things in mass effect 1-3

Also, Roland's death in Borderlands 2 just because the game up until then may have some dark-ish moments, but for the most part is still a nigh-brainless looter shooter. Angel's ark makes you feel like they've hit their important-character-death-quota and then Roland dies as well.

[–] MiddledAgedGuy@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

Super Mario Bros, when I learned the princess was in another castle.

Like at least a few other comments, the Last of Us sticks out. Just, the whole thing.

[–] ExoMonk@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

Final Fantasy 7 when Aeries dies. I was a teen then and it was the first RPG I ever played and the first time I experienced a main character just die and is gone from the game.

I don't think I experienced anything like that again until maybe Destiny 2 when Cayde died. Little different with that though as they should his death in a live stream about the launch of that DLC. Had a different impact but had to be done since the entire premise of that DLC was getting revenge so couldn't hide it from the promo materials.

[–] TwilightVulpine@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Omori. Finally understanding what is it that the protagonist has been trying to repress so hard and coming to terms with that. That game took some ideas that are pretty much a cliche in surreal RPG circles, yet the build up and execution around them is masterful. The art and music do a lot to fully convey all the emotions involved. By the end of it all I could feel the entirety of it, and it was overwhelming. I could understand why that affected the protagonist and everyone around him so much.

[–] ArtZuron@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Not me, but my little sister was bawling at the end of Undertale.

For me, it's maybe beating Sword Saint Isshin. I think I almost cried in relief, since I'd been hitting my head against that wall for like a week.

I also liked the Dragon Age Inquisition endings, the one DLC with the Qunari and the palace and going threw Elven ruins shattered through space. The song on the mountains when you find the new headquarters was cool too.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I remember the first time I cried because of the events of a video game.

Final Fantasy 7. Aerith's death scene.

Up to that point, you're given several romance options between her and Tifa and I basically friend-zoned Tifa and was pursuing Aerith. So when Sephiroth murders her out of nowhere, it was like he really murdered my girlfriend. FWIW, the game came out when I was 12 and I was probably 13 or 14 when I actually got to own a copy and play through the whole thing.

The most latest game, tho, that hits hard is Cyberpunk 2077. The overall main plot is just a mashup of cyberpunk films like Johnny Mnemonic, Strange Days, 6th Day, 5th Element, Dredd, etc; but the side stories with the main characters are where the real beauty lies. Shit had me choked up like every time there was a lengthy bit of dialogue. The reason your character is dying might be goofy, but the way they portray someone who knows they are going to die is pretty fucking good. And the unique thing is that it's you. Your own character, not some other character you're just meant to empathize with.

[–] Oneeightnine@feddit.uk 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'll throw out the final twenty minutes of Abzu. It's not one specific moment, more a combination of things that come together to make a truly incredible sequence that sees you doing things inside the game that you hadn't previously done, alongside some truly incredible visuals and music, it's really incredibly moving.

[–] Crankpork@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

From the same devs, I want to say the entirety of Journey. I played through it in one sitting and I don’t think I’ve ever been so engrossed in a game that I forgot the world outside the game existed, and when it was over I just kinda sat there with my thoughts and feelings. It just grabbed me so completely.

[–] woozy@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

dialog between alucard and dracula at the end of symphony of the night

[–] aio2@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

Rosalina's story in Super Mario Galaxy.

I haven't played the second version, so idk if it's there.

[–] JakenVeina@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

The entire hour-or-so-long finale sequence of Tears of the Kingdom is ASTOUNDINGLY good. It hits ALL emotions: fear, joy, suspense, sorrow, elation. Also, the Dragon Tears Quest throughout the regular game.

The Dream No More ending of Hollow Knight. I felt that in my soul. Largely due to the musical score.

The ending of Outer Wilds made me feel an emotion I really had trouble describing. Bittersweet, maybe? Mixed with awe? Same for the DLC ending, but with a distinctly more sorrowful vibe.

Subnautica had me literally drop my jaw, with the Sunbeam questline, midway-through the game.

Plus more that have already been mentioned.

[–] theComposer@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

All of The Last of Us (Part I), but especially the prologue, the ending, and the DLC.

The end of Telltale's The Walking Dead: Season 1.

The end of Life is Strange, but only if you choose Bay.

[–] conciselyverbose@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dragon Quest 11.

The little mermaid side story was sad. Then, I spent the entire second act just grinding along to get the best character in my party back only to end up super depressed about it when that didn't happen.

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[–] nieceandtows@programming.dev 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I don't know if this is an emotional moment for everybody, but I have been playing video games with my daughter ever since she was 4. When she was around 5, we played Majora's Mask. There is a part in the gerudo desert where a dad and his little girl live in a house, but the dad went missing, so the daughter is waiting for him at the house. As part of the quest, you go talk to the daughter, then go rescue the dad from underground. So far, so good.

