God … Spiritfarer. What an amazing experience. I didn’t cry but quite a few times I had to put down the controller and just stare out the window. It’s not sad but it is so sad. It’s so wistful and god just loved that game.
Ooh can you tell me a bit more about spiritfarer? I bought it excitedly a few months ago but stuff happened and I didn't play it for a long time. And now I find it kinda hard to get back to it. Also I seen to be stuck with some basic early missions
Ooh, thank you very very much for the detailed reply. I think I should just restart the campaign. I do really being awed by the visuals of the game, with all the handdeawm graphics.
I think the part where I was stuck was that I needed to find something on the map marked by a snake, but I never found the marker and the resource management seemed a bit grind-y. But anyway, I think I'll give it a shot again. In general I'm a bit new to gaming and getting used to some of the repetitive(?) mechanics
Stovetop gives a great explanation of the mechanics so I’ll just add about the vibes. Spiritfarer is sweet and kind at its heart. The main interface of the game is giving hugs and cooking the favourite foods of your passengers. You explore both physically in your boat and in the lives of your friends, and hopefully you come to understand a little bit about life and death. And patience too, sometimes you’re not really stuck you’re just not ready yet.
After
::: spoiler spoiler
Atul
::: I literally had to put the game down for weeks because I couldn't stop crying whenever I tried. I think it certain parts just hit different depending on your experiences with grief.
::: spoiler Atul
Sometimes you don't get to say goodbye and that sucks. One day they're just gone. But with Atul I kept it together because the reason he just disappeared was that he didn't need us. He could go to the door on his own and yeah he should have said goodbye at least but .. well it sucks but I like to remember the happy frog at the party.
:::
For me it was Stanley and Alice
::: spoiler Alice
God it was heartbreaking watching her mind slowly dissolve and get lost. That's where it hit me how important Stella's job was. How important having someone with her at the end, helping and not even saying anything just being there is. I couldn't do it but I'm grateful for the people who can.
:::
::: spoiler Stanley
Fuck as a parent that got me. Fuck you god! I know that life isn't fair but that really wasn't fair. And watching his mom fall apart from his eyes ... Her 'Fakenegs' ... her fear in watching his fear ... I've never been tested like that and I hope I could do better but man I understand her failing.
:::
What touched you about Journey? I finished the games about 3 times and honestly can't recall that much about it but the art/graphic design being top notch.
Regarding OP's question I also don't recall a game that has made me cry yet, but I wouldn't say I am a senseless being lol, some anime scenes get me from time to time... Is just that with games it feels different.
Outer Wilds. Endings of both the main game and the DLC can still get me to tear up a bit. I saw a post somewhere, don't remember, that said something along the lines of "Listening to the Outer Wilds OST is the only way I feel my feelings any more." It's about like that.
Agreed on this. There are at least four separate moments of incredible reveals, and so many little details work towards creating a powerful atmosphere. It's amazing
::: spoiler Spoiler of a specific thing I liked a lot
I distinctly remember looking around the seemingly abandoned ring station, after recovering from how cool it was to see the whole thing arcing up above me, and realising how all of the furniture was way too big for me. It's such a trivial thing but it did a lot to make me feel like I really, really did not belong here
:::
I won't overhype it, as others are saying it changes up a lot and there's a particular section near the end that a few people I know bounced off of. It will be a very different experience, built on the same bones, but trying to accomplish something different.
But holy shit, to me it's an improvement on an already phenomenal game, and builds on its narrative and mechanics in ways I thought were really clever. It feels like the other side of the coin from the main game and bolsters its themes from another perspective. Can't recommend it enough.
The DLC is good, but it's different. Quite different.
And without spoiling anything, let me say that during the beginning and middle it feels even more different than it ends up being, which is a bit jarring to some fans of the original.
I like it, I'm glad I played through it, but I understand people that are grumpy with it or don't gel with it.
I think the flaw it has, by nature of being DLC, is that it has a bit less surface area than the main game. In the main game if you get stuck there are a hundred other areas to explore and learn stuff that may help get through the stuck parts, or even just give you a break so you can prevent frustration. But in EotE if you get stuck in, like, 3 places it sorta locks you up, because those are the only 3 threads you have available to you at that time. So it's not bad, but is more prone to frustration and feeling stuck than the original.
But if you relax, and push through, and in some cases have "faith" that the designers have way through in mind, I think it's good and scratches a similar but different itch.
Black Flag hit far harder than a Ubisoft game had any right to. The entire fucking credits scene... And you just know they are absolutely going to butcher a remaster and bolt on a bunch of always online micro transaction slop.
Lol, I tear up just hearing River's song, it's such an amazing story. We also played Laura Shigihara's cover of "Everything's alright" for my wife walking down the isle. It's a special game.
Clair Obscur, God of War 2018, What Remains of Edith Finch, The Last of Us, Bastion, Halo: Reach, Firewatch, Celeste, Telltale's The Walking Dead, FFXV, Baldur's Gate 3, Shadow of the Colossus, and more, all made me tear up.
Can you tell I'm quite emotional about video games?
Movies don't hit me as hard, but the medium that is video games really sells the rough moments for me. Maybe it's something about being responsible for moving the narrative that makes me connect with video game characters.
I played through it originally years ago and remember it being sad but it kind of fell out of my head. I played it again few years ago after acquiring a bonus kid and having a baby, both the intro and the ending were gut punches.
This is the correct answer and what I was going to say. First played as an engaged young man. While an amazing story, didn't hit until I had my daughter and replayed 10 years later. The impact of his decisions and my struggle with how I would've handled it, wrecked me. Neil is a genius and I think an incredible story teller.
I gotta get around to the other games in the series sometime, To The Moon was incredible. It's been so long and I don't remember many specifics, but I do recall it being one of a few games that encouraged me to come to terms with mortality.
Just finished the main quest last night. My head is still spinning. Best story driven game I've played in some time if not all time for me. They really did a great job everywhere.
The Witcher 3: A few times, it's just a really good set of storytelling and cinematics all around, and I absolutely love games where your choices determine the outcomes
Cyberpunk 2077: When a close friend died, when V had to make a major decision at the end of the game, and when V has to make a decision to choose an ending in Phantom Liberty.
There are certainly more games I probably have shed a tear or two or many playing, but those are the ones that immediately fill me with emotion looking back
Also all of these are spoilers lol, so don't watch them if you haven't played the games, but thankfully, none of them are recent releases
Arthur Morgan is such an exceptional character. Everything about him, the writing, the voice and performance actor, the choices, the character development, all his different relationships
Arthur is by far my favorite video character of all time.
V as voiced by Cherami Leigh is probably second for me. Playing in first person only, where you never see V’s face except when looking in a mirror, creates another layer of making decisions as you embody the character through the playthroughs, with pretty much every voice line chosen by you, and then seeing the outcomes of your choices (similar to RDR2) is what makes open world story-driven RPGs so excellent
Most notably, when playing Outer Wilds. I was playing it during the pandemic and had lost two friends, my grandfather and my cat within the span of around 3 months. I was struggling with depression and I got to one specific spot in the game and the revelation caused me to just sit there and cry for like 10 minutes, I was so emotionally shut down at the time that the tears felt like a life preserver. I had to stop playing for a bit, but it definitely helped me process my grief.
I also cried during a couple of quests in FFXIV. The post-Shadowbringers content especially, not because it was sad, just very poignant. And again in the last area of Endwalker, where Masayoshi Soken's incredible composition combined with some very emotional content just got to me (especially the Endwalk, jfc).
I think I cried a bit at the end of Journey just because it was a powerful experience, but I had an amazing partner in that game who stayed with me through the whole thing.
Outer Wilds got me too, for sure, and stayed in my thoughts long after I finished. The music from the slideshow at the end of the DLC still makes me well up a bit. Such an incredible game. I still think of "the universe is and we are" from one of Solanum's logs all the time.
Haven't been the same since I finished the game a few years ago. Andrew Prahlow dominated my Spotify playlist for two years following and now I have an emotional aversion to pulling the game open, after having played through it (and the DLC) three or six times over the course of 90+ hours gameplay.
10/10 would recommend lol
I had some friends I convinced to play through it and they just didn't get anything out of it. Couldn't believe it tbh
If only I could replay Journey as a new experience again. There were so many revelations at the end for someone who went in knowing nothing about it that really made it a powerful experience.
Outer Wilds' ending was, to me, a beautiful meditation on confronting loss, the ending of things, and coming to peace with it.
Shadowbringers was along a similar theme. It was interesting emphasizing with Emet, and yet still realizing he's wrong ("cool motive, still interdimensional genocide"). It was a combination of feeling unbearably sad for him, and yet thankful for stopping him. Also, seeing Ardbert during the camera pan in the Crystarium at the end.
Endwalker's final walk had to have been designed in a lab to generate waterworks. What an experience.
