Darkest Endings In Square Enix Games

Japanese gaming conglomerate Square Enix has provided gamers with epic experiences across multiple console generations over the years. Throughout the 90s, Square Enix stood tall as pioneers of the gaming medium, turning out a variety of instant-classic JRPGs.

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Needless to say, not all of their games — from yesteryear’s classics right up until today — have provided players with upbeat narrative experiences. In fact, some Square Enix efforts have done just the opposite, shocking gamers with their disquietingly glum conclusions. Of the many darker endings to Square Enix games out there, there are a select few that are the bleakest of the bunch.

This goes without saying, but spoiler warning.

5 Life Is Strange

Players Must Make A Tough Decision to Close Out Life Is Strange

This well-received episodic video game closes out with a difficult choice for players to make. Regardless of which choice players run with, the ending leads to death and loss.

Protagonist Max initially reverses time in order to save her longtime pal Chloe. Unfortunately, these temporal shenanigans connect to a devastating storm that rocks Arcadia Bay. Ultimately, Max must choose between saving her friend, and preventing the storm. Should Max commit to saving Arcadia Bay, Chloe dies, and vice versa. Needless to say, players are hit with a gut-punch of an ending either way, with no truly bright or hopeful conclusion on offer regardless of how the game is played.

4 Drakengard

Players Get More Than One Disturbing Ending With This One

From start to finish, Drakengard stands tall as one of the darkest, most twisted games in Square Enix’s long history. The game takes players to a bleak fantasy world constantly under threat from the mysterious Watchers.

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Of the five endings on offer, two stand out for being especially grim. If players choose to follow through with the resurrection of Caim’s sister Furiae, the process will unfortunately turn her into a monster, the clones of which will begin on a destructive path toward eviscerating humanity. The third ending, meanwhile, sees Caim prevent his sister’s resurrection, and in doing so, incur the wrath of the dragons. After brutally fighting a secondary protagonist, and the dragon Angelus, the player character resigns himself to the fate of having to take on the now world-destroying dragons. Overall, considering the game’s dark storytelling and subject matter, it’s hardly surprising the climax comes with some incredibly bleak notes.

3 The World Ends With You

This Is A Game Focused On Death And Betrayal From The Outset

The Reapers’ Game takes center stage as a macabre, compelling story in this eerie action game. The Game requires the dead to offer up their most prized possession in a bid to compete, and win, the reward of resurrection.

Main character Neku’s own death winds up being an essential part of the plot. For much of the game, he struggles with memory loss when it comes to the circumstances of his demise. In a grim twist, it turns out that game partner Joshua shot him in order to set him up as his representative within the Reapers’ Game. Joshua’s cruel antics don’t stop there, however, as he attempts to force Neku to kill him, before shooting Neku again when he struggles to commit to such a grim decision. While post-credits scenes end the story on a slightly lighter note overall, the climax calls into question much of the game’s plot and accomplishments, focusing on betrayal and death in a way that casts a dark, thematic shadow over The World Ends With You as a whole.

2 Nier

An Impressively-Executed Plot Twist Casts A Dark Shadow Over The Game

This well-regarded Drakenguard spin-off takes players into a complex world of monsters, Replicants, and mystery. Regardless of the version players choose between the original Gestalt and the Replicant remake, the game has a surprising, somber finale.

For much of the narrative, the player character is hot on the heels of the mysterious Shadowlord. In a grim twist that forces the player to re-evaluate much of the plot that has come before, it turns out the player character is in fact a Replicant of the Shadowlord. Regardless, the player character pushes forward, and takes the Shadowlord down. From there, many of the additional potential endings offer their own dark twists, including one in which players can sacrifice their character for Kainé, leading to the complete erasure of the player character from the game. Another ending scene also reveals the antagonistic Shades’ perspective, as players see how they were trying to defend their friends and loved ones from the player character. Overall, regardless of where players wind up, Nier delivers time and time again on dark, emotional endings.

1 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

This Less-Is-More Ending Further Darkens The Classic Original's Narrative

2024’s update of the beloved 1997 classic, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth ends on an unexpectedly sad, bleak note. While the original ends on a more hopeful scene suggesting the world is eventually healed, the remake ends on both a darker moment, and what borders on a cliffhanger.

Aerith’s death serves as a harsh reality towards the end of the game, as she dies attempting to stop Sephiroth. Her death comes shortly after she reveals to Cloud her true feelings for him. Following her demise, Aerith is only visible to Cloud. As if her sad death wasn’t enough, the game doesn’t even have the hopeful shot of Earth in the future, instead ending with the now rather dejected team continuing the chase for Sephiroth, with the horrifyingly destructive Meteor still on its way.

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