History HopeSpot / VideoGames

* In Chapter 5 of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', up until now you've been put through hell: Sigurd's father died to give him his InfinityPlusOneSword, then you watch as Sigurd's Best Friend Quan and his sister (Quan's Wife) Ethlyn are brutally murdered in the desert. As you approach for what appears to be a massive battle against Reptor and Aida, Velthomer forces, which had been dropping a meteor on you up until this point, suddenly change their tune and attack Reptor and his allies, and things finally seem to be going right. Upon talking with Aida, she states that Arvis knows Sigurd is innocent, and has a hero's welcome planned for him at the capital. [[BlatantLies Guess]] [[TearJerker what]] [[KillItWithFire happens]] [[TheHeroDies then]].

* ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'', Ending A: Chuck manages to call in escorts for the survivors of Fortune City before it can be firebombed. As he goes to retrieve his daughter Katey's backpack, however, a zombified TK suddenly jumps him, forcing the helicopter carrying Katey to leave without him. [[spoiler:"Case West" subverts this with Frank pulling a BigDamnedHeroes moment and saving Chuck.]]

* A cutscene in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'' shows Jill finally reaching the rescue helicopter at the Clock Tower. The music is relieving and she even thinks "It's finally over..." [[spoiler:Then Nemesis shoots the helicopter down.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': Once all but one of [[spoiler:[[BonusBoss Spamton NEO]]'s]] strings have been cut, he'll realize the Fun Gang is trying to free him from the strings he thinks are holding back his new body. He dances around with joy and thanks Kris and co. for turning the other cheek and freeing him...and then the last string is cut, dropping him unceremoniously on the ground and critically wounding him. He has to be haphazardly strung up to some vines to give his final words.

** In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', after reducing the true final boss [[spoiler:Izanami-no-Okami to zero HP, she does not, in fact, go down, but instead starts using an attack that seems to ''drag you down to Hell.'' She targets the Protagonist, but his party members [[TakingTheBullet push him out of the way to take the attack instead, one by one.]] Their [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices]] seem to mean nothing, as when the Protagonist is left alone, Izanami simply laughs at the futility of their actions and hits him with the attack anyway, as the MissionControl desperately pleads for them to return. Later subverted, when the Protagonist obtains the [[CombinedEnergyAttack power to defeat Izanami]] from the [[ThePowerOfFriendship bonds he has forged.]]]]

** An almost-hope spot in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''. [[spoiler:When you use the Oath to Order on the clock tower at the end of the third day before saving all the giants, the giants you HAVE saved will come to stop the moon, and for a moment, it looks like they may do it, but soon will tell you they aren't strong enough. In fact, they aren't strong enough to completely stop the moon even if they ''are'' all there. The only difference is that if they are, then the moon will open up and absorb Majora's Mask before continuing to fall, giving you one last chance to finish them both off.]]
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', Link succeeds in destroying Demise, [[BarrierMaiden Zelda]] wakes up, and all appears to be well. Then [[RecurringBoss Ghirahim]], who has been silent for the entire third act, comes BackForTheFinale, kidnaps Zelda, and uses a portal [[NiceJobbreakingItHero you opened earlier]] to go back in time to revive Demise there. Then he pulls it a second time when you follow him--you succeed in beating him into submission, only for him to reveal that the resurrection ritual he started has continued without him. Cue [[EldritchAbomination Demise]] breaking free of his prison and absorbing Zelda's soul.

* In ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', after praying six times in the final fight against Giygas, praying again just gives you "Paula's prayer was absorbed by the darkness." [[spoiler:Subverted in that you just have to pray one ''more'' time.]]

* In ''VideoGame/PrincessWaltz'', the fight between Liliana and Angela is essentially a series of Hope Spots for the former, that becomes all the more painful when [[spoiler:Angela emerges victorious in the end.]]

** The game mechanics themselves create one in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' at the end of the Rannoch plot arc if you sided with the geth and could neither persuade nor intimidate the quarians into a ceasefire. After the quarians are wiped out by the geth, a [[BreakTheCutie crying Tali]] takes off her mask and turns to Shepard to say "I'm sorry..." before [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide falling backwards over a cliff]], in slow motion, while Shepard runs toward her with a '''Paragon Interrupt''' flashing in your face. If you trigger it, Shepard dives for her... but even then Shepard can't catch her.]]

* A cutscene in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'' shows Jill finally reaching the rescue helicopter at the Clock Tower. The music is relieving and she even thinks "It's finally over..." [[spoiler: Then Nemesis shoots the helicopter down.]]

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* ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours'' subverts this; by having the mansion gunfight that ended the original film as the first stage, it is inevitable that Tony detects and kills his would-be murderer, then fights through the Mooks and escapes to return another day. If the player deliberately takes too long to move and lets the assassin kill Tony, it becomes a DoubleSubversion.

* In ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'', a famous scene includes [[AxCrazy Luca]] [[TheCaligula Blight]] asking a woman in his mercy if she wanted to live so badly. The woman says yes, then Luca tells her to act like a pig for his entertainment for him if she wants to live. The woman did so. And when she's done doing so?
-->'''Luca Blight''': '''''DIE, PIG!!!''' ''[kills the woman]''
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManZero 4'' we have a [[SarcasmMode lovely]] example. After defeating all of the Einherjar Warriors it would seem that everything will finally be okay. Then [[spoiler:Craft]] goes and fires Ragnarok anyway in an attempt to kill off [[BigBad Dr. Weil]]. It apparently works. [[spoiler:That is, until players notice that the game hasn't gone through the prerequisite BossRush...]]


* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'':
** In the final cinematic of ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'' [[FallenHero Arthas]] approaches the Frozen Throne all the while hearing the voices of various characters [[WhatTheHellHero calling him out]] on his actions throughout the last two games. As the Lich King demands to be freed, Arthas roars and swings his sword into the Frozen Throne, shattering it. Just as players think he's finally redeemed himself, Arthas puts on the Lich King's crown and both declare
--->'''Lich King/Arthas''': "Now we are one."
** In VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', Ji attempts to invoke this trope in the Pandaren starting zone, after the Pandaren player character returns with news that [[spoiler:their master has passed away]]. Aysa tells him that he knew this was going to happen, but he responds with "Let a Pandaren hope, would you?"
** During a Southern Barrens quest chain for Alliance, a Dwarven pilot crashes his plane and seems to be badly injured. Then the player gets a quest to retrieve some ale for him, saying "that should do the trick." Since Dwarves regularly seem to get better after drinking, it's easily assumed he'll be just fine. But then upon returning with the ale, he clumsily upends it over his face and states, "That should make this a bit easier." before dying.
* One of the endings to ''{{VideoGame/Obsidian}}'' has protagonists Lilah Kerlins and Max Powers escape from the artificial worlds they've been trapped in for most of the game. [[spoiler:However, as the presence of the [[AIIsACrapshoot villainous AI]] CERES' avatar, the Conductor, and the dramatic camera zoom-out show, CERES' dream of a [[DeadlyEuphemism 'rebooted']] Earth have been realized.]]
* Discussed in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. During a conversation with Aveline during the third act, she describes the lighting of the beacon at Ostgar in the first game as this. "It was the oddest feeling. Hope, answered with...nothing."
* PlayedForLaughs in ''VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse2'': when Mira interrupts Beerus's duel with Goku during the events of ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods Battle of Gods]]'', Beerus is close to blowing his top and destroying the universe out of sheer annoyance. The good news is that the Supreme Kai of Time has something that can calm Beerus down: a box of pudding, the snack he was denied from having earlier. The bad news is that the pudding was made by the Supreme Kai of Time, and the assertion that her cooking can ''[[LethalChef give Saiyans stomachaches]]'' is proven to be no exaggeration: Goku is left doubled-over in pain, and Beerus is '''''[[DisproportionateRetribution twice as pissed!]]'''''
* The eponymous CIMA in ''VideoGame/CIMATheEnemy'' actually exploit this. Since they [[EmotionEater feed on people's hope]], they set up situations for people who are pulled into the CIMA world to allow them to escape, only to crush them later on before they can get out.
* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' - Has a tragic DownerEnding example. Gabriel Belmont is told that he can bring his wife back to life if he defeats the Lords of Shadow and obtain a special mask that can bring back the dead. After a long epic adventure, Belmont defeats the Lords of Shadow, [[spoiler:only to get betrayed by Zobek who lied to him about the true purpose of the mask. He's then forced to watch as Zobek brings Lucifer into the world. And after Zobek gets betrayed by Lucifer and Belmont defeats the fallen angel, he then learns from his wife's spirit that the masks only let you see into the spiritual world, but can't bring a person's soul back into the physical world. Depressed by this, Gabriel Belmont loses his faith in God and descends into darkness over the years until he becomes the very Dracula the Belmont decedents have to fight and kill every one hundred years. Which players have been doing since the original ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania|I}}''.]]
* After friending the Satan-worshiping Woodland Critters on Facebook in ''Videogame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'', you can find them having a conversation on your page about how one of them is disheartened by the idea of good things happening to good people, to which another responds that their lord must give others hope so that he can take it away.
* ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'': Brood War has one in the Ground Zero mission. Not five minutes into the game, nukes start dropping like crazy, destroying your outlying supply depots. Fortunately, reinforcements are coming in, and come in they do, even inclduing battle cruisers. They all head slowly towards the drop-off point, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck helpfully indicated]] [[CrosshairAware by a glowing red light...]] [[spoiler:Thanks to game mechanics, it's possible to avert this by researching Spider Mine technology before the nukes drop, as they can detect the cloaked nuke droppers.]]
* ''VideoGame/MarioParty9'': When the Super Star is being determined at the end of the game, the platforms under the losing players disappear one by one, causing them to fall. Sometimes, the Star will hover over the player that came in second long enough for them to do a victory pose, only to move over to the actual winner before dropping them.
* ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong Mini-Land Mayhem'':
** Once you beat DK at the end of the first level, triumphant music starts playing and the Minis begin to celebrate only for Donkey Kong to get up, grab Pauline, and run off to the next level. In levels 2-8, the minis know they haven't really won so they hold off on the celebration, but the dramatic music that played after 1-DK makes a cameo after winning 8-DK, letting you know that the final battle is up ahead.
** [[spoiler:The win over the first Final Ferris Wheel can also be called that. And then suddenly DK grabs Pauline and you're forced to play in Plus mode which is a dusky version of the original levels where you have to get the minis out in a certain order, not too hard at first but quickly gets tiresome. The true ending can only be gotten after beating Final Ferris Wheel Plus.]]

* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'', the plans of the BigBadTriumvirate was effectively to enslave the Earth under God's orders. After they're taken care of two-thirds of the way through the game, you learn that this wasn't God's plan at all and He never supported the villains. [[spoiler:His true plan was to ''destroy'' the Earth. At this point, God/YHVH becomes the Big Bad and is fought on all endings, even on the one where you carry out His plans due to His Dragon, whom the Hero is working with, realizing that his master just crossed the Moral Event Horizon.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Antichamber}}'': [[spoiler:The first time you realize you are on the other side of the glass by the exit door - maybe you've won! Nope.]]