My reaction to both The Dying Gasp and Seat of Sacrifice fights was "Can't I feel good about winning just once?" and then speaking to Seto at the end was full on waterworks.
FFX. When Titus and Luna were playing/swimming in the lagoon/lake/whatever and being happy. If memory serves correctly, at that point in the game, it was very clear that Luna was going to be sacrificed to keep Sin from destroying the world, and she had accepted that as her duty like the other summoners before her.
The symbology and story made me understand the struggles of a close friend, who succumbed to her psychosis many years ago. Felt like more than just a game.
Playing this game in the darkness with headphones is an unforgettable experience. I'll hopefully never know what it's like to suffer from psychosis, but I don't think there is anything that comes closer.
...and I just read that they added VR support. Holy shit.
She was a great friend, with an unfortunate circumstance. If you ever, within your lifetime, become well acquainted with someone who has either schizophrenia or psychosis, remember the person underneath the struggle as they face a constant battle in their heads. I hope mental health support gets better, and it is, however in my experience there is little support for the lasting effects of abuse as it's mostly surface level things - my local NHS hospital has claimed there is no specialist for CPTSD in my area of London, at all (and not everyone is in the position to pay out of pocket, especially when my friend was already staying at sheltered accommodation).
Many issues in society can be fixed with proper mental health support, I'm just hoping that gets here soon.
Thank you for sharing your friend's story and honoring her memory.
This is very true. There are more than enough social and psychological barriers to getting the help you need in this situation - it's high time we get rid of at least the economic ones.
I was fortunate enough to get to know people on both sides of this struggle, though less severe than your friend. It takes effort to build empathy, remember the person underneath as you said, make space for them where the may be needed, and - without assuming full responsibility - being there for them where possible.
One I haven't seen in this thread yet: the last playable bit of Bastion, if you choose to take Zulf with you. An early example of Supergiant's mastery of interactive storytelling, coming to a head with a recognition of humanity in the midst of apocalyptic war.
The actual game was still a fun hack'n'slah zombie blaster, but absolutely not the same mood as that trailer would lead one tp believe.
Damn, now I want the other game that they didn't make. The zombie tragedy tale of a family torn asunder. Multiple intertwined storylines, some tragic, some less so.
Has anyone made a zombie game that is focused more on emotion and mood than action and horror? Last of Us kinda fits that bill but I'm not coming up with others. Dsys Gone had a good story but also heavily leaned on combat.
The Witcher 3 is probably the game I have cried the most while playing. From the opening cinematic I shed tears because I found it so beautifully made, I cried when Geralt reunited with Ciri, I shed angry tears when I found a particularly gruesome crime scene during a quest.
::: spoiler Tap for spoiler
When Vesemir dies, all the tears
When I thought Ciri died, tears again
:::
The fucking Velen OST makes me cry sometimes.
And I'm only taking about base game here, I haven't finished any of the DLC's... Which I know are fantastic so there are still more tears to cry, so... I think I'm gonna go play just now.
The ending of earthbound. I was playing it without a guide and hit "pray" in desperation, and what happened surprised me. It's a little melodramatic but any sort of 11th hour save by people who care usually gets me.
Tim (the player) is likely the villain. His quest was never about saving the princess but about his own selfish desire to reclaim something/someone that no longer wants him. The game masterfully subverts expectations, making players reflect on perspective, responsibility, and consequences.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, in the early months of the pandemic, when the villagers threw me a surprise birthday party. I was living alone at the time and missed my real friends so much.
Is it? I thought DS emulators are pretty good. I've seen a few Streamers stream the Pokémon DS games without issues. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon also doesn't make much use of the touch screen iirc
Right? RDR2, TLOU 1 & 2…there are others that are slipping my ind now but a well told story is a well told story. These people all saying they never cry over stories in games are disturbing if you ask me lol
That’s just one of many, and I’ll never forget the tears that flowed when, as but a child, I experienced that scene in FFVII, while screaming “NO,NO! USE A FUCKING PHOENIX DOWN YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES!”
I've cried really hard to the track "Confronting Myself" from Celeste, which counts as "because of a video game" even though I wasn't playing it at the time.
::: spoiler Tap for spoiler
I was off my SSRI meds at the time, and it seriously broke me up listening to how the characters' instruments and motifs and the buildup and release of tension in the track mirror the kind of dialogue they're in when it plays. It's also a climactic scene with a lot of mental health allegory going on at the same time, which really adds to the emotions here.
:::
Nier Automata. 2 Times, first at ending A (2B's voice actress performance was making me feel the griefing), and then again at the true ending because of the implied message.
Almost when playing KOTOR 2. The song "The Rebuild of the Jedi Enclave" when it plays on a specific part of the game makes you "look back" to the height of the Old Republic while being an Exile. There are other messages in the scene specifically, along with plot twists, but the general feeling after that is sadness and melancholy. Perfect game
In life is strange 2 there's a scene where you have a dialogue option to come out of the closet to your dad. It was such a a personal experience I related to and the exchange felt authentic.
I rented it and played it through in one or two sittings. I remember finding it a very moving and maybe even significant experience, but I'll be damned if I know why anymore. I think I might enjoy playing it through on the high difficulty (I played on the "musical idiot" difficulty) now that I have more skill playing by ear and stuff, might go back.
Drawing a blank on mostly the whole thing. You're an apprentice or acolyte or something. Magical powers come from an interaction between your "distaff" (something used in weaving) and melodies that the user must learn and perform. Something bad happens and you go on a quest. You end up back where you started. There's some kind of weaving metaphor. That's about all I got...
I can't call to mind all of the weft, but most of the warp is still there. Little bits like why all the Weavers wear hoods; how to beat the game at the start; the copy protection scheme. :)
The scene mentioned:
:::spoiler I remember the Glassmakers being prissy.(maybe don't read this if you're going to replay the game)
Bobbin gains the ability to heal even death at the end. He comes upon the corpse of the Glassmaker's leader and prepares to bring him back, but the Glassmaker hasn't yet passed on. He explains that in the last battle the Glassmakers held fast to their ideals (I can't remember what exactly that was, but I remember being greatly affected by that choice). As he tells Bobbin "Tell them we chose death with Clarity", he disappears.
:::
Now, it may be that wasn't how it actually was, but that's what got dredged out of memory with your single word comment.
Breath of Fire 3. Spoilers but you’ve had decades to play.
The first boss, the nue chimera, you’re supposed to kill it because it’s terrorizing the town. You then find out as it’s dying (because it uses its final breath to jump in front of a cave to block it) that it was just trying to find food for its cubs that have already been dead for a long time. It also played some somber music during this discovery.
I cried over darksouls when I first played it at 12. These were tears of frustration of course. I also cried after finishing hollowknight. Not because it was sad but because it was over.
Same on both counts. TWD season 1 is absolutely masterful and got me to care for its cast incredibly quickly.
I genuinely can't believe the renegade interrupt that can happen during that scene in ME3 is in the game. I haven't gotten spoiler tags to work consistently across Lemmy so I won't say it but you know the one. One of those times where being given a choice to kneecap an incredible story moment felt really weird. Maybe other players didn't connect with him as much / had more desire to continue the genophage?
As a kid I cried out of frustration while playing Dragon Ball Z Budokai during the Super Saiyan Goku vs 100% Full Power Frieza fight. It was just a massive difficulty spike that I'd constantly struggle with. My mom would make fun of me for it for a long time.
For anything more recent, I did cry in Danganronpa V3 at the end of the fourth trial. It was the only time my favorite character in one of these games died and the reason it happened sent me into a batch of sadness that lasted a few days where I just refused to keep playing the game.
I did a ~60 hour playthrough and completed every quest I could find without a guide. I didn't 100% the game or collect all of the possible loot, but I came fairly close. I enjoyed most things about the game, though I do wish more choices from previous games mattered. Anyway, here's my rambling thoughts on it!
The combat is very different, but after a bit I really started to enjoy it (I
did play as a mage, idk what the other classes feel like to play as I have not gone back for a replay yet).
As for the dialogue, it felt very Dragon Age to me, though I mostly choose the sarcastic options (purple Hawke is my favorite). I didn't find it particularly bland, same with the voice acting. Sure, the dialogue writing isn't Baldur's Gate 3 good, but I didn't think it was bad either. It really reminded me a lot of DA1, especially after jumping right into a DA1 play after I beat it.
There's one kinda mediocre scene regarding one of the character's queerness (pushups lol) but I didn't hate it, and as a trans person myself, all of the queer focused scenes were very believable. People go "oh my god they're beating us over the head with queerness", which like, yeah they are, because that's literally how it can go in real life with people who are refusing to acknowledge or accept your identity.
The amount of lore that gets revealed made going back to the first 3 really interesting (I did a fresh playthrough of each but didn't quite finish Inquisition as I got distracted by Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous)!
It also might help that I romanced Solas in DAI several times, and really enjoyed getting more of him (even if he made me angry at him a lot in this one).
