Top Ten Fun Yet Depressing Games ft. @Nonat1s

@Nonat1s helps me count down games that depressed the hell out of us, and yet still were very fun!
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NEW COUNTDOWNS EVERY 1st and 15th!
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[@fugitivehunter]

I said this in another video, but it bears repeating: Yakuza IS a serious crime drama. It’s just everything AROUND that crime drama that is absolutely bonkers.

[@KeyToAeris2024]

True the main campaigns especially Judgment are really dark and depressing note no spoilers on Kiwami 2-6 haven’t played them yet

[@MoostachedSaiyanPrince]

@@andytaylor8795 I think that's just you getting used to it. I played the games out of order, starting with 0 then Kiwami, then 6, Kiwami 2 and then 3 though 5, 7, and finally Judgement. And 6 has probably the most insane plot twist in the entire series, other than that really big one in 4.

[@Lakker94]

If Yakuza didn't have the goofy shit all around the serious drama, the game wouldn't be as popular. Hell, Baka Mitai wouldn't be a meme if Yakuza was super serious throughout.

[@Spyro757]

You all should play it lol I have like most of them or all lol

[@SagittariusAyy]

Yeah, pretty much…But all the bonkers shit surrounding the serious crime drama is what makes the series so entertaining and popular. Wouldn’t quite be the same without it.

[@DTylerFultzVA]

"Link defeats Majora and saves Termina!" Then he goes back to Hyrule, dies, and turns into a ghost shouldering a possibly-immense burden of regret and guilt.

[@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32]

All while the one's who had died before skull kid got the mask are absolutely destroyed, dead and unable to live

[@historian252]

Yep.

[@NetConsole]

No, he doesn't.

[@koichidignitythief7429]

I mean as far as we know. He didn’t have to deal with Ganondorf during that time. Unless Nintendo decides to make a game about the Hero’s Shade

[@chatleslorenzo6164]

and his kids grow up whit out link

[@marcelineabadeer8380]

This is why I love Josh’s countdowns he tackles every subject in incredibly fun and interesting ways.

[@chasethemaster3440]

Same

[@MusicFan752]

Still waiting for top ten fire bosses video though

[@jakewulgar]

@@MusicFan752 just wait until his 15th anniversary

[@Mars_over_seer]

As a fan of Halo, the lore itself is depressing. Throughout the human-covenant war, the humans were in the losing side. Every win was a Pyrrhic victory for the humans. However, even pushed into a corner, humanity always came through. Whether it be skill, resourcefulness or just dumb luck, they finally won. “Some day we will win, no matter what it takes.” - Captain Ponder

[@DeadlockDrago]

And that's not even including the other side. How the Elites were lied to about their beliefs into attacking their worship's successors, or how engineer's are enslaved and rigged with explosives.

[@ScotsThinker]

John getting abducted as a Child, Arbiter witnessing the Betrayal of his people leading to a civil war, Cortana suffering from Rampancy in Halo 4, there are many sad events that occur but that makes Chief, Arbiter and others all the stronger for finding Hope.

[@kingofthegrimm6161]

Don’t forget the flood lore either

[@FinelessFish24]

Or the fact the entire Human-Conveant war that lasted over 25 years was started because of a miss-translation.

[@Mars_over_seer]

@@FinelessFish24 more like a cover-up for the prophets just to maintain their power.

[@yetravellingsonc8372]

28:57 "WHYYY HORSEY WHYYYYYYYY?! *_WHY MUST ANIMALS SUFFER SOOOOOOOOOOO?!"_* "Honey, that's... my plushy--" "Not now Honey I'm still in mourning."

[@redrasegarden]

Is it wrong that I found that adorable?

[@davidtimmer596]

@@redrasegarden Ghost of Tsushima, a beautiful Kurosawa inspired game where even a horse dying will make the most stoic gamers bawl their eyes out.

[@redrasegarden]

@@davidtimmer596 I heard that

[@claytonrios1]

Shadow of the Colossus. Fun as hell to slay the giants. But man does it get more and more depressing as it goes on. A true piece of art.

[@hariman7727]

Then you find out about its relationship with ICO...

[@FlyingFocs]

I consider it the pinnacle of games as art because you cannot make it anything other than a game without SOMETHING being lost.

[@hariman7727]

@@FlyingFocs undertale is similar because it relies on the game being interactive with you.

[@demi-fiendoftime3825]

That game traumatized me with guilt to the point I can't play it again

[@warriorofdawn876]

[Sees the title.] ...There's totally going to be a Yoko Taro game on here. [Gets to Entry #7] Yup, called it.

[@MoostachedSaiyanPrince]

I mean, this video's title is pretty much a description of what his games are going for a lot of the time.

[@analogbrayn]

I'm actually surprised it was only #7. Considering most of the twists, some of the possible outcomes, and the entire second half of the game, I was honestly shocked it was beaten by Majora's Mask of all things. Also surprised Drakengard 1 and Nier Replicant/Gestalt didn't make the list or even the honorable mentions.

[@MoostachedSaiyanPrince]

@@analogbrayn Yeah, I agree that I think it should've been ranked higher. But as for the first Nier and the Drakengard games, they're all technically part of the same series, and I'm pretty sure Josh has a "1 entry per franchise" rule for his countdown lists.

[@MrLuizilla]

For your consideration, I raise Persona 3: the game where you go from anime high school shenanigans to literally being visited on your bed by Death. On multiple occasions.

[@leshyaedawnfire]

And where all of the themes revolve around the concept of coming to terms with your own mortality. Big. Oof.