* ''VideoGame/DiabloII'': The cinematics in the original game are a huge Hope Spot as Marius narrates his adventure to a cloaked man whom he believes to be the archangel Tyrael. [[spoiler:It was actually the Prime Evil Baal, and Marius was doomed the moment he set foot in that room.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' does this at least twice:
** Near the end of the Neutral path, [[spoiler:if you spare King Asgore, he'll offer to let you live in the Underground with him and his ex-wife Toriel. Then Flowey shows up, finishes Asgore off, destroys his soul so you can't absorb its power and pass through the barrier, ''and'' steals the souls of the other six fallen children, becoming the final boss Omega Flowey.]]
** Near the end of the [[GoldenEnding True Pacifist path]], [[spoiler:Toriel interrupts the battle with Asgore, all your friends show up, and it looks like things are going to be resolved peacefully. Then you learn Papyrus was told by "a talking flower" to gather everybody together... surprise, it's Flowey again, and he's absorbed the 6 human souls. This is then subverted when, even though he has tied up your friends, they are still able to use their attacks to defend you while giving messages of support, followed by ''every'' monster in the game coming to support you.... but this gets subverted ''again'', as it only allows Flowey to absorb the soul of every monster in the Underground on top of the six human souls, returning him to his original form of Asriel Dreemur right before he goes OneWingedAngel and becomes [[TrueFinalBoss the "Absolute God of Hyperdeath"]].]]
** Subverted at the end of the credits for the True Pacifist Run; [[spoiler:Asriel appears, and says "Ha ha ha ha... Did you REALLY think it was OVER!?!?"... but then he reverts back to his child form and says "I mean, we haven't even done the Special Thanks yet..."]].
** You, the player, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential can potentially give these]] to any character you fight, by pacifying someone to the point where you would be able to use Mercy, but then decided to attack them rather than spare them. Most characters will be shocked, and some [[DevelopersForesight give special dialogue]] about how you ruthlessly cut them down at their most emotionally vulnerable point. [[spoiler:If you're in the [[OmnicidalManiac Genocide Route]], Sans can pull this trick on ''you''. Halfway through his incredibly [[ThatOneBoss grueling]] boss fight, he suggests that even after all you've done, he would still be willing to give you Mercy if you promise to turn back and work towards redemption. Should you [[SchmuckBait accept this offer]], Sans promptly kills you with a completely unavoidable attack]].
** If you start up ''Undertale'' again after you've already reached the GoldenEnding, you'll be greeted by [[spoiler:Flowey, who pops up and begs you not to reset the game since, if you do so, you'll take away everyone's "happily ever after." Yes, you're able to turn the GoldenEnding into a mere HopeSpot simply by resetting the game... A fact that Sans reinforces during the boss fight against him when he admits that he StoppedCaring when [[MediumAwareness he became aware]] of the fact that "one day, without any warning... it's all going to be reset." He also admits that he doesn't even find the possibility of the GoldenEnding appealing any more, either, since "even if we do [reach the Golden Ending]... [[WhatTheHellPlayer we'll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right?"]]]]
* The Xbox 360 port of ''VideoGame/{{Mushihimesama}} Futari'' has an achievement that uses this trope: You must lose your last life with the Stage 5 OneUp on the screen.
* ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'': [[spoiler:The apparent demise of the Wither Storm in Episode 3]], somewhat tainted by the image on the episode select screen for Episode 4.
* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'': It looks like the Neutral path is playing out as it did in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'': [[spoiler:Flynn has established himself as the savior of Tokyo from its crappy situation of being a demon-infested hell sealed beneath bedrock for the past 25 years, kicking Law and Chaos ass left and right with his trusty partner Isabeau.]] But then [[spoiler:the Divine Powers step in, force him to surrender, and steal him away, utterly crushing the hopes and dreams of Tokyo's populace]], setting the stage for a new and ''far worse'' AlternateContinuity.
* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}:'' This is the biggest reason why enemy Mercy is always the highest priority target. Did you just spent your Ultimates to kill 4, 5 enemy heroes? Well, too bad, because you didn't kill Mercy and now [[MassResurrection she has resurrected all the enemies.]]
** This has somewhat been subverted by a major patch that happened some time ago. Now Mercy has been changed to where she can only resurrect one Hero at a time, and her ultimate ability is her flying high into the air where attacks from the enemy team are hard to reach her. With that said, this can still apply if the team kills an enemy hero that is top fragging and carrying the team, and they fail to kill Mercy with him/her. Because Mercy single resurrects are now an average cooldown ability, meaning she can always revive that top player on the team by being a pocket medic.
* ''VideoGame/WhenTheDarknessComes'': After some horror scenes and a bit of platform hell, the player ends up in a nice, peaceful house with a couch and a TV, and are given the chance to just take it easy, as long as they can find the remote. [[spoiler:When the TV is turned on, it's to a static channel with the sound of sirens, followed by the warning to "find a safe place" as the landscape burns down around outside and the world suddenly explodes.]]
* ''VideoGAme/YakuzaLikeADragon''; after the Omi Alliance and the Tojo Clan disband (with their leaders planning to reform their organizations into a legitimate private security company), Ichiban meets with his father figure and former patriarch Masumi Arakawa. The two discuss that with the Omi disbanded, [[BigBad Ryo Aoki]] no longer has the muscle he needs for his fascistic anti-crime policies, and so perhaps the two can work together to talk Aoki back onto the side of good. Ichiban, overjoyed at the possibility of serving Arakawa again, goes home happy. [[spoiler: Arakawa is murdered by a FakeDefector that night, and a sizeable portion of the Omi Alliance refuses to disband and reorganizes on Aoki's payroll, setting the protagonists' plans back several steps.]]
* The Crawler from ''VideoGame/FableIII'' is a huge fan of these. [[spoiler:When the Hero and Walter enter into its lair on the path to Aurora, the demon appears and begins taunting them, especially playing on Walter's claustrophobia to torment him. In a panic, Walter throws his torch at the demon and it collapses, shrieking as it disintegrates in the flames. At last, you're safe... until you hop down a ledge and Walter gets snatched away by dark tendrils just before he can join you. You find him later on and rescue him following a lengthy battle against numerous powerful Dark Minions, and together you finally get out of the cave and into the noonday sun! You're badly beaten and exhausted, and you have to leave Walter on the steps of the demon's prison, but at least you're alive and obviously the Crawler can't follow since the demon is "darkness incarnate" and therefore can't go out in the sun, right? ...suddenly the sky turns black and the Crawler is in your head once more, tormenting you for leaving Walter behind. You go blind and pass out on the steps of Aurora City. The Hero and Walter would both have died if not for the intervention of Kalin and Ben Finn.]]
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' has the trailer "The One-Winged Angel!" It starts with numerous fighters getting [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] by [[BigBad Galeem]], who prepares to finish them off with a powerful charged blast. Galeem is suddenly [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe sliced in half]], much to the fighters' surprise. But any relief they might have felt is crushed when they see that [[EvilVersusEvil Galeem's killer]] is [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]], who declares that he will "bring ''Smash'' despair," summons corrupted [[TheLifestream Lifestream]] to darken the skies, and proceeds to beat up the other fighters himself.
* ''VideoGame/ProjectWingman'': After a long, grueling war between the Federation and Cascadia, at the end of Mission 20 their leaders meet in Presidia to sign a ceasefire. It looks like the war is finally over and peace is at hand. Then [[spoiler:Crimson 1 returns firing a bunch of Cordium missiles, turning the city into an orange Hellscape.]] Cue FinalBoss.

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1:'' Shulk and the party have managed to defeat the Yaldabaoth Faced Mechon, and therefore stop Egil from using the Mechonis Blade from destroying Bionis. Shulk admits to Egil that he's not entirely aware of any sort of phenomena that could be responsible for all the carnage going on, but offers to make peace with Egil and stop the cycle of destruction between Bionis and Mechonis. Egil accepts and reaches out for Shulk's hand to seal their fates... [[spoiler:until Dickson [[FaceHeelTurn shoots Shulk in the back]], and Egil recognizes him as [[LightIsNotGood Zanza]]'s disciple. Shulk has a near-death experience resulting from this, which is enough to free Zanza from his body, reclaim his Monado, and kill Mechonis' Goddess, Lady Meyneth, usurping her own Monado. Egil, as a last-ditch effort to keep Zanza from destroying the world, attacks Bionis once more now that Zanza has become one with it, but he's unsuccessful at making a dent in him, leading Zanza to kill him. While the lack of Egil now keeps Mechon from assassinating the Homs, Zanza uses his new power to [[FromBadToWorse call upon the Telethia]], who were genetically engineered to kill ''all life'' on both Bionis ''and'' Mechonis.]]