I've only seen it in the s thread once, and just up voting it didn't seemed enough. I've played the majority of games people are mentioning here, some of them are quite sad and hit you like a punch in the stomach. Another one I also didn't cried but felt very strongly about it and I don't think I've seen it mentioned here was Life is Strange, there's one particular scene that got me very hard.
All of this is to say, I don't usually cry on movies, books or games, it's not a "boys don't cry" kind of thing, I don't have a problem with crying or with getting in touch with my feelings, I just don't cry very often or for any reason. However, I don't know if it was the story on its own or the blinking mechanic but Before your eyes had me crying, and wasn't just a couple tears either, I only held myself together because I couldn't leave the game until it finished. That game was an experience, I recommend going in blind and using the camera.
The first one I remember crying from (because the game itself and not just out of frustration anyway) was when Arith dies in (the original) Final Fantasy 7.
Modern games, with more sophisticated stories and actual acting tend to elicit emotional responses more than when I was a kid; though some of the epic CRPGs still hold up because they were just better written.
Not the actual ending, but when shepherd passed out and was jolted awake by anderson. Anderson was directing them to the catalyst. I felt sheps exhaustion! Good stuff
A lot actually, I'm quite sensitive to emotional things. I've been playing Honkai Impact 3rd and it's made me tear up multiple times. I don't remember all of the games but some of the other games I remember are:
All of the Kingdom Hearts except "3D" and 3 because I haven't played them yet.
Yes, once after accidentally wiping my Donkey Kong 64 save when I was like 5 and then during Horizon Zero Dawn, I think during RDR2, Life is strange and probably some others. Btw I also made plenty of people cry during the N64 split screen days so that part evens out nicely.
In my second play-through of CP77, I played as a female V just so I could romance Judy. It was great. Even went so far as to decorate V's apartments with pictures of the two of them together. So when the end came, I was not emotionally prepared for ...
::: spoiler spoiler
... the revelation that Judy had decided to leave NC and V.
:::
While I can't say I cried, it was probably the closest I've come to crying because of a video game.
btw your spoiler isn't showing right for me, I can see the spoiled text on the outside. I think you might have the inside text and outside text flipped?
I'm surprised I had to scroll this much down to find this. I have played the vast majority of the games people have mentioned here, and yes some are sad, but I don't think I cried in any of them. I don't know if it's the story on its own or if the gimmick of the camera makes you feel a lot more connected to it, but I played through the entire game in one go, couldn't stop playing and after a certain point couldn't stop crying.
Maybe an outside one here, but when Dragon Age: Origins was still new, I was much younger and hadn't had a serious girlfriend yet. And in general, I got quite a bit more attached to characters in games, including the romantic interests especially.
Spoilers ahead if you haven't beaten the game
::: spoiler spoiler
At the end of the game, my character died and I had romanced the character Leliana. The end screen shows a somber note about Leliana being heartbroken and wandering the world missing the character.
Something about that really struck something in me and made me extremely sad. I think it's probably the only time I've ever really cried because of a video game.
I can't actually find a reference to this ending online. The wiki isn't 100% complete. Otherwise, I would have linked the blurb here.
:::
Now a days I struggle to connect with characters in games. They will never be as real as my friends or my partner, so it's hard to form such an emotional connection as I did when I was a teenager.
I've teared up for some. In Sound Mind made me think of my cat who was recently deceased and was more special to me than any of the other pets I had. And then there was the ending for Outer Wilds, and the... fuckin' everything in Ori and the Blind Forest.
I think Yakuza/Like a Dragon wins the crown for game series that's made me emotional the most times. Majima seeing Makoto in the ending of 0 and in 2, Kiryu seeing the message the orphanage kids left him in The Man Who Erased His Name, Kiryu going on a tour of his old haunts in Infinite Wealth, Majima visiting Kiryu in the hospital at the end of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii...there are plenty more, but those all came to mind. They really use the fact that we've been following these characters for decades to the fullest extent.
Interesting. I have the game but am still working through backlog before I play it. From the previews it always seemed kinda like absurdly humorous so I'm kinda surprised to hear that they mix in some more emotional chords
Many times, but the one that got me more than any other game really surprised me: Insomniac's Spiderman 2. Specifically the pidgeon side quest. I don't think I've ever had another experience where I actually had to put the controller down for 5 minutes to stop sobbing. it was just... so beautiful but so heartbreaking...
It's not even the saddest scene in any video game I've played, but I think something about swinging around, beating up bad guys, and then suddenly getting hit with this deeply personal and very real scene broke me. I strongly recommend this game if you have a ps5.
Me too. But I'll just note, I think you have to have played the first Spiderman game and Miles Morales to really get it. It needs that emotional build up over time.
I mean, it's a very Jesus-inspired story (I wasn't religious at the time but having a self-sacrificial nature is always touching), starring a dude who is less 'social butterfly everyone knows and loves' and more 'asocial newcomer who feels somewhat annoyed with life/slightly suicidal' and then there's friendship and he finds the value of life. Bretty gud, 10/10, would definitely recommend the remake that came out recently.
Wuthering waves had me tear up a few times actually. They have some really good stories around their characters, tie that in with some of the best music I've heard in a game and it just plays with your emotions.
I'm sure anyone who has played it knows the encore story lol
I'm almost 40 years old and have been playing games my entire life, like way too much, and I can't believe I'd actually be saying wuthering waves, a freaking predatory gacha game, is probably in my top 5 best games I've ever played when considering overall quality along with how fun it is. I only found it like 2-3 months ago and I've already put over 200 hours in it... There's a joke that Kuro games is a music/anime company that attaches a game to their art.
Yeah for sure. I can be over-stimulated by the story pretty easy. The first couple endings I pulled in Cyperpunk were very dark and tragic. Plagues Tale: Requiem after playing both games is a killer. I had some bad decisions in the final run in Veilguard that got my favorite character killed in a tragic way then had to answer for it later. Of course Last Of Us 2. Many others.
If you've never played the mystery dungeon games, you never really see your character actually speak to anyone. You have internal thoughts you can read but when you talk to others you just kinda wiggle around.
After you beat the final boss, you finally see your character speak with your partner and god damn it hit hard when I was a lad.
FF7. Loved Aerith's character, lots of time learning the background, near endless fights to save her, then cutscene. 45 hours went to 70 pretty fast after that. I wanted revenge on that fucker, and I had Holy.
No video game's story has ever made me cry. But I've cried a little from games that I loved, but played to death, getting every achievement and realizing there was absolutely nothing more to experience.
If a character dies and I liked them enough to feel sad then I usually just quit the game. Theres no point to play beyond that. Like cyberpunk 2077 I really liked Jackie and when he died I just quit half an hour later. I've picked up the game a few times since but its really not the same without my homie.
I dont know why, but i cried in some wierd situations. Like at the endboss fight of ori 2 and the endboss of the pacifist ending of undertale. And not after the fight, during! I think it's some kind of being overstimulated and way to much things are happening, but in a nice way with the exact amount of difficulty.
Destiny when Cayde 6 died. There was a goodbye message Cayde left for his son saying something like "I'm coming home". Well it was right around when my father passed and I was a fucking wreck.
I don't get too emotional at games, but I do at music.... and even though I was laughing my ass off with joy at Metal Gear Solid 2, I cried at the ending because I just enjoyed it so much and the music hit me in the feels.
Other than that... not really. I had the most emotional investment in a game with the Mass Effect series, but by the end of 3, I was kinda checked-out when everyone was getting offed. I was already over it.
Honkai: Star Rail has made me ugly cry twice in the last two story patches. I didn't expect it, but the story of the Flamechase has been super emotional for me. "You shall walk with greed and die over petty change".
A couple of times, yes. I think the one I cried the most was the opera scene in Final Fantasy VI, it was just one of the most magnificent scenes in gaming.
The most recent and the most tears producing video game I played was The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood when you meet the trans woman and she transforms into her witch-self 😭
Maybe I’m playing the wrong games… I’m not really a fan of game story lines and cutscenes because they get in the way of actually playing the game. I don’t emotionally engage other than chuckling at GlaDOS.
I definitely have, but can't remember which off the top of my head. Looking at other comments, Ori and Stray are likely on the list. But I cry at movies too (off the top of my head Artificial Intelligence, The Bicentennial Man, Cloud Atlas, The Other Sister) and even books (bawled at Gloriously Bright's story in Xenocide).
Usually for the same reasons you'd get entangled in a movie or book? Games are allowed to be emotionally complex just the same as any other form of media, and the interactive aspect gives them some extra leverage for it that others lack.
(Some) videogames are just another way to consume stories. their interactive nature makes your imput as a player matter, and if the story is good, (like with any other medium) you get invested in the characters, the world and what happens to those as you progress through the story.
