Is there life after the game has ended?
I've got to admit it.
I'm a simple person.
I like games with obvious endings and information that you can wander around the world after the ending. I'd assume the game is done if there's no information like that.
If I see the end credits, and the game returning to the main menu I assume this is it. The end. If the background of the menu has changed - I consider it a kind of reward.
Some games like to fool the player by showing him a sad ending, playing a song on the ending credits, and showing you the main menu, but not telling you there's more.
Just to be clear - I like multiple endings! Not necessarily what they call cannon/non-cannon endings. But whether we talk about consequences of choices for which you have to replay the game again (or watch them on YouTube if it's only a matter of an ending cutscene) or loading a saved game from the almost ending because it is a matter of one choice (like in Deus Ex: Human Revolution). What I don't like are endings hidden after you're supposedly already done with the game.
Some time ago I complained about Doki Doki Literature Club.
Among many of my complaints, there was one about the ending... of the first chapter. It gives you the impression that it's a story about handling depression (and failing at it). If I didn't know more (thanks, Honest Game Trailers) I would not play again. Which would probably leave me more satisfied 😉
The funny thing is that this beginning chapter is only â…“ of the entire game.
Flash forward to playing Blandly Bravely Default 2. Imagine playing like 40 hours of a J-RPG. It's not the best thing ever. The characters are not interesting, the story is so cliche it even features crystals, and the best moments are probably the episodic villains' backstories. Because the villain is also cliche. But at some point, you win and... get a sad ending. Roll credits. Of course, there's more, as I learned from the Internet. You have to load the game just before the last boss, and suddenly you get the rest of the game. Because this is what you want to do after beating the "final" boss - load a save just before the "final" battle and fight the boss again, right? Wouldn't it be better if the same resolution appeared after the end credits? (like that Nicolas Cage movie). But no, figure it out, gamer!
Digression. It's funny that the first ending is usually the sad one.
Reminds me of that Orson Welles quote
Wouldn't it be funny if the first ending to a story was a bland happy ending, and if they want to play more they can unlock the other endings: more complex, more dramatic, more sad. Stupid gamer! He should've just stopped playing the game after achieving the good ending!
At this point, I think you know my stance on the topic.
But I want to mention one more game - the end credits extravaganza of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.
Kept you waiting, huh?
This is a funny, yet cool game.
Gameplay-wise it is the best Metal Gear Solid game.
Story-wise... it’s the most disappointing Metal Gear Solid game.
This is the last game I finished in 2024 (kinda...), but I watched the end credits three times after three stories ended with long cutscenes (surprisingly no manly tears, how unkojimingly). And again, if I didn't know there's more I might end after the first credits. But unlike Blandly Default 2, I didn't end there. I had to see all of them. Did I? I don't know, maybe there's a fourth end-credits somewhere.
This got me thinking: maybe the existence of end credits is to blame? Is it possible to not view end credits at the end of a game and not feel the wrath of hired co-creators?
PS. Here’s a very interesting interview about niches in gaming!