* ''VideoGame/WildArmsMillionMemories'' gives us a truly vicious example. [[spoiler: It looks like your party has defeated Mother and Filgaia is saved. Then Siegfried shows up with Rudy in tow (they had vanished halfway through the chapter due to Rudy's powers being activated) and has him reactivate the Yggdrasil System, causing Filgaia to rapidly heat up and face destruction. The opening cutscene replays and the rest of your party are left beside themselves with shock and disbelief. Fortunately, it all works out in the next chapter.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{B3313}}'': The route to the Randomized Realm involves a prison corridor with Peach standing inside a open cell at the end. Getting close to her just warps Mario to a strange void illuminated by spotlights. [[spoiler:Even when you clear the game and save Peach, you just get kicked back into either the castle or the game over screen as if it didn't happen.]]
* In ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'', when Dennis starts blackmailing the protagonist over his role in the Barbarossa incident, Dr. Mosely quickly figures out what’s going on and offers the latter a way out: the two of them will work together to make a recording of Dennis saying something self-incriminating. However, when they are making the recording, Dennis reveals that he already has enough information on Dr. Mosely to blackmail ''her'' as well.
* Markus Kruber of ''VideoGame/TheEndTimesVermintide'' has [[SoleSurvivor been through a lot.]] Amidst the horrors of seeing his home town utterly destroyed, one of the few things keeping him going is that his family's fate is still unaccounted for, though Saltzpyre warns him [[InnocentlyInsensitive they are almost certainly dead and he shouldn't get his hopes up.]] In the sequel, they are confirmed off-screen to have been killed in the invasion, leaving Markus very little to live for.
* The player can make one in ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' in the ending [[spoiler:where there is a squad sent to pick up Walker. It all seems like that Walker will lay down his weapon and go home, and you can indeed do so... or you can have him fire onto the men sent to rescue him...]]