Connecting to characters in media is a great way to connect to your own feelings. It sounds like you're treating it like it takes away from reality somehow, but all media is a reflection of reality. People have a reaction to it because it connects to something in their life. If you haven't found things that resonate with you that's cool, but looking down on others for being emotionally open is unnecessary.
God … Spiritfarer. What an amazing experience. I didn’t cry but quite a few times I had to put down the controller and just stare out the window. It’s not sad but it is so sad. It’s so wistful and god just loved that game.
Ooh can you tell me a bit more about spiritfarer? I bought it excitedly a few months ago but stuff happened and I didn't play it for a long time. And now I find it kinda hard to get back to it. Also I seen to be stuck with some basic early missions
Ooh, thank you very very much for the detailed reply. I think I should just restart the campaign. I do really being awed by the visuals of the game, with all the handdeawm graphics.
I think the part where I was stuck was that I needed to find something on the map marked by a snake, but I never found the marker and the resource management seemed a bit grind-y. But anyway, I think I'll give it a shot again. In general I'm a bit new to gaming and getting used to some of the repetitive(?) mechanics
Stovetop gives a great explanation of the mechanics so I’ll just add about the vibes. Spiritfarer is sweet and kind at its heart. The main interface of the game is giving hugs and cooking the favourite foods of your passengers. You explore both physically in your boat and in the lives of your friends, and hopefully you come to understand a little bit about life and death. And patience too, sometimes you’re not really stuck you’re just not ready yet.
This is precious what made me buy it. This and the beautiful visuals. I will for sure give it another shot!
After
::: spoiler spoiler Atul ::: I literally had to put the game down for weeks because I couldn't stop crying whenever I tried. I think it certain parts just hit different depending on your experiences with grief.
Yeah Atul ...
::: spoiler Atul Sometimes you don't get to say goodbye and that sucks. One day they're just gone. But with Atul I kept it together because the reason he just disappeared was that he didn't need us. He could go to the door on his own and yeah he should have said goodbye at least but .. well it sucks but I like to remember the happy frog at the party. ::: For me it was Stanley and Alice
::: spoiler Alice God it was heartbreaking watching her mind slowly dissolve and get lost. That's where it hit me how important Stella's job was. How important having someone with her at the end, helping and not even saying anything just being there is. I couldn't do it but I'm grateful for the people who can. :::
::: spoiler Stanley Fuck as a parent that got me. Fuck you god! I know that life isn't fair but that really wasn't fair. And watching his mom fall apart from his eyes ... Her 'Fakenegs' ... her fear in watching his fear ... I've never been tested like that and I hope I could do better but man I understand her failing. :::
To the moon is like a kick right in the feels. Had me and my wife in bits at the ending.
What touched you about Journey? I finished the games about 3 times and honestly can't recall that much about it but the art/graphic design being top notch.
Regarding OP's question I also don't recall a game that has made me cry yet, but I wouldn't say I am a senseless being lol, some anime scenes get me from time to time... Is just that with games it feels different.
Outer Wilds. Endings of both the main game and the DLC can still get me to tear up a bit. I saw a post somewhere, don't remember, that said something along the lines of "Listening to the Outer Wilds OST is the only way I feel my feelings any more." It's about like that.
Yes! I have to try the DLC, I've been afraid of it not living up to the main game's whole thing
Oh, it lives up to it, all right. It's pretty mind bending in its own way.
Agreed on this. There are at least four separate moments of incredible reveals, and so many little details work towards creating a powerful atmosphere. It's amazing
::: spoiler Spoiler of a specific thing I liked a lot I distinctly remember looking around the seemingly abandoned ring station, after recovering from how cool it was to see the whole thing arcing up above me, and realising how all of the furniture was way too big for me. It's such a trivial thing but it did a lot to make me feel like I really, really did not belong here :::
I won't overhype it, as others are saying it changes up a lot and there's a particular section near the end that a few people I know bounced off of. It will be a very different experience, built on the same bones, but trying to accomplish something different.
But holy shit, to me it's an improvement on an already phenomenal game, and builds on its narrative and mechanics in ways I thought were really clever. It feels like the other side of the coin from the main game and bolsters its themes from another perspective. Can't recommend it enough.
The DLC is good, but it's different. Quite different.
And without spoiling anything, let me say that during the beginning and middle it feels even more different than it ends up being, which is a bit jarring to some fans of the original.
I like it, I'm glad I played through it, but I understand people that are grumpy with it or don't gel with it.
I think the flaw it has, by nature of being DLC, is that it has a bit less surface area than the main game. In the main game if you get stuck there are a hundred other areas to explore and learn stuff that may help get through the stuck parts, or even just give you a break so you can prevent frustration. But in EotE if you get stuck in, like, 3 places it sorta locks you up, because those are the only 3 threads you have available to you at that time. So it's not bad, but is more prone to frustration and feeling stuck than the original.
But if you relax, and push through, and in some cases have "faith" that the designers have way through in mind, I think it's good and scratches a similar but different itch.
My partner is chronically ill and Karlach's ending in BG3 made me sob because I was romancing her and it hit very close to home
Absolutely same here, although I'm the chronically I'll one
The Walking Dead. Clementine, my girl, she needs a hug.
Journey. I will cry every time.
Lethal Company. Laughter and fear crying.
Neon White had a moment or two I think
BioShock Infinite
Celeste
Assassin's Creed Black Flag
A Short Hike
Spiritfarer
probably more....
Black Flag hit far harder than a Ubisoft game had any right to. The entire fucking credits scene... And you just know they are absolutely going to butcher a remaster and bolt on a bunch of always online micro transaction slop.
Oh god... I forgot about the walking dead. Lee talking with Clementine at the end. I cried hard on that one
Black Flag hit far harder than a Ubisoft game had any right to.
A Short Hike was such a cute and wholesome game, was taken by surprise and reduced to tears at the ending 😭😭😭
Stray had some moments
The end of Stray killed me
Beginning of Stray: "Oh, this cat game is so cute!"
End of Stray: [Hey, come see this big, grown-ass adult guy start ugly-crying!]
Last of us part 2.
To the moon.
I may have teared up at the end of Half-Life 2.
I was full on ugly crying at the end of To The Moon.
Lol, I tear up just hearing River's song, it's such an amazing story. We also played Laura Shigihara's cover of "Everything's alright" for my wife walking down the isle. It's a special game.
That rules
"It had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong".
Oof that hurts
That Dragon Cancer made me fucking weep.
Clair Obscur, God of War 2018, What Remains of Edith Finch, The Last of Us, Bastion, Halo: Reach, Firewatch, Celeste, Telltale's The Walking Dead, FFXV, Baldur's Gate 3, Shadow of the Colossus, and more, all made me tear up.
Can you tell I'm quite emotional about video games?
Man that's a lot of crying during video games. "Honey are you alright? I heard you crying again?"
"This game fucking rocks!!!!"
Movies don't hit me as hard, but the medium that is video games really sells the rough moments for me. Maybe it's something about being responsible for moving the narrative that makes me connect with video game characters.
It's the control. You ARE the Character to a lesser extent. That's why it's so hard to make a video game movie.
Finally someone mentions Bastion! I just love that game. The ending where you pick him up... was like chills and crying and more chills.
I bought That Dragon Cancer ages ago because it seemed like an amazing and innovative idea for a game, and I've never had the guts to start it up.
Bring a blanket and a box of tissues. There is no "I'm too tough to cry" in this game, at least I don't know anyone who hasn't.
Oh God, that part with all of the get well cards. Right in the feels.
Ohh yeahh, I forgot FFXV was like that. It hits you with a bunch of shit after that one point of no return.
It is an embodiment of "it's all downhill from here," aside from the fact that evil is vanquished.
I love TLOU 1.
I am curious what part made you cry? Parts made me anxious and parts made me very relieved. None made me cry.
As a middle aged guy with a young daughter at the time, I cried at the opening and had to take a break before actually playing the game.
I played through it originally years ago and remember it being sad but it kind of fell out of my head. I played it again few years ago after acquiring a bonus kid and having a baby, both the intro and the ending were gut punches.
This is the correct answer and what I was going to say. First played as an engaged young man. While an amazing story, didn't hit until I had my daughter and replayed 10 years later. The impact of his decisions and my struggle with how I would've handled it, wrecked me. Neil is a genius and I think an incredible story teller.
The boss fight in the dinner. This was traumatic to me. The violence in this scene feels much to real to be in a video game, I was not prepared.
Boss fight in the dinner?
Do yo mean the boss fight in the burning restaurant where you play Ellie and fight David?
Yes. It's been a while since I've played it.
Sam.
SIGNALIS fucked me up for like 6 months
Literally yesterday I started playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and just the prologue hit me.
The end of Karlach's story in Baldurs Gate 3
Expedition 33 had multiple moments for me, still enjoyed it a lot
I knew i was in for a wild ride after the gromage!
Final Fantasy VII, the original one. Stopped playing it for a couple months.