[@kendricktruong5886]

When a modern game did something right, it did it right. I thought he was gonna work with Adam but this is still good. Also for Number 1 THEY KILL SORA! THEY KILL SOOOOORAAAAAA! Also I forgot he did smart bosses this month already.

[@erichfiedler1481]

Fun yet depressing, sounds like Evangelion and Madoka Magica Also at 28:57, I see you holding that plushie of your wife in Pony form

[@vulpixle9659]

And magical girl raising project

[@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32]

God, fucking magica broke me.. then I met Nina in Fullmetal alchemist and proceeded to have crippling depression

[@kurisu7885]

With Bioshock, even then, a part of the facade the city used to wear gets chipped away as you learn more about it, which makes it even more depressing.

[@jinhunterslay1638]

Fun Fact: the combat system for Yakuza: like a dragon is LITERALLY a joke. The developers intended the game to be a beat-them-up like all the previous titles, and they released the turn-based combat trailer on April’s Fools day as a joke. However, fans loved it so much they decided to go with the idea!

[@generaldeadpool3245]

And then people bitched about in the comment section of the trailer. Ps I don't hate in fact I love it im sucker for turned base

[@shadowlinkbds]

While I wasn't expecting the #1 choice I definitely couldn't agree more. Though the most depressing tragedy is how it got robbed in the 2020 game awards especially GOTY.

[@krimsonkatt]

Yeah TLOU2 didn't deserve it, not by a long shot. Ghosts was completely snubbed, though 2020 wasn't a very good year for games in general with very few high-quality releases and a LOT of disappointing games. (TLOU2 and Cyberpunk 2077 mainly come to mind) But out of all of them, Ghosts of Tsushima or FFVII Remake should have won. No other game even came close. Proves that The Game Awards are just another Hollywood circlejerk scam. Neil Cuckman probably only won because of his connections to the industry IMO.

[@SagittariusAyy]

@@krimsonkatt Absolutely this. Last of Us Part 2 was overall a fucking SCAM.

[@krimsonkatt]

@@SagittariusAyy Yes. Worst game of 2020 by far.

[@TF2Fan101]

Thankfully Ghosts is getting an update this year, while The Last of Us 2 is getting Nada.

[@luisisthenamelitn6978]

@@TF2Fan101 Yeah and plus while I wouldn't say it's bad, Last of Us 1 had a decent multiplayer. Where was that in the sequel? Meanwhile Ghost of Tsushima brought us Legends and a Director's Cut. Plus, I don't see any production of a GOTY edition of LoU2. Goes to show that the public really hated the 'winner'.

[@talkingshark9996]

This is why I watch Joshscorcher his tier lists are so unique and fascinating

[@darianclark3980]

As long as he doesn't praise Pokemon Sword & Shield, then I'm pretty contempt

[@Pikachu2Ash]

@@darianclark3980 What a childish remark "How dare he disagrees with me"

[@darianclark3980]

@@Pikachu2AshWhat type of bullshit are you trying to say? I'm more confused than irritated?

[@justinnzamora5366]

We'll never forget how Ghost of Tsushima got snubbed in last year's Game Awards. It was MUCH more deserving of accolades compared to another game that was made from filthy work conditions and mind-numbing storytelling. Still salty.

[@luisisthenamelitn6978]

Welcome to the club. I still have a 'friend' who still regards the garbage as GOTY. Keeps trying to deflect the stuff the company does in order to make the game.

[@TheChilipepper77]

No it really wasn’t

[@TheSpongyMallard]

Ah yes the, Last of Us 2 Awards Show.

[@fodv93]

@@TheSpongyMallard Now featuring wooper hunts

[@TF2Fan101]

At least Ghosts is getting a continuation while Last of Us 2 is getting nada.

[@djhawk5588]

Honorable mention to me. Undertale:asriel’s tragedy + Genocide route option + good gameplay + game being aware of your actions= a sad, but great game.

[@claytonrios1]

Yakuza Like A Dragon has some of the biggest cases of tonal whiplash that I've ever seen in my entire life and yet I still love it.

[@davidtimmer596]

Honestly, Lost Judgment beats it in terms of fun by dancing, playing with robots, and beating up random goons and thugs with kickass Kung Fu action, but later, the heavy stuff with the school, the bullying, and even questions of justice and morality make you wanna cry.

[@ivanbluecool]

Wouldn't say this as a kid but as an adult tales of the abyss got me crying seeing Luke go through so much I just wanted to help him more each time. A game I don't know the title of where you play as a big and little brother but one dies almost end way through so you see the difference of the game after that. Vn games I don't count as normal games but yeah many get to you if you really go in deep. God of war 4 the kratos scene always gets me with his blades

[@elijahfoltz3755]

I think you're referring to Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. There is definitely a stark contrast in gameplay once Naiee has to finish the journey himself. God, what an amazing game that is. Can't wait to play it for myself.

[@ivanbluecool]

@@elijahfoltz3755 yeah I saw it one and thought the story was smart and how one dies you see the game change felt naturally good.

[@littlekuribohimposte]

The problem with the Telltale games is your choices don't really have as mich impact as Josh is selling. They use the "Diamond Pattern" story-telling. Where there are pranching paths, which still railroad to a fixed end point.

[@taillessboo9599]

I think its more interesting to see what a player does between the start and end of those games so each person can have their own story that resonates with them.

[@DJGamingSmash]

I made a response "interactive movie" on KZbin during the "Telltale era" a decade ago back when I was 15 because of this where the story ACTUALLY branches into different stories with every option of every choice, leading to 20 endings and over 3 hours of footage. Just to show it wasn't that hard if you don't have lazy writing. I came at it as a passionate fan.

