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7{{Hope Spot}}s in VideoGames.
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10* ''VideoGame/AceCombat'':
11** ''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.
12** 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.]]
13** ''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.]]]]
14* ''VideoGame/AffordableSpaceAdventures'': After being the sole survivor of a [[IncompetenceInc Uexplore]] transport ship crashing on an alien world, your goal throughout the game is to find a Uexplore Concern Communications Pod, to send out a distress beacon and hopefully be rescued. The first one you find is non-functional, the second one you find breaks down while using it, the last one you find works perfectly, but [[spoiler:there is nobody at Uexplore to receive distress signals anyway. And even if there was, your ship's cryosleep function is heavily implied to have exploded and killed you immediately at "worse", or just not worked at all at "best", dooming you to freeze to death long before help could ever arrive.]]
15* ''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.]]
16* ''VideoGame/AuraKingdom'':
17** No matter how much progress you make, your goal of separating yourself from your Eidolon is always just out of reach.
18** 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.
19** 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.
20** 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.
21** After jumping through a few more hoops you manage to recover it, [[spoiler:[[YankTheDogsChain only for it not to work on you]]]].
22* ''VideoGame/{{B3313}}'': The route to the Randomized Realm involves a prison corridor with Peach standing inside an 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.]]
23* ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'':
24** 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]].
25** ''Baten Kaitos: Origins'' has this twice:
26*** So [[spoiler:Baelheit is defeated, and he seems to realize how wrong he was. Think this is the end? Verus has other ideas...]]
27*** 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...]]]]
28* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'':
29** 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.
30** 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.]]
31** 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.]]
32* ''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}}''.]]
33* 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.
34* 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.
35* ''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...
36* ''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 BigDamnHeroes moment and saving Chuck.]]
37* 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.
38* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': Once all but one of [[spoiler: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.
39* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'': Adam's remarks in the [[spoiler:Taggart ending. Adam mentions that if the Illuminati are as effective as they say they are, the world will be better off for it. [[VideoGame/DeusEx The original game says hello...]]]]
40* ''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.]]
41* 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. However, this 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.
42* 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."
43* 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!]]'''''
44* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'':
45** 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.
46** 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 a newborn, who you watch grow up and get kidnapped.]] It just keeps going...
47* In ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'', 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.]]
48* 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.
49* ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness''. You defeat [[TheDragon Pious]] just as the [[EldritchAbomination Ancient]] you summoned finishes ripping the BigBad apart, when you suddenly see into the mind of the winner and see that it's just as evil as the one that you spent all game trying to defeat, and that now that you've summoned it, it plans to enslave/slaughter every living thing it can. [[spoiler:Partially subverted as Edward's spirit manages to reverse the summoning spell and banish it, but leaving Alex with the knowledge that these horrors are out there, just waiting for a chance to break through and destroy everything.]] [[spoiler:Then beat the game for the third time; turns out each play-through was in an alternate, simultaneously occurring timeline, [[GambitRoulette plotted by Mantorok to rein in the three other chaotic gods]]. All is well and the balance is restored, leaving only Mantorok itself... [[AndIMustScream trapped, rotting but never dying]], scheming, plotting...]]
50* ''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.]]]]
51** 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]].
52** 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.
53* 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.]]
54* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
55** Lots in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'', given the sheer militaristic and magical might of the [[EvilEmpire Palamecian Empire]] as compared to...well, everything else, especially LaResistance. The most striking example, though, is probably the whole affair with the Cyclone. AsYouKnow, the game's story starts with the core of the party fleeing their hometown of Fynn as it is taken and occupied by the Empire. Near the end, though, LaResistance, headed by the Fynn princess Hilda, marches on Fynn and actually ''succeeds'' in ousting the garrison and freeing the city, managing to subvert DoomedHometown Syndrome with a ''vengeance.'' This is, of course, the Emperor's cue to unveil his latest weapon of war, the Cyclone, and use it to ''pulverize the rest of the civilized world''. And there is nothing the player can do about it.
56** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'':
57*** There was a false ending where General Leo defeats Kefka and peace between humans and ESPERS is restored. But it turns out that Kefka was NotQuiteDead. He kills Leo, then the emperor, and destroys the world.
58*** The whole first part of the game could be considered something of a slowly progressing hope spot that, with the small interlude for the DarkestHour, is exchanged for a slowly progressing recovery from the DespairEventHorizon.
59** Used brutally in ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'': Zack is within sight of the city in which Aerith is waiting for him. However, in between the two is the massive army of Shinra Corp. Zack puts up a good fight, but in the end, is overwhelmed [[DoomedByCanon no matter what you do.]]
60** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRebirth'': Unlike in the original game, Cloud spots Sephiroth swooping in to impale Aerith and blocks the strike. After a BladeLock, Cloud summons all his strength and determination to knock Sephiroth's sword out of his hands. Before Cloud can catch his breath, reality and time distorts, changing things so that Sephiroth fatally impaled Aerith anyway.
61** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' this happens twice over. When Garnet sees that her mother, [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Brahne]], [[EvilVersusEvil is locked in battle with]] [[BigBad Kuja]], [[SaveTheVillain Garnet is determined to save Brahne]], even though Brahne had committed may atrocities and even tried to have Garnet killed. Garnet seeks out an eidolon sealed at the Iifa Tree, only for it to turn out that said eidolon is Leviathan; since Brahne is on a ship and Kuja is flying on a silver dragon, the tidal wave Leviathan summons is more deadly for Brahne than Kuja. Brahne summons Bahamut, which manages to wound Kuja… who promptly turns Bahamut against Brahne, destroying her fleet and killing her.
62** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', the AwfulTruth of the Final Summoning and the teachings of Yevon is that [[spoiler:they will never provide true salvation from Sin. The teachings of Yevon are total hogwash that the Church itself doesn't follow, and the Final Summoning actually guarantees that Sin will be reborn.]] Yuna eventually rejects both, saying she wants to live and find a better way without false hope.
63*** And then there's the ending. They destroy Sin permanently, without Yuna dying...[[spoiler:only it turns out that with the Fayth finally letting themselves die, Tidus, who they dreamed into existence, disappears.]]
64** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2''''s ending cutscene. [[spoiler:Caius is dead, the paradox is resolved, the time gates are closing, Hope's new Cocoon is ascending, and Noel, Serah, and Mog are returning to Academia 500 AF. Then Serah has another vision, which kills her. [[FromBadToWorse Then Etro's Gate breaks open, unleashing chaos upon the world and turning Academia into Valhalla]].]]
65** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' ended it's 1.0 run with a cinematic showing the Warriors of Light fighting alongside the united armies of Eorzea against the Garlean Empire to stop Project Meteor, which results in the awakening of [[OurDragonsAreDifferent the Elder Primal Bahamut]], who burns a swath of destruction through Eorzea. Louisoix Leveilleur attempts to seal Bahamut away again, and for a moment, it seems to work. It fails, however, and Bahamut ravages Eorzea.
66* 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. [[TheHeroDies Guess what happens then]].
67* ''VideoGame/{{Fractured}}'': The 2nd game appears to have a stairway for the girl to reach her father's ghost. The only place this level is fractured is between the final step and the ghost's platform, [[spoiler:to conceal the fact that it's farther than it looks, and that [[FissionMailed the protagonist, just like in the first game, is still never meant to win]].]]
68* ''VideoGame/FreeSpace2'':
69** The Shivan Juggernaut Sathanas is destroyed [[spoiler:but it turns out it was just one of many]]. Also, the final EscortMission where the player scraps an impressive number of Shivan ships while defending the refugee convoy. Unfortunately, the entire mission turns out to be a RedHerring because [[spoiler:the Shivans were preparing to blow up the sun]].
70** The fanmade campaign ''VideoGame/BluePlanet'' is one long, continuous stream of Hope Spots, each one crushed more brutally than the last as you and your allies hurtle headlong towards the DespairEventHorizon.