Videogame's "Rosebud" moment. 🥺
I feel old that I was to look this far to find it.
Outer Wilds, both at the end and when I found the DLC spoiler character. Good tears, though. It's beautiful
To the Moon
I convinced my partner to play to the moon. The sound of crying was how I knew she'd reached the end.
The music still gets me a little bit sometimes.
I gotta get around to the other games in the series sometime, To The Moon was incredible. It's been so long and I don't remember many specifics, but I do recall it being one of a few games that encouraged me to come to terms with mortality.
this needs to be higher up. to the moon is a gem
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
An absolute emotional rollercoaster start to end.
33/33 would recommend
Just finished the main quest last night. My head is still spinning. Best story driven game I've played in some time if not all time for me. They really did a great job everywhere.
The only game I have sat still as the credits rolled absolutely dumbfounded for at least 30 minutes
Celeste is so. fucking. good.
absolutely amazing game in every way
I wanna finish it but I'm stuck finding all the secret strawberries
I second this. Didn't cry while playing it but did tear up listening to the Farewell soundtrack on full blast in my car.
Absolutely not! I’ve never played The Last Guardian. (Yes)
Trico may not exactly be a dog, but Trico is still a very good dog
When it’s the 8th anti boss blind, you have 11 aces, and you go through all your discards and hands without a 4 of a kind
Nier ending e
Disco Elysium the phone call and the dream
The call was bad, but the dream really got me.
.s
Exactly my choices as well, just want to add the "hidden" letter from disco elysium too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbRHOt4EAoY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Rdx1g_4bo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_ZH2qqlOqs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF68EpmCxBI
There are certainly more games I probably have shed a tear or two or many playing, but those are the ones that immediately fill me with emotion looking back
Also all of these are spoilers lol, so don't watch them if you haven't played the games, but thankfully, none of them are recent releases
Arthur Morgan is such an exceptional character. Everything about him, the writing, the voice and performance actor, the choices, the character development, all his different relationships
Absolute masterpiece of a game.
Arthur is by far my favorite video character of all time.
V as voiced by Cherami Leigh is probably second for me. Playing in first person only, where you never see V’s face except when looking in a mirror, creates another layer of making decisions as you embody the character through the playthroughs, with pretty much every voice line chosen by you, and then seeing the outcomes of your choices (similar to RDR2) is what makes open world story-driven RPGs so excellent
Both Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 made me cry.
The metroidvania, Ori series.
Ori and the blind forest & Ori and the will of the wisps
The end of Will of the Wisps damn near killed me from dehydration
When Jackie Wells died I sobbed, well more of a break down. My dad had just passed and something about it hit fucking hard.
Kind of weep a bit of joy playing my favorite games at times and still feel the bit of sadness when they are over.
A few times.
Most notably, when playing Outer Wilds. I was playing it during the pandemic and had lost two friends, my grandfather and my cat within the span of around 3 months. I was struggling with depression and I got to one specific spot in the game and the revelation caused me to just sit there and cry for like 10 minutes, I was so emotionally shut down at the time that the tears felt like a life preserver. I had to stop playing for a bit, but it definitely helped me process my grief.
I also cried during a couple of quests in FFXIV. The post-Shadowbringers content especially, not because it was sad, just very poignant. And again in the last area of Endwalker, where Masayoshi Soken's incredible composition combined with some very emotional content just got to me (especially the Endwalk, jfc).
I think I cried a bit at the end of Journey just because it was a powerful experience, but I had an amazing partner in that game who stayed with me through the whole thing.
Outer Wilds got me too, for sure, and stayed in my thoughts long after I finished. The music from the slideshow at the end of the DLC still makes me well up a bit. Such an incredible game. I still think of "the universe is and we are" from one of Solanum's logs all the time.
Haven't been the same since I finished the game a few years ago. Andrew Prahlow dominated my Spotify playlist for two years following and now I have an emotional aversion to pulling the game open, after having played through it (and the DLC) three or six times over the course of 90+ hours gameplay.
10/10 would recommend lol
I had some friends I convinced to play through it and they just didn't get anything out of it. Couldn't believe it tbh
It's no exaggeration to say it changed my perspective about life, I still can't hear Final Voyage without tearing up.
My sister tried playing it and didn't get very far, but her preferences are for highly character-driven material so I think it's just not for her.
If only I could replay Journey as a new experience again. There were so many revelations at the end for someone who went in knowing nothing about it that really made it a powerful experience.
I cried for a good thirty minutes when I beat Outer Wilds, such a wonderful and bittersweet ending.
I was just about to mention exactly these games!
Outer Wilds' ending was, to me, a beautiful meditation on confronting loss, the ending of things, and coming to peace with it.
Shadowbringers was along a similar theme. It was interesting emphasizing with Emet, and yet still realizing he's wrong ("cool motive, still interdimensional genocide"). It was a combination of feeling unbearably sad for him, and yet thankful for stopping him. Also, seeing Ardbert during the camera pan in the Crystarium at the end.
Endwalker's final walk had to have been designed in a lab to generate waterworks. What an experience.
My reaction to both The Dying Gasp and Seat of Sacrifice fights was "Can't I feel good about winning just once?" and then speaking to Seto at the end was full on waterworks.
RIP Bloodwing. 😭
My brother mained Mordecai in the first game. That part ruined him for days
A different part ruined me. I mained Roland.
FFX. When Titus and Luna were playing/swimming in the lagoon/lake/whatever and being happy. If memory serves correctly, at that point in the game, it was very clear that Luna was going to be sacrificed to keep Sin from destroying the world, and she had accepted that as her duty like the other summoners before her.
one of my favorite games, the ending got me
Same. It was my first FF game, too.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, right near the end. I don't want to spoil too much, but I never thought a game mechanic would make me emotional.
Game: Press this button to trigger this game mechanic
Me: Starts ugly crying
When I played Hell blade: Senua's Sacrifice.
The symbology and story made me understand the struggles of a close friend, who succumbed to her psychosis many years ago. Felt like more than just a game.
Playing this game in the darkness with headphones is an unforgettable experience. I'll hopefully never know what it's like to suffer from psychosis, but I don't think there is anything that comes closer.
...and I just read that they added VR support. Holy shit.
She was a great friend, with an unfortunate circumstance. If you ever, within your lifetime, become well acquainted with someone who has either schizophrenia or psychosis, remember the person underneath the struggle as they face a constant battle in their heads. I hope mental health support gets better, and it is, however in my experience there is little support for the lasting effects of abuse as it's mostly surface level things - my local NHS hospital has claimed there is no specialist for CPTSD in my area of London, at all (and not everyone is in the position to pay out of pocket, especially when my friend was already staying at sheltered accommodation).
Many issues in society can be fixed with proper mental health support, I'm just hoping that gets here soon.
Thank you for sharing your friend's story and honoring her memory.
This is very true. There are more than enough social and psychological barriers to getting the help you need in this situation - it's high time we get rid of at least the economic ones.
I was fortunate enough to get to know people on both sides of this struggle, though less severe than your friend. It takes effort to build empathy, remember the person underneath as you said, make space for them where the may be needed, and - without assuming full responsibility - being there for them where possible.
Thank you for being you :)
Many times.
Nier Automata
RDR2
Danganronpa 2
Just to name a few where I really ugly cried.
Currently at the end of Danganronpa 2. Huh. Let's see.
Nier anything I don't think video games are silly things
The final ending in Automata had me bawling. Genuine art, just beautiful and the music really brings it home. One of my best gaming experiences.
One I haven't seen in this thread yet: the last playable bit of Bastion, if you choose to take Zulf with you. An early example of Supergiant's mastery of interactive storytelling, coming to a head with a recognition of humanity in the midst of apocalyptic war.
Have you even played Stray?
Does anyone else remember this ad from back when EA didn't suck/wasn't actually evil?
Full text
Have never cried because of a video game,
I was absolutely stunned and amazed when Ted Faro revealed what Zero Dawn really was in Horizon Zero Dawn.
Yes, several times. The first one that comes to mind is The Last of Us Part 2.
Yes, lots of them and for varying reasons.
Dead Island's cinematic trailer will tug at the heart strings. Wanted to mention this since many may have missed it now that it's aged a bit.
Just rewatched it, still hits me. The footage at the end is what really knocks the wind out.
Okay. You got me. Damn it
Right?
That's a phenomenal short film.
Holy crap. I enjoyed Dead Island many years ago but never saw this before. It doesn't match the tone of the game at all lol.
Lol not at all.
The actual game was still a fun hack'n'slah zombie blaster, but absolutely not the same mood as that trailer would lead one tp believe.
Damn, now I want the other game that they didn't make. The zombie tragedy tale of a family torn asunder. Multiple intertwined storylines, some tragic, some less so.
Has anyone made a zombie game that is focused more on emotion and mood than action and horror? Last of Us kinda fits that bill but I'm not coming up with others. Dsys Gone had a good story but also heavily leaned on combat.
