Now this is a happy ending.
- Despite being a cynical loner, Amber refuses to simply abandon a girl she's just met when the latter has a broken-down car and no cell phone. This bit of kindness results in Amber eventually getting a girlfriend and half of the miner's treasure.
- Amber and Marina's first kiss in Fire Wave.
- After Marina gets back from having lost her share of the gold to Mariah, Amber isn't nearly as angry as Marina expected, merely relieved that things didn't go as badly as they expected.
- The fact that while Joe and Tess put up with a lot of Mariah's jerkassery, they won't stand for her trying to claim Marina's share of the gold. Joe reasonably tries to convince Mariah to call off the bet, while Tess is willing to help Amber cheat in order to win, even if Amber declines her offer.
- When Mariah calls Amber out on her self-loathing, she's as crass and selfish as ever, but says what Amber needs to hear. For the first and perhaps only time, Amber admits that maybe she does like Mariah.Amber: In another life, maybe you would be my type.
- Amber burying her grandfather's broken mix tape in the desert and Dead Person Conversation with him is a mix of this and Tear Jerker, since she's finally letting go of her guilt over his passing and looking to the future.
- Amber and Marina's reconciliation, in which Amber reaches Marina in time to apologize for how she's treated her, enabling them to make up. Amber then has the following epiphany.Amber: It's funny. This entire time, I thought I was the nucleus of it all. That I was the one helping her- or using her. But as cheesy as it all sounds, I think Marina has been the one helping me. From the very beginning.
- As the Trio leaves, Tess gives Marina a quick hug before she leaves.
- As hilariously awkward as the second sex scene is, the fact that Marina's trying to take the lead symbolizes that perhaps Amber is starting to try to treat her as more of an equal and less of a kid.
Next Exit
- While Marina has some insecurities over her relationship with Amber, she's able to put things in perspective.Marina: How could I let myself get so worked up over the little things when she's done so many big things for me? Sure, things might be bumpy from time-to-time, but it's her kindness that's changed my whole life.
- At the start of the game, Tess has grown closer to Marina, regularly texting her and even starting to refer to her and Amber by name.
- Joe successfully guilt-trips Mariah into celebrating Tess's birthday, and offers a supportive ear to Tess. He's probably a better parent to Tess than her real ones were.
- Mariah gets a Pet the Dog moment by taking the $20 Joe gave her for the casino and spending $19.01 bidding on the license plate as a gift for Tess. She then uses the remaining 99 cents in the casino, striking it rich... and using her winnings to buy some gifts for Tess, even if it ultimately ends up being worthless.
- The entire scene where Amber and Marina went to a jungle-themed restaurant is a very wholesome moment for the couple.
- Joe bonding with Tess and telling her about how he dealt with the grief of losing his brother to help her come to terms with her lack of emotions. His friendship with Mariah also comes off as an example in and of itself, and the way she supported him back then goes a long way toward explaining why he puts up with her as much as he does..
- Amber and Marina's reconciliation atop the Stratosphere after Marina calls her out on how Amber keeps treating her like a child, and Amber finally realizes her mistake and promises to be a better partner to Marina and treats her more like an equal.
- Amber and Marina's gift to Tess- they put a sunflower design on one of the miner's treasure boxes.
- Tess enjoying her gift from Marina and starting to think of her and Joe as a family of sorts.
- The budding friendship between Amber, Marina, and the candy shop girl Cassi, whom both of them helped out in selling her products at the alien-themed convention inside the Stratosphere. It didn't really work out too well, but the three have bonded together closer over the experience. Even with some bumps along the way like when Marina felt hurt by Amber's Innocently Insensitive moments, in the end everything was resolved peacefully and Marina even bonded with Cassi after initially being cold toward her, and both Amber and Marina look forward to seeing her again in the future.
- During the final scene, Amber realizes that Marina has changed and is no longer as sheltered as she once was. This observation is especially effective considering that Next Exit also lets the player see all of Marina's thoughts, not just the ones she chooses to express.Amber: Maybe I'm finally starting to see the real Marina. Maybe I'm finally loving the real one, too.
