It’s never exactly a prerequisite for me enjoying a video game (or any form of entertainment medium, actually), but I always feel compelled to give bonus points to a game that’s able to make me cry. And of course I’m not talking about crying out of anger at a hard challenge, or something (which a younger-me used to do, but current-me has thankfully outgrown that). I mean when a game’s storytelling moves me to the point of tears. So, I figured, why not look at the Top 10 most memorable moments when this has occurred.
Please note (and it’s rare for me to do this) that spoilers will abound in this article, as most often tears come forth due to a story’s ending or a pivotal character death. Be forewarned.
Let’s get into things!
10) His Name Is Rean Schwarzer ~ Trails of Cold Steel 4
Reaching the end of any video game can be bittersweet. Reaching the end of an 80+ hour JRPG even more so. Reaching the end of a four-game-long series of 80+ hour JRPGs? That’s when it hits where it really hurts! I have spent more hours in the company of this dorky sword wielding man than I have with many people in real life, so when I reached the final hours of Trails of Cold Steel 4 and read the final in-game newspaper article praising Rean’s accomplishments and concluding with the line “His name is Rean Schwarzer“? You can bet I felt some tears forming in my eyes knowing that this long journey was all about to be over!
9) Luma’s Sacrifice ~ Super Mario Galaxy
The first time I ever cried while playing a video game, which is why it gets enough nostalgia points to make it onto the list. Which isn’t to say it isn’t a poignant moment, of course. Seeing your best buddy Luma sacrifice himself (alongside hundreds of other Lumas) to stop a black hole from destroying the universe is sad enough already, to say nothing of the extremely sad music that plays while it happens! Super Mario Galaxy has long had one of the most overlooked and underappreciated stories in a Mario game, and this sad-but-sweet moment in the game’s final minutes is one of many standout parts.
8) A Strange Place to Nap ~ Fire Emblem Awakening
This is one of those rare ‘wholesome/happy‘ crying bits, not a sad one. Honestly, even thinking about the scene still gives me goosebumps and gets me a bit misty. Fire Emblem Awakening begins with your player character, Robin, being picked up off the ground and teased by Chrom and his sister Lissa. The game ends with Robin seemingly dying, and all the concluding cutscenes and credits play out afterwards. But then, post-credits, we see what appears to be the opening cutscene playing once more…only this time, there’s no Fell Dragon brand on Robin’s hand. And as Chrom helps Robin up, he smiles, the music crescendos, and he says in a soft voice “Welcome back, it’s over now“. Chills, every time, and a lot of tears the first time!
7) You Are Loved ~ Trails Into Reverie
I’ve alluded to this moment before, and it’s one that’ll probably stick with me forever. The character of Rufus in Trails of Cold Steel was one I didn’t just dislike, I hated him. And I don’t outright hate characters too often. And yet, over the course of Trails Into Reverie, Rufus slowly grew on me despite my stubborn resistance to liking him. And it all capped off in the game’s ending, when Rufus (who believes his life to be worthless) stays behind in a building set to self-destructive. Enter Lloyd, a character who should hate Rufus’ guts (almost a stand-in for me, actually) risking his life to run back, grab Rufus, and remind him not to throw his life away when there’s still so many people who love him. Cue the waterworks from me IRL, and my begrudging admittance that Rufus is actually kinda cool.
6) Rex Helps Poppi ~ Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a thousand-and-one problems, but Poppi ain’t one of them. She’s the best character in the game, so anything involving her is always stellar. Seeing her cry in this game’s climax as she refuses to help Rex fly across a gap so he can be with Pyra/Mythra (who are going to sacrifice themselves to save everyone else) is a rough enough moment. It’s never fun to see Rex and Poppi at odds. But then, in the following scene, when Poppi trips and falls while trying to run to safety…who is there to pick her up but Rex? He isn’t angry, he doesn’t hold a grudge, he’s simply here to help a friend, no matter what, because that’s just the type of guy he is. And the way the music soars at this part too? Oh my goodness me.
(Side note: I actually cried again rewatching this scene to snag the below screenshot of it. Maybe I should’ve placed it higher on the list!)
5) What Remains ~ What Remains of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch is one of the greatest games of all time, and certainly ranks highly in terms of best video game storytelling. It’s a short game, a simple game, and one just about everyone should play during their lifetime. It’s such a fantastically beautiful, relatable, heart-breaking, and poignant story that this entry on my list sort of just goes out to the entire game. From start-to-finish, What Remains of Edith Finch seizes you by the heart and refuses to let go, even if it takes a while for the weight of it all to really bring forth the emotional toll. It’s the sort of game that sticks with you for the rest of time, no matter what age or headspace you’re in when you play it. And you can bet the ending made my cry!
4) Rise’s Anguish ~ Person 4 Golden
This is another moment I’ve touched on before, in an earlier article where I brought up the character of Rise, and how much I relate to her personal story.
