In almost every game there will come a moment in which everything seems great. You saved the day, the journey is over, all is peaceful — except that after one brief revelation, everything that you thought was wonderful comes tumbling down. Everyone’s experienced moments that were too good to be true, and they often hurt the most in your favorite games.
Since the medium of gaming is so dynamic, the reveal that something is in fact too good to be true can be done in countless ways. It can come as a revelation of character, or of the world around you — and in some heart-wrenching cases, as the realisation that everything you’ve done has been meaningless.
10 The Escape - Resident Evil Remake
You did it! You managed to take down the incredibly large Tyrant back in the lab, and you made it out into the morning sun for evacuation. Resident Evil accomplished. The only thing is, the game isn’t actually over, and you have one final challenge to overcome. A much more angry Tyrant who’s back for revenge.
It’s possible that some first-time players figured there would be another boss fight since Tyrant went down so easily, but you had a feeling in the back of your mind that the game wasn’t done tossing curveballs at you. The final Tyrant fight can be really tough, especially depending on your unique playthrough.
9 Saving The Day With No Casualties - Final Fantasy 10
The story of Final Fantasy 10 is incredibly complicated, and something that can’t be summed up in a few paragraphs. Those who have played through the game know it can be one of the most heart-wrenching and surprising RPGs anyone could experience.
There are actually a few moments of things being too good to be true. A simple adventure to save the world is actually intended to end with Yuna’s death, and perpetuate the entire cycle. Things get even worse when you realize the main hero you play as doesn't get to have a happy ending after all.
8 You Are A Hero Looking For Your Wife - Silent Hill 2
You know that Silent Hill 2 isn’t exactly a happy game, instead being one of the most famous dreary and stressful games of all time. Still, most people who have played the game initially likely assumed that you’d wind up being a hero, thanks to supernatural shenanigans.
The real issue is that everyone in Silent Hill is a bad person, and main character James is no different. Rather than potentially saving his wife, she’s been dead the entire time, and you’ve been playing as the man who killed her. Good job.
7 The Church Safe Room - Left 4 Dead
There are plenty of instances in which safe rooms aren’t exactly safe in the Left 4 Dead series, but one of the best moments comes from The Church, a chapter within the Death Toll campaign. Basically, you attempt to reach a safe room, but a survivor refuses to let you in, forcing you into facing a few waves of zombies.
Eventually you get to enter the room to meet your new survivor buddy, but it turns out he’s actually turned into a boomer. It’s a dark moment, but one of the funnier instances of something being too good to be true.
6 The Dairy - Telltale's The Walking Dead
One of the most thrilling sections of Telltale’s The Walking Dead’s first season is when the group of survivors arrive at the dairy. The small farm is home to a few friendly southerners who do their best to be hospitable, but most people knew something had to go wrong at some point.
There was the potential for the story to go in a few different directions, but it went to the darkest place possible when the dairy suddenly had plenty of meat to go around. Not only is the family dangerous, they are also cannibals who try to serve you your own friend's leg.
5 Cloud Is A Legendary Mercenary - Final Fantasy 7
Sure, you could just as easily mention the incredible party featured in Final Fantasy 7 that is torn apart by the death of your healer, but the later revelation in the game is the bigger too-good-to-be-true moment. Throughout the game, Cloud has everything handled at every moment.
That makes it all the more shocking when you learn that Cloud’s entire past has been a lie, and that he wasn’t even important enough to rank as highly as Sephiroth. Cloud may still be powerful, but that’s been thanks to his growth in his journey more than his history.
4 The Game Is Really Easy - Undertale
There are a lot of different ways to play through Undertale, all of which are now widely known to just about everyone. Imagine a time when you didn’t know anything about it, and played it for the first time. It felt pretty easy right? Like beating down all the enemies was a breeze, and the only draw was the humor.
That is, until you met Sans toward the end of the game, and a brick wall in the form of his boss fight. Things can be even more difficult if you play the game as intended while sparing everything, as some of the options can actually serve as seriously tough puzzles.
3 Isaac Is Getting Help - Dead Space 2
Everyone knows that things have to go horribly wrong in a horror game at some point, but most people expect at least a little bit of room to breathe. Things aren’t exactly perfect in the opening scenes of Dead Space 2, but Isaac does seem to be getting some kind of help.
The unfortunate truth is that while things did have to get bad, Isaac really wasn’t getting much help of any kind. In less than five minutes you’re thrown into the thick of the horror, and any semblance of Isaac recovering from his past is thrown right out into space.
2 You Saved Elizabeth - Bioshock Infinite
Every single person knew they needed to save Elizabeth the moment they met her for the first time in BioShock Infinite. As one of the most endearing video game characters around, she left a strong impression on a number of gamers, even earning her own playable DLC.
The issue is that when things seem to finally be going your way, you learn that Booker is basically the main villain in a wildly complicated way, and that he must die. To add to that, Elizabeth winds up with an even worse fate in the DLC, making everything you’ve done meaningless.
1 The Land Of Hyrule Is Beautiful - Breath Of The Wild
Putting the story of Breath Of The Wild together can take a bit of time, but once you manage it, things become shockingly clear. Hyrule may be beautiful, but it’s essentially in a post-apocalyptic state. The entire land has been decimated, and Link failed to stop Ganon.
It’s a dark twist on the story that a lot of people probably didn’t expect, considering the only times a Link has been said to lose has happened off screen — or if you give up on a game. Hyrule is gorgeous, but it’s a land filled with monsters and hopeless people.