[@littlekuribohimposte]

@@DJGamingSmash IT shows waaay more in their Batoman and Borderlands game. The story is written, and the choices are the illusion of choice

[@koichidignitythief7429]

This isn't Heavy Rain where the choices are inane and largely inconsequential. In Telltale, you still make choices that affect the characters you interact with.

[@littlekuribohimposte]

@@koichidignitythief7429 But they also don't matter since the story will realroadyou enough to get to where they want you to be

[@KeyToAeris2024]

Judgment a spinoff of Yakuza also is really fun to play but has a really dark and depressing plot to it it deals with “murder, false accusations, conspiracy, drug dealing, internal family disputes and loss of family and friends” thankfully the ending is REALLY satisfying

[@davidtimmer596]

There's also its sequel, Lost Judgment, which touches on the subject of bullying, and suicide.

[@KirbyChan]

Pretty damn shocked Omori wasn't on the list, now that's a fun game that loves to drown you in depression. Still a great list though!

[@thedarknessmagician5234]

Alright, who else here is expecting “Majora’s Mask”? Part of the reason it’s my favorite game in the entire world is because it’s so depressing. ITS A GAME ABOUT THE ENTIRE WORLD COMING TO AN END WITH NOBODY BEING ABLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AND JUST HAVING TO ACCEPT THEIR DEMISE!

[@joshshrum2764]

It’s funny so many depressing games are some of my all time favorites Undertale, Xenoblade Chronicles, Mother 3, Final Fantasy 10 9 8 7 6, i have honestly come to love 8 since i understand the junction system better, and the story is great but depressing, and lately Majora’s Mask, as well it’s probably my favorite Zelda, besides Twilight Princess, also Chrono Trigger, is one of my favorite games yet i love it, but i need to beat it myself, but that doesn’t subtract from the fact it’s sad as hell.

[@majoratwili7312]

Link's Awakening is also pretty depressing imo. You like either A. Beat the Nightmares and the entire island of Koholint disappears or B. You let the Nightmares take over and annihilate the island

[@sinteleon]

Link wins and Termina is saved.... and the game ends with a dad grieving over his dead kid.

[@thedarknessmagician5234]

That’s the thing about Majora’s Mask, no matter how many times you turn back time and even when you’ve cleared the game 100%, you’ll never be able to help everyone. No matter how hard you try, somebody in Termina will always be left suffering. All you can do as the player is try to reduce the number of suffering individuals down as much as you can, but it will never reach 0. If you do nothing, the world ends. If you do the bare minimum, the world is saved, but everyone ended up suffering along the way anyways. Lastly, if you do everything that you possibly can, then you’ll help MOST of those suffering individuals, but you can never help ALL of them. Knowing that you can’t help everybody and just have to watch some people suffer without being able to do anything about it because you’re to busy try to stop the end of the world, that’s some heavy stuff for a game intended for children. However, if you want some truly heavy stuff, then go talk to the people of Clocktown during the final hours. Watching people run for their lives and start having complete nervous breakdowns because they know their about to die, especially considering that most of these individuals spent the rest of the three days denying the fact that the moon was going to fall, it’s so real that it hurts in the best way possible. Even if you get a mostly happy ending, nobody will ever forget all the pain and suffering that took place over those three days. I would call it a Pyrrhic victory, but preventing the end of the world is still a major accomplishment. Man, I love this game!

[@alexanderackerman3807]

BotW is pretty depressing too, with Hyrule being completely destroyed and pretty much everyone you know being long gone.

[@maldon3659]

This list should be intresting because I just got ending E for Nier: Replicant yesterday and that game was depressing from start to finish in fact both Nier games are

[@erichfiedler1481]

Hard to believe that those games came about because Yoko Taro decided to make the weirdest ending of Drakengard the one that leads to Nier

[@xtiandg0914]

Ive got two games I would recommend for this: Ar Nosurge a light hearted JRPG with themes of self hatred, guilt, anger and explores the idea how an actual player would be like treating the game world they visit well.. a game and how would people react tk both good and evil players and Shadow Hearts: Covenant with a great protagonist ala Dante, Yuri, with great fun despite Yuri being cursed to lose his soul while dealing with thr grief of losing his lost love in the first gamss bad ending

[@redcrystal7710]

YES! Another Shadow Hearts fan!!

[@cosmiclikesminecraft]

I’ll tag on to your list Outer Wilds, it for me is the epitome of fun gameplay with a depressing story

[@wchan39]

Since you mentioned Ar Nosurge, I would also like to add the Ar Tonelico series too, seeing how they're part of the same universe. I mean, looking past light-hearted parts or the Diving jokes or even the 'life-extending agent' joke, the lore of Ar Tonelico is actually very messed up, not to mention it's post-apocalyptic (twice) world/setting.

[@xtiandg0914]

@@wchan39 Now you mention Ar Tonelico, yes it fits this list too. I mean it takes in a world where 99% of the planet the game takes place is covered with toxic gas and has every type of disastees in its history

[@EmicalFire055]

Ha! I get the pun from your co-writer's name 10. Yeah I can see how this would be. Personally Hollow Knight is enough for me. 9. Wow... maybe if Steam had this game on sale... 8. Dang! Now I know how big the flood scene is 7. Yeah that makes sense 6. Expected as well. I won't say why it's depressing for spoiler reasons. Although what you said also applies. 5. No surprises here! Also Great Bay Temple sucks! 4. Another easy guess but it's nice to have a break from this game after it was on every countdown for years 3. Telltale is great. Looking forward to Wolf Among Us 2 2. Dang... staying away from this game! 1. Wow... never expected this game to be number one. It does fit though. This game is amazing! Also because people will bring this up, I'm not doing the honorable mentions.

