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Video games are designed to offer the player an experience, conjuring up a range of emotions and instilling feelings in via a screen and controller. Some do it well while others miss the mark, and that’s sort of the way it is with everything.
Often, when you pick up a title, you know what you are getting yourself in for. Grab a Resident Evil game, and horror is on the menu. Load up Animal Crossing, and you know a cozy, relaxing evening lies ahead. Some games, however, will unexpectedly hit the player with a heart-wrenching experience that lingers long after the controller is put down.
What Makes a Heartbreaking Video Game?
There are heartbreaking moments in a great many video games. However, a sad scene or two doesn’t necessarily make the entire game heartbreaking. In the same way, a game doesn’t need to end in a tragic way for it to be a happy title. Metal Gear Solid 3 is a prime example. I challenge anybody to complete the game without being troubled by the final scenes. However, while distressing, they do not make the entire game sad. Here are ten of the most heartbreaking video games ever released.
GRIS (2018)
GRIS is a sensational game that tackles the subject of sorrow and grief with a deftness of touch that brings a tear to the eye. There is no speech in GRIS and no real explanation as to what is happening. It’s not so much a game that you play or complete, but rather, it is a game you experience. Each playthrough feels different, and you take away a different mindset each time the credits roll.
Firewatch (2016)
Firewatch is one of several games to help popularize the ‘walking simulator’ genre. Players assume the role of Henry, an isolated forest fire lookout at a national park. Without giving any spoilers, Henry’s story is a sad one, and the whole game carries a melancholic feel that looms large and ominous from the first to the last scene. While there is only a single ending to Firewatch, it feels much like GRIS – one that teaches you something different every time.
RiME (2017)
Games don’t need to be expansive to leave a lasting impression. RiME is one that lets the story unfold organically, as the player has no idea what’s going on when it starts. Only as you make your way through the silent world, solving puzzles, and drifting away to a melancholic soundtrack do you begin to understand the premise. It all builds toward a big revelation at the end, which tugs at the heartstrings no matter how many times you’ve played it.
That Dragon, Cancer (2016)
Not many games have the background that That Dragon, Cancer does. The real-life backstory alone is reason enough for its inclusion on this list. The game tells the true story of how the developer and his wife handled their 12-month-old son’s terminal cancer diagnosis. Their son, Joel, defied the odds and survived for four years following. That Dragon, Cancer, tells the story of their lives during this period. It’s a game unlike any other, and every moment carries with it heavy weight and a degree of grief that floods from the pixels in every scene.
Blackwood Crossing (2017)
Grief is the arguably most powerful emotion one can feel – one that’s difficult to understand since it’s a highly personal experience. Blackwood Crossing is a small game that handles this big emotion with a surgeon’s skill. The two title characters are siblings trying to fight through grief while not losing each other in the process. Blackwood Crossing is a sorrow-rich game that leaves a stunning and lasting impression on the psyche.
What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)
What Remains of Edith Finch is an intriguing and eye-opening game that is heartbreaking for various reasons. The game sees you take control of the titular character, exploring the tragic history of your family. As the last in a line of Finches, Edith is determined to discover the truth about her family and what happened to them all. What Remains of Edith Finch is sad in a conventional way, and while it might not hit the soul-crushing points of others in this list, it leaves an oddly haunting impression.
This War of Mine (2014)
War has long been a popular subject of video games. However, few developers have approached the issue in the same emotion-destroying way as This Little War of Mine. Inspired by the Bosnian conflict that lasted from 1992-1996, the title explores the lives of civilians trapped by the war. Together they must survive in an atrocious and unfair world. As the player, you must manage supplies and maintain morale under increasingly bleak circumstances. There are multiple endings in the game for each character including suicide, a demonstration of how sorrowful This Little War of Mine can be.
The Walking Dead (2012)
Telltales’ Walking Dead series is not a single game but rather a collection of episodes, each part of an overarching story. Character development is an essential component of how these titles operate, as storytelling is the primary pillar of all Telltale games. The developers do a stunning job at creating three-dimensional characters that feel real. As you can expect from a game set in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, things don’t always run smoothly. Players are forced to say goodbye to characters that feel as close as siblings, and no matter how often you play it or watch someone else do the same, your heart breaks a little more.
The Last of Us Part II (2020)
Both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II each feature incredibly harrowing storylines. There have been a number of games that deal with an apocalyptic world, but few are able to combine action-adventure gameplay with a story that oozes pain and emotional energy in quite like Naughty Dog does in this iconic series.
It’s sometimes hard to separate the two separate entries, as they present a flowing narrative, and a number of themes carry over from the first game into the second. The Last of Us series is heartbreaking because the sorrow extends beyond the main characters’ interactions. There is a depth of emotion bubbling beneath the surface, whether it is NPC interactions, antagonistic motivations, or the gut-wrenching final few scenes.
Life Is Strange (2015)
Life is Strange is another multi-episode title that makes the list. Again, this is not to try and cheat the system, but because each entry in the series takes the player on an emotional journey and explores parts of the human condition that many would rather leave alone.
Games like Life is Strange weave a rich and compelling story, while the gameplay style leaves players helpless to the power of the developers’ imaginations. A sign of a good game is if you care about its characters, which is exactly what makes the events in any of the Life is Strange titles so overwhelming. Every episode in this series packs an emotional punch, and even the most hardened gamers would be challenged not to weep for Chloe and Max.