71* The bad endings of ''VideoGame/FromNextDoor'' utilize these.
72** 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.]]
73** 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.]]
74* ''VideoGame/GettingOverItWithBennettFoddy'' has a number of places where it seems like the game is constructed so that it is no longer possible to fall all the way back to the beginning of the game, meaning you have, finally, reached a point that you cannot fall further back from. Invariably, it becomes clear that it is indeed possible to still fall all the way back to the beginning. Perhaps the most egregious is in the second section of the game, where the mountain gives up on being a mountain and simply has floating trash hanging out over empty space for no apparent reason but to make it possible to fall back to the beginning yet again.
75* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarII'' has one early on when Zeus betrays Kratos. As Zeus comes in for the finishing blow, you get a PressXToNotDie. Surprise, [[HopelessBossFight Kratos dies no matter what you press]].
76* ''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.
77* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'':
78** Happens relatively early in ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', not long after Gordon learns that a distress signal has been sent out. The exact interval is between the arrival of the military and discovering that [[spoiler:they're on a coverup mission, fully intending to kill everyone at Black Mesa. [[OhCrap Including you]].]].
79** This trope occurs so frequently throughout ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' and its Episodes that it borders on ParanoiaFuel. You are never safe, ever, and the more one thinks so the more one will be proved ''dead wrong''. Well, except during cutscenes, or the Half-Life equivalent thereof. But even then, something incredibly bad will happen at the end of each of them. Without exception.
80** In ''Half-Life 2: Episode 2'', it seems like everything is finally OK - you as Gordon Freeman have saved the day, Alyx survived, and you've stopped the Combine from completely overwhelming Earth. Then [[spoiler:as you're about to board a helicopter to head onto a new mission, Advisors crash through the ceiling, immobilize you and Alyx, grab her father Eli (who you've known since Black Mesa and the original game) and kill him via brain probe. Alyx is sobbing over her dead father's body and the game fades to black.]]
81* ''VideoGame/TheHalloweenHack'': Dr. Andonuts becomes determined to recover from his madness as his past is explored. [[spoiler:It ends badly.]]
82* ''VideoGame/HaloReach'':
83** There are several of these in the game, including the destruction of a Covenant tower by a UNSC frigate, only for the frigate to be blasted two seconds later from orbit. The ending involves a race to get to the ''Pillar of Autumn'' before it takes off. You get there, and it seems as if you may make it off the planet alive, and then you have to stay behind to cover the ship's escape, due to Emile (who was previously manning the Mass Driver) being ambushed and killed by Zealots. Of course, this is pre-determined, as ''Halo: CE'' only has one active Spartan.
84** Considering that everyone is DoomedByCanon, there's not much hope at all. But still, things seem to lighten up when the super-carrier transporting the Covenant strike force is destroyed. But ''moments'' later, while the fireball is still dissipating, the actual invasion fleet jumps from hyperspace with hundreds of ships and millions of soldiers.
85* 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.
86* In ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'', the entire [[spoiler:Project Zero Dawn was one. Humanity was on the losing side of a RobotWar against robots that were 1. Immune to HollywoodHacking, 2. Capable of self-replication, and 3. Able to process any biomatter into fuel for themselves. Operation: Enduring Victory literally threw every human able to hold a gun against the robots, with the final defensive lines being breached mere ''hours'' after Zero Dawn had been completed. However, it was ''not'' a superweapon as the soldiers were told - it took GAIA's subroutine MINERVA 50 years to brute-force and transmit the shutdown codes to the swarm, after which GAIA took four tries to re-seed the world with multicellular life.]]
87* 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]].
88* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'':
89** 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.
90** 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.
91** 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.
92*** 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.
93* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'':
94** 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.
95** 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:
96--->'''Nick:''' We made it, I can't believe we actually made it! ''(Bridge air-bombed)'' '''''OH, COME ON!'''''
97* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
98** An almost-hope spot in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]''. [[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.]]
99** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', 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.
100* 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]].
101* ''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.
102* ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong Mini-Land Mayhem'':
103** 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.