* The InteractiveFiction ''[[http://www.wurb.com/if/game/918 Shade]]'', after [[spoiler:causing almost everything in the PC's apartment to turn to sand and strongly implying that the PC is actually dying in the desert]], reveals that all this horror was [[AllJustADream just a nightmare]] and everything is actually fine and normal. Then [[spoiler:the apartment room itself vanishes, and it's made clear that it was a near-death hallucination all along.]]
** The helicopter you hear outside of your apartment becomes one in retrospective once you realize what is going on. It is heavily implied through the radio news that [[spoiler:you're one of several missing people in the desert and the search for you is still going on. That helicopter may well be one sent to rescue you, but which missed you entirely]].
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
** Near the end of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Snake collected all three key cards to shut down the weapon, [[spoiler:but inserting them instead activates it, since Liquid planned for Snake to activate the weapon instead.]]
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', [[spoiler:Coldman manages to broadcast fake signals to the US that makes it seem like missiles are heading towards them, and Big Boss gets in contact with the director to convince him the missiles aren't real. Unfortunately, the director's subordinates weren't so convinced and hold him at gunpoint to send their own missiles back.]]
* The final stretch of levels in ''VideoGame/MadRatDead'' begins when Mad Rat is reaching the end of his final day alive, satisfied he's made his mark on the world...only for the Rat God to have other plans, suddenly showing up at the last moment and taking him and Heart back in time, [[EvilAllAlong revealing]] [[DidYouActuallyBelieve her true intentions]].
* ''Franchise/MassEffect''
** The ending of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' could be considered this: The Collectors have been exterminated, [[spoiler:the Human-Reaper destroyed]], and (if Renegade) the Collectors' advanced technology has been captured for humanity. Shepard looks out of the window with an expression of quiet determination... and then the camera shows us dark space, where [[spoiler:thousands of Reapers are approaching...]]
** The worst ending has one after the FinalBoss fight: Shepard makes the leap to get back onboard the ''Normandy'' and manages to grab on to the edge of the door. Unfortunately, the only one present to try and help him back up is Joker, and he doesn't have the physical strength to pull Shepard in. With Collectors descending on them and time running out, Shepard tells Joker to go on without them and falls to their death.
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' has a few, but the biggest is the mission on Thessia, the asari home-world. Even as the Reapers and their forces tear the place apart, Shepard and the team close in on a temple that apparently holds the key to finishing their super-weapon. The good news: it does. The bad news: [[spoiler:Cerberus is already there, waiting for them to uncover it. Kai Leng gets away with the info]] and Shepard has to abandon the planet, well and truly ''defeated'' for maybe the only time in the entire trilogy. This very nearly sends Shepard right over the DespairEventHorizon.
** And again in the [[spoiler:final section of London.]] Shepard and co. have survived a grueling ground battle and destroyed the Reaper guarding the Conduit beam. Hammer Task Force masses ahead of the dead reaper. [[spoiler:And then Harbinger lands beyond the Conduit...]]
** The game mechanics themselves create one in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' at the end of the Rannoch plot arc if you sided with the geth and could neither persuade nor intimidate the quarians into a ceasefire. After the quarians are wiped out by the geth, a [[BreakTheCutie crying Tali]] takes off her mask and turns to Shepard to say "I'm sorry..." before [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide falling backwards over a cliff]], in slow motion, while Shepard runs toward her with a '''Paragon Interrupt''' flashing in your face. If you trigger it, Shepard dives for her... but even then Shepard can't catch her.]]
* ''VideoGame/AceCombat'':
** ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation'' ends its first mission with the enemy forces nearly successfully being driven back... at which point they fire their superweapon and their elite aces reinforce them.
** A much more heart-wrenching one occurs later in the game when you finally take back your capital city: Your wingman, Shamrock, is elated and relieved that he'll finally see his wife and daughter again after he was forced to leave them behind in the retreat. Come the next mission, he is oddly distant, not taking part in the celebrations of the other pilots and saying next to nothing....[[spoiler: And then he reveals that both his daughter and wife were killed in the fighting.]]
** ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'': Yay, you shot down the Belkan bombers carrying nuclear weapons and prevented a disaster! "Read'em and weep, Belkans!" indeed! But then, the music stops, a sudden flash blinds you, then [[ItsQuietTooQuiet silence for a few seconds]] as time freezes. Then your {{HUD}} gets all fuzzy, your radio is scrambled, the only thing you hear is a strange humming noise and a incredibly strong wind starts blowing. [[spoiler:There were seven more nukes. And then you get a missile warning...[[FaceHeelTurn coming from your wingman.]]]]
* ''Franchise/AceAttorney''
** ALL the time. When you think you've bested the prosecutor, he/she ''will'' smile smugly and pull a new witness or piece of information out. Hopefully, the tides can still be turned.
** Probably the ultimate Hope Spot is one that goes so far as to become an inversion of FissionMailed: in the second case of the third game, you've just proven your client innocent of a theft, caught the real thief, and even established (to satisfy his deluded insistence that he did it) that your client was somewhere else at the time. The judge has declared Not Guilty and you're in the customary post-case celebration scene, when the prosecutor comes in to [[spoiler:arrest your client for a murder which took place at the same time as the theft- and you've just proven in court that he was at the scene of the crime when it happened. Oops.]]
** While the outcome is something of a ForegoneConclusion, the fourth case of the third game has Mia about to get Terry Fawles on the stand, to testify against [[spoiler:Dahlia Hawthorne]], which Mia hopes will clear his name. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Dahlia has Terry make a SuicidePact with her, and manipulates him into going through with it]].
** One that goes so far as to completely turn the premise of whole series on its head, in ''Dual Destinies'' case 4, and have the episode not resolve anything apart from that your client is innocent and the witness lied. You've just proven that your client couldn't possibly, under any circumstances, be the killer. But wait, the real murderer, and his actual actions haven't been found out. But that doesn't matter right now. The Judge hands down a not-guilty verdict...then suddenly Simon objects just before adjournment and demands that the [[spoiler:fingerprint results on the lighter]] be read out. ...This creates one of the biggest wham lines in the ENTIRE SERIES. And the episode ends at that exact point, causing, for the first time in the franchise, the events of the case to be carried over to episode 5, where they're not completely resolved until near of the end.
--->'''Blackquill:''' *Reading from report* "After a thorough analysis, the fingerprints... Were found to belong to [[spoiler:Athena Cykes]]".
** Often, Phoenix or the other protagonists will wait for a test done on a crucial piece of evidence, only for the results to seem inconclusive or cast suspicion on the innocent party. [[SubvertedTrope Then again, the protagonists tend to turn this around to their favor in the end]].
** Almost the entire first trial of episode 3 in Spirit of Justice is one big hope spot. It's a LockedRoomMystery, and you establish the existence of a third party with surprising ease... [[spoiler:or so you think. Nahyuta quickly figures out that your supposed "third party" is a ''statue'', but plays along until he can crush your hopes in the most painful way possible. Your client is then immediately ''found guilty''.]] Way to be a dick, Nahyuta.
* ''VideoGame/DeadRising'', Ending A: Frank's helicopter escort, Ed, is on his way to pick him up from Willamette, as promised. As Ed makes his final approach, however, a zombie that managed to get onto his helicopter ambushes him and causes him to crash, leaving Frank with no way out from Willamette as a horde of zombies begin to close in on him...
* ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'', Ending A: Chuck manages to call in escorts for the survivors of Fortune City before it can be firebombed. As he goes to retrieve his daughter Katey's backpack, however, a zombified TK suddenly jumps him, forcing the helicopter carrying Katey to leave without him. [[spoiler:"Case West" subverts this with Frank pulling a BigDamnedHeroes moment and saving Chuck.]]
* Used by the game against ''you'' in ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive''. The deaths are pre-determined on each route, so you can't save a character who's going to die in the routes where they'll succumb. It however, doesn't stop other characters from being aware of their friend(s) going nuts and try to pull them out of their funk or attempt rescuing someone who is already marked out to die, and the game sometimes even provides you with dialogue options that comfort an already insane party member. None of these will ever matter, and the characters who are set up to die will die anyways.
* ''VideoGame/AuraKingdom''
** No matter how much progress you make, your goal of separating yourself from your Eidolon is always just out of reach.
** In Helonia the town mayor promises to give you the Starlight Treasure Chest, which contains an artifact that can supposedly help you. Only after helping her does she reveal that the key is in another town.
** After helping the town of Crescent Hill with its problems the village elder rewards you with the key. Opening it up, you find inside [[spoiler:an ancient dwarven machine]], something you have no experience with, but which is obviously broken.
** Things seem to be looking up in Catckara forest. There you manage identify it as a [[spoiler:spirit separator]], get it repaired by Mentaro, and powered by Augustus. Then just as they are about to hand it to you [[spoiler:another Envoy]] swoops in and snatches it.
** After jumping through a few more hoops you manage to recover it, [[spoiler:[[YankTheDogsChain only for it not to work on you]].]]

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''

* ''VideoGame/GuildWars Nightfall'' has one towards the end of the campaign. The player characters have spent most of the game trying to chase down Varesh, and prevent her from corrupting the world. They finally succeed in killing her during a ritual, but the ritual has been completed enough to unleash the corruption anyway, and pulls players into the Realm of Torment. The next goal becomes defeating the real BigBad
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife''

* ''VideoGame/HaloReach''

* In ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', you fight your way through and defeat the emperor, [[spoiler:only to be betrayed and killed by your master, who was just using you so he could take power.]]
* In ''VideoGame/DeadSpace2'', shooting out the viewscreens of certain rooms on the ship will cause you to be [[ThrownOutTheAirlock quickly sucked out into space]] unless you shoot the safety switch (because apparently [[NoOSHACompliance the doors aren't built to seal automatically)]]. Fail to do so, and you are treated to a short scene where poor Isaac attempts to lift and seal the door manually. It appears to be working, only to have the door seal with Isaac's arms still in the doorway, dismembering him.

