With characters in games, just like with people in real life, I always want to know where I stand. As much as I believe in second chances, betrayal is something that is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to come back from. It's always more emotionally effective, then, for developers to subvert those kinds of expectations. Sometimes, they let us bond with a hero for the entire length of the game's story, only to reveal at the end that they weren't who you thought they were. There's nothing like a game that completely betrays the player's expectations.
Great games that let you be a hero or a villain
Whether they want to be a world-saving hero, or tear the world apart as a fearsome villain, these games give players the option to do both.
Other titles allow you to make choices along the way that ultimately result in villainy, in which case it's more the player's fault than anything else. The games discussed here offer a mix of both approaches, but they all address the idea of turning into a villain in slightly different ways.
Spoiler Alert: By the nature of the title, this article will provide key story details about Little Nightmares, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Warcraft 3, Shadow of the Colossus, Undertale, and Braid, so check it out if you haven't finished these yet!
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6
Little nightmares
Six strikes back
I'm a huge horror fan, and an extremely anxious person. Because of these two traits, I get out easily, but that's okay because I actually enjoy it. The most important thing is that the developers try something unique to make it happen. This was definitely the case for me Little nightmaresIn which a giant, terrifying vessel, filled with six tiny inhuman monsters, puzzles its way through Maui. Throughout the game, she seems all but helpless in these oversized environments, preying and cowering in the shadows. But, I didn't know that hunger was causing something terrible.
I was horrified by the scene in which Six eats a harmless Nome instead of the sausage offered to him, and was quite shocked to learn that the DLC's Runaway Kid was that Nome (later little creatures appear in the series). The ending of the game, too, was a far cry from what I expected, with Six slaying the Lady, consuming her, and then using her malevolent powers to drain the life out of Mau's terrifying, monstrous guests.
It's a very clever way to completely flip the balance of power that we're used to, and watching Maui passively destroy her tormentors on the way to her exit (especially with the change in camera perspective) really leaves a chilling impression. Absolutely villainous behavior, although the extent to which Six becomes a villain himself is a matter of your stance (as the developers surely intended).
5
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The power of the dark side
A 'good' choice between embracing the dark or the light side, with the difference between tool availability and others. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Depends on the individual player. Morally, of course, there's only one choice, but you're given the freedom to be as villainous as you want.
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The battle for the Star Forge and the defeat of Darth Malak can go very differently depending on the choices you make, such as the explosive reveal that the hero was actually Darth Revan. You don't have to be completely evil to embrace your destiny as a former Dark Lord of the Sith, or completely good and pure to reject it, but you can certainly do some pretty bad things on your way there. Systems like these would fall flat if there weren't really weighty decisions to be made throughout, and there really are here. I don't think there's another option in any game that has given me as much pain as Mission Wao's Death Demand in the Temple, and I've only done it once. Some of the worst decisions you can ever make Star Wars Title goes here.
Slow and steady growth in light points and dark points drives character development, and the latter can come at a great cost to your conscience.
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Warcraft 3
From hero to zero
One of the most iconic moments final fantasy The series is Cecil Harvey's transformation from dark knight to heroic paladin. A character going in the opposite direction, however, is a sure sign of a questionable decision or two being made in life. This is exactly what happened to Arthas Menethil, the tragic (former) hero of the human expedition.
This Silver Hand paladin's story begins in the Reign of Chaos material, where we see him wipe out Stratholme to prevent the plague from spreading. The shock of his own military superiors (“How can you even consider that? There has to be another way!”) leads him to dismiss the man and his army, and what makes the overall situation worse is not just in pure sight. We must play it, and even 'compete' with Malaganis who can turn the victimized villagers into their own army before killing them.
A former wielder of religious abilities like the Holy Healing Light, he believes he is fighting to save the land, but continues to commit horrific acts in the effort. As Blade seeks out and claims Frostmorne, his humanity is forever sacrificed, and he eventually assumes the terrifying mantle of the Lich King. It's an interesting and tragic backstory for the villain, and making it playable in Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne gives it added impact.
3
Shadow of the Colossus
Destroying gentle monsters for your own ends
now, this I didn't appreciate the twist at all.
in Shadow of the ColossusWe battle against a succession of huge, challenging bosses. The dark and deep beauty of the game reminds me Dark spirits Games, as the creature designs, and I enjoy a good cinematic fight against such a huge enemy. We're taking on this mission to kill them all, to potentially bring someone of great importance to Mono back to life (potentially), so I think there's good intentions on some level as well.
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I was mainly in it for the boss battles, and they are pretty good. That first scene where Gaius slowly rises from the ground to stand up and face you filled me with absolute dread. The laborious mission of climbing its huge club that sticks it to the ground, then up its body, felt like the massive undertaking it should have been, and I loved the puzzle element of accessing those weak points to deal damage. This concept is true for all bosses, and even among them there is a lot of variety: from flying avians to hydras, giant eels, you have to quickly figure out how to put them out of commission.
Protagonist Wander's appearance becomes increasingly inhuman as more creatures are killed, a physical sign that something is wrong about the whole process. We learn too late, of course, that killing them all allows the formerly-trapped Dormin to escape its captivity. Or, if not for the efforts of a force of warriors sent to stop this wanderer. In his grief, the unfortunate young man did not know that these giant creatures were, essentially, the innocent victims of Dormin's plan for freedom.
2
Undertale
Be the scariest creature around
Undertale It became a phenomenon for many reasons, one important one being how many options there are. If a dedicated player really, really enjoys an RPG, they will indulge in multiple playthroughs, making them as different as possible to see what changes. with UndertaleThere are famously two very different extremes: one in which you kill every enemy and the other in which you kill absolutely no one.
In both cases, the game will adapt to what you're doing to make it more difficult, with enemies reacting to you accordingly. If you're a deep, deep villain, you can destroy every enemy in every area until they literally stop spawning, and you can completely change the behavior and attitude of the bosses. Out of context, you wouldn't think a battle message could have the same emotional impact as “Papyrus is saving you”, and you wouldn't believe how humiliating a boss fight against Sans could be, but you did all that with your carnage.
It's a slow, absolutely deliberate and almost obvious descent into total villainy. Moreover, it is the one that not only gives your enemies everything to fear you or stop your terrible crusade, but it literally drains all life from the world around you and silences it constantly. This is an excellent and experimental RPG storytelling masterpiece.
1
Bread
When you think you're a hero
A very traditional image of the hero is the knight in shining armor. You know, slaying dragons, rescuing princesses, and other such duties. I thought it was just the right kind of experience for a beautiful and artistic side-scrolling puzzle title Bread was in store for me. From my first experience with it, I found it very reminiscent Celeste In terms of its structure, it is divided into several worlds that each center around their own varied and clever mechanics. also like CelesteDeaths and failures are quick but you're back in action even faster, meaning you're not really set too far behind.
The ability to reverse short times in case of errors (think tracer Overwatch) is absolutely critical. This is especially true in those last very difficult sections where you are running on a parallel path to the princess, and have to think very quickly to avoid obstacles (it probably took me hundreds of tries to find a way away from those bouncy-headed enemies). The clever part is when you finally catch her, only to discover that the time-manipulating mechanic was hiding a secret: you thought you were saving her, but it was actually you that she ran away from.
The nature of the relationship between the pair remains unclear, but much of the game's story revolves around her pursuit. We get constant insight into Tim's past with a lot of emotion in the text boxes presented in the middle of the action (for example touching on the trauma of his experiences at university). Each is a piece of a wider puzzle that shapes Tim and his behavior, many detailing how he ultimately became the 'villain' of this thought-provoking adventure.
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