104** [[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.]]
105* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
106** 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...]]
107** 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.
108** ''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.
109** 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...]]
110** 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.]]
111* 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...]]
112* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
113** 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.]]
114** 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.]]
115* ''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.
116* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'':
117** ''Modern Warfare 1'':
118*** Shock and Awe. As Jackson and the others are escaping in the chopper, the nuke gets detonated early, knocking it out of the sky. In the next scene, he stumbles out of the wrecked chopper (surrounded by the dead bodies of his squad), making you think he might live; but it's just a moment of ControllableHelplessness before dying.
119*** The final mission, Game Over [[spoiler:You stopped the nukes from reaching the U.S and you and your squad are chased by the Russians through the mountain road with an assault chopper constantly dogging you. After a lengthy on-road firefight, the chopper seems to have backed off and given up the chase and you have no more pursuers after you...then the chopper appears ''ahead'' of you and blows up a bridge, over-tipping your truck.]]
120** ''Modern Warfare 2'':
121*** After defending a house in the wilderness against dozens of attackers for what feels like an eternity, most of your team is dead and you have to run over lots of open space to your extraction point, with a horde of {{Mooks}} in pursuit. 30 meters from the extraction point, there's still no rescue insight and you get clipped by a mortar. You're barely conscious as your last surviving ally drags you away from the following Russians, as a [[GunshipRescue gunships]] flies over your head and mows them down with its miniguns. You get dragged back up on your feet and stumble towards the waiting transport helicopter where your commander is already waiting for you. [[spoiler:And after he takes the stolen data from you, he pulls his gun and shoots you and your comrade in the chest. You're still alive and somewhat conscious as your bodies get thrown into a ditch and another soldier empties a can of kerosene over you. You know what's going to happen as the General slowly approaches you with a cigar in his mouth. By the way, you get to watch yourself burn for a while as well.]]
122*** Happens again in the final mission twice. After [[spoiler:taking down the Pave Low that was transporting Shepherd and falling down a waterfall, you wake up after the fall, dazed and barely conscious. You slowly walk towards the crashed and burning Pave Low and suddenly, you see Shepherd stumbling out of the helicopter, appearing to be exhausted and hurt from the crash. As he leans up against a car to catch his breath, you rush over to him and thrust your knife at him, thinking you're about to kill him and end the game. Nope. It turns out he was only pretending to be tired and hurt to lure you near him, as he grabs your arm, slams your head into the car, and stabs you with the knife]]
123*** [[spoiler:The second time in the mission is, when Shepherd and Price are duking it out, you see Shepherd's gun lying on the floor next to you. You slowly crawl over to the gun as fast as you can, hoping to reach the gun and kill Shepherd with it. Nope. Shepherd notices this and kicks the gun away, right before kicking you in the face. He then starts to beat Price to death. Fortunately, Soap is so bad-ass that he rips the knife ''out of his chest'' and throws it into Shepherd's eye.]]
124** In ''Modern Warfare 3'', When playing as FSO agent Andrei Harkov, Harkov is part of the Russian President's security team; the President is traveling to a peace conference in Berlin to end the war between USA and Russia, but the plane [[spoiler:is hijacked by Ultranationalist terrorists, and]] crashes. Harkov, his CO and others barely survive the crash and fight their way to the President's location. When they get to him, an extraction helicopter arrives, but when Harkov opens the heli's door, they realize [[spoiler:it wasn't their extraction helicopter: it brought terrorist leader Vladimir Makarov (the game's main antagonist) and henchmen, who promptly kill Harkov and his colleagues, and kidnap the President]].
125* 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.
126* 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.]]
127* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'', during Osvald's fourth chapter, Harvey reveals that [[spoiler:Osvald's daughter Elena is actually ''not'' dead like Osvald thought she was. However, after she runs past Osvald to Harvey, Harvey explains that he's brainwashed her into thinking ''he's'' her father instead of Osvald so he can use her blood in an experiment]]. This ''does'' give Osvald a much better reason to go after Harvey, but [[spoiler:he needs to wait until Elena fully recovers before they can properly reunite]].
