Video games can be incredibly difficult. Some video games like to flaunt their difficulty right off the bat by essentially forcing you into taking a death in some way. Sometimes the deaths are required for the sake of the game's overall story, but other times it seems like it’s meant to serve as a reminder that on your journey, you will die.
It’s not all that often that games force their players to die, so when it does pop up it can come as quite a shock, especially when you’re certain that the character you’re controlling is the protagonist. Even more shocking of all is when you die in the opening section of the game.
10 Silent Hill
Few games are as brutal as the games featured in the Silent Hill franchise. Every entry is bleak, hopeless, and soul-crushing in its own unique ways. With that said, it shouldn’t be all that surprising that the original game practically forces you to die.
The game starts in expert fashion letting you slowly explore Silent Hill as it becomes more and more sinister. Eventually, you’ll find your path blocked as you are swarmed with enemies, only to then awaken somewhere entirely different. While forced deaths can feel strange, this one adds to the hopeless atmosphere of the game.
9 Bloodborne
While skilled players are actually able to make it past Bloodborne's ferocious first enemies without taking a death, it’s clear that you are meant to die to the first enemy you come across. Unlike many others, the game actually gets much easier after dying for the very first time.
The game's first transports you to the Hunters Dream in order to get properly equipped. Before that death, brand-new players are expected to kill a wolf-like creature with nothing but chip damage, something that isn’t the easiest to accomplish.
8 Fatal Frame: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse
A horror franchise that is often overlooked by fans these days, Fatal Frame has plenty of creepy and unique titles in the franchise. One of the most shocking entries was Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse.
The game lets the player get used to the controls and get acquainted with one of the game's prominent characters. Unfortunately, the first prominent character doesn’t last all that long. You control Madoka for the opening section of the game before she is overcome by the ghostly forces that the game throws at unsuspecting players.
7 Mass Effect 2
As far as forced deaths go, Mass Effect 2 has quite possibly the most iconic of any game. While the death is ultimately pretty meaningless, that doesn’t make it any less shocking to experience each time you start the game.
Putting everything as simply as possible, the Normandy is attacked and in the ensuing chaos, Commander Shepard is killed. The entire scene is shocking and gripping, but all the tension immediately fades away when you realize everything is about to be put back to normal since it’s just the start of the game.
6 The Godfather
A lot of people missed out on The Godfather, a criminally underrated game from the same world as the iconic film series. Those that did pick up the game on its release were shocked by the games opening tutorial section.
The game lets you learn the basic controls with what you might assume will be the main character, but after only a few short minutes the game switches gears. Rather than your current character being the main hero, he’s actually gunned down, and you transition to play as his son.
5 Clive Barker’s Jericho
There have been a lot of strange games throughout the history of gaming, and many would consider Clive Barker’s Jericho as one of the strangest. The horrific first-person shooter surprised many when it was released back in 2007.
This game may not kill you as quickly as some other games, but the death is unavoidable and brutal. As you learn the ropes of the game as Devin Ross, things only get stranger and stranger. Eventually, you’ll find yourself mauled by a creature and forced into controlling another squad member.
4 Super Pitfall
While this particular entry may be a bit of a cheat due to the fact that the player isn’t necessarily forced into taking the death, just about every player will experience it upon their first session with the game.
Right at the start of the game, there is a small ladder that looks relatively standard. Most people would think it’s safe to climb down, but that's where everyone would be wrong. The ladder leads everyone into what can most simply be referred to as an instant death pit. Whoever thought putting that right at the start was a good idea is one of gaming’s earliest trolls.
3 Battlefield 1
One of the most shocking and visceral moments from games was in Battlefield 1. Not only are you put into countless situations that see you dying over and over, but the entire ordeal is meant as a message to the player.
The game lets you take control of a variety of soldiers, but in each instance, you will die. The game makes a point of telling you the person's name and just how short their lives actually were. It serves as a reminder about the horrors of war in a way that many games have failed to capture.
2 Final Fantasy 2
Fans often forget about Final Fantasy 2 and all the unique things that it did for the franchise. While your characters don’t technically die, you are forced into the same conditions that would lead to a game over.
Your core party members for the game find themselves attacked by a band of terrifying black knights. Those knights decimate the party, no matter how hard you try, leading to an immediate death. While the party members do survive, the game shows you that letting your party get wiped isn’t great, but it’s also not the end of the world.
1 God Of War 2
Kratos has a pretty rough go of things throughout the God Of War series. While he isn’t necessarily killed entirely, he is sent to Hades quite often. Zeus kicks off God Of War 2 by showing Kratos that he isn’t as powerful as he thinks he is.
You can struggle all you want against Zeus, but the fight will always end the same way - with him sticking his sword through Kratos. It was shocking for everyone to experience, but it also gave a new reason to keep on destroying the gods of Olympus.