[@krimsonkatt]

Telltale is dead lol. They went out of business years ago after they spent all their money pushing Minecraft story mode. The Walking Dead Final Season was their last game. Sorry, but Wolf Amoung Us 2 is never happening.

[@toumabyakuya]

A list like this and no DDLC? Okay. I mean, thought that it would fit seeing how in-depth it goes with treating mental problems as real issues and how they could affect somebody's life. Yeah, it has arc 2 that goes out the window with the meta theme but that still doesn't take away from its depressing side at all, more so when you see the character interactions in the side stories of Plus. Honestly, by the end, all you want is hug them all.

[@fodv93]

Haven't seen much of Plus, but I'm shocked Mother 3 isn't on the list considering the mental and emotional hell Lucas and his dad are put throughout the game

[@MaesterMike]

Persona 3 is one of my favorite fun yet depressing games. When all the bad stuff hits, it hits hard. Every character loses someone close to them, and when you know what happens to the main character after the end, it hurts even more.

[@ethanialstuder5861]

That's what I was thinking too, and then I consider some of the stuff that happens in the games in this list...yeah, P3 ain't the most depressing game out there. Let's take Majora's Mask for example compared to P3, or even Persona games in general. In Persona, you have the SL's, and you can take time out to help all of these people with their problems, and while what happens to the MC happens...it's not like everything the MC did was for nothing, like it is in Majora's Mask. The real messed up part about MM is that while you go and do a 100% completion, filling out the help book...it doesn't...matter. It doesn't matter because you go through all this 'time' helping these people, but all it only does is give you a misguided sense of satisfaction in an endless loop of "What if?" scenarios because in order to do this, you have to rewind time. And by rewinding time, you're undoing everything you've ever done. The people you helped before still suffer the problems and heartache you 'supposedly' stopped, only for you to take that time you spent helping them helping a different set of people in a vain attempt to help everybody in need, only for the realization to settle in that in the end, none of it mattered because you had to rewind time, and everything that was set and panning out to happen happens anyways. When you sit down and think about it like that...yeah, nothing terrible happens to Link or any of his companions, but if you ask me, going around doing everything you did in MM only to receive a vain satisfaction of helping those who are only going to suffer anyways, whereas in P3, it truly did matter that you helped the people you help while still saving the world...only makes Majora's Mask look more f'd up in the end. Sorry for the long rant, didn't mean to. And let's not even talk to the theme of Death is always our final destination in P3 compared to some of the other depressing and full-on life altering stuff in some of these other games.

[@KubatheChangeling]

28:57 Okay, I think I now have nothing to say, but this part made me laugh. Also, Josh does look cute hugging his own wife's plushie. X3

[@voltingmaster5458]

I know too adorable

[@davidtimmer596]

😭😭😭😭WHY, HORSEY, WHYYYYYYYY!? Why must animals suffer so?

[@darkhelmet87]

Re: shadow of the colossus- You know what I like thinking about? Replace the horse agro with Fluttershy- wander starts out all keyed up to kill the collosi, but she talks him out of it, and instead they find a way to purify and befriend them. The demonic final boss is still released, but now he has a hero, his flying steed, and 16 good giant monsters after him. That helps me feel better

[@KigaiOkasu]

One game that comes to mind for me is Phoenix Wright: Spirit of Justice. Phoenix might be putting his life on the line every time he goes to trial, and Athena...might be carrying even less of her own weight than in Dual Destinies, but not only does Apollo have to protect the Wright Anything Agency, but at various points of the game, he has to litigate against his own adopted brother, his own mentor, and a ruling queen while grieving over the loss of his adopted father. Still not enough? Part of solving the last case involves uncovering the circumstances behind the death of his biological father.

[@thesoundofstatic9474]

I find this war of mine so addictive, its exactly as you said fun doesn't always equal happy. I love playing the game yet its upsetting at points, certainly doesn't pull any punches in its realistic depiction of the innocent victims of war.

[@far_and_near_26]

I'm surprised Omori and Mother 3 weren't on the list, not even as honorable mentions

[@krimsonkatt]

Yeah, they both should have been on here.

[@ddjsoyenby]

yeah :(

[@joshshrum2764]

I mean Mother 3, is fun, but you kind of have to wear your feelings on your sleeve in that game because it makes you feel so many different emotions you will not being having fun at certain parts especially the final battle it’s funny beating on Pokey, but Claus, uhhh god.

[@lanterns_glow]

I'm surprised The Binding Of Isaac isn't at least a mention, especially for the music. It is about the young Isaac Moriah (yes that's his actual last name) who has a broken family. His father left, and his mother went into a depressive spiral where she watches televangelist programming all day. As such, such a dynamic leads to Isaac being abused, from being shaved to losing his toys and clothes, to his own chronic health issues starting to rise painfully as every day is a struggle with his life. Eventually, his mother snaps and tries to recreate the story of Isaac- God tells his mother to kill him for his sins, and Isaac... Leaps into the basement.. aka his treasure box. This begins the randomized floors of a suffocating child's dying imagination as he slowly comes to terms with himself and faces off with his dogma, killing the very Beast Of Hell as his final act before ascending to heaven. AND ITS ALL A STORY WRITTEN BY ISAAC HIMSELF, in the good timeline when his father got custody! _YES. THIS GAME IS THAT FUCKING DARK._ And did I forget to mention **THAT HE IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD, AND STARTS TO QUESTION EVERYTHING ABOUT HIS OWN EXISTENCE?**

[@Apolleh]

What I like bout the lore of BoI is how its a 'it was a dream/story' trope done RIGHT. Yes its all a just a story told by issac, but its a story told by a kid who grew up in a messed up home with only his imagination to comfort him which had in of itself been twisted. Some of the other endings reflect possible outcomes of his life, generally focusing on hiding from his mother in an empty chest and dying from lack of oxygen. And yet, in the end issac gets the happiest ending he could in his situation: His father seemingly cleans up his act, saved him from one of those possible awful fates, and is taking the first steps to helping his son recover by letting Issac convey his feelings through a medium that HE is comfortable with in the form of his imagination and stories that gave comfort when no one else would until now.