128* ''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.]]
129** 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.
130* ''VideoGame/PeretEmHeruForThePrisoners'': As this is a game where AnyoneCanDie based on the player's decisions, a few of these naturally crop up:
131** If [[spoiler:Yoko Nogisaka]] is judged, Professor Tsuchida abruptly announces that they survived their mauling. But it swiftly becomes clear that he's lying, forcing Dr. Kuroe to [[HesitationEqualsDishonesty haltingly]] back him up while refusing to let anyone get too close to the victim, claiming they need give them some space and time to recover from the shock.
132** During the escape sequence, if you failed to save [[spoiler:Nei, Yoko, or Ms. Otogi]], it's briefly suggested that they might have survived their ordeals after all and can reunite with the other survivors.
133** For most of the cast, preventing their [[AllCrimesAreEqual death by judgment]] ensures that they'll survive. But this isn't the case for [[spoiler:Saori Shinoda]], who can instead become a case of NotQuiteSavedEnough: [[spoiler:if you returned her photograph, she'll commit suicide during the escape sequence]].
134* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
135** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'':
136*** After clearing the Heaven dungeon and [[spoiler:rescuing Nanako from the TV world, which is deadly to unprotected humans, she's weakened and admitted to the hospital. Her condition slowly but surely improves at first, but takes a nosedive on December 3rd, to the point she flatlines. Whether she recovers or not depends on your following choices.]]
137*** 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.]]]]
138** In ''VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth'', the P3 female protagonist encounters S.E.E.S in the start of the movie ''A.I.G.I.S''. She goes in to greet them, only to [[spoiler:have none of her "S.E.E.S comrades" recognize her even though she can recognize them perfectly. In reality, they are "{{Doppelganger}}s" serving the male protagonist, and none of the female protagonist's S.E.E.S comrades joined her. In fact, she was the only Persona user who entered the movie world alone.]] This apparently lifted the female protagonist's StepfordSmiler facade, since she values her comrades a lot. While this might be heartbreaking, thankfully [[spoiler:S.E.E.S are nice people and are willing to help her overcome her loneliness through the side quests of the game.]]
139* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'':
140** 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.
141** 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.]]
142** 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]].]]
143** 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.]]]]
144* ''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.
145* ''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.
146* 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 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yrr-t__8A4#t=16s shoots the helicopter down]].]]
147* At the end of ''VideoGame/{{Resistance}} 2'', you kill Daedalus and set the fleet up the bomb, but it don't mean a thing to the Chimera. Worse, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero it opened a portal to Chimera space]], [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie and now Hale is a Chimera]].
148* 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.
149* ''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.
150* 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.]]
151** 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]].
152* 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.]]
153* ''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.
154* 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.
155* 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...]]
156* ''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.]]
157* 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?
158-->'''Luca Blight''': '''''DIE, PIG!!!''' ''(kills the woman)''
159* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'':
160** 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.
161** ''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.
162* ''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.
163* This is a common tactic to use in the ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' series. Surrounded troops will fight to the death. Soldiers who think they have a chance to make a break for it will run, making it much easier to chase down and kill them.
164** Later games play with it. Retreating troops are not killed, but rather taken prisoners. Executing them is the easiest solution, while releasing them might be better in long term as it offers nice stat boost.
165* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' does this at least twice:
166** 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.]]
167** 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"]].]]
168** 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..."]].
169** 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]].
170** 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?"]]]]
171* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'':
172** 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
173--->'''Lich King/Arthas''': "Now we are one."
174** 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?"
175** 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.
176* 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.
177* ''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.]]
178* ''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.]]
179* ''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.]]
180* ''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.]]
181* In ''VideoGame/YuGiOhReshefOfDestruction'', the Neo Ghouls have been defeated and all the Millennium Items are back! Then Bandit Keith breaks the Millennium Puzzle, a piece of it gets stolen, and Mokuba gets kidnapped. But the Egyptian God Cards are back to normal.
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