Detroit become human, that game is art.
Shadow of the Colossus. Hands down one of the saddest games I’ve ever played.
AGRO!
Oh my, yes:
Red Dead Redemption 2
Final Fantasy 7 (original and Rebirth)
Silent Hill 2
Undertale
Starbound (because of the soundtrack)
Stardew Valley (because of the soundtrack)
Okami (because of the soundtrack)
Undertale is on the top of my list as well
Okami was probably the first and only time a game has ever made me cry. The soundtrack. The story. AND WE GETTING A SEQUEL BABY
Yes once, and it was at the ending of "Brothers: A tale of two sons".
I bawled my eyes out.
Small game, but absolutely recommend for anyone that wants to clear out their tear canals.
Great game with very emotional storytelling.
For those that remember the late TotalBiscuit, it was his favourite game.
This game destroyed me.
It wrenched my soul from its mortal prison and threw it on the ground to pound with a mallet like a fucking Gallagher watermelon
I had to put down the controller and just sob for a while. It was such a moving experience.
Probably more but can't remember.
The microwave crawl in MGS4 had tears streaming down my face without me realizing it until the end of the section.
Outer wilds for sure. Halo reach. Borderlands 2. Definitely others, I'm always wrecked by heroic sacrifice
Man, I didn't expect Tiny Tina's DLC to hit so hard...
Twice. Once at the end of Final Fantasy IX, realising who was monologuing the ending at what that meant.
Second one was at the end of What Remains of Edith Finch, pretty much for exactly the same reasons.
The Witcher 3 is probably the game I have cried the most while playing. From the opening cinematic I shed tears because I found it so beautifully made, I cried when Geralt reunited with Ciri, I shed angry tears when I found a particularly gruesome crime scene during a quest.
::: spoiler Tap for spoiler When Vesemir dies, all the tears
When I thought Ciri died, tears again :::
The fucking Velen OST makes me cry sometimes.
And I'm only taking about base game here, I haven't finished any of the DLC's... Which I know are fantastic so there are still more tears to cry, so... I think I'm gonna go play just now.
Thomas was Alone. Cried over quadrilaterals.
Oh gosh, it's been so long since I played, but I remember doing the same.
To be honest, there were a ton of PS3 games that wrecked me. Papa y Yo, Brothers, Journey.
The ending of earthbound. I was playing it without a guide and hit "pray" in desperation, and what happened surprised me. It's a little melodramatic but any sort of 11th hour save by people who care usually gets me.
RDR2. RIP Arthur Morgan.
Arthur knew what he signed up for; and I had come to accept what I could see coming at that point.. But his horse's death hit me fucking hard.
Oh god, I got so fucking close to tears.
Braid's ending.
Tim (the player) is likely the villain. His quest was never about saving the princess but about his own selfish desire to reclaim something/someone that no longer wants him. The game masterfully subverts expectations, making players reflect on perspective, responsibility, and consequences.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, in the early months of the pandemic, when the villagers threw me a surprise birthday party. I was living alone at the time and missed my real friends so much.
Battletoads motorcycle level. Tears of rage at 10 years old.
The last encounter with Alexander the Warrior Jar in Elden Ring made me cry. What a brave jar and a good friend.
I think I might've cried for other reasons too when playing Elden Ring. :')
To The Moon, The Beginner's Guide, and Night in the Woods all made me cry like a lot. Probably have been a few others, but those were the big ones.
To the moon 🙂↕️ but not much
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Darkness/Time/Sky
Mmm, great memories of Blue Rescue team.
I've been meaning to play the others, but DS emulation is kind of subpar by design.
Is it? I thought DS emulators are pretty good. I've seen a few Streamers stream the Pokémon DS games without issues. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon also doesn't make much use of the touch screen iirc
It works well, but using 2 screens on one monitor will always be a lesser experience.
RDR2. Miss you, Hamish, thanks for the good times.
Right? RDR2, TLOU 1 & 2…there are others that are slipping my ind now but a well told story is a well told story. These people all saying they never cry over stories in games are disturbing if you ask me lol
That’s just one of many, and I’ll never forget the tears that flowed when, as but a child, I experienced that scene in FFVII, while screaming “NO,NO! USE A FUCKING PHOENIX DOWN YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES!”
I've cried really hard to the track "Confronting Myself" from Celeste, which counts as "because of a video game" even though I wasn't playing it at the time.
::: spoiler Tap for spoiler I was off my SSRI meds at the time, and it seriously broke me up listening to how the characters' instruments and motifs and the buildup and release of tension in the track mirror the kind of dialogue they're in when it plays. It's also a climactic scene with a lot of mental health allegory going on at the same time, which really adds to the emotions here. :::
I'm crying again now thanks
Celeste is beautiful. I also cried during the game
Nier Automata. 2 Times, first at ending A (2B's voice actress performance was making me feel the griefing), and then again at the true ending because of the implied message.
I said yes.
Journey's ending hit me pretty hard: the score's composer, Austin Wintory, did such a great job channeling emotions into the game narrative
the one time I was totally not expecting was Ghost of Tsushima
the whole plot around samurai, „honor” and stuff felt a bit over dramatic, but the gameplay was great so I didn’t mind
right until the end. the honorable ending is heartbreaking
Oh yes absolutely, and the few people who have played these will likely agree:
What Remains of Edith Finch - Lewis and the finale always get me
Kentucky Route Zero - The expensive whiskey and "Then we buried the horses"
Almost when playing KOTOR 2. The song "The Rebuild of the Jedi Enclave" when it plays on a specific part of the game makes you "look back" to the height of the Old Republic while being an Exile. There are other messages in the scene specifically, along with plot twists, but the general feeling after that is sadness and melancholy. Perfect game
In life is strange 2 there's a scene where you have a dialogue option to come out of the closet to your dad. It was such a a personal experience I related to and the exchange felt authentic.
Loom but I don't recall why.
"Tell them we chose death with Clarity."
I haven't played it since '91, but your reference triggered the memory. (Yes, I made an account just for this comment.)
I rented it and played it through in one or two sittings. I remember finding it a very moving and maybe even significant experience, but I'll be damned if I know why anymore. I think I might enjoy playing it through on the high difficulty (I played on the "musical idiot" difficulty) now that I have more skill playing by ear and stuff, might go back.
"Damned" because you don't remember the story or plot points? or because you do, and they don't seem as affective?
Drawing a blank on mostly the whole thing. You're an apprentice or acolyte or something. Magical powers come from an interaction between your "distaff" (something used in weaving) and melodies that the user must learn and perform. Something bad happens and you go on a quest. You end up back where you started. There's some kind of weaving metaphor. That's about all I got...
I can't call to mind all of the weft, but most of the warp is still there. Little bits like why all the Weavers wear hoods; how to beat the game at the start; the copy protection scheme. :)
The scene mentioned:
:::spoiler I remember the Glassmakers being prissy.(maybe don't read this if you're going to replay the game) Bobbin gains the ability to heal even death at the end. He comes upon the corpse of the Glassmaker's leader and prepares to bring him back, but the Glassmaker hasn't yet passed on. He explains that in the last battle the Glassmakers held fast to their ideals (I can't remember what exactly that was, but I remember being greatly affected by that choice). As he tells Bobbin "Tell them we chose death with Clarity", he disappears. :::
Now, it may be that wasn't how it actually was, but that's what got dredged out of memory with your single word comment.
Many times in many games.
Probably the most in Mass Effect series, so many emotional moments. ME2: Overlord's end hits the hardest.
Brother's got me ugly crying
Breath of Fire 3. Spoilers but you’ve had decades to play.
The first boss, the nue chimera, you’re supposed to kill it because it’s terrorizing the town. You then find out as it’s dying (because it uses its final breath to jump in front of a cave to block it) that it was just trying to find food for its cubs that have already been dead for a long time. It also played some somber music during this discovery.
My 8 year old self thought it was incredibly sad.
I cried over darksouls when I first played it at 12. These were tears of frustration of course. I also cried after finishing hollowknight. Not because it was sad but because it was over.
It's nice to see that others 'cry because it's over' too. It usually hits me during the credits. Hollow Knight had that effect on me for sure.
Only once, season 1, the last episode of telltales walking dead, lee and clems last time seeing each other. Brutal
And got me really fucking close: 'Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong'
Same on both counts. TWD season 1 is absolutely masterful and got me to care for its cast incredibly quickly.
I genuinely can't believe the renegade interrupt that can happen during that scene in ME3 is in the game. I haven't gotten spoiler tags to work consistently across Lemmy so I won't say it but you know the one. One of those times where being given a choice to kneecap an incredible story moment felt really weird. Maybe other players didn't connect with him as much / had more desire to continue the genophage?
