The most heartbreaking decisions in role-playing games

Key insights

• RPG games provide players with powerful decisions that influence the course of the game.
• These decisions can have devastating consequences that reflect real-world dilemmas.
• RPGs like Mass Effect and The Witcher 3 present heartbreaking choices.

What makes the RPG genre so attractive to many players is the freedom of choice. While other games focus on a single path with a linear storyline, role-playing games have never been easier. Instead, players have the opportunity to put their own spin on things.

In these titles, decisions influence the course of the story. These decisions can be difficult to make because the consequences are not clear until much later. Sometimes these consequences can be downright devastating. The heroes can't always win no matter what they do, and these decisions are proof of that.

7 Ending E (Nier: Automata)

Should players sacrifice everything to help others?

Nier automata raises serious questions, such as the age-old mystery of whether robots can feel emotions. 2B himself claims that emotions are forbidden, but that doesn't deny that they can feel pain, love, hurt and hope. Players are sure to experience this diversity as they explore and combat the shattered world, once inhabited by humans and now overrun by machines.

There are countless endings for players to experience, some gags or false endings. Only when they reach ending E have players experienced the true ending. The credits roll, but players still have one final, impossible mission to dodge projectiles. The game asks players questions every time they die. And then there's the infamous question: Will the player sacrifice their save data to help another random player through the battle they're fighting? If you say yes, everything they have done will be erased. It's a heartfelt, emotional ending that will leave players in tears if they weren't already crying.

6 The fate of Shadowheart's parents (Baldur's Gate 3)

A decision that no one should have to make

Baldur's Gate 3 is without a doubt one of the greatest role-playing games in history. The scope of the story was impressive and the characters were all nuanced, with their strengths and weaknesses reflected in their dialogue and actions. Shadowheart is one of the most popular characters whose backstory is shrouded in mystery as she is missing a large portion of her memories. She is a cleric of Shar, cursed with pain that flares up every now and then.

It turns out that Shadowheart still has family, who the group meets at the House of Mourning. They are held captive by Shar, who gives Shadowheart a shocking ultimatum: she demands that Shadowheart kill her parents and leave them to eternal torment in Shar's realm, while simultaneously removing their memory. In return, Shadowheart is blessed with great power. The Path of Selune changes this slightly. When killed, they become moon particles while lifting their curse and remaining at their side as guiding celestial bodies. One might think, why choose to kill them in the first place? But betraying Shar will have lasting effects on Shadowheart, dulling her emotions and causing nightly torment. It's not an easy decision and there is no obvious happy outcome.

5 Killing Toriel (Undertale)

The maternal figure deserves better

Undertale is one of the most unique role-playing games on the market, using retro pixel graphics to tell the story of a human child who falls into the world of monsters. They learn to navigate the world of monsters in their own way, sparing anyone who attacks them or killing them without remorse. The Genocide route is known for its legendary sans boss fight.

There will be a series of boss fights on the way to the castle to return to their own world via Asgore. Toriel is one of the main characters you meet at the start of the game. She takes the player character under her wing and offers them accommodation and a delicious cake. Toriel asks the figure not to think about returning home because it is so dangerous and stands between her and the exit. She wants nothing more than to protect them, and players can choose the path of cruelty by killing this friendly character.

4 Return to Crookback Bog (The Witcher 3)

A side quest with devastating consequences

The quests surrounding the Baron and his family are among the darkest of all The Witcher 3which is no frivolous statement about this dark fantasy role-playing game. The Baron's family has fled and it turns out that he has mistreated his family, causing his wife and daughter to run away from home. The Baron asks Geralt for help, and it turns out that this task is not as easy as it seems at first glance.

When players embark on the side quest to return to the moor where the Old Ones live, they must make a decision that will ensure at least one character meets an unfortunate end. Killing the spirit tree means Anna will lose her mind for the rest of her life, whereas saving the tree will turn Tamara into a wild creature. Either way, one of the Strenger women loses, leading to a tearful end to the story of this troubled family.

3 Who stays in the void (Dragon Age: Inquisition)

Who lives or dies remains in the player's hands

inquisition was a brand new and exciting adventure set in the world of Thedas, in which the veil that separated the world from nothingness and the reach of demons was torn apart. The machinations of a previous villain, Corypheus, must be stopped by sealing the Veil and stopping the influx of demons into the world. As an Inquisitor, players lead the Inquisition to victory or death. They travel to dangerous places new and old as the void returns.

This is where the game's most heartbreaking decision comes into play: you must choose a person who will be left in the void, where they will surely die. One of these characters will be Hawke Dragon Age 2or one of three possible Guardians: Stroud, Loghain Mac Tir or Alistair. If it's Stroud, the decision will probably be easy. But when you add Alistair into the mix, players will have to choose between a character they've played the entire entry or an important companion and even a possible romantic option Dragon Age: Origins. That makes this choice almost impossible and always heartbreaking.

2 Refusal to cure the genophage (Mass Effect 3)

One of the nastier decisions in the Mass Effect series

The last game in the Mass effect Trilogy was the final showdown: the entire galaxy against the Reapers. Every game was prepared for this, and now players can only hope that they have done enough in the previous games to prepare the galaxy for the threat. There are a few other things that need to be done to further strengthen the army, and one of them is the issue of the Krogan Genophage, a bioweapon that renders the Krogans almost completely infertile.

Mass Effect 3 gives Shepard the opportunity to cure the genophage, but there is a small problem. The solution was sabotaged, which would mean the genophage would not be cured. Shepard has the choice of remaining silent on Tuchanka or revealing something. By keeping it secret, they are condemning the Krogan to genocide. Worse, the player must shoot Mordin Solus to stop him. Mordin is a beloved companion of Mass Effect 2He gets his comeuppance for his work on the Genophage by doing what he can to undo his work. Shooting him is not only heartbreaking because it means the player is taking the life of an old friend, but it also prevents the player from repenting, which is what they wanted most.

1 Virmire (Mass Effect)

A beloved companion must die

Being a BioWare RPG, players are presented with life and death decisions, millions of lives to save, and a whole host of interesting companions with multi-faceted personalities for players to befriend or fall in love with can fall in love. The first game in the series introduced two human companions, Kaidan and Ashley, who worked alongside Shepard in Normandy. Both are so passionate about the cause that they are willing to die for it.

This loyalty and bravery comes into play during the Virmire mission, an attack that takes an even more dangerous turn. To ensure that the bomb explodes and destroys the facility Saren is using to build his army, one of the human companions must stay behind. There is no way out for either of them and it is up to Shepard to make this decision. After spending time with both, the choice can be difficult. Knowing you are going to die makes this decision devastating.