Line #1 Main/AlignmentBasedEndings


1	%% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread.
2
3	A subtrope of MultipleEndings, where said endings can be mapped onto the BlackAndWhiteMorality, OrderVersusChaos, [[NoPointsForNeutrality occasionally Neutrality]], or some other form of CharacterAlignment. Which ending you get is usually either based on your KarmaMeter standing at the end of the game (making it a subtrope of AlgorithmicStoryBranching), or follows from a LastSecondEndingChoice.
4
5	Rule of thumb to tell if an instance of MultipleEndings falls under this subtrope is to check whether they are mainly referred to as "Good/Evil/Neutral Ending", etc.
6
7	Often results in NoCanonForTheWicked if the evil ending is [[CuttingOffTheBranches retroactively declared non-canon]]. Compare FactionSpecificEndings and ModularEpilogue.
8	----
9	!!Examples:
10
11	[[foldercontrol]]
12
13	[[folder:Star Wars]]
14	Since all of ''Franchise/StarWars'' media are deeply rooted in the franchise-spanning Light vs. DarkSide of the [[SentientCosmicForce Force]] dichotomy, it gets its own section. Also notably, [[NoCanonForTheWicked the Dark Side endings are NEVER canon]].
15
16	* In ''VideoGame/JediKnightDarkForcesII'', the ending is determined by a KarmaMeter which is affected by which Force powers Kyle learns and whether or not he attacks non-combatants in Nar Shaddaa and Barons Hed.
17	* In ''VideoGame/JediKnightJediAcademy'', you explicitly choose whether to [[spoiler:murder Rosh in a blind rage]] and fall to the Dark Side or [[spoiler:put down your lightsaber]] and remain true to the light in the penultimate story mission.
18	* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', the player is free to choose the ending, although the ultimate decision takes place shortly before TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon.
19	* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', by contrast, the ending you get depends on your alignment in the endgame. However, because you can influence your companions' alignments over the course of the game, each of them gets a different forecast of their future in the narrated WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue.
20	* Both ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'' and its sequel feature Light and Dark side endings.
21	** In ''The Force Unleashed'', you fight [[spoiler:Darth Vader]] as the penultimate boss. After you beat him to within an inch of his life, you get a choice: continue fighting him, or go rescue your allies from [[spoiler:the Emperor]]. Choosing the former means a much-harder FinalBoss and the Dark Side ending, while the latter is easier and leads to the Light Side ending.
22	** In ''The Force Unleashed II'', after a very long fight against the FinalBoss [[spoiler:Darth Vader]], you are presented with a choice between sparing or attacking him. Sparing him leads to the (good) Light Side ending, while attacking him (despite your mentor's pleas) gets you the Dark Side ending, where [[spoiler:the player character, the mentor, and all the good guys present get killed by Darth Vader's ''other'' apprentice]].
23	* The class-specific campaigns in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' are mostly linear, but the player's moral choices alter them cosmetically. Also, while the Light Side path is canon for Republic characters, the Dark Side is this for the Empire classes, e.g. the Sith Inquisitor is referred as [[spoiler:Darth Nox]] (a Dark Side title) rather than [[spoiler:Darth Imperius]] (Light Side) in the later canon materials. The last is unprecedented: in every single previous game where there has been a choice between the Dark Side and the Light Side, the Light Side has been established as the canon choice.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Action Adventure]]
27	* In ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS}}'', Cole's actions affect the story's endings. He can either be good, or he can be evil. The choices are rather obvious as to whether they're good or evil, though. It continues on in ''VideoGame/Infamous2'' and its sequel series, ''VideoGame/InfamousSecondSon''.
28	* ''VideoGame/{{Enclave}}'' features two campaigns, Light and Dark, and accordingly a good and an evil ending.
29	* ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' has ten possible endings, with Pure Dark, Pure Neutral, Pure Hero, and True Ending as the main four, plus an OmegaEnding for getting all ten. And, for some reason, the game keeps track of all 326 possible paths to reach those endings.
30	* ''VideoGame/TheSuffering'' has three endings based on Good/Neutral/Evil by actions Torque takes throughout the game by either killing none of the inmates or guards, some of them, or all of them. Each ending changes just how Torque ended up in [[TheAlcatraz Abbot State Penitentiary]].
31	** Good Karma: [[spoiler: Thugs break into his house and kill his family.]]
32	** Neutral Karma: [[spoiler: Torque [[AccidentalMurder accidentally kills his wife]] in front of his son and in a fit of rage, he kills his own brother, then [[SpitefulSuicide jumps out the window]].]]
33	** Evil Karma: [[spoiler: Torque goes into a total BerserkerRage at being told his wife is leaving and taking the boys with her, and proceeds to [[PaterFamilicide kill his entire family]].]]
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Adventure Game]]
37	* In the ''VideoGame/TexMurphy'' game ''The Pandora Directive'', you can get up to eight different endings depending on where your KarmaMeter is along the NiceGuy[=/=]{{Jerkass}} axis.