[@sdtwirix1126]

@@Apolleh That is, depending on how you see the Home Ending. Personally, I see it as an alternate route; unlike most of the endings, which describe one, horrifying story about a child going insane from the abuse by his mother's hand and the guilt that he has from his father leaving(in spite of how clear that he *is not responsible for what happened*, it still effects him in horrible ways) and eventually coming to believe that he's an actual *demon* that needs to *die*. And even then, the Alt route still shows that Isaac went through massive amounts of trauma through a certain set of unlocks only available on that route.

[@kezzstar24]

The Yakuza series in general has caused me so much emotional whiplash I don't know why I keep playing. One minute I'm crying actual tears then next minute I'm fighting back laughter. And that's just Majima!!!!!

[@blueythedragonknight3949]

I've got another game series for a list like this. The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series is filled with depressing shit whilst also being a fun game series.

[@JD10503]

One for me would be Ecco the Dolphin. I mean on a few playthroughs, I get this sense of loneliness. There is nothing but you and wide spans of the sea. Well, nothing friendly. So, maybe not depressing, but it's a game that makes you feel as lonely as Ecco. And the whole package is all wrapped up in a game about a bottlenose dolphin.

[@mogarisready7664]

Tsushima deserves to be on #1. It really was an roller-coaster of emotions and the ending really hit hard. Most other entries here I have played as well and they are fantastic like SotC and Nier

[@amirgarcia547]

Shoutout goes to Mother 3, which I’m a bit saddened didn’t make this list. It’s a fun and quirky RPG, just like its predecessor…but man, will its heavy themes and depressing, even sometimes dark story elements hit you harder than a freight train.

[@daisukeniwa21]

Even though it's a walking sim, What Remains Of Edith Finch is a very interesting look into a family that's gone through so much pain and yet still keeps going.

[@MrGreenJester]

Fun yet depressing games? Nier Replicant, Nier Automata, and Bloodborne comes to mind Edit: Called it!

[@starvoltnexus3139]

Kingdom Hearts?

[@KeyToAeris2024]

MrGreenJester Bloodborne is disturbing not really depressing but I can see where you come from

[@protohunters]

I’m shocked Mother 3 wasn’t even mentioned! Fun quirky RPG with an incredibly depressing story where even when you meet someone silly they’re likely to meet an untimely fate eventually.

[@cosmiclikesminecraft]

Outer wilds was snubbed hard. For me it is the definition of gameplay that leads to a sad story, it goes from “yayyyy happy fun space exploration with some stress” to “this whole species died for nothing due to a cosmic coincide” and it’s only 1 of 3 games I’ve ever played to make me break down sobbing (the other two being Before Your Eyes and Nier Automata)

[@aidenp6001]

I was really hoping you would cover the newer Wolfenstein games (with the exception of Youngblood), as they were so stupidly awesome in the gameplay, yet so gut wrenching and cruel in (most) of the cutscenes.

[@EditDeath]

Surprised you didn't make it an honorable mention Josh, but Final Fantasy 6. It may get a happy ending, but before that the world ends, one of the heroes gets stuck on an island where nearly everyone committed suicide, a town is reduced to orphans, we learn that another hero was abandoned as a baby with the intent of getting him eaten by wild animals, still another hero's family and entire kingdom are poisoned to death right in front of him, and so on and so forth. Fun game, but there is plenty of tragedy to get you down if you think too hard about it.

[@zaneheaston8254]

What about Super Paper Mario or Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time both have dark moments with the light hearted art style of the Mario series

[@emberfist8347]

Easily for me, some depressing yet fun games are Call of Duty Infinite Warfare and Batman Arkham Knight. The former is a pretty brutal deconstruction of the FPS genre and its treatment as a power fantasy. It doesn't go all Spec-Ops: The Line by turning your character into a monstrous war criminal, but it does deconstruct the traditional Call of Duty storyline involving the player controlling a badass special forces operative who single-handedly plays a major role in ending a major conflict. The seems to go that route at first, but it really takes a sharp U-Turn as the story progresses. While the Player is initially promoted to the Captain of one of the only remaining carriers in the good guys fleet due to being the highest-ranking officer after the Captain dies, the game quickly shows the problems of being in command. By the end of the game, only 4 members of the 767 strong crew of the player's carrier are still alive, and your character is not among them. But you still get to kill the main bad guy right? Nope, he gets taken, prisoner. But you get to single-handedly win the war right? Nope while you do imprison one of their top fleet commanders, destroy their flagship and their space elevator, the SDF is still not the defeated and by the end of the game, there is no clear winner because of the significant damage on both sides. All you did was just buy some breathing room for the good guys who are arguably in worse shape with most of the high command killed, their entire fleet destroyed, and they lost their defenses in case the enemy fleet attacks Earth and there isn't any real exchange in territory. Do you at least get a decent funeral? Nope, you are just another name carved on the wall. The only thing keeping the game fun is that this is Call of Duty. The franchise has perfected how to make an FPS and the levels are varied in location and gameplay. Batman Arkham Knight is depressing for similar reasons. As this is the last installment of the Arkham Series, Rocksteady decided to go scorched earth on it stopping just short of nuking Gotham. The game does a good job of showing how ultimately futile Batman's war on crime really is. When you visit the Evidence Locker in the GCPD you see how bad Gotham's revolving-door prisons are. None of the people who have items in evidence are locked up at the start of the game save for Anarchy (even then Anarchy is in a government facility who knows where not in Gotham), everyone else was released and still out there. Even when you lock everyone up, DLC shows most of them will break out again and the base game all but states this will the case for at least one of them. The peace Gotham experiences at first following the events of Arkham City collapse into full-scale anarchy after 24 hours and five ounces of fear gas. And in the end we see what a Gotham without Batman would be like and it has moved on. The closest thing he has to a legacy is Robin picking up the slack as Gotham's protector. And that isn't getting into the fact this is the last time the Batfamily will see him or the side-missions with villains like Man-Bat, Mr. Freeze and Killer Croc that managed to be sad in their own right. The only thing keeping it fun is the core mechanics, the joy of beating up thugs or picking them off one by one like a slasher in the Predator segments not to mention the boss fights, side missions and seeing the Rouges Gallery in action.

