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Worst Endings in Great Visual Novels


mitchhamilton

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The first one that comes to mind is the good ending of Swan Song.

 

Honestly, a game like that didn't need a happy ending. It's nice that they added one I guess, but the normal end where pretty much everyone dies fit the tone a lot better. Meanwhile, the good ending felt really tacked on and unnatural.

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suikashoujo, on 03 Mar 2015 - 2:42 PM, said:

I also remember being really underwhelmed by the true ending of Kara no Shoujo.

It really felt like they were trying to set up the sequel, but I hear they really don't have much to do with each other. However, I recently learned that Aoki Touji will return and be a major character so I'm still pumped.

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As for me, I don't really see a point in talking about bad ends. In every second VN they're just like *boom* and you're dead, while the screen turns red or something like this.

 

Also I agree about Little Busters ending, but I enjoyed the VN anyway. Maybe it's even good that they have added this ending, since the good one is the better choice for a story by Key. I didn't understand this back then, when I was reading LB, but now I'm sure about it.

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Little Busters True End (fight me)

 

I can accept the other endings by Key, because at least they make sense.. but Little Busters felt like an ass pull to me a little, at least for for the true route. I kinda felt it went against some of the central themes they were building on. At least other ends of Key feel like they fit in with what they are thematically.

 

Funny, I was just talking about this yesterday. xD

 

Really? I thought the Little Busters true ending fit the game's themes really well and was much less of an 'asspull' than other things Key's done (including the character routes in LB)

The whole point of the true route was that Kyousuke was trying to teach Riki and Rin to be courageous and strong, so that they would be able to get past the death's of their friends, yet what they learned gave them the strength to reject that harsh reality. Riki and Rin managed to stay calm in a situation that before the events in the game would've caused them to panic without being able to do anything, causing their friends to die. The whole game's theme was about friendship. So for it to end this way makes a lot of sense considering how early on in the game Kyousuke wanted to get them to be strong enough to carry on once he went out to the real world and left them. Of course that was actually because he would actually be leaving for real. Seeing as how a lot of times people make youth and friendships during high school seem like something that only really lasts until you grow up, the game sort of carried the idea that growing up doesn't mean you can't still be together and have fun.

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The first one that comes to mind is the good ending of Swan Song.

 

Honestly, a game like that didn't need a happy ending. It's nice that they added one I guess, but the normal end where pretty much everyone dies fit the tone a lot better. Meanwhile, the good ending felt really tacked on and unnatural.

 

I also remember being really underwhelmed by the true ending of Kara no Shoujo.

 

I think they added the good ending as

a counter to all the sad feels you get from playing the game, it may have been a bit iffy and feel a bit forced but I was happy with it.

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Tyrael, on 03 Mar 2015 - 3:23 PM, said:

I think they added the good ending as

a counter to all the sad feels you get from playing the game, it may have been a bit iffy and feel a bit forced but I was happy with it.

Yeah, kinda like the goofy humor in Akame ga Kill, especially in the manga, cause if they didn't half of their fanbase would probably commit suicide.

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All of Little Busters.

 

Little Busters is like the Mirai Nikki of VNs. You think it's a fantastic thing when you 1st witness it, but then you see other stuff and realize it's kind of shitty.

 

I always thought you liked Little Busters, glad to see we agree on thisThis is what I mean with how KEY VN's got progressively worse over time.

 

 

 

The first one that comes to mind is the good ending of Swan Song.

 

Honestly, a game like that didn't need a happy ending. It's nice that they added one I guess, but the normal end where pretty much everyone dies fit the tone a lot better. Meanwhile, the good ending felt really tacked on and unnatural.

 

I completely agree, Swan Song only needed the regular ending. Thankfully the good ending is only available once you finish the VN, meaning it's very easy to avoid the "good ending". 

 

 

In G-Senjou no Maou I hated Tsubaki's ending (both the good and the bad one).

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Clannad 

I genuienly think Clannad's true ending is poorly written and feels like one of Key's biggest asspulls (not to say Key doesn't have other asspulls, but this one to me felt like the most forced one, very similar to Little Busters' true ending)

 

I won't deny the whole journey is full of great moments or that Clannad overall is good, hell I won't deny I cried, but the true good ending in itself is just kind of silly in my opinion and feels like they're shoving a Deus Ex down your throat so hard you can't even breathe over how nonsensical it is.

 

The whole VN basically tries really hard to make you care for the characters so when the asspull (True ending) comes you feel a sense of relief instead of questioning what the hell kind of plot twist was that.

 

Little Busters faces the same exact problem, the way they tie in the routes with the true ending is stupid and the "plot twist" always comes out of nowhere and feels forced as hell and out of context.

 

I don't hate neither Clannad or Little Busters with a burning passion or anything, because they have characters I love and the overall experience is not a bad one, but god damn the stories and their true endings are just silly in terms of writing.

 

And this is why Planetarian will always be my favorite Key VN.

 

fite me.

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Muv luv Alternative, epic vn with the worst ending ever.

 

About Swan song the true ending for me it didn't ruin anything, after such a depressing and realistic journey it was good to have an ending like that even if it didnt fit in the whole novel, I mean it is a hidden ending and you do have the normal one so it doesn't ruin the story or the novel itself.

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I guess I should mention that Tsukihime has "Good End"s that you can go back to after getting the True Ends for every route, and that almost all of them really lessen the impact of the True Ends.

 

For example.

