8 Games With Unexpected Endings

Truth be told, it can be hard to predict where a Resident Evil game’s story is going to end up by the very end of a playthrough. However, some players may be able to figure out where the pieces are falling by observing the characters and their motivations, but in other instances, Capcom has thrown screwballs the players’ way in the last few moments to make for an unpredictable ending that nobody could have ever seen coming.

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These kinds of endings can go down one of two ways with the fanbase, either they are seen as a little too random, or they make the game even more memorable thanks to how much they can surprise the player. Suffice to say, the Resident Evil series has produced some incredibly outlandish and unexpected endings, with the games below being the biggest examples of this. Before jumping in, this list will also be considering post-credit scenes alongside the regular endings and will contain heavy spoilers for the series.

This list contains spoilers!

8

Resident Evil 6 (Chris’ Campaign)

A Chaotic Final Mission Featuring A Giant Octopus B.O.W And An Unexpected Heroic Sacrifice

Released

October 2, 2012

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes

Chris’ campaign in Resident Evil 6 focuses on the legendary protagonist getting back into the saddle after becoming disillusioned with fighting bioterror after so many years. The man who’s there to help him along the way is Piers, a young but extremely passionate soldier who many fans were presuming would end up becoming a mainstay for the series, and somewhat of a new-generation iteration of Chris.

It, therefore, made for a surprising ending to Chris’ story when the two are forced to take on a gigantic B.O.W. in an underwater lab, which results in Piers injecting himself with the C-virus to fend off the dangerous mutant. Nobody expected Piers to bite the bullet by the end of the story, especially since Capcom tends to keep many of the side characters alive, but it certainly still made for a very emotional final scene.

7

Resident Evil 4 Remake

A Random Cameo From Wesker That Took Everyone By Surprise

Systems

Released

March 24, 2023

ESRB

M for Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

While Wesker does technically show up in the original Resident Evil 4, it’s only as a small cameo in Separate Ways, and as a playable character in the Mercenaries. As a result, nobody expected the series’ big baddie to show up during a post-credits scene in the remake, let alone speaking openly about his Uroboros plan, which he kicks into motion in the fifth game.

It was also unexpected to see Ada acting so hostile towards Wesker, considering she is usually more than willing to take on any kind of work, no matter how dangerous it may be. While this ending makes it seem likely a remake of Resident Evil 5 is on the horizon, only time will tell what Capcom has in store.

6

Resident Evil 5

The End Of Resident Evil 5 Pits Players Against The Series’ Main Antagonist Inside A Volcano

Released

March 5, 2009

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

While many players could have predicted Wesker would be the final boss of Resident Evil 5, considering he acts as the main villain for much of the story, it’s hard to imagine the confrontation would have ever been this epic and outlandish. After Chris and Sheva manage to apprehend Wesker on his bomber, the aircraft plummets into a volcano, which acts as the stage for the final fight.

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After a few boulders are punched and a ton of ammunition is used up, Wesker plummets into the lava, squirming in pain before Chris and Sheva fire two rockets that decapitate the legendary villain, taking him down once and for all. Having the ending be this epic and over-the-top was an unexpected, but memorable conclusion to Chris and Wesker’s longtime rivalry.

5

Resident Evil 7

Resident Evil 7’s Final Moments Sparked Numerous Online Discussions Because Of How Unexpected It Was

Released

January 24, 2017

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

Resident Evil 7 feels like its own standalone game that has barely any ties to the rest of the series, at least, until the very end. After players finally manage to take down Eveline after she mutates, a helicopter flies in to rescue Ethan and Mia from the Baker Estate, but when the pilot removes his helmet, it turns out to be none other than Chris Redfield. The fact Chris shows up at all already makes the ending quite unexpected, but it’s only amplified by the fact he looks completely different, with some fans theorizing at the time that this was simply his codename.

Things only get weirder when it is shown that the helicopter being used to evacuate Ethan and Mia is the property of Umbrella, though this time, their logo is a little different. The last few minutes of Resident Evil 7 raised a ton of questions and was a much bigger cliffhanger than people thought it was going to be, considering this game seemed more like a one-off story.

4

The Darkside Chronicles (Memories Of A Lost City)

Memories Of A Lost City Paints The Hopeful Ending Of Resident Evil 2 In A Much Different Light

Systems

Released

November 17, 2009

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language

At the end of the original Resident Evil 2, Leon, Claire, and Sherry all managed to escape the Raccoon City outbreak with their lives intact, making for a pretty upbeat and hopeful ending overall. However, Memories of a Lost City, which is a campaign based on the events of the second game, added an extra scene to the ending which completely changes the tone, making for a rather dark and unforeseen finale.

After the three walk off into the sunset, the scene shows Leon in a chair being questioned by the US government, who demand that he join them as a special agent, or else, something bad will happen to Sherry. This perfectly sums up why Leon seemed so disillusioned with being an agent in the remake of Resident Evil 4, but it’s still an ending that took many people off guard upon seeing it for the very first time.

3

Resident Evil: Code Veronica

Code Veronica Leaves Players With A Sudden Cliffhanger After An Unexpected Battle Between Chris And Wesker

Released

February 29, 2000

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence

Considering the Ashford twins are presented as the main villains of Code Veronica, it would be easy to assume the defeat of Alexia would mark the end of the game, but that’s not exactly how things go down. The final scene of the game, before Chris and Claire escape Antarctica, shows Chris and Wesker engaging in an intense staredown, before getting into a brawl where the now superhuman Wesker easily overpowers his former comrade.

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While it was always clear that Chris was going to be featured in the game, the heavy focus on this being Claire’s story led many to believe that Chris and Wesker’s feud would take a backseat. Instead, the game ends by showing the two getting into a fiery war of words while also throwing one another around a little, all while the base around is being blown to smithereens.

2

Resident Evil

The First Game Ends With Plenty Of Twists, A Difficult Tyrant Fight, And An Intense Self-Destruct Sequence

Systems

Released

January 20, 2015

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Violence, Blood and Gore, Language

As players venture through the spooky Spencer Mansion in the first game, they will begin to wonder whether their fellow STARS members are as truthful as they all claim to be. The game does a very good job of convincing players that Barry is the one who could be pulling the strings from behind the scenes, but this is simply a red herring that ends up making the ending all the more unexpected.

By the time players finally reach the end of the game, they find out that the entire fiasco was a test set up by Wesker, and by extension, Umbrella. Only a few moments later, Wesker is stabbed by a Tyrant, whom players must then do battle with on a helipad before the entire facility self-destructs. While the whole idea of escaping by helicopter before a building blows sky-high is nothing new in this series, it was definitely a surprise ending for the first Resident Evil game, especially coming only a few minutes after so many revelations.

1

Resident Evil Village

Ethan Learns That He’s Been Little More Than A Walking Corpse For The Last Few Years

Survival Horror

Survival

Horror

Released

May 7, 2021

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

For most of Resident Evil Village, it seems as though Ethan might be able to reunite with his daughter, Rose, who was taken from him early on in the game. However, just as he is about to leave Heisenberg’s factory to finally piece Rose back together, he falls into a dreamlike state where he is told by Eveline that he died at the beginning of the previous game.

Ethan’s body is simply a product of the Mold infection which is beginning to crumble away, meaning Ethan only gets to spend a few precious seconds with Rose before sacrificing himself to let her and the others escape. It would have been hard to imagine Ethan having such a heroic send-off, but the reveal of his infection also came as a huge shock to players.

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