38	* In ''VideoGame/GabrielKnight: Sins of the Fathers'', Gabriel can choose at the end whether to try to save [[spoiler:the possessed]] Malia from the pit she's dangling over, simply let her fall [[spoiler:to let Tetelo die]], or try to actively kill her to achieve the same.
39	* There's a bunch of endings in an adventure game ''VideoGame/TheWhiteChamber'' based on the main heroine's (and therefore player's) attempts to act good [[spoiler:and to redeem her sins]], none of which actually affect the gameplay otherwise.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Fighting Game]]
43	* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', each character's ending can be affected by their decisions; for instance, if [[SmugSuper Hakumen]] gets too confident and tries to beat Terumi alone, the ending may change.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Immersive Sim]]
47	* ''VideoGame/BioShock'':
48	** In ''VideoGame/BioShock1'', you get different endings depending on how many Little Sisters you killed, if at all.
49	** In ''Videogame/BioShock2'', you get one of 3 endings depending on how many Little Sisters you harvested, and an additional one of 2 endings depending on how many Bosses you killed.
50	** ''Videogame/BioShockInfinite,'' however, completely averts MultipleEndings entirely, in a first for the series.
51	* ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'' uses a system called Chaos; High Chaos is caused by killing every enemy in sight, while Low Chaos is caused by using NonLethalKO[=s=] against guards and finding alternative ways of disposing of your assassination targets. There's also a hidden "Medium Chaos" ending in the middle. You get quite a few hints along the way: the princess's attitude remains light or becomes dark to match [[TheHero Corvo]], and before the final mission, [[spoiler:Samuel the boatman]]'s attitude towards you when he says goodbye reveals the ending you're getting. In Low Chaos, he says ItHasBeenAnHonor; in Medium, [[WhatTheHellHero he accuses you of killing needlessly and says he never wants to see you again]], and in High, [[FaceHeelTurn he actively alerts the enemies to your presence]].
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Platform]]
55	* In ''[[Videogame/{{Oddworld}} Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee]]'' and its two sequels ''Abe's Exoddus'' and ''[[VideoGame/OddworldMunchsOddysee Munch's Oddysee]]'', the final cutscene is determined by the number of slaves (test subjects in ''Munch's Oddysee'') you rescue throughout the game. You have to rescue enough to get the good ending, otherwise you get a [[NightmareFuel surprisingly dark]] bad ending. In the rebooted series, ''VideoGame/OddworldNewNTasty'' and ''VideoGame/OddworldSoulstorm'' continue this tradition.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:RPG -- Eastern]]
59	* ''VideoGame/LiarJeannieInCrucifixKingdom'': The game has a hidden variable that decreases by one when Jeannie frees a human slave, decreases by three if she kills an undead merchant, and increases by one if she kills a slave. This is actually a measure of whether she is pro-human or pro-undead. If she gets to 15 in either direction, [[spoiler:Jeannie will commit genocide on all humans in the kingdom to turn them into undead or genocide on all undead to protect humans]]. If she doesn't go far enough in either direction, she will get a neutral ending [[spoiler:where she doesn't commit genocide and instead maintains her sanity.]]
60	* Most ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games will have you choose between [[OrderVersusChaos Order, Chaos, or Neutral]] alignment ending. However, considering that this is a setting where GodAndSatanAreBothJerks, all the endings except for Neutral would be what most would consider 'bad' endings. Terrified of TheEvilsOfFreeWill, YHVH and his angels install LawfulEvil rule where all free will and expression is quashed under God's supreme will in Order endings. Meanwhile, being the ultimate rebel, [[ManipulativeBastard Lucifer]] desires the death of all society and order, no matter how much bloodshed his {{Legions of Hell}} cause in the process.
61	* ''VideoGame/OgreBattle'' series also have multiple endings based on Law and Chaos alignments. However, unlike ''Shin Megami Tensei'', [[spoiler:the "Neutral" path isn't often the best path]].
62	* In ''VideoGame/AgarestSenki'', whether you keep to the Light, Dark, or Neutral path will affect your ending.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:RPG -- Western]]
66	* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'' has three endings: Good God, Evil God, and Mortal.
67	* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' has the canonical good ending where the Knight-Captain and PlayerParty defeat the King of Shadows. The [[NoCanonForTheWicked non-canon evil ending]] has the Knight-Captain pull a FaceHeelTurn and join the King of Shadows after killing the party. The ExpansionPack ''Mask of the Betrayer'' has several variations on its endings.
68	* In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the ending depends on your KarmaMeter and on [[FactionSpecificEndings which side you take]]: the [=NCR=] (a democratic but corrupted government), Caesar's Legion (a dictatorship based on Rome who use slavery and violence), Mr. House (a dictator who wants to restore Vegas' past glory but doesn't care about anything else), or the chaos ending (where you basically reject the three latter factions to ensure New Vegas' freedom by yourself).