As a kid I cried out of frustration while playing Dragon Ball Z Budokai during the Super Saiyan Goku vs 100% Full Power Frieza fight. It was just a massive difficulty spike that I'd constantly struggle with. My mom would make fun of me for it for a long time.
For anything more recent, I did cry in Danganronpa V3 at the end of the fourth trial. It was the only time my favorite character in one of these games died and the reason it happened sent me into a batch of sadness that lasted a few days where I just refused to keep playing the game.
I've got a weird one. Saints Row 4, near the end. Such a strange, unexpectedly emotional experience.
"Jade Shadows" quest in Warframe.
Ayyyyy, fellow Warframe player! Not too many of us in the wild, huh?
Not on Lemmy at least.
Final Fantasy 14.
The Last Of Us Part II.
Revenge. Revenge never changes.
What's done is done and it can never be undone.
It is such a tear jerker. So good
TF2, when I get repeatedly owned by the same enemy. Especially if they're a soldier with love heart cosmetics.
The final zones for FF14 Endwalker and the most recent one Dawntrail had me sobbing (endwalker more so, but both did it).
Baldur's Gate 3 had a few moments as well.
Dragon Age: the Veilguard did as well, as did parts of DA2 and DAI on my most recent playthroughs.
There's probably a couple more but I can't think of them right now!
Does veilguard get better? The voice acting and dialogue were so bland I didn't get far in it. Plus the combat was no dragon age combat.
I did a ~60 hour playthrough and completed every quest I could find without a guide. I didn't 100% the game or collect all of the possible loot, but I came fairly close. I enjoyed most things about the game, though I do wish more choices from previous games mattered. Anyway, here's my rambling thoughts on it!
The combat is very different, but after a bit I really started to enjoy it (I did play as a mage, idk what the other classes feel like to play as I have not gone back for a replay yet).
As for the dialogue, it felt very Dragon Age to me, though I mostly choose the sarcastic options (purple Hawke is my favorite). I didn't find it particularly bland, same with the voice acting. Sure, the dialogue writing isn't Baldur's Gate 3 good, but I didn't think it was bad either. It really reminded me a lot of DA1, especially after jumping right into a DA1 play after I beat it.
There's one kinda mediocre scene regarding one of the character's queerness (pushups lol) but I didn't hate it, and as a trans person myself, all of the queer focused scenes were very believable. People go "oh my god they're beating us over the head with queerness", which like, yeah they are, because that's literally how it can go in real life with people who are refusing to acknowledge or accept your identity.
The amount of lore that gets revealed made going back to the first 3 really interesting (I did a fresh playthrough of each but didn't quite finish Inquisition as I got distracted by Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous)!
It also might help that I romanced Solas in DAI several times, and really enjoyed getting more of him (even if he made me angry at him a lot in this one).
I've only seen it in the s thread once, and just up voting it didn't seemed enough. I've played the majority of games people are mentioning here, some of them are quite sad and hit you like a punch in the stomach. Another one I also didn't cried but felt very strongly about it and I don't think I've seen it mentioned here was Life is Strange, there's one particular scene that got me very hard.
All of this is to say, I don't usually cry on movies, books or games, it's not a "boys don't cry" kind of thing, I don't have a problem with crying or with getting in touch with my feelings, I just don't cry very often or for any reason. However, I don't know if it was the story on its own or the blinking mechanic but Before your eyes had me crying, and wasn't just a couple tears either, I only held myself together because I couldn't leave the game until it finished. That game was an experience, I recommend going in blind and using the camera.
The first one I remember crying from (because the game itself and not just out of frustration anyway) was when Arith dies in (the original) Final Fantasy 7.
Modern games, with more sophisticated stories and actual acting tend to elicit emotional responses more than when I was a kid; though some of the epic CRPGs still hold up because they were just better written.
MGS4…
Everyone Dies. You can't stop it. You can't run from it. Let me tell you something... Don't... Don't waste the life you have left fighting.
I almost cried just because of how awesome Potential for Anything is.
The end of Mass Effect 3 had me crying
The actual ending? Mordin was pretty moving to me.
"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong"
that was a good moment!
Not the actual ending, but when shepherd passed out and was jolted awake by anderson. Anderson was directing them to the catalyst. I felt sheps exhaustion! Good stuff
Ending of the Transistor, I did not seet that coming. I just sat there in stunned silence for a few minutes.
I can't believe no one is mentioning Chrono Triger few days after it was named as one of best video games. Geez I cried a lot with 2 finals.
A lot actually, I'm quite sensitive to emotional things. I've been playing Honkai Impact 3rd and it's made me tear up multiple times. I don't remember all of the games but some of the other games I remember are:
All of the Kingdom Hearts except "3D" and 3 because I haven't played them yet.
Metal Gear solid 1, 2, 3 and Peace Walker
Some of the Final Fantasy games
Castlevania Order of Ecclesia
Peace Walker's climax is criminally underappreciated
There was this challenge in VVVVVV that left me with tears of rage in my fro
Lol fuck that game. Also, I love that game.
Yes, once after accidentally wiping my Donkey Kong 64 save when I was like 5 and then during Horizon Zero Dawn, I think during RDR2, Life is strange and probably some others. Btw I also made plenty of people cry during the N64 split screen days so that part evens out nicely.
In my second play-through of CP77, I played as a female V just so I could romance Judy. It was great. Even went so far as to decorate V's apartments with pictures of the two of them together. So when the end came, I was not emotionally prepared for ... ::: spoiler spoiler ... the revelation that Judy had decided to leave NC and V.
::: While I can't say I cried, it was probably the closest I've come to crying because of a video game.
btw your spoiler isn't showing right for me, I can see the spoiled text on the outside. I think you might have the inside text and outside text flipped?
Oh, thanks for letting me know. It appears that I'd inadvertently mangled it. It's been corrected.
Borderlands 2 TTAODK expansion
The ending
IYKYK
The end of God of War (2018).
RDR2, when Arthur stopped to thank his (dying) horse (near the final mission). I got a lil choked up.
Yes, multiple times
Most recently it was "In stars and time"
Sekiro almost but not because of the story
Played through Before Your Eyes and it absolutely broke me. I'd 1000% recommend using a camera and going in blind. Very emotional experience.
I'm surprised I had to scroll this much down to find this. I have played the vast majority of the games people have mentioned here, and yes some are sad, but I don't think I cried in any of them. I don't know if it's the story on its own or if the gimmick of the camera makes you feel a lot more connected to it, but I played through the entire game in one go, couldn't stop playing and after a certain point couldn't stop crying.
Destiny 2 - RIP CAYDE 6
He was such a likable character by the community that Bungie actually brought him back... somehow, as some sort of reincarnated-ghost-person-thing
Maybe an outside one here, but when Dragon Age: Origins was still new, I was much younger and hadn't had a serious girlfriend yet. And in general, I got quite a bit more attached to characters in games, including the romantic interests especially.
Spoilers ahead if you haven't beaten the game
::: spoiler spoiler At the end of the game, my character died and I had romanced the character Leliana. The end screen shows a somber note about Leliana being heartbroken and wandering the world missing the character.
Something about that really struck something in me and made me extremely sad. I think it's probably the only time I've ever really cried because of a video game.
I can't actually find a reference to this ending online. The wiki isn't 100% complete. Otherwise, I would have linked the blurb here. :::
Now a days I struggle to connect with characters in games. They will never be as real as my friends or my partner, so it's hard to form such an emotional connection as I did when I was a teenager.
I've teared up for some. In Sound Mind made me think of my cat who was recently deceased and was more special to me than any of the other pets I had. And then there was the ending for Outer Wilds, and the... fuckin' everything in Ori and the Blind Forest.
Oh, and the second one.
::: spoiler spoiler "...When my name was Ori." :::
It didn't quite make me cry, but the ending of Planescape Torment got me right in my feels.
Falls-From-Grace’s last bit of dialogue gets me.
“Time is not your enemy. Forever is.”
Skyward Sword… Zelda’s story was so moving.
I think Yakuza/Like a Dragon wins the crown for game series that's made me emotional the most times. Majima seeing Makoto in the ending of 0 and in 2, Kiryu seeing the message the orphanage kids left him in The Man Who Erased His Name, Kiryu going on a tour of his old haunts in Infinite Wealth, Majima visiting Kiryu in the hospital at the end of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii...there are plenty more, but those all came to mind. They really use the fact that we've been following these characters for decades to the fullest extent.
Interesting. I have the game but am still working through backlog before I play it. From the previews it always seemed kinda like absurdly humorous so I'm kinda surprised to hear that they mix in some more emotional chords
It has both in spades. Often the main story is where you find the pathos and the side stories is where it gets super goofy.
Malenia got me damn close to.
Many times, but the one that got me more than any other game really surprised me: Insomniac's Spiderman 2. Specifically the pidgeon side quest. I don't think I've ever had another experience where I actually had to put the controller down for 5 minutes to stop sobbing. it was just... so beautiful but so heartbreaking...