I’ve struggled with feelings of regret for a lot of my life, constantly second-guessing my decisions or feeling sad over past moments I maybe wish I could’ve done differently. I also did musical theater for a few years (very busy and active years, at that). So when Rise retires from show business due to feeling unfulfilled, only to then be told by her manager that he always admired her and her work? And she starts crying for reasons she doesn’t even fully comprehend? And your player character just empathetically offers her a hug and a shoulder to cry on (sometimes that’s all you need)? Yeah, it definitely hit pretty hard for me, especially because this was just around the time I too decided to not do any more theater work.
3) Luvbi and Her Parents ~ Super Paper Mario
Now this is the moment where I first ever just straight-up broke while playing a video game because I was so moved by the storytelling. Which is almost a little odd given that it wasn’t as if I particularly related to the emotional beats. They just really worked for me. Across the board, Super Paper Mario is a deceptively emotionally-taxing game riddled with conversations about depression, death, and love (in all its forms). If you think that sounds like someone reading too much into a Mario game, I promise you I’m not.
Regardless, when your party meets the haughty Luvbi, she’s a bit insufferable. But she warms up to you and becomes nicer as you help her rescue her father. So it hits really hard when it turns out Luvbi isn’t technically a real person, she’s a anthropomorphized transformation of a Pure Heart, this game’s collectible. The ensuing argument she has with her parents upon this revelation strongly and purposefully evokes the bitter, heartbroken tragedy of an adopted child finding out that they are adopted before their parents tell them. It’s shockingly realistic to see these three hurl insults, vent their frustrations, and cry their hearts out as Luvbi ultimately and inevitably has to say goodbye to them before turning into a Pure Heart once more.
2) Sasha’s Sacrifice ~ Tales from the Borderlands
I had a feeling for much of the runtime of playing Tales from the Borderlands that one of the main cast wasn’t going to make it out of the finale. I didn’t exactly have any predictions as to who it might be that bites the bullet, but I did know who I didn’t want it to be: Sasha, my favorite character. Cue my exact worst fears coming true as Sasha heroically sacrifices herself to both save her sister and take out the big baddie to ultimately end the conflict and save all of her other friends.
Death scenes wherein a character gets one last chance to talk with their lvoed ones always hit pretty hard, but that’s especially true when it’s a character you care so much about. To say that I was “crying” is perhaps an understatement here, I was definitely doing one of those choking, shaking cries. The music is perfect, the voice acting is phenomenal, and even over all of that you could hear the sound of my heart breaking.
(Yes, ultimately Sasha is fine. It’s actually a really touching moment where her pseudo-father-figure’s final gift to her saves her life, which is a great conclusion to his own arc. Maybe this is controversial, but I’m actually of the opinion that Death Fake-Outs can be pretty good WHEN USED SPARINGLY. Being able to see everyone’s rawest and most visceral reactions to losing a loved one can be a really endearing and emotional way to heighten characterization.)
1) Isara’s Funeral ~ Valkyria Chronicles
I think a part of my soul actually died on the day that I reached this part in Valkyria Chronicles. But maybe I should’ve seen it coming, considering where the game draws its inspiration.
Death is a constant in war, and wartime stories are always a sobering and visceral wake-up call when you get hit in the face with having to confront that fact. Especially when it’s so sudden. One second, main hero Welkin is celebrating another successful mission with his squad. The next second, an unexpected enemy sniper shoots and kills Isara without warning. It’s brazen, it’s bold, and it’s so unsurprising I think I actually dropped my controller when it happened.
And Isara isn’t just another squadmate, which would be sad enough. She’s Welkin’s little sister.
On top of this, Isara dies during the same mission wherein, earlier, squadmate Rosie was arguing and yelling at her. After a dressing-down from her teammates, Rosie promised to apologize to Isara, but she never gets that chance. Seconds before she can, Isara is shot before her eyes, and then dies in her arms. It’s such an unrelentingly merciless way to go, and about the most drastic in-your-face interpretation of the general idea that you should never squander the time you have, because the next hour is never a given.
If that’s all the scene was, it would be sad enough. But then we get to the next scene.
The team holds a funeral for Isara. Rosie steps forward, and makes mention of an earlier promise she’d made to sing a song for Isara one day. She used to be a songstress before the war, but hadn’t had time to sing at all during it. Well, she finds the time here and now, beginning a eulogy for Isara that is one of my favorite pieces of music in all of gaming. And all of the little touches break my heart, like Rosie starting off soft and shaky, before emotionally belting out the words by the end while she cries. And the monochrome montage flashing in the back? It’s just so good.
And then Welkin names his daughter after Isara in the epilogue? Oh my goodness!
I straight-up sobbed when I first got to this scene, cry every time I reach it again when I replay Valkyria Chronicles, and tear up just listening to Rosie’s song. But more than anything, I remember just sitting there in front of the TV, sniffling, but otherwise in silence for ten or twenty minutes afterwards. Just completely wracked with emotion.
Here’s the scene: ROSIE’S SONG
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 