** ''Modern Warfare 1''

** ''Modern Warfare 2''

* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars''
** Used for CliffHanger purposes in ''Original Generations'', bonus section. When all things looked hopeless and it seems that the heroes cannot beat some sense to the BrainwashedAndCrazy Lamia Loveless, she goes on to defy her brainwasher, giving her whole minions a SuperPowerMeltdown, thus gives Kyosuke an opening to eventually plug her out into safety. Unfortunately, instead of hurrying to store her into safety, Kyosuke proceeds to have a cozy chat with her and this is also accompanied with the orchestral version of "So Close Yet So Far", Lamia's original game's main theme, luring him and the players into a sense of assurance that it's truly over, and both sides end up unprepared for the unexpected cheap shot from Juergen that made people think he killed Lamia. But as OG Gaiden reveals, turns out she's NotQuiteDead.
** ''OG Gaiden'' reverses this trope to 'Good condition-Bad condition-Good condition'. The first phase deals with how Lamia was still alive, but the second phase was how she was BrainwashedAndCrazy again, and there's almost no way they could bring her back to her senses. And the third phase finally involves [[HeelFaceTurn Axel]] screwing all those bad conditions and still rescue her, thus finally making a successful, happy conclusion for the EFA.
* The trailer for ''VideoGame/WarhammerOnline: Age of Reckoning'' gave [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A54oJsxyB5M&feature=related one]] in the final battle between a Priest of Sigmar and a Chaos Chosen.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** An almost-hope spot in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''. [[spoiler:When you use the Oath to Order on the clock tower at the end of the third day before saving all the giants, the giants you HAVE saved will come to stop the moon, and for a moment, it looks like they may do it, but soon will tell you they aren't strong enough. In fact, they aren't strong enough to completely stop the moon even if they ''are'' all there. The only difference is that if they are, then the moon will open up and absorb Majora's Mask before continuing to fall, giving you one last chance to finish them both off.]]
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', Link succeeds in destroying Demise, [[BarrierMaiden Zelda]] wakes up, and all appears to be well. Then [[RecurringBoss Ghirahim]], who has been silent for the entire third act, comes BackForTheFinale, kidnaps Zelda, and uses a portal [[NiceJobbreakingItHero you opened earlier]] to go back in time to revive Demise there. Then he pulls it a second time when you follow him--you succeed in beating him into submission, only for him to reveal that the resurrection ritual he started has continued without him. Cue [[EldritchAbomination Demise]] breaking free of his prison and absorbing Zelda's soul.

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}''
** After a battle with the final boss, you gain access to the room containing the control-removing button to stop the place going up in flames, only to, brutally, discover that it was booby-trapped.
** Even during the final battle, there's a moment where [[spoiler:Wheatley finally starts taking the reactor core meltdown seriously and, amazingly, manages to successfully hack into Aperture's mainframe to fix it, making you think for a brief moment that he could actually halt the facility's imminent destruction. Sadly, it appears that being competent for more than two minutes calls his InsaneTrollLogic function, and he promptly deletes the Emergency Heat Venting Protocols from the system, forcing you to go through with the rest of the fight after all.]]
** Later, [[spoiler:after a truly bizarre set of circumstances end up removing him from power anyway, [=GLaDOS=] ends up having you dead to rights in an elevator with no portal gun and her in full control of the facility. She then decides to let you go anyway, because she's certain that killing you would somehow end up being ''more'' troublesome after everything you've survived so far, and sends the elevator towards the surface... [[BolivianArmyEnding Into a room with four turrets, who are all primed and aiming at you]]. [[SubvertedTrope The turrets then decide to sing an opera to you instead while the elevator brings you safely to the surface]]. [[GainaxEnding Yeah, it's that kind of ending]].]]
** Hell even before all this craziness, [[spoiler:It seems that Wheatley was killed early, but surprise, he survived and proceeds to help you sabotage [=GLaDOS=]'s traps so when you finally confront her, she's got nothing to kill you with. You extract her from the main core, put in Wheatley and all seems right with the world. You're finally free to leave this godforsaken lab... oh nevermind. Wheatley's [[DrunkWithPower gone mad with power.]]]]
* ''VideoGame/PrayerOfTheFaithless'': In the Glutton dungeon, Trill's Manna community is kept captive at the bottom floor. The party breaks them out of the test tubes and the coast seems to be clear, but the floor itself opens up and eats all the Manna civilians.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'':
** Often times things will get really calm right before a horde, Tank or Witch (or any combination of the three) appear. The effect is even stronger in higher difficulty settings, where a Tank or a Witch will often spawn right before the players reach the safe room.
** A few campaign's scripted events create this tone. Probably the strongest one comes from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2's'' "The Parish", when the survivors finally climb to the bridge they've been trying to reach. [[DeadpanSnarker Nick's]] reaction puts it best:
-->'''Nick:''' We made it, I can't believe we actually made it! ''[Bridge air-bombed]'' '''''OH, COME ON!'''''

* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'':
** A considerable number of champions can do this. Got away with low health and teleporting back? Hope that you don't get sniped with Ashe's/Caitlyn's/Ezrael's/Draven's/ etc. ultimate in the process, even if you're concealed in the brush. This is worse for ultimate that have a global area of effect. Remember, you are ''never'' safe until you are actually back at base.
** Karthus is built for creating these. His ultimate creates red light over the head of every enemy champion which deals damage after a short period. This red light appearing over their head signals doom to any champion who, protective resources exhausted, has just managed to limp to apparent safety.
** Soraka can also inflict this. Basically, she is the inverse of Karthus, instead of dealing a global damage to every enemies, she heals her allies globally. So it could happen that just as you're about to deal the finishing blow to your target, Soraka casted her ultimate to heal your target. Your target did not die, and could run away to safety or turn the tables against you, depriving you of the kill you yearned.
*** Funnily enough, Soraka is pretty much the only one that can completely negate Karthus' ultimate, thus giving Karthus himself a HopeSpot. Just when he activated ultimate and about to get a Pentakill, she activated hers and deprived him of the Pentakill.
* ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos''
** So, so many in ''Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean''. [[spoiler:Thought you could stop everything by killing off Geldoblame? Think again, Melodia was working with Kalas to gather the End Magnus. Think you can stop Melodia and Kalas with the Ocean Mirror? It works on Kalas, but Melodia revives Malpercio and shatters the mirror. Thought you could get the Sword of the Heavens, the last of the three artifacts that sealed Malpercio away? Krumly pulls a FaceHeelTurn, steals the sword, and offers it up to Malpercio, which leads to the sword being shattered.]] It's ultimately a happy ending, [[EarnYourHappyEnding but you go through hell to get there]].
** ''Baten Kaitos: Origins'' has this twice:
*** So [[spoiler:Baelheit is defeated, and he seems to realize how wrong he was. Think this is the end? Verus has other ideas...]]
*** So, [[spoiler:TheManBehindTheMan is dead, the EldritchAbomination TrueFinalBoss is dead, and the PowerTrio are alive and well, with plenty of time to escape Tarazed? [[TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath If only...]]]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Eversion}}'', World 7. [[spoiler:As you progress through the level, you can start everting backwards and eventually end up back at the bright, happy Layer 1 before finishing the world. But [[BadEnd that's not the path to the good ending.]]]]
** World 4 is the most obvious case. [[spoiler:After dodging the AdvancingWallOfDoom in 3-4]], you end up at the cheerful Layer 1. Then you hit a gem block [[spoiler:and you're everted to Layer 5]].
** In the newest version, the BrutalBonusLevel has you gradually evert back from demonic, nightmarish Layer 8 to cheerful, fluffy Layer 1 and the last stretch has you pass multiple flower arrangements in what feels like a victory lap... then, just before the exit, one final demonic hand pops up. That's your cue that the ending you're about to get isn't going to be your typical SaveThePrincess end.

