Summary
- Not all RPGs end with the player defeating the main villain, allowing for unique narrative endings.
- Undertale offers a pacifist route where players can spare all enemies, including the final villain, Asriel.
- In Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the main antagonist, Toth, escapes the player's wrath, evading a final showdown.
RPGs are among the most popular types of games, often broadly categorized as games in which players assume the role of a character with the intention of increasing their strength and ability. These games often have a strong focus on both narrative and combat, with many of them culminating in a final confrontation between the player and a main villain or "big bad."
The big bad is not necessarily always the final boss or largest threat at play, nor do the games have to end with a final face-off. Not all RPGs have their player defeat or kill the big bad. The enemy might survive through narrative redemption, player choice, or as a fixed ending to the game. These endings are often famous for their unique nature, setting them apart from other games in the genre.
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6 Undertale
Asriel Dreemur
Undertale
- Released
- September 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Toby Fox
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Undertale is a famous, highly regarded indie RPG released in 2015. In Undertale, players take on the role of a child who has fallen into the Underground, a mysterious and fantastical setting inhabited by monsters. Players uncover the story and meet a colorful cast of characters, all while collecting items and leveling up.
Undertale, like many RPGs, features a combat system. However, players can avoid engaging in combat and killing monsters, instead choosing to subdue them or make peace. This can be achieved for every monster and character in the game, allowing for an entirely pacifistic run. This extends all the way to the finale, where the player can choose to pacify the final antagonist of the game, Asriel. This allows players to see the 'good ending', following an entirely pacifist run of the game wherein the player takes no lives.
5 Fallout
The Master
Fallout
- Released
- October 10, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
The first Fallout title is a beloved isometric RPG that laid the groundwork for the Fallout series as it is known today. It facilitates a massive amount of player agency, with players choosing how they navigate through the wasteland, who they align themselves with, and ultimately how the story ends.
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Fallout can be played entirely through diplomacy, and it is possible for players to never kill anyone, including the main antagonist, The Master. Endings include solutions wherein the player convinces the Master to abandon his plans, or where the player can join The Master to see his plans realized. These endings see the main antagonist survive, or at least not die at the hands of the player directly.
4 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Sir Istvan Toth
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Released
- February 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Warhorse Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an immersive RPG set in 15th-century Bohemia, wherein players take control of Henry, the son of a blacksmith from the small town of Skalitz. At the start of the game, the town of Skalitz is raided by a band of mercenaries at the behest of the Hungarian King, Sigismund. From then on, Henry joins the service of a local lord and ultimately ends up attempting to pursue justice for the death of his parents.
Throughout the game, Henry is plagued by a Hungarian nobleman, Istvan Toth. Toth operates in the shadows throughout the game, revealing he has been on a mission to undermine the local lords and cripple the region to allow for Hungarian occupation. Toth ultimately comes into possession of the sword that Henry helped his father make at the start of the game. Henry wishes to retrieve the sword and get revenge for Skalitz, although Toth ends up escaping at the end, avoiding the wrath of Henry and the player.
3 Skyrim
The Aldmeri Dominion
Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a game that needs no introduction. It is arguably one of the most popular RPGs of all time, and is the latest mainline installment in the tenured and beloved Elder Scrolls series. While the official main antagonist of Skyrim is Alduin, there is another villainous entity that is far broader and holds more dire implications for the Elder Scrolls universe going forward. That is the Aldmeri Dominion, otherwise known as the Thalmor.
The Thalmor are a far-spanning political entity made up of Elven supremacists that seek to rid Tamriel of humans and become the supreme governing race. The Thalmor are a near-untouchable entity that meddles in the affairs of the player during the events of Skyrim, notably undermining and likely holding control over the Empire. The player cannot destroy the Thalmor, and it stands to reason that they may be the main villainous entity going forward in the Elder Scrolls series.
2 World of Warcraft
The Old Gods
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
World of Warcraft is the most popular and actively played MMORPG in the world today. Players create a character and explore a massive array of content, spanning a broad and impressive world, built and added to over many years. World of Warcraft is famous for its extensive lore, with each expansion iterating on and introducing villains to populate raids and dungeons.
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One recurring villainous group is the Old Gods. The Old Gods are primordial beings, four of which (Y'Shaarj, C'Thun, Yogg-Saron, and N'Zoth) ruled Azeroth during the primordial age. They formed the Black Empire and went to war with the Titans of Azeroth. In the modern day, Old Gods are always present, influencing events and occasionally showing up as villains to be defeated. That being said, most Old Gods have not been killed, and they will remain the largest villainous entity in Warcraft lore for years to come.
1 Diablo
Diablo Himself
Diablo
- Released
- January 3, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard Entertainment, Ubisoft
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Diablo is one of the most popular and well-known ARPG franchises. Players create a character, and must increase their levels and collect gear in order to tackle the game's content. Diablo sees players drive back the forces of hell, the first Diablo game specifically tasking the player with defeating Diablo himself.
In a famous and iconic conclusion, the player defeats the mortal form of Diablo, seemingly killing him for good. The player character then takes the soulstone and forces it into their own head. Come Diablo 2, it is revealed that Diablo did not and cannot die, and instead possessed the player character of the first game, ensuring he lived on and revealing that he was not killed by the player at all.
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