Good Endings without the 'Good' part?

[trooper6]

That's why I disliked the Mass Effect 3 ending. Defenders of the game are wont to claim that people disliked it because it was a bittersweet ending. That's not the case, people disliked it because the main character did something totally out-of-character (well, besides the logical inconsistencies everywhere).

I think it depends on how you played Mass Effect and how you conceived of you character. The ending I got was completely in character for my Shepherd. And it was beautiful and was the culmination of all the choices I had made.

[Laiska]

One of my favourite (non-VN) games is NieR (PS3/360). I mention this because one of the reasons I like the game so much, despite the many quirks it has, the characters are likable and the ending is just gut-wrenchingly tragic, like with a capital T. It left me feeling hollow for days on end after I finished the final ending, and I'm not sure whether I would even play it again. However, would I call this a bad ending? Absolutely not. Without spoiling anything, it was the perfect ending for the game, and followed from all of the actions of the characters, and the nature of the setting, in that tragedy was something of a forgone conclusion from the very start.

The director of the game, Yoko Taro, did a talk at GDC last year about how he creates stories, pertaining particularly to the development of NieR. What he suggests is starting from the end, rather than the beginning. For example, if you want to write a story of something sad, start from that sad moment, and craft your narrative to suit it; tune every element of the tale to build sympathy, so that the saddest moment will be as sad as can be. Creating a story this way means that the ending will always suit the story, because the story was suited to the ending. As long as the story and ending are always fully in sync, the ending will be a satisfying and therefore "Good" one, no matter what feeling or emotion it most encompasses.

(If anyone is curious, here is the video of the talk [voiced by interpreter]. Contains major spoilers for NieR, so watch at your own risk. Very interesting talk, though.)

[Kailoto]

The director of the game, Yoko Taro, did a talk at GDC last year about how he creates stories, pertaining particularly to the development of NieR. What he suggests is starting from the end, rather than the beginning. For example, if you want to write a story of something sad, start from that sad moment, and craft your narrative to suit it; tune every element of the tale to build sympathy, so that the saddest moment will be as sad as can be. Creating a story this way means that the ending will always suit the story, because the story was suited to the ending. As long as the story and ending are always fully in sync, the ending will be a satisfying and therefore "Good" one, no matter what feeling or emotion it most encompasses.

Yoko Taro is a great example of a storyteller that prioritizes a strong finish and knows how to manipulate the audience's emotions to achieve that outcome. Despite some of its other flaws, Nier had a great story, and you could really tell that Yoko Taro knew what he was doing with it, unlike most games that have dry, disconnected narratives.

It's a specific writing style that may not be suited for everyone, but it may be worth experimenting with. In visual novels specifically, there's two Japanese types called utsuge and nakige (lit. "depressing game" and "crying game") that are built off of this concept. The progression is such that the story fosters an attachment between the player and the characters (usually through comedic scenes), steadily increases the drama to further involvement, and then climaxes with a severely tragic or melancholic resolution. Nakige usually tidy things up and have things end on a positive note, but most utsuge are unafraid to leave the player with a sense of loss that is never recouped.

It's another example of how "good" endings don't necessarily mean happy or positive, but rather emotionally rewarding. The best stories end with a powerful catharsis, regardless of whether the protagonist succeeds or fails.

[verysunshine]

It's another example of how "good" endings don't necessarily mean happy or positive, but rather emotionally rewarding. The best stories end with a powerful catharsis, regardless of whether the protagonist succeeds or fails.

Yes. If the protagonist was always successful at doing what he set out to do, we wouldn't have Lord of the Flies or Animal Farm. Even ambiguous endings can be effective endings. If you've read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, you'd know this.

Offred is told she is going to be shipped across the border to Canada, but it's left unclear if she makes it, or even if the border crossing is real.

[Jate]

I'm in the minority here. I like happy endings the best and I don't care for sad endings. I can like bittersweet endings if I feel like it was "worth it," such as sacrificing the few to save the many stories, but I still prefer happy ends. There's nothing I hate more when it comes to storytelling than feeling as though I wasted my time, which is generally the case with sad ends, although there can be rare exceptions. I hate Romeo and Juliet, and the Great Gatsby. To me fiction is for escaping reality, and if I wind up depressed it defeats the point. But to each their own ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[ladynamoru]

I know this is weird coming from me but I like those kind of ending as long as it gives a certain closure to the game (You cant just simply kill a char or end a world without a reason)

A sad ending doesn't mean it is Bad ending. It could also mean Good depends on how it is written.

After all, the Good, Bad, and True are just representation of what the Author think of the Ends he/she thought up.

So just write the "End" that you think could wrap the story as a whole.
Some people might hate it but there are some who likes bittersweet or tragic endings.

I for one, would be glad to play your game. ^_^

[Fox Lee]

I'm in the minority here. I like happy endings the best and I don't care for sad endings. I can like bittersweet endings if I feel like it was "worth it," such as sacrificing the few to save the many stories, but I still prefer happy ends. There's nothing I hate more when it comes to storytelling than feeling as though I wasted my time, which is generally the case with sad ends, although there can be rare exceptions. I hate Romeo and Juliet, and the Great Gatsby. To me fiction is for escaping reality, and if I wind up depressed it defeats the point. But to each their own ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If it helps, I'm with you!

I have heard many actors say that comedy is harder to perform than drama, and I think that's true of writing as well. Certainly a well-crafted ending can be "happy" OR "sad", but I think people are more likely to attribute depth or artistic merit to sad endings, and disdain happy endings as childish/naive. Even when it's schlocky garbage, a film with a downer ending has a way of seeming loftier or more thoughtful than an equally junk-food happy ending. Perhaps we feel less entitled to judge something like that, for fear that we might not have understood it? Maybe people some people don't think they (or the characters) deserve happy endings, so they always ring a little false? I don't know, but I sure heard a lot of people unironically claiming End of Evangelion was a better series finale than the TV closer, which to me is madness.

Anyway, I'm not saying there must ALWAYS be some extra reason we have this reaction, nor am I trying to say that anybody who prefers a poignant sad ending is just being fearful or pretentious! This is an area where there's obviously no right or wrong, and what I'm proposing is a trend in people overall, not a quality of any individual person. I just think that in many ways, humans are awfully good at mistaking suffering for depth. For that, and other reasons, when it comes to what I enjoy, I'll always take a good "good" ending over a good "bad" one :p

[Cakey]

I like endings when you feel relieved that the happenings that occured actually stopped and you know... Like waking up after exhausting cleaning night and it happend that you slept only 2 hours.