We go down to the dungeons, and the father finally escapes and reunites with his daughter. The moment the dad meets his daughter, my daughter starts bawling.

'Where were you dad? I was alone and missing you! Some strangers (referring to link) even visited the house! Why did you leave me alone??'

I was absolutely stunned by her words and emotions, and it was tough to console her while I was getting emotional myself. I'm getting emotional right now as I type this.

So yeah, that was the most emotional moment in a game for me.

One other emotional moment was from Brothers: A tale of two sons, which I've replied to one of the comments.

[–] LeylaLove@lemmy.fmhy.net 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This is probably my favorite answer so far. One thing I love about Nintendo is that it's made for kids, they can't do THAT much to shock you. They can only tell what I'd call human stories, stories that anybody on the globe will be able to understand. N64 Zelda is fairly simple as far as writing goes, but it does the simplicity extremely well. It reminds me of Greek tragedies more than anything else, where the tragedy, the main situations can be understood even without dialogue.

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[–] snowbell@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

I got yelled at for saying this on a reddit thread about emotional moments in video games. But I still feel bad for killing Mordin in ME3. I cried. And regret it.

[–] Wijnie@feddit.nl 3 points 1 year ago

Finding Ciri in Witcher 3.

[–] realitista@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

When Aloy's adopted father dies in Horizon Zero Dawn.

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[–] Deestan@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

The ending of Link's Awakening

[–] Scrath@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago

Since I just played it: Life is strange both the ending and when they find rachel. Don't want to elaborate more for those who haven't played it yet

[–] sandriver@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Ys VIII had SO many:

As Adol: Climbing down Gens d'Armes to finally meet Dana, Eternia sitting in the distance.

spoilerAdol and Dana having a little heart to heart before the final dungeon, hoping that maybe destiny isn't real just this one time, and she isn't fated to die soon.
The scripting in the true final boss, with the dawn breaking over an endless field of water, as the introduction ends and the fight begins.
spoilerFighting through gods and spirits to bring Dana back one last time, to say farewell.

As Dana: White Memory. God. Making peace with Olga, and having her finally open her heart to you as a dear friend, a message from beyond the grave. Watching the last sparks of your civilisation die out in an apocalyptic winter. Valley of Kings, learning that you're the first person to break a divine apocalyptic cycle, but still bound by fate.

I legitimately couldn't enjoy video games for two weeks after I finished Ys VIII. I still get really emotional thinking about it.

But it's nothing compared to FFXI, my favourite game of all time:

Chains of Promathia is incredible from start to finish. Weathering the emotional assault of death beyond death and the decay of the spirit in the Promyvions, this horrible, haunting, gloomy drone in the background; and then immediately being taken to this place of both incredible healing beauty and immediate and poignant, human sorrow.

Witnessing the exact moment where a dear companion begins to waver if he's on the right path with you, and seeing his doubts culminate in fighting you, to the death if need be. Seeing the guilt, shame and lingering doubt when you win... and forgive him.

Seeing the god of regeneration send a little glimmer over the view of a fallen kingdom, which you've probably sat and stared at with strangely passive wraith enemies. The entire Distant Worlds song and cinematic as a whole, closing out a musical and narrative theme that had been developing over three years. Definitely another storyline where I had to sit and just process it for a bit. Took me a year to come around on Aht Urhgan since I did it the day after Promathia.

Seeing the ghost of a city-state wiped out by genocide, brought back into a state of undeath by a god of war and chaos, sacrifice himself to save the heritor of the empire that claimed his city. The music for the fight that follows right after, Ragnarok.

The sadness that makes your heart sink, of wandering the Shadowreign era of Vana'diel, seeing a world ravaged by war, hearing Flowers On The Battlefield add an incredible, keening aura of melancholy everywhere, albeit with little glimmers of peace... broken by the drums of war as battle rages once more.

The end of Adoulin, Forever Today. Closing the book on one of your most personal adventures, alongside some of the most brilliant and heroic characters. The sense of finality mixed with renewal, with musical callbacks to the Theme of Final Fantasy and the Prelude.

Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, especially the ending. Seeing the bravery of an old friend's daughter sacrifice herself again and again as the cosmos rejects her presence in the past. Building a relationship with a character just as sincere and brilliant as her father. Her final monologue to you: "Master, this is not 'Farewell.' It is 'See you soon.' Until our paths cross once more, the blessing of Phoenix is yours to wield. And I will be with you, always."

The beautiful poem being sung as this all happens, leading into the Adventurers' Chorus of over a hundred actual players from across the world, singing the title music from the first release of the game...

[–] BartsBigBugBag@lemmy.tf 2 points 1 year ago

The Last of Us 2 is the only game to make me cry every single time I play it, ever. It also is so emotionally painful that I genuinely get minor depression after I do my yearly playthrough for at least a few days. I honestly don’t think there’s a game out with nearly as much of an emotional impact on me as that game.

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