It's not even the saddest scene in any video game I've played, but I think something about swinging around, beating up bad guys, and then suddenly getting hit with this deeply personal and very real scene broke me. I strongly recommend this game if you have a ps5.
Me too. But I'll just note, I think you have to have played the first Spiderman game and Miles Morales to really get it. It needs that emotional build up over time.
No, but Persona 3 came close.
BEWARE, CONTEXTUAL SPOILERS AFTER THIS
I mean, it's a very Jesus-inspired story (I wasn't religious at the time but having a self-sacrificial nature is always touching), starring a dude who is less 'social butterfly everyone knows and loves' and more 'asocial newcomer who feels somewhat annoyed with life/slightly suicidal' and then there's friendship and he finds the value of life. Bretty gud, 10/10, would definitely recommend the remake that came out recently.
The ending of Crisis Core thoroughly wrecked me.
Wuthering waves had me tear up a few times actually. They have some really good stories around their characters, tie that in with some of the best music I've heard in a game and it just plays with your emotions.
I'm sure anyone who has played it knows the encore story lol
I'm almost 40 years old and have been playing games my entire life, like way too much, and I can't believe I'd actually be saying wuthering waves, a freaking predatory gacha game, is probably in my top 5 best games I've ever played when considering overall quality along with how fun it is. I only found it like 2-3 months ago and I've already put over 200 hours in it... There's a joke that Kuro games is a music/anime company that attaches a game to their art.
Actual cry? No
Really felt something when Tali died in Mass Effect 3. Made a bad choice and she was the penalty of that choice.
“Had to be me. Someone else might've gotten it wrong”
Shit, it was even hard to simply copy-paste this.
Cyberpunk, but only because that fucking song came on the radio.
Witch one?
Have you watched edgerunners?
Ahh I know the song you're talking about now!
Yeah for sure. I can be over-stimulated by the story pretty easy. The first couple endings I pulled in Cyperpunk were very dark and tragic. Plagues Tale: Requiem after playing both games is a killer. I had some bad decisions in the final run in Veilguard that got my favorite character killed in a tragic way then had to answer for it later. Of course Last Of Us 2. Many others.
Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC. One last fun ride with a bunch of friends before the final reckoning.
For added gut punch: romance Thane.
I'm late but here's an oddball.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
If you've never played the mystery dungeon games, you never really see your character actually speak to anyone. You have internal thoughts you can read but when you talk to others you just kinda wiggle around.
After you beat the final boss, you finally see your character speak with your partner and god damn it hit hard when I was a lad.
FF7. Loved Aerith's character, lots of time learning the background, near endless fights to save her, then cutscene. 45 hours went to 70 pretty fast after that. I wanted revenge on that fucker, and I had Holy.
How comes no one mentioned plague tale (both games) ? I don't know how good the English voice acting is, but in French it was really poignant.
Yes, alot
No video game's story has ever made me cry. But I've cried a little from games that I loved, but played to death, getting every achievement and realizing there was absolutely nothing more to experience.
A few times. Ones that come to mind
Gears 3 : DOOOOMMMMMM NOOOOOOOOO
Spiritfarer : Hedgehog grandma goodbye
Brothers : a tale of 2 sons. The ending.
What remains of Edith finch: fish factory, baby and ending.
Halo Reach, just a little tiny bit : New Objective- Survive.
When I was a child I was very moved by the sequence in Homeworld where they returned to Kharak. Everything was burning and Adagio for Strings playing.
Just recently with and Roger
It hit me hard, definitely recommend, with the heads up that it’s only about an hour long.
The final battle in Lisa: The Joyful got me. That he doesn’t even attack you - that he hugs you - while “He’s My Dad” plays…
I will have to add The House in Fata Morgana to the list.
I think most recently I cried while playing Wandersong; such a great game!
If a character dies and I liked them enough to feel sad then I usually just quit the game. Theres no point to play beyond that. Like cyberpunk 2077 I really liked Jackie and when he died I just quit half an hour later. I've picked up the game a few times since but its really not the same without my homie.
I dont know why, but i cried in some wierd situations. Like at the endboss fight of ori 2 and the endboss of the pacifist ending of undertale. And not after the fight, during! I think it's some kind of being overstimulated and way to much things are happening, but in a nice way with the exact amount of difficulty.
Yes, many times, ff7 was the first
Two that I can remember.
Excellent storytelling transcends the medium, but it’s a shame that there are so few games that have managed to tug at my heartstrings.
Edit: I am reading the comments and making a list. Sometimes a good cry is the catharsis an aching soul needs.
Gris. For real, go play it if you havent. Worth the story.
Yep. I play FFXIV and I'm on estrogen. I cry basically every major patch cycle.
As someone who has had the chance to play through Xenoblade Chronicles 1 through 3, several times in 3 specifically I was very emotional.
3 is a game that's emotional on its own, and throughout its story there are several times where it hits like a truck.
But when you know about all three games, some things just hit a little harder, especially during that DLC.
There's definitely a reason I have Mio and Noah Amiibo on my desk right now.
Honestly, XC3 is probably the best RPG of that generation (of course that's on opinion. But it's a correct one 😄)
Destiny when Cayde 6 died. There was a goodbye message Cayde left for his son saying something like "I'm coming home". Well it was right around when my father passed and I was a fucking wreck.
Yeah ff10 when I was like 13 lol
I cried when I wasn't able to play League of Legends anymore because of Vanguard.
Other than that, I think I cried a little with Life is Strange.
Death Stranding 2. And I’m not even finished yet.
I don't get too emotional at games, but I do at music.... and even though I was laughing my ass off with joy at Metal Gear Solid 2, I cried at the ending because I just enjoyed it so much and the music hit me in the feels.
Other than that... not really. I had the most emotional investment in a game with the Mass Effect series, but by the end of 3, I was kinda checked-out when everyone was getting offed. I was already over it.
Final Fantasy IX and X, Detroit: Become Human
Devil May Cry back in 2001, and hellblade in 2017. There weee probably others that I had a response to, but those both had tears falling.
All around me are familiar faces...
Not quite the same thing, but the song Corridors of Time have gotten me misty eyed from the nostalgia alone.
My brother beat me at Pipemania, so I put my foot through a glass door panel.
Braid definitely got me lumpy at the end.
Nier and Signalis are the first two that come to mind
Honestly also Minecraft but that was mostly because I was playing during a bad time and the ost kicked in
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit got me pretty darn close.
Gears of War 3 - Dom
RDR2 almost did that to me at the end
I don't think I've ever had a "sad emotion" at all playing a game... I rarely have any emotion besides happy or angry playing games lol.
Honkai: Star Rail has made me ugly cry twice in the last two story patches. I didn't expect it, but the story of the Flamechase has been super emotional for me. "You shall walk with greed and die over petty change".
As annoying as she was, Fi from Skyward Sword almost made me cry at the end of the game. Well, a couple of tears.
A couple of times, yes. I think the one I cried the most was the opera scene in Final Fantasy VI, it was just one of the most magnificent scenes in gaming.
Got close sending Floyd to his death in Planet Fall.
I don't think I've ever cried because of a game in the sense that the game itself made me cry, but the memories attached to some have.
The most recent and the most tears producing video game I played was The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood when you meet the trans woman and she transforms into her witch-self 😭
"Last day of June" is very emotional. Didn't cry but I was close.
Maybe I’m playing the wrong games… I’m not really a fan of game story lines and cutscenes because they get in the way of actually playing the game. I don’t emotionally engage other than chuckling at GlaDOS.
I definitely have, but can't remember which off the top of my head. Looking at other comments, Ori and Stray are likely on the list. But I cry at movies too (off the top of my head Artificial Intelligence, The Bicentennial Man, Cloud Atlas, The Other Sister) and even books (bawled at Gloriously Bright's story in Xenocide).
i remember crying reading xenocide too!
I have sensitive eyes. Any modern AAA graphics makes them go red instantly and my eyes start leaking within 30 minutes.
lol no.
No. Why would you ever get so emotionally entangled in a video game?
Usually for the same reasons you'd get entangled in a movie or book? Games are allowed to be emotionally complex just the same as any other form of media, and the interactive aspect gives them some extra leverage for it that others lack.
(Some) videogames are just another way to consume stories. their interactive nature makes your imput as a player matter, and if the story is good, (like with any other medium) you get invested in the characters, the world and what happens to those as you progress through the story.
Ok. Maybe some.
And still I'd rather invest my emotions into real life than in a means of killing time.
Wow. You are very cool and your contribution to this thread is invaluable.
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Connecting to characters in media is a great way to connect to your own feelings. It sounds like you're treating it like it takes away from reality somehow, but all media is a reflection of reality. People have a reaction to it because it connects to something in their life. If you haven't found things that resonate with you that's cool, but looking down on others for being emotionally open is unnecessary.
People don't tend to find people who shun artforms as very interesting people
why do you not?