Momento features a total of six distinct endings: four main story conclusions determined by your key choices, one hidden joke ending, and one secret “true” ending that reveals the complete narrative. Getting the answer to momento how many endings are there is just the start; achieving each one requires a specific path, a deep understanding of the game's Memory Coherence system, and in some cases, finding items hidden across the entire campaign.
This guide breaks down the requirements for all six endings, from the default bad outcome to the incredibly demanding true finale. We'll cover the critical decision points, necessary collectibles, and the narrative significance of each conclusion.
The Four Main Story Endings
Your journey through the collapsing psyche of Agent Kaito is governed by a hidden stat called Memory Coherence. Actions that align with your programmed mission (eliminating targets, following Dr. Aris Thorne's directives) lower your Coherence, while actions that recover fragmented personal memories (collecting Mementos, defying orders to save civilians) raise it. The four main endings are triggered based on your Coherence score and a final, critical choice in Chapter 8.
Ending 1: The Loop (The Default Bad Ending)
This is the most common ending on a first playthrough. It's the outcome for players who fail to significantly engage with the Memento system or consistently follow their programmed directives without question. In this conclusion, Kaito’s memory is wiped once again by the Alexandria Institute, and he is sent back to the start of his conditioning. The final scene shows him waking up in the same white room from the prologue, ready to be deployed on another mission, trapped in a perpetual cycle. The loop is complete.
- How to get it: Finish the game with a Memory Coherence score below 25%. This typically happens if you ignore most of the optional Memento collectibles and choose the mission-focused dialogue options when speaking with Thorne. In the final confrontation, you simply submit to the Institute's control.
Ending 2: Rural Rescue (The "Good" Escape Ending)
For players who actively seek out their past and push back against their programming, a path to freedom opens up. In this ending, Kaito manages to break free from the Institute's control, fakes his own death during the facility's collapse, and escapes to a quiet, rural homestead glimpsed in his recovered memories. It's a bittersweet but hopeful conclusion, suggesting that while his past is bloody, a peaceful future is possible.
- How to get it: Achieve a Memory Coherence score of 75% or higher by collecting at least 12 of the 15 Mementos. Critically, in Chapter 5, you must choose to save the scientist, Dr. Anya Sharma, instead of retrieving the data core. In the final choice, you must elect to destroy the central memory loom, severing your connection to the Institute for good.
Momento in-game screenshot
Ending 3: The Architect (The Neutral Power Ending)
This morally ambiguous ending sees Kaito turning the Institute's weapon against them. Instead of destroying the memory loom or submitting to it, he seizes control, effectively becoming the new director of the Alexandria Institute. He gains the power to alter memories on a global scale, believing he can use this control to enforce peace. The final shot is of an older Kaito observing the world from the director's chair, a lonely and powerful figure who has become the very thing he sought to escape.
- How to get it: Maintain a mid-range Memory Coherence score (between 25% and 75%). The key divergence point is the final choice in Chapter 8 at the Alexandria Institute's core terminal. Instead of destroying the loom or submitting, you must use the 'Chronos Key' (an item assembled from parts found in Chapters 3, 6, and 7) to interface with the system and choose the dialogue option "Assume Control."
Ending 4: Silent Judgment (The Atonement Ending)
This is arguably the darkest of the main endings. If Kaito recovers most of his memories but is overwhelmed by the guilt of his past actions as an assassin, he can choose a path of atonement. He uses the Institute’s own network to broadcast a full confession, exposing their operations and his role in them to the world. In the ensuing chaos, he doesn't attempt to escape. The final scene shows him awaiting his capture and trial, having found a grim sense of peace by accepting judgment for his crimes.
- How to get it: This requires a high Memory Coherence score (above 75%), just like Rural Rescue. However, in the final choice, instead of destroying the loom, you must select the option to "Broadcast the Archives." This path locks you out of the escape route offered in the Rural Rescue ending.
Unlocking the Secret and "Joke" Endings
Beyond the four primary narrative branches, Momento hides two additional, very different conclusions. One is a bizarre Easter egg, while the other is the game's true, canonical finale.