[@BlackOwlMage]

I'm actually still playing Yakuza Like a Dragon and I've been loving every second of it (and I'm a Ichiban simp) I've been trying to get into the Yakuza series for a while but Like a Dragon has given me the kick to look more into the series

[@mechafreak7938]

I feel insulted that Hollow Knight wasn't on this list.

[@aceofflames4572]

He showed it in the intro, so he at least recognizes it :P

[@DaneNerro9]

I am just glad The Soulsborne franchise at least made it on the list, wasn't expecting it, but it was a welcome addition.

[@Cata-qp6fi]

Honorable mention for myself: Honkai Impact (chapter 9 and 25 speaks for itself)

[@BurningAzure]

And the way Chapter 17 ended is also such an emotional gut punch and cemented Mei as my favorite character.

[@Cata-qp6fi]

I wasn't a big fan of Fu Hua until the time when she was with Kiana and chapters 20 to 22, she gain my respect.

[@BurningAzure]

@@Cata-qp6fi And Cyber Angel was a microcosm of Honkai's tone and cemented Bronya as my second favorite character.

[@SBaby]

2:45 - Honestly, the lore isn't the most depressing thing about the Soulsborne games. The most depressing thing about them is that an overwhelming majority of people that play them won't beat them. They'll get frustrated and give up.

[@jakewulgar]

I finished a playthrough of dark souls 1 for the first time. I was on and off for a decade and when i beat every boss, including the dlc bosses, i felt accomplished and wanted to play new game plus to get more achievements. But my friends want me to play elden ring with them.

[@Arexion5293]

Few more that come to mind: - Klonoa 2 - Persona 2: Eternal Punishment - Shin Megami Tensei III and IV - Hollow Knight - Alice Madness Returns - Far Cry 2

[@shadowlinkbds]

Well this is an interesting video game topic if I ever heard one. It's pretty amazing how many games can be enjoyable but at the same time when you look deep into the characters, bosses, story, or the lore in a game it can be pretty depressing. They're plenty of games I can think of that will fit this topic but let's see what made the list.

[@sophieknowles4876]

For me, Devil May Cry 1 and Devil May Cry 3 fit this topic to a T. Both are fun hack and slash games where crazy/cheesy stuff happens, but the first game is a revenge story where Dante is trying to stop Mundas from taking over/destroying the human world, and even finds out that his own brother has been used by the demon king to stop him, not until after he's seemingly killed him during their third and final encounter. And then there's 3rd game, where we witness Lady and her conflict involving her father who murdered his own wife to gain power, and Dante's conflict with his brother who desires power and will do anything to get it, which inevitably ends with Dante believing that he couldn't save his brother from himself, leading to his depression in both the first game and in the anime that came after it. So, yeah, that's my two cents on this interesting countdown topic. Awesome video as always, Scorcher. X3

[@TheRonanSchuck]

Nice, creative topic. As a youtuber in such a long time, it figures there's a challenge to becoming stale, since you've adapted to the algorhythm and managed to stay relevant since so long ago. So Cheers

[@Wolfs0n]

"Honor died on the beach" - Jin Sakai

[@eaglewarrior7979]

The ghosts of sushima is based on the Mongolian invasion of Japan. Fun fact the katana was made because of the Mongolian armor making the Japanese samurai swords obsolete.

[@OutcastWriter31]

Valiant Hearts. *Salutes Emile* "As the War ends for me, I have no regrets. I've seen too much horror. I hope Fate has been more merciful to you. Our time on Earth is brief. Mine has been filled with so much joy, that I can only be thankful for how much I've been blessed. Most specially, for the wonder you brought into my life. This letter will be my last. I have been found guilty by a military court for the death of an officer. It was not my intention to kill him. War makes men mad. And though I failed Karl, I know my sacrifice will not have been in vain. I fought for my country, and my Liberty. My honour is assured. Since it is the will of God to separate men on Earth, I hope we will meet again in Heaven. Keep me in your prayers. Your loving Papa, Always."

[@filkinraous1806]

Even moreso since that letter wasn't written for the game. It was a historical find.