* In Chapter 5 of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', up until now you've been put through hell: Sigurd's father died to give him his InfinityPlusOneSword, then you watch as Sigurd's Best Friend Quan and his sister (Quan's Wife) Ethlyn are brutally murdered in the desert. As you approach for what appears to be a massive battle against Reptor and Aida, Velthomer forces, which had been dropping a meteor on you up until this point, suddenly change their tune and attack Reptor and his allies, and things finally seem to be going right. Upon talking with Aida, she states that Arvis knows Sigurd is innocent, and has a hero's welcome planned for him at the capital. [[BlatantLies Guess]] [[TearJerker what]] [[KillItWithFire happens]] [[TheHeroDies then]].

* ''VideoGame/TheHalloweenHack'': Dr. Andonuts becomes determined to recover from his madness as his past is explored. [[spoiler:It ends badly.]]
* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite''
** Booker & Elizabeth have just fought through a horde of Founders and [[spoiler:traitorous Vox]], snagged the airship ''First Lady'', and set course for Paris, finally set to leave the hell of Columbia behind. And then Songbird shows up and brings the airship down.
** This also happens quite a few times [[spoiler:during the mission to meet the blacksmith after Daisy Fritzroy and the Vox take the ''First Lady'' airship from Booker. They find the Blacksmith, only to discover that he's been dead for hours, and the torture film that Booker and Elizabeth come across while searching for him was on an endless loop. Elizabeth creates a tear to a time when the Blacksmith is still alive, only to discover that people whom are killed in the other world, are mindless in the new world, unable to do anything. So Elizabeth creates a third tear where the Vox rise up to overthrow Comstock and Booker is the main hero of the revolution. Seems like things will finally workout, right? Nope, Daisy Fritzroy decides that Booker is a better symbol for the revolution if he remains dead (since he died in the third tear version a martyr) and has the Vox turn on him.]]
** A minor one. [[spoiler:After you escape the Monument Island with Elizabeth, the Songbird destroys the skyline causing you to plummet through the clouds. But instead of going splat, you land in water, apparently unharmed. The Songbird dives under you, but is hurt by pressure and is forced to retreat. So, you've successfully escaped Columbia and are floating somewhere in the ocean, right? You surface and look around just to see the typical Columbian architecture. You are still stuck in that crazy place. Darn.]]

* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'': There has been one case in each game where someone is murdered, and then a second victim turns up soon after, just to give the players an unpleasant surprise when a body turns up and they think one of their favorite characters is safe for the time being.
** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': [[spoiler:Sakura]]'s death. [[spoiler:Her death was a suicide (an ''actual'' suicide, no overcomplicated assisted suicide,) so there isn't anyone to execute. But Monokuma reveals that he knew all along about the existence of Alter Ego, the AI Chihiro created to try and help the group escape, and that they were trying to keep hidden. And since he can't execute any of the students this time around... It's ultimately a subversion, though, as a copy of Alter Ego had already been uploaded to the school's network at that point.]]
** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'':
*** [[spoiler:Pekoyama's and Chiaki's. The former has her under attack by an army of Monokuma samurai, but she manages to hold her own against them while Kuzuryuu rushes in to try and save her, until Pekoyama accidentally wounds him and the Monokuma samurai finish her off in the middle of her MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment. The latter is more of a meta example, as the game keeps repeating general plot points from the previous game, and Chiaki's execution coincides with when Naegi was successfully rescued from his own execution. The game takes advantage of this by dragging it out for as long as possible, stacking Hope Spot on top of Hope Spot before finally executing her for real.]]
*** [[spoiler:Komaeda]]'s death is a pretty sadistic use of this as well. [[spoiler:It turns out that his murder was actually a ''very'' elaborate suicide (meaning no one is going to get executed,) and just when everyone is about to cast their vote, they realize that it was actually an ''assisted'' suicide, designed in such a way that the accomplice would have no idea they even killed someone, and that since the accomplice was the one who dealt the finishing blow, they are still guilty of the murder.]]
** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'':
*** [[spoiler:Kirumi's]] execution. [[spoiler:She attempts to escape from the school and avoid being executed, but she gets stopped by a lynch mob. Kirumi is then given a long, thorny vine which she climbs in order to escape. After getting viciously slashed by buzzsaws, she finds a hole glimmering with light...only to find out that there is no exit; it's a child's drawing taped to the ceiling. The vine then snaps, and Kirumi falls to her death.]]
*** Near the end of Chapter 4, when it looks all but certain that [[spoiler:Gonta Gokuhara]] is going to be convicted as the killer, Kaito suddenly interjects that he has proof that the suspect must be innocent. He points out that Shuichi and Tsumugi met the suspect [[spoiler:outside the entrance of the mansion in the Virtual World]], meaning he couldn't have been [[spoiler:on the roof]], where the murder happened. Shuichi is forced to crush everyone's hopes by pointing out that the killer could have used [[spoiler:the roll of indestructible toilet paper]] found nearby to leave the crime scene.
*** A non-death example: In Chapter [[spoiler:5]], the remaining students [[spoiler:manage to make their way through the Despair Death Road thanks to Miu's electrohammers. They reach the school's exit, and the door to the outside world gets unlocked...but it turns out that [[CrapsackWorld the outside world isn't so lovely.]]]] [[spoiler:The cutscene of the door opening also makes you think Kaito, Kiibo, and Tsumugi are going to be survivors...but later on in the chapter Kaito murders Kokichi and is then sent off to be executed, Tsumugi is revealed to be the BigBad and is killed during the final execution, and Kiibo makes a HeroicSacrifice by self-destructing in order to save the remaining students.]]

