Though Sega games tend to usually end on somewhat of a high note, considering how many titles these developers have come out with, it’s inevitable that at least a few of these endings would bea little more shocking and unexpected. This often happens when a game seems to be heading in a predictable direction, only to completely flip the script in those last few moments.
Sega has done this on numerous occasions, and though it hasn’t always worked, there are other occasions where it ended up making for a pretty memorable sendoff to the adventure. It’s time to reflect on some of the most weird, random, and surprising endings that have ever appeared in Sega games, and break down why exactly so many players were taken aback after seeing them for the first time.
Games either published or developed by Sega will be considered.
About halfway into the story ofJet Set Radio, it’s revealed the true main villain of the game is none other than Goji Rokkaku; the CEO of Rokkaku Industries who plans to take over the world with a mysterious record known as “The Devil’s Contract”. During the final mission of the game, Beat and the gang manage to destroy Goji’s turntable, ensuring he can’t make his deal with the devil,keeping the streets of Tokyo safe once again.
For all intents and purposes, this would be a perfectly acceptable ending, but during the final scene, a shock twist is revealed by Combo in relation to the true nature of The Devil’s Contract. It turns out the record didn’t actually possess any mystical demonic powers, and in actuality, Goji’s twisted mind had simply pushed him to the brink of insanity. This simple bit of dialogue adds some much-needed context to Goji as a character and even garners him some level of sympathy in a weird way.
Sonic Forceswas the first game in the series whichallowed players to create and control their own protagonist. Despite being an original character, the “Rookie” actually interacts with the main cast quite a lot, and eventually becomes a valued member of the resistance. The battle against Egmman’s forces is a long and arduous one, but it strengthens the bonds of the characters involved and makes it seem as though Rookie is a regular part of the team, or at least would stick around to help restore the world after the war is over.
Instead, the Rookie tells Knuckles that they’re more concerned with leaving the group and finding their own way in the world. It’s a little random and quite abrupt, and though it’s an easy way to remove the character out of the story without getting into a canonical mess, it does seem a little out of character considering how selfless the protagonist acts for the rest of the game.
Seeing A Main Villain Fly Off Into The Sunset Is A Pretty Random Way To End A Story
The enormous success of the first twoHouse of the Deadgames saw the series acquire a fair few spin-offs, with perhaps the most popular beingThe Typing of the Dead. Just as the absurd name implies,Typing of the Deadis all about replicating the light gun mechanics of the arcade over to a standard keyboard, allowing PC players to enjoy the game from the comfort of their own home.
Just like with the other games in the series,Typing of the Deadfeatures a few endings which, in this case, can be triggered depending on what players say to the Emperor during the final few moments. If players decide to lie with each of their answers, they’ll unlock the “Superman” ending where Goldman willbreak the fourth wall, say his goodbyes to the player, and simply fly away with his arm raised high. Why or how this happens is unknown, but it certainly makes for a hilarious conclusion to one of the most bizarre entries in the series.
For the most part, the firstShenmuegame was fairly grounded in realism. If anything, it was a little too realistic considering how slow time would move, and the forklift job Ryo would be forced to take on to earn some cash. Though the second game also remained relatively believable, things started getting a little weird by the time Lan Di exits the story via helicopter.
Later in the story, Ryo meets a girl named Shenhua who seems to have magical powers due to her family’s connection to the “Legacy of Mirrors”. After she and Ryo travel to Shenhua’s hometown to see her father, not only is he not there, but there’s a cryptic note anda strange swordlying around. After fusing the sword with a phoenix mirror, Ryo manages to trigger some sort of magical device which reveals two large dragon and phoenix murals. It’s a shift in tone, to say the least, but there’s no denying it still got fans immensely excited about the next installment because of how strange and out of the blue it was.
There’s Nothing Like An Unnerving Fourth Wall Break To Make An Ending Memorable
Depending on how players perform throughout their playthrough inHouse of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn, they’ll acquire one of four endings which all offer drastically different conclusions to the storyline. Of course,the zombies are the primary enemies in the game, but the one pulling the strings behind the scenes is eventually revealed to be Thornheart, the manager of the manor where the game takes place.
Despite being confronted by Kate and Ryan at the very end, Thornheart manages to escape with his life intact after unleashing a terrifying monster known as The Moon to cover his tracks. In one of the game’s worse endings, Thornheart can be seen relaxing in a church, before he starts speaking to the player directly, assuring them this is only the start of something much bigger. This is already creepy enough, but the fact the camera also starts glitching out is definitely an unnerving final touch.
At the beginning ofSonic Unleashed, Chip can admittedly come off as a little annoying and unlikable, but over the course of the adventure, his layers are gradually peeled back to reveal that he’s actually a decent guy deep down. Even Sonic manages to grow close to Chip after he tries to help him find a way to revert his new Werehog powers, but it’s this gradual development of the two’s relationship that makes the ending so shocking to witness.
After a chaotic battle with the godlike entity known asDark Gaia, Chip uses the last of his energy to throw Sonic to safety, who by that point, was more or less unconscious after using the immense power of Super Sonic. It would be a standardSonicending if he and Chip took down the final bad guy and parted ways, but Sega decided to take a more emotional approach to this final sequence, which definitely helps it stand out.