[@LadyLeomon]

Shadow of the Colossus, such a perfect game it would be hard to find a Top 10 List that it doesn’t belong in 😊😊😊 Thanks for the new vid Josh (love you Ari!) 💙🐱💙

[@simbathedog55]

One thing I've got to praise about This War of Mine is its extra content and bonus scenarios. Survival in the base game is hard enough, but the new aspects make it even more terrifying. Play as a solo father, desperately searching for his missing daughter (and in a game where sleep is a liability, this guy will be constantly exhausted), or as a wife gathering information for her husband, a radio broadcaster whose only goal is to deliver truthful news about the war, no matter the cost, or even as a curator for a museum not only trying to survive, but to protect priceless historical artifacts that showcase the history of your nation and its people. Hot damn, did this game nail its extra content.

[@tommymoore600]

thanks to your reviews i learn interesting game history and get interested in games i didnt know about

[@CEWinick]

Great video in the details and understanding of each game.

[@SpectrumSwordtails]

"Those are some masses." Angry Aramau would like to know your location.

[@mangomage33]

Lisa shows up in the first ten seconds and I'm immediately happy

[@Steelers3624]

I'm glad Yakuza is finally being mentioned on this channel! (I personally would have gone with Yakuza 0 or Yakuza Kiwami as the saddest games, but Like A Dragon works too.)

[@DimensionSpawn]

19:23 Never expected a Glove and Boots reference, I like it.

[@voltingmaster5458]

Josh hugging Ari Plushie is too precious.

[@angeldude101]

Torna ~ The Golden Country. The game is decently light hearted for most of the game, with some somber moments including destroyed villages, orphaned children, dead moms, and an abusive stepdad. By the end of the game... 3 of the main characters are dead, 1 hid in the middle of nowhere, 2 got captured by the real bad guys and got experimented on, 1 declared war on humanity, and 1 abandoned reality entirely before having what she left behind sealed at the bottom of the ocean. Oh, and the characters' entire home country is gone along with many of the people living there.

[@benjamintan2733]

Ah. I do hope that Dragon Age or Mass Effect makes it to the list. Oh well. Crysis as well. Maybe Farcry? Yeah, so many games had a fun yet depressing moment. Interesting. I haven't play any of these games. Maybe I should try some of them.

[@tommymoore600]

also love the unique countdown scenes for each countdown

[@voidastralbirth]

Another great video, can’t wait for next month!

[@andrewgifford1007]

Borderlands 2 DLC 4. A fun Dungeons and dragons filled DLC with a 13 year game master using it to cope with her friends death. And this is the game where a side quest's only objective is to shoot a guy in the face.

[@ya-kiri794]

For me some depressing fun games include: Megaman Zero 4 PMD: Explorers of Sky Silent Hill 1/2 Link's Awakening FFVII Crisis Core

[@mastermold10]

honestly i always found link in majora's mask to be the most actually heroic out of all the links, ever. why? after the first few time loops he has to know that he isnt going to get ANY credit for any of this, hes doing it because its the right thing, no mater how hard it gets, what he has to do he does it, knowing every step of the way, most folks in termina will never know the name of the boy who saved there lives...and hes okay with that.

[@davidtimmer596]

I think Lost Judgment takes the depressing stuff from Yakuza: Like A Dragon up to 11. You're investigating a school that has a history of bullying and suicide, next you're dancing and playing with robots, and skateboarding while continuing said investigation. And an acting police officer let himself be caught for groping as a way of getting away with the murder of his son's bully.

[@hariman7727]

But the question Shadow of the Colossus succeeds. The lady is resurrected and she gets to live on. It's also implied that Ico is actually the sequel to Shadow of the Colossus, meaning that eventually there is redemption for the hero. Edit: the only winning move involving The walking Dead is not bothering with it.

[@Ardas57]

I played through Ghost of Tsushima and when I got to the end, I debated my final decision for SO LONG!!!! I was torn!

[@nefdjc9492]

I feel we should should have another list because I feel we have only touch the surface. Their more depressing fun games like Catherine Persona 3 Fire Emblem: Three houses Metal gear solid series Yakuza 6 Judgement (Yakuza Spin-off) Mother 3 Hollow knight Hotline Miami 2 Grand theft auto series Some Final Fantasy games Some Shin Megami Tensei games Last of Us God of War Danganronpa series Omori Silent Hill series And more

[@narratornate8841]

An honorable mention of my own: What remains of Edith Finch. In this game, you play as a woman who is revisiting her childhood home and exploring a history she never got to properly or completely learn. Throughout the game, you learn a story of neglect and fear, where a family's habits lead to beliefs of a curse instead of a resolution to the problem. At least until the events of the game. It is a fun, beautiful, and well made game that really makes you think about the real world and its own realities, despite how fantastical and bonkers the family might seem. It is so good, and I seriously recommend that people play it. It's really short, and can be finished within an hour on a normal playthrough, but this works really well for the game itself.

[@jaketaller8567]

28:54 I’ve heard of beating a dead horse, but never crying over one.

