The last thing you see in a game can sometimes stay with you forever. Here are the best video game closing credits!
There are many feelings that can come up when you finish a game, including pride in what you’ve done, relief that you’ve made it through a tough part, and sadness that the adventure is over. But every once in a while, the game will surprise you with one more thing, going above and beyond to make a finish that sticks with you.
When a creator has clearly thought about how to honor all the hardworking people who made this work possible, it’s always nice to see that they incorporated interactive elements or just made them look beautiful. When it comes to great credit scenes in video games, extra flair is always welcome.
Phantasy Star
With its unique ending, Phantasy Star was one of the first games to try something new. This old Sega JRPG was pretty cool back in the day because it had 3D dungeon mazes that were unlike anything else on a home system. The mazes still look pretty cool today.
The caves were so good that the people who worked on the game chose to use them for the credits. The names of the people who made the game show on the walls of one of these pixelated labyrinths as the camera moves through it. This is an early example of connecting the game’s setting to its ending credits.
Splatoon
At the end of Splatoon, you are given a paint gun and told to hit the screen with it to see the names of the people who made the game. There’s something enjoyable about splattering paint all over the screen, and it’s a great nod to Splatoon’s strange style and gameplay.
During the credits, you should make as much of a mess as possible while thinking about all the good times you had recently. It’s a bright, creative, and bold way to show off all the smart people who worked on this game.
Sonic Colors
You can interact with the credits in Sonic Colors, but this time you have to jump into the text to turn the names of the creators into a waterfall of coins. It gets even more fun when you learn how to use the different wisp powers. You can then hover, chew, or rocket through the text to get as many coins as you can.
The icing on the cake? The song “Reach for the Stars” is played in its entirety, and it is without a doubt one of the best in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii also has writing that can be destroyed in the end credits, but it beats Sonic Colors in a big way: it has a co-op mode where you and your friends can wreck havoc.
It’s fun to break through the credit bricks by yourself, but it’s even more fun with two or three friends. It’s always fun to butt-stomp and fist-pummel the blocks with friends, and it’s a great way to end this adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Bayonetta
Before the credits roll and the game turns into a normal text crawl, you can play some last minutes of Bayonetta in short battle sequences. And when the fighting is this good in Bayonetta, who wouldn’t want a few more rounds?
When you add in the great music and sleek graphics, these credits make a strong impact at the end of the thrilling Bayonetta, making it a magical encore.
Flower
The ending of Flower is so complicated that it’s almost like a separate level. In Funny Shooter 2, you control the flower petals normally, but when you touch a bud, it changes into the name of one of the creators.
For a game that is so dreamlike and beautiful, it makes sense that the endings are designed with the same level of grace as the rest of the game. Also, it’s fun to enjoy this beautiful world for a little while longer before turning it off.
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
The Legend of Zelda games have always given us one last look at their worlds during the ending scenes. And even though there are a lot of great examples, the end credits for Ocarina of Time always make me cry.
After seeing a bunch of shots of different parts of Hyrule, the credits cut to a party in Hyrule Field where a lot of the characters from the game are celebrating the Hero of Time. In the last few shots, Link puts the Master Sword back on its stand. It will stay there until the next time the world needs saving.
Earthbound
The moving ending credits of Earthbound remind you that this journey wasn’t really about saving the world from Giygas; it was about the friends you made and the memories you made along the way. You can think about all the crazy things you did in this world when you look at postcards of all the game places.
You, the player, are the last person Earthbound thanks. It’s a sweet tribute that makes you feel good on the inside. It doesn’t end without that last tease at the end of the credits.
God Of War (2018)
A more recent trend in video games is for the credits to start rolling while you are still playing. After Kratos and Atreus threw Faye’s ashes off the highest peak in all worlds, this had a huge effect in God of War.
These scenes show a father and son starting the next part of their epic story after spending hours facing Norse gods and beasts. They are beautiful to watch.
Portal
An ending music movie for a video game can sometimes last forever with just one great song. Some of the other credits on this list can be interacted with more than Portal‘s, but this one is still the icon because it best captures the game’s strange tone and dry sense of humor.
Even after all these years, “Still Alive” is still a hit. The song is successful not only because it’s catchy, but also because it brings together all the themes of the game into one remembered package. While Portal is a great game with lots of great shocks, it might save its best card for last.
