Game overs have been an integral part of video game design ever since 1972’s Pong. Players have experienced loss and will continue to do so. It is the simple part of gaming, and having the ability to come back stronger, and learn from previous mistakes as if losing or dying never happened in the first place.
Yet, there are some games out there where death is incorporated into the story. For every game over, there is in-game reasoning behind said death, whether that be a lesson learned for next time, or a consequence to take into the next segment of the game.
10 Borderlands
There is no “game over” in the Borderlands series. At least not for the protagonist. Although many characters players encounter during the story can have dramatic and final deaths, the same cannot be said for them. Instead, the New-U Station is introduced, a feature that has aged well for all Borderlands titles.
These antenna-like terminals are scattered throughout the games and act as respawn points upon death. The penalty for a “game over” is a snarky comment from the machine and a hefty cost from the in-game wallet. The New-U “digistructs” an entirely new body from the player’s last saved DNA to replicate them exactly.
9 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
The franchise helmed by Hideo Kojima has many reoccurring themes like the game over screen. Metal Gear Solid’s game over screen is loud, and pained with members of Snake’s party often mourning his demise. However, the player’s death can be utilized in the game.
Players are given the Fake Death Pill early in the game. When consumed, this item will kill Naked Snake, and enter the game over screen. However, players can access the item wheel and revive themselves, surprising some bosses and enemies, and even using the pill to escape a cell later in the game’s story.
8 Beyond: Two Souls
Game creator David Cage feels as if the “game over” screen is a state of failure for game designers rather than players. To combat this, his title Beyond: Two Souls has many alternatives to death. If players fail or refuse to complete certain actions or quick-time events, then there is no game over screen.
There are alternative routes and pieces to the complex story of this narrative-driven title. A game over isn’t what one might think, but just means that players might “fail” certain events, and will miss what happens during them, but the story continues.
7 Grand Theft Auto 5
Dying is something that will happen to most players in their adventures through Grand Theft Auto 5. The game has so much to offer in terms of exploration and messing around, that it’s practically impossible not to die. Whether that includes jumping out of a jet without a parachute or entering an unwinnable gunfight.
Death is not the end for the player. As “WASTED” appears on the screen in bold red letters, and the screen slowly fades out from black and white, players will respawn at a hospital with one of the three protagonists they died as. Checking their bank accounts, players will see that they’ve had to pay for a hefty hospital bill, meaning that no matter how the player “dies” the nurses and doctors can patch them up.
6 Pokemon
Many players of this hit franchise have experienced losing a Pokemon battle against a better opponent, and with the franchise evolving with every new game, it's a fate that will continue. Whether their Pokemon had higher levels or were using Pokemon that was super effective. A game over in Pokemon isn’t necessarily a game over, but the game says to get stronger and try again later.
If the player has their Pokemon faint in a battle, then the text will appear on the screen stating “You blacked out…” It would be rather odd to die in a child-friendly game, and as such, the player rushes to the nearest Pokemon center to revive their injured Pokemon.
5 Fortnite
Fans of the Battle Royale titan Fortnite are aware that there is a rather rich, and lore heavy story when it comes to Fortnite. The game certainly isn't going anywhere anytime soon and has plenty of stories to explore. Upon the surface, it may just seem like a fun game to go in solo, or with friends, in which players become the last man standing to get that precious victory royale.
When players are eliminated in Fortnite, the game over is a part of the story. Players are known as “Loopers,” and are caught inside The Loop, which is the island they battle on. Each death happens, yet they are brought back each game in an endless cycle of fun and death.
4 Bloodborne
Many of the games by FromSoftware feature death as a mechanic. Players are used to dying over and over until victory is within reach, whether that includes farming blood echoes to become more powerful, or simply mastering specific skills to overcome the odds. Bloodborne is no exception to FromSoftware’s design.
Every death in Bloodborne serves an actuality. When the player dies, they return to The Hunter’s Dream. This is essentially the game over screen, but instead of hitting retry, the player must re-live. There will be many bosses that players will die to. Players have the option to recover their lost blood echoes before they die again, and the cycle repeats. The playable protagonist of Bloodborne is trapped in The Hunter’s Dream and must survive the eternal night to end the dreaming once and for all.
3 Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman has some iconic villains in his ever-growing Rogues Gallery. Rocksteady Studios utilize a plethora of Batman’s villains in their Batman: Arkham Series. Rocksteady also brought back the ever-iconic Kevin Conroy as the Caped Crusader. More importantly, the game over screen has its own story depending on who killed Batman. Players might get a mini-cut scene involving The Joker laughing, or Scarecrow with a terrifying gloat of victory.
The game over screens plays a bigger role in the story toward the late game of Batman: Arkham Asylum. After players experience the panic of thinking their game crashed, they’ll soon enter a game over screen with the tip “Use the middle stick to dodge Joker’s gunfire.” Upon hitting “retry,” Batman will dig himself out of a grave to find that this was all a Scarecrow-induced hallucination.
2 Dark Souls
Perhaps regarded as one of the hardest video game series of all time, Dark Souls was not afraid to market itself as such when it came to the re-release that included the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. This title was named “Prepare To Die Edition,” something players will be doing, a lot.
Death is integral to Dark Soul’s design. The player dies and is resurrected at bonfires. The punishment is that their character will be hollower than the last. Gameplay-wise, other than looking hideously ghoulish, they will have reduced health. Dying and returning is also part of the story, as it is the curse of those that are hollows.
1 Shadow Of Mordor
Death is its reward in Shadow of Mordor. If players are seeking a greater challenge, then they can spend their merry time getting murdered. This title by Monolith Studios features the unique “Nemesis System,” in which random Uruk-hai and Orcs that kill the player protagonist Talion will grow stronger and rise through the ranks of Sauron’s army.
Therefore, death is both rewarding and punishing, depending on what the player seeks. Players can seek revenge from the ghastly fiend that killed them, and perhaps that ghastly fiend will seek revenge too. Players will continuously be resurrected through their cursed link to the elf Celebrimbor. This title is a great addition to the many Lord of the Rings video games.