[@randomguyblank1616]

Personal honorable mention that I am 100% confident will never make one of Josh's list is Honkai Impact 3. Its fast, fun, action packed fighting along the same lines of dmc, though slightly toned down given that its also a mobile game. Though its very impressive for a mobile game. I found myself getting attached to the characters, and rooted for them along their journey. However that journey is well, lemme just go through the general reaction I've observed chapter by chapter (adding some side stories where relevant) chapter 1: Well that was a nice introduction chapter 2: Huh, that was a weird chapter 3: Oh, oh no chapter 4: Bronya no! Also a battle with a giant mecha Everlasting memory: "The day you disappeared along with the stars" chapter 5: Well I'm not sure whats going on but this character interacting with their missing or dead parents is nice chapter 6: Fu hua you traitorous bird! Dilemma Dreamland: man this is trippy chapter 7: Hey look a dragon....oh no, a dragon chapter 8: OH GOD, OH SH*T, OH F*CK chapter 9: previous chapter continued by this time with heavy sobbing following right after chapter 9 ex: Well that can't be good chapter 10: Wow this is pretty, but also Bronya no! again chapter 11: Yes Bronya! You go girl chapter 11 ex: OMG Fu hua you glorious bird chapter 12: man an alternate personality that isn't trying to kill everyone, thats new here chapter 13: Well glad to know everything turned out fine in the end chapter 14: it didn't...but at least main girl Kiana got to shine chapter 15: great the antagonists made an alliance chapter 16: Does everyone from Russia want to start an orphanage? chapter 17: "Everyone please...stop fighting" chapter 18: WWWHHHHYYYYY chapter 19: Man I feel like crap after that The Forgotten: 50 millennia of life, 50 millennia of suffering, I guess thats what samsara is all about chapter 20: Fu hua why do you live like this? chapter 21: Fu hua, are you ok? chapter 22: Oh that ain't Fu hua, oh crap that ain't Fu hua chapter 23: Its nice to see that those two need each other. Also damn these puppets chapter 24: Its nice to see Fu hua is alright after that whole thing, Also damn these puppets chapter 25: honestly this is the one of the best twist I've seen. Also damn these puppets

[@Cata-qp6fi]

I hate the Herrscher of Dominance too, also we have to keep more tissues since we will explore the history of Previous Era :-)

[@michaelmunns]

You got to fight the covenant, the flood, allies turn enemies and worst the original Xbox controller.

[@gabrielkrows488]

3:03. Well hey, zelda goes from "I caught a fish" to "Oops I reawakening the antichrist" back to "playing as a chicken" back to "mass genocide and reanimating the corpses of the people I killed to serve me".

[@chriss.249]

Megaman X: Lives in the future where his family is dead, the only time he can interact and feel his fathers love is when he finds a capsule containing armor to help him KILL robots, he's looked down upon by his fellow hunters, his best friend and only confidant was created to kill him(he's lost his best friend 3 times), despite being a cinnamon bun he has to track down and kill like 60 robots that have their own reasons to fight, some against their will, some were his comrades(and since all reploids were created from HIM he's basically killing his children), witnessed the deaths of hundreds of humans and reploids, prevented human and reploid extinction 3 times, and served as the leader of the last surviving humans for like 10 years b4 having to sacrifice his body to hold what's basically an evil GOD at bay for 100 years. The ending of the Zero series still hurts me to this DAY🤧 But hey, the stage music is fire🤷🏾‍♂️

[@ShiningSilvally]

Funny to see that Mother 3 wasn't mentioned AT ANY POINT. Shadow Of The Colossus I can understand, but.......wow. Really surprised to not see possibly the most depressing RPG ever made not put on here.

[@ColetheFlame01]

24:29 ....I've played this game a number of times now and yeah...it's never any easier no matter how many times I play it....I cant handle even a single death in my party....it truly questions your morals and how far you can go to survive and protect the ones you care about. I won't ramble on about it but yeah...very fitting entry for this category.

[@i8dacookies890]

I'm guessing The Binding of Isaac wasn't here despite the background music was because you haven't played it? YOU NEED TO! And it would have been number one.

[@joshshrum2764]

Yeah he really needs to it’s one of the best indies, and he’s this Undertale, obsessed crazy so i would think he would eat Issac, right up, also don’t take that literally gross lol, but uh yeah the lore, and everything I’m sure he would love. Though speaking of I’m going to get Repentance when it comes to Switch, next month.

[@daleketchup7434]

Josh: Shadow of the Colossus should be called Poaching: the game You're out of line, but you're right

[@WolfRider2002]

How about OMORI? It's a turn-based RPG that takes place in a quirky world that you journey across with your friends except (spoilers) It turns out that quirky world is a figment of the imagination/dream of the main character which was created when he accidentally killed his sister and made it look like a suicide. He has shut himself out from the rest of the world. The girl he had a crush on is now a bully who torments his best friend. That same best friend now deals with anxiety

[@KeyToAeris2024]

Great point on Bioshock the gameplay is incredibly versatile for an FPS and the STORY omg the story is TOP NOTCH! I really hope the new one can be as good as the first 3 I doubt it though

[@battlemageazulio1019]

Fuga: Melodies of Steel. Whatever the hell you do, if you don't wanna feel a soul-crushing amount of regret, STAY *AWAY* FROM THE SOUL CANNON!! ...'course, the rest of the game's pretty dark too, but JEEZ.

[@jobot0114]

Calling it before I watch, Undertale's on here somewhere.

[@Sophie_Dreemurr]

And MOTHER 3.

[@tomboyangel78]

Aww, I was hoping Persona 3 would get an honorable mention. Oh well. Still a great list. Every time I watch one of your vids, I am introduced to new games and new youtubers :)

[@javelinmaster2]

"Woe to mankind, for we live in a world where Hanako does not exist" I know that pain.....

[@moxxiedemongamer3019]

5:47 ah yes to many Halo is to many gamer memories that started it out with the original XBOX and I'd still do have The Master Chef Collection on my XBOX ONE

[@Akwatypus]

Bastion and Transistor definitely hit this spot for me. Supergiant know their narratives of past lost legacies.

[@josh6453]

8:12 LOL! I see what y’all did there!

[@ShadowCurito]

Shadow of collosus fights are long but so epic

[@alexisdowers2030]

This one came just in time for my birthday

[@oldschoolman9878]

Sees Shadow of the Colossus, this is where the fun begins