* Twice in ''VideoGame/{{Cyberqueen}}'', [[spoiler:first when the protagonist seems to find another survivor in the navigation chamber, secondly when she escapes from being StrappedToAnOperatingTable and seemingly destroys the MasterComputer's core.]] This is a game that likes to get your hopes up before dashing them.

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'':
** Hey, Hero! Your mother's alive and waiting to be saved! Oh wait, [[spoiler:you just meet her and she just got Kafrizzled by Ladja... But she survived! Only to get zapped by Nimzo...]] Ow.
** Hey, Hero! You just got married, got the shield that your father searched for, and just became king with two heirs! Oh...[[spoiler:your wife has been kidnapped. You rescue her, but then you and your wife got changed into statues, and sold off. Ouch. Oh...you got bought as a gift to newborn, who you watch grow up and get kidnapped.]] It just keeps going...
* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' is full of these, particularly in the later arcs.
** During [[spoiler:Kanon's epic battle with Lucifer, he finally manages to defeat even her stake form by blocking the blow and sacrificing his hand, pulling the stake out and seeming triumphantly victorious...until Beatrice's LiteralGenie moment of saying she promised to spare him if he defeated all SEVEN Stakes of Purgatory. Cue appearance of the other 6 sisters.]]
*** Subverted when [[spoiler:Genji steps in to give both Shannon and Kanon a MercyKill and spoil Beatrice's fun of torturing them.]]
** EP 3: Rudolf and Kyrie manage to [[spoiler:spectacularly defeat Belphegor and Leviathan]]...until [[spoiler:Eva-Beatrice decides she's tired of using her predecessor's "second-hand furniture" and proceeds to summon the deadly Siesta Corps., which even Beato can't summon. Insert "[[OhCrap oh fuck]]" moment here as their attempt to run away is beyond futile]].
*** Then there's the [[spoiler:Meta-Battle between Battler and Eva-Beatrice]]...
** EP 4's fights between [[spoiler:Jessica vs. Ronove and George vs. Gaap]] are pretty much nothing but hope spots in clear parody of the typical Shounen Manga format.
*** There's [[spoiler:the escape of Kyrie's group from Kuwadorian. When they escaped, the Siestas have already rebooted and they start shooting them all down.]]
** In Episode 6, [[spoiler:Battler manages to outwit Erika's closed rooms by having the other five victims of the first twilight fake their deaths. Then it turns out Erika severed all of their heads beforehand, thus making it impossible for any of them to save Battler, and trapping him in a logic error. Eventually subverted.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': Once all but one of [[spoiler:[[BonusBoss Spamton NEO]]'s]] strings have been cut, he'll realize the Fun Gang is trying to free him from the strings he thinks are holding back his new body. He dances around with joy and thanks Kris and co. for turning the other cheek and freeing him...and then the last string is cut, dropping him unceremoniously on the ground and critically wounding him. He has to be haphazardly strung up to some vines to give his final words.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Returnal}}'', after reaching the [[spoiler:White Shadow]], a long sequence starts where Selene [[spoiler:is rescued and returns to Earth, living a peaceful sixty years before dying of old age]] only to abruptly wake up at the wreck again.
* ''VisualNovel/ShinraiBrokenBeyondDespair'' has a subtle example that [[RewatchBonus may not be obvious on a first playthrough]]. If you choose to have Raiko tell Kamen that she came to Rie's party(something the introverted Raiko would not normally be eager to attend) because of Kamen, Kamen will be surprised. Raiko will then tell Kamen that she was meaning to talk with Kamen about something, resulting in Kamen being overwhelmed with emotion... until Raiko asks what she did to earn Kamen's hostility, which disappoints Kamen. In post-game content, it is revealed that Raiko [[spoiler:saved Kamen from being arrested for shoplifting four years prior, went on a trip with her family and came back a different person after her sister's death]]. Raiko has completely forgotten [[spoiler:her meeting Kamen]], and Kamen hoped she'd have remembered.
* The bad endings of ''VideoGame/FromNextDoor'' utilize these.
** The player successfully sets the monster on fire and Namie watches it thrashing around, setting the rest of the room on fire. [[spoiler:Then it grabs Namie's ankle]].
** As she's being carried into the neighbouring window, Namie wakes up and grabs hold of the window frame, kicking and struggling enough to break the creature's grasp. [[spoiler:But just as she manages to pull her torso out the window, hands seize her and drag her back inside]].
* Near the end of ''VideoGame/HeavenlyBodies'', there's a brief time where it looks like you can stop the engine overload by pulling a lever, only for it to break and you to be left helpless.

* Used by the game against ''you'' in ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive''. The deaths are pre-determined on each route, so you can't save a character who's going to die in the routes where they'll succumb. It however, doesn't stop other characters from being aware of their friend(s) going nuts and try to pull them out of their funk, and the game sometimes even provides you with dialogue options that comfort them. None of these will ever matter, and the characters who are set up to die will go insane and die anyways.

* Used by the game against ''you'' in ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive''. The deaths are pre-determined on each route, so you can't save a character who's going to die in the routes where they'll succumb. It however, doesn't stop other characters from being aware of what's actually going on and try to pull them out of their funk, and the game sometimes even provides you with dialogue options that comfort them. None of these will ever matter, and the characters who are set up to die will go insane and die anyways.

* In ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong Mini-Land Mayhem'', once you beat DK at the end of the first level, triumphant music starts playing and the Minis begin to celebrate only for Donkey Kong to get up, grab Pauline, and run off to the next level. In levels 2-8, the minis know they haven't really won so they hold off on the celebration, but the dramatic music that played after 1-DK makes a cameo after winning 8-DK, letting you know that the final battle is up ahead.

* Near the end of ''VideoGame/HeavenlyBodies'', there's a brief time where it looks like you can stop the engine overload by pulling a lever, only for it to break and you to be left helpless.]]

* The final stretch of levels in ''VideoGame/MadRatDead'' begins when Mad Rat is reaching the end of his final day alive, satisfied he's made his mark on the world...only for the Rat God to have other plans, suddenly showing up at the last moment and taking him and Heart back in time, [[EvilAllAlong revealing]] [[DidYouReallyBelieve her true intentions]].

* The final stretch of levels in VideoGame/MadRatDead happen when Mad Rat is reaching the end of his final day alive, satisfied he's made his mark on the world...only for the Rat God to have other plans, suddenly showing up at the last moment and taking him and Heart back in time, [[EvilAllAlong revealing]] [[DidYouReallyBelieve her true intentions]].