5 video game cliffhangers that amounted to nothing

Games often end on interesting cliffhangers to arouse curiosity for their inevitable sequel. However, not all of them lead to a concrete resolution, leaving fans clamoring for a conclusion. Most titles with a robust storyline tend to forget to tie the loose ends in the upcoming iterations.

The unresolved endings are not intended to frustrate the audience but to pique interest. Unfortunately, some titles get discontinued or shelved altogether for unforeseen reasons. The cliffhangers that leave a bad taste in the mouth are those that are featured in games that have sequels but don’t address them or brush them under the rug.

Disclaimer: This listicle is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions. This article also contains major spoilers.

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5 endings in games that left players hanging: Half-Life 2, Darkness 2, and more

1) Half-Life 2: Episode Two ending

Half-Life 2 is one of the iconic video games that influenced many first-person shooter titles. It has no cutscenes and players witness events from the perspective of Gordon Freeman. The title is remembered not only for its intriguing plot but for leaving fans waiting for a resolution for years.

At the end of Half-Life 2, Gordon, along with his friends Eli and Alyx, aims to escape the facility through the hangar in order to reach a ship called Borealis. Their escape is thwarted by two robots called Advisors, and one of them grabs Eli and kills him.

The other manages to get hold of Alyx (Eli’s daughter) but their pet robot named Dog saves her. In this scuffle, she is killed and the game ends abruptly while Alyx is shown crying near her body.

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2) Darkness 2: Ended by trapping the protagonist in hell

Darkness 2 is one of the most underrated games with unique gameplay elements. It enables players to take control of Jackie, who is part of the mob. He is not a normal man as he wields the power of Darkness, thereby giving him inhuman abilities and a pair of demonic arms.

Players are tasked with retrieving the protagonist’s deceased love interest’s soul from hell, while fending off enemies who aim to render them powerless by eradicating Darkness. While the game has multiple endings, a final scene depicts Jackie’s love interest getting possessed by a demon named Angelus, who intends to imprison him in hell for eternity.

The exact fate of the protagonist is still unknown and there are no plans on the horizon to continue the Darkness franchise. Fans of the series are waiting with bated breath to know about Jackie’s fate and whether or not they will get to wield his demonic abilities.

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3) Devil May Cry: Left the world's fate unresolved

The 2013 Devil May Cry reboot was a controversial entry in the series owing to revamping Dante’s look. It is safe to say that the game itself is robust and fun to play with a variety of stylish combos that players can execute. The story concludes with Vergil revealing his true plans to eradicate humans since he considers them a worthless species.

Dante manages to defeat him but the world is left in chaos due to the demon infestation. He suffers from an identity crisis since he failed to know his brother’s true intentions. While the story is sort of complete in a technical sense, the fate of the interesting world of this reboot is left hanging with Capcom focusing on the old Dante and his timeline.

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4) Arkham City: The Joker’s death

Arkham City ended on a high note by killing off the fan-favorite villain, The Joker. Fans were shocked to learn that Batman’s arch-nemesis was gone for good. Furthermore, it was out of character for the Dark Knight to kill a person. All these factors added to the shock value of the game's end.

However, the Joker was part of Arkham Knight and appeared to Batman as a hallucination. While this doesn't take away from Arkham City's amazing ending, the impact of the iconic villain's death is diluted by his prominent inclusion in Arkham Knight. This warrants an inclusion in the list of cliffhangers that ultimately amounted to nothing.

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5) Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag: No impact of John’s identity on lore

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag features two sections - one has the player immersed in the pirating life of Edward Kenway and the other involves playing as an Abstergo employee in present time in first-person perspective. In the latter part, players are assigned tasks by one of the IT employees named John.

The employee is revealed to be a reincarnation of Bartholomew Roberts, who is also the villain in the pirate world and was defeated by Edward in a climactic battle before the final cutscene. He injects a serum or poison into the player’s body while revealing that he is part of an alien race.

His plan is immediately thwarted as he gets shot immediately post the reveal, which negates the impact of the revelation. No titles in the Assassin’s Creed franchise ever expanded upon his identity, fate, or possibility of inclusion in the future.

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Most titles often play with players' heartstrings to deliver an emotional impact. Some endings, however, are left unresolved and don’t lead to a satisfying conclusion.