Summary
Spoilers ahead for games created by Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studios, Kojima Productions, Ninja Theory, Insomniac Games, Sucker Punch, & FromSoftware
There have been manyPlayStationexclusives over the years that have enthralled players through exciting gameplay, riveting storylines, and memorable characters. Yet, in some of the bestPlayStationgames, the narrative moves on without the beloved protagonist, and can even leave players feeling grief over the loss of their favorite main characters.
Some of the best main characters to die in PlayStation games have remained in the hearts of players, and it’s hard to forget some of these characters that led the charge in the constant evolution of the gaming format. Whether controversial or a fitting end, here are some PlayStation games where the main character dies.
Kratos is one of the most famous video game characters of all time, and for good reason. His design and personality are iconic, and his feats are legendary. Kratos is a character who has died more than once, and a character who has cheated death time and again. Yet,God of War 3was at one time to be Kratos’ finale, and despite the continuation of his journey and his growth as a person,God of War 3closed his chapter.
This death comes at the end of the game when Kratos has won his war against the Gods of Olympus but at the cost of plunging humanity into hopeless abandon. Without gods to help, they were doomed. So, Kratos stabbed himself in defiance of Athena, and in the hope that it would bring that very thing back to humanity through what he took from Pandora’s Box. Whilst an end-credits scene teases that he survived, the initial reactions were that Kratos was no more, until of course,God of War(2018).
It’s hard to mention PlayStation without thinking ofThe Last of Us, and even harder still to try and forget that beaten and bloody face of Joel, the beloved protagonist of the first game. Whilst Joel is only playable once inThe Last of Us Part 2, he is still a main character for the game, and his character is vitally important in the narrative forEllie’s odyssey of revenge.
Joel is killed by Abby, a former firefly who has been hunting him for years after Joel murdered her father, the doctor who was going to create a cure at the cost of Ellie’s life. His death scene is all too real and brutal, highly emotional, and unforgettable.
Twomain characters of theMetal Gearsagasay their goodbyes inMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Old Snake, seeing that his time is running out as both clone and infected from FOXDIE, decides to take his own life, until Big Boss uses his CQC to stop Snake, and hugs him in that moment to be the father he never was to his clone. In doing so, Big Boss is contaminated with FOXDIE, ensuring that his life has run its course, but he dies giving hope to his son, and at the gravesite of the Boss, his mentor.
Meanwhile, whilst Old Snake goes on to live the rest of his days, they are brief, and he is most definitely dead after the credits roll, taken by mortality, and not by war. Solid Snake was the only one who got a peaceful ending to his story, but it’s still a tearjerker to have him gone.
War rages on inResistance 2, and players assume the role of Nathan Hale who they might know well at this point from the first game,Resistance: Fall of Man. As a soldier infected with the Chimeran virus, Nathan Hale’s feats speak for themselves, and his bravery, strength, and intellect, made him an important soldier for humanity as theyfought to liberate Britainfrom Chimera territory, the dreaded alien species who sought to claim over Earth.
Sadly, Nathan’s fight with the Chimeran leader, Daedalus, only furthered the progress of his virus, and upon killing this grave enemy, he absorbed him and became the very enemy he swore to destroy. Nathan Hale was reluctantly killed by his subordinate, freeing Hale from a will that was no longer his own.
Nariko, the protagonist ofHeavenly Sword, is on a quest for vengeance. She wields the very title of the game, the weapon known as the Heavenly Sword in order to lay waste to those who would die for it, and to finally put an end to the tyrant King Bohan, who has plunged the world into chaos upon his invasion. Yet, the sword itself drains her of life throughout the game, and Nariko shares her story when it’s already too late to save herself.
Nariko’s death is a sad one, for the deal one makes with such a powerful weapon is that their life is forfeit. Nariko died because she had fulfilled her wish, and her prophecy, and had defeated the grand villain that threatened all. Her sacrifice is poignant, and her fate is truly sealed from the moment she clasped the weapon.
Cole MacGrath returns on a new questto venture to New Marais and grow his powers so he can become strong enough to take down the Beast, a dreaded foe capable of immense destruction, and an entity that could take the world. Yet, as Cole’s journey in New Marais continues, he finds himself understanding the Beast as an old friend, and the choice between power or sacrifice wains heavy.
If Cole follows the path of righteousness, then he will use a device to eradicate conduit life, using himself as the vessel to charge it. Whilst many may die, billions will be saved, and the Beast’s plague will be no more. It’s a sacrifice for a hero, but perhaps Cole’s story is not over, as when he is laid to rest at sea, lightning strikes his body with a brief question mark appearing in the clouds.
Starting the adventure inDemon’s Soulsis intimidating, for anyone who knows FromSoftware knows that death is part of the experience. When players fight their first boss,win or lose, their canon death will occur, and it’s something that cannot be altered or avoided, the protagonist has to die to proceed forward. Whilst death is integral to the narrative, it still occurs for the main character.
Time and again, the Slayer of Demons will be killed inDemon’s Souls, and even upon the ending, despite being free of the demon scourge or claiming more souls with the Old One, the Slayer of Demons is still dead, cursed with undying.
