Arthur's final chapter works because Rockstar spent 40+ hours establishing who he is before asking what he is worth. The illness, the camps, the relationships, the choices — all of it culminates in a sequence whose emotional weight is entirely proportionate to the investment made before it. Players who rushed the main story report being unmoved; players who engaged fully report it as genuinely affecting. The payoff is earned by the investment.

The final act of The Last of Us is controversial specifically because the game succeeded in its emotional goal: the player's investment in Ellie and Joel's relationship is so complete that Joel's choice — and the player's possible complicity in it — produces genuine moral discomfort. Games that produce real moral discomfort rather than staged moral choices are rare; The Last of Us is the finest example.

For players who have known Garrus Vakarian across three games and 100+ hours, the conversation on the Presidium before the final battle is one of gaming's most affecting sequences. It works entirely because of accumulated investment — the game contributes almost nothing new, just a context in which established affection becomes visible. It is a masterclass in how to use time as an emotional tool.