History Main / PlotlineDeath

* Happens twice in ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus''. One is when [[spoiler: Agro throws you off her back [[HeroicSacrifice to save you]] from a BrokenBridge, falling into a crevice in the process.]] The other time is [[spoiler: at the very end of the story, when Wander suffers a MercyKill at the hands of Lord Emon.]]

* Happens twice in ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus''. One is when [[spoiler: Agro throws you off his back [[HeroicSacrifice to save you]] from a BrokenBridge, falling into a crevice in the process.]] The other time is [[spoiler: at the very end of the story, when Wander suffers a MercyKill at the hands of Lord Emon.]]

* Throughout the Story Mode of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', whoever has to kick the bucket will do so in a cutscene between fights, ranging from Scorpion immolating the original Sub-Zero at Quan Chi's behest to [[spoiler:Shao Kahn driving his hand through Kung Lao's chest]] to [[spoiler:Sindel single-handedly massacring the Forces of Light before Nightwolf pulls a HeroicSacrifice.]]

* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' doesn't let you bring [[spoiler:Shandra]] back. Though the implication from Elanee's dialogue (if she is in your party at that point) is that normal resurrection spells actually revive people who are almost but not quite dead, and [[spoiler:Shandra]] was way past that point by the time you get to her.

** Johnny Gat suffers one early into ''SaintsRowTheThird'', being gunned down by the Morningstar gang offscreen and returning a a zombie Homie at the end of the game. Taking note of the word "[[NeverFoundTheBody offscreen]]," the dev team made a [[AuthorsSavingThrow saving throw]] in the next sequel by revealing that Gat actually survived after all.

* In the ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' series, the player's party members die and get resurrected all the time... with two notable exceptions. In ''VideoGame/UltimaV'', a character slain by evil king Blackthorne's pendulum is permanently dead. And in ''VideoGame/UltimaVII'', a sacrifice is required for the Balance Serpent, for which one of your party members volunteers who will then be gone forever. Until the much-maligned ''VideoGame/UltimaIX''. *sigh*

** One of the required quests, Path of Glouphrie, has the player about to be killed in a death trap. Hazelmere, mentioned above, manages to teleport in and use a magic seed to save the day. [[Before arriving, Hazelmere was having a chat with his god about how he would need that seed to save his own life during While Guthix Sleeps.]]

** This troper always assumed that it was a mercy killing due to the fact that he was in horrible agony due to being shredded by the road, with no chance of getting him to a hospital in time since he can't get the damn chain off.

** Played with in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'': at one point, the party doesn't even get a chance to fight Golbez -- two side characters are just blown out of the way in a cut scene. After he leaves, they sure look dead enough, but Rydia enters to revive them. The same game has Tellah burn out his life to cast Meteor in an earlier sequence, putting him beyond resurrection. Before that, two sibling wizards petrify themselves to save the main characters from a room closing in on them. Although you can attempt to use spells to revive them, it is explained that the bond between the wizards is so strong that no magic can break the Break spell. [[spoiler:An explanation that falls flat on its face, to say the very least, when the spell ''does'' get broken off-screen later in the game. By a wizard explicitly ''less powerful'' than Tellah, who tries and fails to break the spell on-screen.]]

* In ''StrangeJourney'' the first sector has Gore killed in a cutscene. Interestingly just before this there is a cutscene fight which visually is a perfect mimic of game battles, but he is killed outside of battle. Unlike most examples, humans can't be brought back through the common resurrection item.

** At the beginning of the ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' DLC ''Honest Hearts'', the Happy Trails caravan is attacked by tribals. No matter how fast you take out the bad guys, the caravaneers are scripted to drop dead. In fact, one of the tribals has StoryDrivenInvulnerability until all the caravan members are killed.

** Another version of toying around: According to [[SuperRobotWarsCompact3 Compact 3]], Fernando Albark, Maysis Mark and Alion Lucada are supposed to suffer PlotlineDeath, there's no way you can save them. But their stories get tweaked that they didn't die. Fernando and Alion ends up joining you for good, while Maysis takes the back seat. Likewise, this also happens to [[SuperRobotWarsReversal Despinis]], who ends up doing a HeelFaceTurn before she could get killed, ensuring her survival.

* Poked at in this [[http://www.goldcoincomics.com/?id=126 Gold Coin Comics strip]].

*** Although it is justified by the Water Dragon bringing you back (well, a little) to life.

*** This is a particularly bad example of GameplayAndStorySegregation. "She's RIGHT THERE! She's even marked as KO, not counting down to FinalDeath. Why can't I revive her?" "Because the plot says she died."

** Which is completely wrong according to the D&D rules--the two reasons for a resurrection spell to fail are either the soul is trapped or simply does not wish to return, and given the hardships of life and the delights of the heavens, that includes almost everyone.

** But they have also toyed with us with this trope. Axel Almer and Alfimi were supposed to be KilledOffForReal after ''Original Generation 2'', yet they came BackFromTheDead when ''OG Gaiden'' rolls in. Likewise, put one of your character a Defensive Support skill, and get him/her near Kyosuke during the last mission of the bonus section of OGs. Lamia Loveless would still get killed... until OG Gaiden rolls in and it's revealed that she's only NotQuiteDead. Considering all these examples span in the period of two games, it could count as before OG Gaiden gets released, people thought these characters are goners.

When someone dies in a cutscene, because the story gods have demanded it. It doesn't always [[GameplayAndStorySegregation fit with how the game handles combat death and wounds]], be they NonLethalKO or OnlyMostlyDead and it doesn't matter how many extra lives the player has left. Characters who have taken [[StatisticallySpeaking fireballs (and worse) to the face]] at pointblank range will be felled with a single gunshot or stab wound, even if they're level 99. Don't even try your resurrection magic, it would be [[FantasticAesop wrong.]] A few games actually see magic users or clerics attempting to heal fallen characters, but failing, somehow implying that the dying character is injured in a way beyond conventional methods of healing to help. It's technically a HandWave, but they tried... Another reason this could be is that the spells do not have the power to bring back the dead, they just can revive the unconscious. Sometimes this happens in RTS games as well, where in most levels a death can easily be fixed by building the relevant unit production structure. This is generally because developers found that when players ''weren't'' able to build heroes back during campaigns, they'd frequently ignore some of the [[TooAwesomeToUse most powerful units for fear of them dying]].

Usually a ''glaring'' example of GameplayAndStorySegregation. Very commonly part of a PlayerPunch and DeathByOriginStory.

Roughly, this is the worst form of death in videogames, going PlotlineDeath, FinalDeath, OnlyMostlyDead, and NonLethalKO.

Yes, this is a [[DeathTropes death trope]], so do we have to say it? '''Major unmarked spoilers. Read at your own risk.'''

* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus''. [[spoiler:But it only happens in the ending, and it's YOU.]]

** At the beginning of the ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' DLC ''Honest Hearts'', the Happy Trails caravan is attacked by tribals. No matter how fast you take out the bad guys, the caravaneers are scripted to drop dead. In fact, one of the tribals has PlotArmor until the caravan members are killed.

* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus''. But it only happens in the ending, and it's YOU.

** At the beginning of the ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' DLC ''Honest Hearts'', the Happy Trails caravan is attacked by tribals. No matter how fast you take out the bad guys, the caravaneers are scripted to drop dead.

** At the beginning of the ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' DLC ''Honest Hearts'', the Happy Trails caravan is attacked by tribals. No matter how fast you take out the bad guys, the caravaneers are scripted to drop dead, even if they don't actually get hit.