For the most part, game over screens are something that players absolutely dread in video games. It's the ultimate penalty for failure that forces people to either reload an old save or start from the latest checkpoint in a bid to repeat the segment without facing death once again. It's an age-old mechanic that has been carried over ever since the age of arcades and serves as a simple yet great way to force players to improve their skillsets for their respective games.
However, gaming has evolved beyond the one-note nature of this feature. Game over screens don't necessarily need to impede players, and there are times when this fail state is used creatively by games to actually further the plot or strengthen the gameplay instead of punishing players as they always do. The most notable examples of the same are mentioned below.
7 Dark Souls
Dark Souls is the poster child of tough games that cause people to die over and over again. In fact, the "You Died" screen is something players will see so many times in their playthrough that dying actually becomes critical to unlocking further parts of the game when players need to collect the four Lord Souls required to access the Kiln of the First Flame.
This happens when players need to fight Seath the Scaleless for the first time, only to realize that there's basically no way to defeat this enemy the first time around. As a result, they have no choice but to die and for the Chosen Undead to be abducted and imprisoned in the Duke's Archives instead.
6 Bloodborne
Speaking of tough FromSoftware games where players will die over and over again, another game that is worth mentioning in this regard is Bloodborne. This gothic adventure slowly descends into anarchy with its Lovecraftian roots showing more and more as players get through this amazing title.
Bloodborne wastes no time in showing players just how brutal the game can really be. There's one particular enemy in the game called Snatchers that are extremely hard and transport players to the Hypogean Gaol once they manage to kill the player. This lets the Hunter save the nun Adella and fight one of the optional bosses, Darkbeast Paarl.
5 Batman: Arkham Asylum
The Batman: Arkham games are known for being masterful comic book titles that do a brilliant job of bringing the Dark Knight's adventures to the video game medium in a truly incredible fashion. While most people consider Arkham City to be the best game in this trilogy, there's no denying that Arkham Asylum also had many unique tricks up its sleeve.
The most memorable part of the game comes after Scarecrow manages to poison Batman with some of his Fear Toxin. This causes the superhero to experience many hallucinations, including one where the Joker shoots him, and the Game Over screen prompts players to use the middle stick to try and dodge this attack — an act that is impossible for obvious reasons!
4 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Hideo Kojima is a master of his craft, finding new and innovative ways to make his Metal Gear Solid series stand out from other video games that label themselves as stealth-action titles. There's no better game that shows how creative Kojima gets with his concepts than Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
Early on in the game, players are given a Fake Death Pill that they can use to pretend that Snake has bitten the dust once and for all. Not only is this a great way to surprise enemies and bosses for a quick hit or two, but it's also mandatory to use during a section when Snake needs to break out of prison!
3 Heavy Rain
Quantic Dream is a studio that has developed its fair share of innovative adventure games where the progression of the plot never stops, even when one of the lead characters has died during the course of their adventure. Such is the case with Heavy Rain, which features four playable protagonists out of which three can die at any given moment.
Heavy Rain doesn't shy away from punishing players for missing QTEs or not paying proper attention to their surroundings, and having all characters survive the story is critical to getting the best ending. However, players can still play through the story and unlock unique endings of their own that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.
2 Detroit: Become Human
Detroit: Become Human is another game released by Quantic Dream that serves as a return to the studio's best work after the poor reception of Beyond: Two Souls. Once again, players control multiple characters in an adventure where any one of them can die at any given moment and be taken out of the narrative.
The story of androids fighting for their own freedom becomes a great plot point in Detroit: Become Human, with this central struggle playing a role in the lives and adventures of all playable characters. The game might not reach the lofty heights set by Heavy Rain, but Detroit: Become Human is still a pretty decent game in its own right where players can progress past their failures that might take certain characters out of commission.
1 Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel Shadow of War did a great job of making failure part of the game's mechanics. The Nemesis system let randomly generated orcs with unique personalities, strengths, and weaknesses increase their power through random events, one of which includes the death of Talion at their hand.
This makes for a unique dynamic where these victorious orcs might try and hunt down Talion once again, while defeated orcs might come out of nowhere to take their revenge for being humiliated by the player character. The end result is a dynamic and engaging narrative that emerges along with the game and lets players craft their own unique story in the world of Mordor.