In the days of the arcade, players essentially kept going until they ran out of tokens. The idea of a game having any sort of narrative or conclusion was absolutely unheard of. However, with the march of technology, the medium became more story-driven. Players were given much more agency in how these interactive tales could conclude.
However, one tradition managed to linger: run out of lives, and it’s game over. While it can be quite a blow to have their quest upended, players can still get some enjoyment out of an elaborate game over sequence. Sometimes, they prove so amusing that it’s actually worth failing just to see how bad things can turn out.
10 Spider-Man Vs The Kingpin
The Sega CD version of Spider-Man Vs the Kingpin used the extra space of the platform to rework the original Genesis iteration. The game incorporated fully-animated and voiced cutscenes which not only fleshed out the narrative but also showed what happened when Spidey fell in combat.
Depending on where players lose, the webhead would find himself in a jail cell, a hospital bed, or even lowered in a pit of acid. While players could continue from the first two scenarios, the latter of these served as a bad ending where the wall-crawler and MJ meet a gruesome demise.
9 Dragon’s Lair
-Cropped.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Rick Dyer and Don Bluth’s arcade smash Dragon’s Lair paved the way for several interactive movie games to follow in its wake. The gameplay was simple: players were tasked with keeping Dirk the Daring alive by pressing the right button at the right time.
If players chose wrong or were too slow, they would be treated with an elaborately animated death scene. While the animation still proves to be as dazzling as ever, there’s no denying the game’s lack of interactivity and limited lasting appeal. Still, it can be fun to watch the numerous ways in which the valiant hero meets his untimely end.
8 Maximo: Ghosts To Glory
Capcom’s Maximo Ghosts to Glory was a loving homage to the 8-bit classics of yore such as their previous Ghosts N’ Goblins titles. The game saw King Maximo betrayed and slain by his wicked advisor who amasses an army of the dead.
Fortunately, the Grim Reaper doesn’t like the idea of being out of a job and gives Maximo another chance to save his kingdom and his lovely queen. However, there’s a catch. Anytime players run out of lives, Death will give them a fee of special tokens to continue. Should they fail to pony up, Grim gives Maximo his severance in more ways than one.
7 Final Fight
There’s nothing quite like a tense continue screen that pressures players into pumping in more quarters. Capcom’s Final Fight sees Mayor Mike Haggar and crew take on the Mad Gear gang in order to rescue his daughter Jessica from their clutches. However, should the heroes fall to their onslaught, they’re tied up and left with a stick of dynamite.
If players insert a coin, a knife is flung from offscreen to extinguish the fuse. If not, the screen fades to white as the sound of an explosion all but confirms that Haggar has just been relieved of his mayoral duties and his mortal coil.
6 Banjo Kazooie
Banjo Kazooie started Rare’s trend of overelaborate sequences which depict the ultimate “what if” scenario where the villain triumphs. The game is centered around the eponymous bear and bird as they traverse through Gruntilda’s treacherous castle in order to rescue Banjo’s sister Tooty.
The vile witch aims to transfer the young bear’s beauty into herself through her underling’s special contraption. Should players lose all their lives or quit the game, they’re treated to a cutscene in which Gruntilda emerges from her chamber as an attractive woman while Tooty is transformed into a disfigured monster.
5 Total Distortion
-Cropped.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Poprocket’s Total Distortion was an idiosyncratic mixture of several genres such as graphic adventure, business management, and RPG. Players take control of an inter-dimensional entrepreneur who traverses through the “Distortion Dimension” in order to craft the most amazing music videos.
The game attracted a cult following for its quirky sense of humor. One of its most lauded aspects was its sardonic game over sequence. Whether players fall to a guitar warrior, get burned to a crisp, or are drained of their life force, the game taunts them with a song and a visual of their demise.
4 Conker’s Bad Fur Day
Rare’s gleeful send-up of character action platformers put players in the shoes of a foul-mouthed squirrel named Conker. Set in a seemingly saccharine cartoon world, Conker’s Bad Fur Day was a sardonic deconstruction where the actions of the furry protagonist harmed far more than they helped.
However, one tradition that Rare kept alive was the incorporation of elaborate Game Over sequences. Each of these scenes varied depending on the circumstances in which the rodent bit the dust. For example, if the player got blown to pieces on their last life, the guards would hand the Panther King a bloody bag.
3 The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask deviated from the standard “Link rescues the princess from the evil Ganon” formula to provide a much odder and darker entry. The hero has only three days to rescue Termina from the descending moon before it crashes and wipes out all life. With the power of the ocarina, Link can travel back to the first day.
Link loses all of his consumables in the process but retains all the accumulated plot-important items such as the masks and his upgrades. However, should players run out of that three-day time limit, they’re treated to a scene in which Termina is obliterated by the moon.
2 Undertale
Upon its initial 2015 release, Undertale was lauded by critics for its wonderful blend of game mechanics and narrative. Several boss fights expertly subvert player expectations and provide them with unforgettable moments. Normally, if players bite the dust, they’re encouraged to not give up and are given the option to try again.
However, losing to Flowey results in the aforementioned villain stating, “This is all just a bad dream… AND YOU’RE NEVER WAKING UP!” The screen is then flooded with the malevolent flower’s laughter as the game forcibly quits. It’s a delightfully creepy fourth wall break.
1 King’s Quest VI: Heir Today Gone Tomorrow
Sierra games were infamous for the numerous ways in which players can meet their untimely demise in their adventures. It’s often been a point of contention with critics and competitors such as LucasArts. Regardless of players’ stances, there’s no denying that these elaborate failures really know how to rub it in with their gruesome animations and pun-filled descriptions.
King’s Quest VI deserves special consideration since its Game Over sequence actually serves as a preview to a location that the player must eventually visit with their flesh intact: The Realm of the Dead. The game even features alternate sequences for non-fatal failures such as turning into a beast.