 

Arcueid's True End hit me extremely hard and had me crying my eyes out, but her Good End is just your typical, "everything turned out okay in the end, no one really got hurt" type of ending, and it really shouldn't have been there at all. I mean, I guess it made me feel "better" after the tragedy that was the True End, but the game wasn't about making you feel good inside, it was about telling this brilliant and dark story that didn't hold anything back. It was perfectly willing to completely destroy you emotionally, but the existence of the Good Ends really took some of the wind out of it.

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theboxcarracer, on 03 Mar 2015 - 4:47 PM, said:

I guess I should mention that Tsukihime has "Good End"s that you can go back to after getting the True Ends for every route, and that almost all of them really lessen the impact of the True Ends.

 

For example.

 

Arcueid's True End hit me extremely hard and had me crying my eyes out, but her Good End is just your typical, "everything turned out okay in the end, no one really got hurt" type of ending, and it really shouldn't have been there at all. I mean, I guess it made me feel "better" after the tragedy that was the True End, but the game wasn't about making you feel good inside, it was about telling this brilliant and dark story that didn't hold anything back. It was perfectly willing to completely destroy you emotionally, but the existence of the Good Ends really took some of the wind out of it.

 

That said, I still think Tsukihime is a masterpiece.

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Clannad 

I genuienly think Clannad's true ending is poorly written and feels like one of Key's biggest asspulls (not to say Key doesn't have other asspulls, but this one to me felt like the most forced one, very similar to Little Busters' true ending)

 

I won't deny the whole journey is full of great moments or that Clannad overall is good, hell I won't deny I cried, but the true good ending in itself is just kind of silly in my opinion and feels like they're shoving a Deus Ex down your throat so hard you can't even breathe over how nonsensical it is.

 

The whole VN basically tries really hard to make you care for the characters so when the asspull (True ending) comes you feel a sense of relief instead of questioning what the hell kind of plot twist was that.

 

Little Busters faces the same exact problem, the way they tie in the routes with the true ending is stupid and the "plot twist" always comes out of nowhere and feels forced as hell and out of context.

 

I don't hate neither Clannad or Little Busters with a burning passion or anything, because they have characters I love and the overall experience is not a bad one, but god damn the stories and their true endings are just silly in terms of writing.

 

And this is why Planetarian will always be my favorite Key VN.

 

fite me.

 

I agree. one of the problems i have with clannad is that it tries to have its cake and eat it. which is an expression i never really understood. i mean its your cake, why shouldnt you eat it? if you bought it than thats your hard earned money going to waste if you just threw it away. also if you made it then you should be even more entitled to it. Sorry. lost my train of thought.

 

As i was saying. I love the ending to clannad, i really do but it really does feel like key is only toying with your emotions by

killing 2 characters who are very important to the mc of the vn, as well as the mc himself and then magic brings them all back to life. i could understand killing off nagisa and having tomoya being in a depressing state of mind to the point where he doesnt care for his daughter for 5 years. then he realizes, despite tomoyas faults, his father cared for him as best he could when he was suffering and alon. then decides to reconcile with ushio and become a better father to her as well as reconciling with his father.

this was a great arc that not many stories really touch upon. the lose of a loved one. hating the world for it. then realizing its not the end when theres someone else who loves you and cares for you.

Then ushio and tomoya die. then the world gets reset and nagisa, ushio, and tomoya survive. i dont mind if they all survived to begin with but to kill them all off and still have them survive, again it feels like having your cake and eating it.

plus they missed theyre chance to have tomoya end up with kyou fujibayashi. thats alright. i feel better knowing he ends up with her in my fanfic.

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Tsubaki's bad end in G-String

What made me decide to always look through guides so I don't stumble across a bad ending again. Such a nice, innocent girl. Manipulated by Kyousuke into more or less becoming his slave, taking up drugs and drinking.

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I wouldn't at all say it ruined the VN for me, as 'Kira Kira' is one of my most nostalgic VNs, but Kirari's routes out of nowhere get considerably darker than any other portion of the game.

 

'Wanko to Kurasou' managed to be the most hilarious VN read I have ever had for about the first half, but it ultimately devolves into endless ero-scenes and sloppy romance. 

 

All of Little Busters.

 

Little Busters is like the Mirai Nikki of VNs. You think it's a fantastic thing when you 1st witness it, but then you see other stuff and realize it's kind of shitty.

 

After joining, I was surprised by the number of people on here who talk like Little Busters is the best thing ever. Wasn't ever a particularly memorable game for me.

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Little Busters True End (fight me)

 

I can accept the other endings by Key, because at least they make sense.. but Little Busters felt like an ass pull to me a little, at least for for the true route. I kinda felt it went against some of the central themes they were building on. At least other ends of Key feel like they fit in with what they are thematically.

 

Funny, I was just talking about this yesterday. xD

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Fight mode engaged. Well, not really, since I don't think I'm really going to sway anybody's opinion or anything, but I want to at least defend my own.

 

To me, the true end felt like a natural extension of the direction that the game had been pushing for the whole time.

The big theme was everybody working to make Rin and Riki stronger, with the intent that they become able to handle life alone. In the end, though, Rin and Riki used that strength to bring about a better world for everybody, rather than just to run away and save themselves. Seems more like an extension of that theme, rather than moving away from it.

 

Massive spoiler, seriously, don't click this unless you already know the true ending or are certain you really don't care:

The other big theme that I could see you talking about being negated is sacrifice: but just because the Little Busters were all saved doesn't make the Little Busters' intent to sacrifice themselves for Riki and Rin any less powerful. Intent is all that matters, in this instance.

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