69	* While the ending of ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' is mainly determined by the LastSecondEndingChoice of who wins the information war, the tone of Jensen's final narration that shows his CharacterDevelopment depends mainly on [[KarmaMeter how many people you've killed and how helpful you were to others throughout the game]].
70	* ''VideoGame/GoldenLand'' (a.k.a. ''Heath: The Unchosen Path'') has two endings, Good and Evil, depending on whether you decide to fight the BigBad Drakh Shu or the BigGood Belobog in the FinalBattle.
71	* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', depending on whether you were a [[LawfulGood Paragon]] or [[AntiHero Renegade]] and whether or not you [[spoiler:saved the Council]], the ending speech [[FourStarBadass Captain Anderson]] or [[AssInAmbassador Ambassador Udina]] gives will differ. The Paragon ending has a RousingSpeech basically along the lines of "We will rebuild, and we will fight side-by-side." As a Renegade, the speech consists of how humanity will protect the galaxy at any cost.
72	** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' has the end choice be [[spoiler: whether to destroy the Collector Base or spare it for future research]], and your pick changes the colour of the star behind the Illusive Man and the tone of the conversation with him in general.
73	** Averted in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', at least as far as the selection of options go: [[spoiler: they're deliberately designed to have both positive and negative results so that none of them are perfectly positive or negative]]. A slight exception is [[spoiler: the Control ending, where Shepard's narration will be Paragon, Renegade or Neutral depending on their ratios in your Reputation bar, since it's the only ending shown from Shepard's perspective]].
74	* The full 3D editions of ''VideoGame/SpiderManWebOfShadows'' has four endings, determined first by your alignment [[spoiler:(but only when the sonic bomb is reached)]], then by whether or not you used the symbiote [[spoiler:to heal Black Cat]].
75	* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has the True Pacifist ending ([[spoiler:everyone in the game survives one way or another and the barrier is destroyed, allowing monsters to leave the underground and reintegrate into human society]]), which you see if you kill absolutely nobody; the Genocide ending ([[spoiler:you kill everyone in the underground and the Fallen Child destroys the entire game world]]), which you see if you kill absolutely ''everybody''; and the Neutral endings ([[spoiler:the monsters remain underground and mostly lose hope for escape due to the disappearance of the human souls; who takes up the throne after Asgore's death depends on which bosses, if any, were killed]]), which vary depending on how many monsters (as well as ''which'' monsters) you've killed. There's also a special ending if you completed Genocide before Pacifist ([[spoiler:since you had to sell your soul to the Fallen Child to play the game again, they suddenly possess your player character in an ominous post-credit scene, the game's way of punishing the player for thinking they were above consequences]]). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUW7ZTr36QI And then, if you do a Genocide run ''three'' times in a row...]] [[spoiler: Yes, even ''Chara'' begs you to stop doing genocide runs.]]
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Real-Time Strategy]]
79	* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar II Chaos Rising'' has multiple endings depending on the corruption of your squads (which fills in for the KarmaMeter in the game) as well as several choices you make over the plot of the story. They range from [[spoiler:your Commander replacing Davian Thule as captain of the Fourth Company and helping Gabriel Angelos and Apollo Diomedes cleanse the Blood Ravens of corruption]] to [[spoiler:your Commander fleeing with your squads into the Eye of Terror and joining the Black Legion]].
80	* ''VideoGame/RepublicTheRevolution'' has three endings, one of each of its dominant ideologies: in the Force ending, you launch a MilitaryCoup to take over Novistrana; on the Influence path, you start a VelvetRevolution instead; and with Wealth, you simply force the PresidentForLife to resign by crashing the economy and putting the blame on him. There are no elections in the game, by design.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
84	* In ''VisualNovel/CourtOfDarkness'', which ending of a consort path a player can play through depends on if the player got enough Magic points or Mischief points to unlock the Magic ending, Mischief ending, both and gets to choose, or unlocks neither and can either buy more Magic or Mischief points in the shop or restart and replay the path.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Wide-Open Sandbox]]
88	* In ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'', your honor slightly changes the final cutscene. [[spoiler:While Arthur Morgan's death warrant is already signed with his tuberculosis, a high honor results in Morgan being left to die somewhat peacefully watching the sunrise, while a low honor results in Micah finishing him off. The former is considered as the canon ending.]]
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	!!Non-Video Game Examples
92	[[folder:Western Animation]]
93	* The ''WesternAnimation/ElTigreTheAdventuresOfMannyRivera'' special "The Good, The Bad, and the Tigre" had two endings based on good or evil that was decided by an AudienceParticipation poll. [[NoCanonForTheWicked The good ending won]] and the episode ended with El Tigre reconciling with his family and saving the day again, but the bad ending with him pulling an ICanRuleAlone on the BigBad was later shown on the Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} website.
94	[[/folder]]

Context Main / AlignmentBasedEndings