I love games that allow us to defy the expectations that the game places on us. In "Far Cry 5," for example, waiting to do nothing at the start of the game allows you to bypass all the other events in the game and turn in credits for nothing. And in "Baldur's Gate 3," by making a certain choice near the start, you can end the adventure before it really begins.

This choice is not an official ending, as the credits do not run, but a "game over" screen will appear, and you will be returned to the main menu or to the previous load. If you don't want to know what I'm talking about, don't read on, but it is a simple gag that can happen right after the introduction in the nautilus.

Walking around the nautilus crash site, you will encounter a mind flayer still alive. If you pass an intelligence check, you will be able to focus on the mind flayer's thoughts while it tries to manipulate you. This strengthens your connection to you and allows the mind flayer to telepathically suggest that you sacrifice your body in order to survive.

You are given two more opportunities to resist Mind Flayer's pull with a wisdom check, but if you choose to ignore it and "lean in for a kiss" and insist that "all is well," you hear the narrator's final line: "Warm, wet tentacles wrap your head wrapped around you, and for the first time in your life you are perfectly happy.

Even if any party members are still alive, the next thing you see is a game over screen. It will say, "Your party has been defeated."

While it is very difficult to fail both of the DC5 Wisdom checks against Mind Flayer, I already know of two very unlucky people. Two!

It may not be an "ending" in the traditional sense, but it is technically a way to end the game, and the heroes are happy, albeit briefly. Now, I'll spend the rest of the weekend wandering around talking to animals instead of advancing the plot in the main campaign (where I didn't get my brain eaten by mind flayers).