Momento in-game screenshot
Ending 5: Celestial Escape (The Space Station Joke Ending)
This non-canon ending is a well-hidden joke from the developers. Following a series of bizarre and seemingly random steps, Kaito can abandon the main plot entirely and launch himself into space. The final cutscene is a short, comedic sequence of him floating in a small escape pod, eating freeze-dried ramen while observing Earth. It has no bearing on the main story but is a fun secret for dedicated players to find.
- How to get it: This requires a strange sequence of events:
- In Chapter 2, find the toy rocket in the child's bedroom and carry it with you.
- In Chapter 4, during the sewer chase, use the toy rocket on a specific loose grate to find a "UFO Cultist's Note."
- In Chapter 7, at the airfield, ignore the main objective and instead go to the hangar's control tower. Input the code from the note (74-7-3) into the terminal.
- This triggers a secret launch sequence, ending the game immediately.
Ending 6: Momento Mori (The True Canon Ending)
This is the ultimate, most difficult ending to achieve. It provides a definitive conclusion to Kaito's story, revealing the full truth about the Alexandria Institute, the identity of its founder, and Kaito's original purpose. In this ending, Kaito not only breaks free but dismantles the Institute's entire global network, exposing its founders without sacrificing himself. He fully integrates his fractured memories and finds a way to move forward, honoring the memories of those he lost.
- How to get it: This requires a 100% completion run with several specific, non-obvious steps.
- Collect all 15 Mementos: You must find every single collectible in the game.
- Achieve 100% Memory Coherence: This means always choosing the dialogue options that question your reality and prioritizing civilian lives over mission objectives.
- Assemble the Mnemonic Catalyst: You must find three hidden components (the 'Neural Compass', the 'Cognitive Filter', and the 'Aperture Key') and craft them at a workbench before the final mission. These parts are located in secret rooms in Chapters 3, 5, and 7.
- Spare Dr. Aris Thorne: In the final confrontation, you must choose to spare Thorne after defeating him, selecting the "There's another way" dialogue option. This option only appears if the Mnemonic Catalyst is in your inventory.
Momento in-game screenshot
How Do Choices and Mementos Actually Work?
The ending you receive is not determined by a single choice but by the cumulative weight of your actions. The Memory Coherence system is the invisible hand guiding your fate. Think of it as a scale. On one side are the directives of the Institute—efficiency, obedience, forgetting. On the other is Kaito's buried humanity—empathy, curiosity, remembering.
Every major decision nudges the scale. Saving Dr. Sharma in Chapter 5 is a massive shift towards high Coherence. Executing the target in Chapter 3 without hesitation is a major shift towards low Coherence. The 15 Mementos are the most consistent way to raise your score, with each one representing a recovered piece of your soul. Your final score (0-100%) at the start of Chapter 8, combined with your final decision at the memory loom, locks you into one of the four main endings. The secret endings bypass this system by following their own unique logic tracks.
Frequently Asked Questions about Momento's Endings
What is the canon ending in Momento? The developers have confirmed that Ending 6: Momento Mori is the game's true, canonical ending. It resolves all major plot threads and is considered the definitive conclusion to Kaito's story.
Can you get locked out of the true ending? Yes. Missing even one of the 15 Mementos or one of the Mnemonic Catalyst components will permanently lock you out of the Momento Mori ending for that playthrough. You also lock yourself out if you kill Dr. Thorne at the end.
Which ending is the hardest to get? By far, Momento Mori is the most difficult. It requires meticulous exploration, specific moral choices that often seem counter-intuitive to survival, and a final act of mercy. The Celestial Escape ending is not difficult, just obscure.
Do endings unlock any new game modes or items? Yes. Achieving the Momento Mori ending unlocks the "New Game Plus" mode, which allows you to replay the game with all your skills unlocked. It also adds a special 'Director's Commentary' Memento in the starting room, providing developer insights.
A Final Choice
The multiple endings of Momento are more than just different cutscenes; they are a reflection of your journey and the kind of person you chose for Kaito to be. Did he remain a tool, escape his past, seize power, or atone for his sins? Or did he achieve the impossible and truly remember? The final outcome is, ultimately, a memento of your own playthrough.