Video Game Characters That Live In The Protagonist's Head

Whilst not the most common trope, the idea of the protagonist having a voice in their head has been explored in a variety of games and in interesting ways. Whether it’s through emotional torment, trauma, or aid, some of the best relationships found in video games come from the protagonist and the voice that seems trapped in their head: willing or otherwise.

Plenty of games feature a protagonist who has hallucinations of something that is not physically there, or a voice in their mind that seeks to aid or deter them from a goal. These voices provide great comfort, knowing that this journey does not have to be taken alone, even if that voice is sometimes something that needs to be removed.

6 Cyberpunk 2077

Johnny Silverhand Aids V With Distrust For Joint Survival

V’s relationship with the voice in their head is an odd one, as it’s not every day that a deceased radical rocker boy terrorist wakes up to share a brain. After V places an Arasaka chip known as the Relic inside their head for safekeeping, the construct on the chip starts to overtake their brain, allowing Johnny Silverhand to emerge. Whilst Johnny’s involuntary emergence may have saved V’s life, it’s also the reason they are dying, as their mind is being overwritten with Johnny’s, much to the displeasure of both.

As players progress through Cyberpunk 2077, they will deepen their relationship with the poisonous voice in their head, or resent it. Every time Johnny Silverhand appears, he has something interesting or rebellious to say to try and derail trust and perspective with whoever V interacts with, adding intrigue to their relationship and the mentality of Johnny himself.

5 Batman: Arkham Knight

The Joker's Mind Slowly Poisons Batman's Own

When the Joker died at the end of Batman: Arkham City, fans thought the Clown Prince of Crime was cremated for good, and his last laugh was spent. However, the mixture of Joker’s blood in Batman’s body, and the new formula of Scarecrow’s fear toxin allowed a figment of Joker to appear front and center in Batman’s mind, manifesting into a physical body and voice that only Batman could see and hear, as much as he would like to ignore it.

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Throughout Batman: Arkham Knight, players will be stopped by hilarious commentary from Joker. Joker will root through Batman’s memories to further torment him, even from beyond the grave. Someone as dangerous as Batman having the warping voice of the maniacal Joker in his head is something that must be kept secret, and cured.

4 Baldur’s Gate 3

An Astral Guardian That Keeps A Mind Flayer Transformation At Bay

Mind Flayers are an unusual thing, and their desire to place parasites into the minds of their victims is one that players will have to deal with as they emerge in Baldur’s Gate 3. From escaping from the clutches of the Mind Flayers’ ship, players will have to find a way to get the tadpole out of their brain to stop a diabolical fate that sees them forever transformed. However, to aid them on their journey, and slow the process of transformation, is a voice in their head.

This voice is an unraveling mystery in Baldur’s Gate 3 that is best not spoilt, but it certainly adds further immersion into the brilliant story that awaits players. The relationship between the voice of this Astral Guardian and Tav (the player character) solidifies the experience, as players are free to choose to trust the voice in their head, romanticize it, or shut it out.

3 Dead Space 2

Nicole Torments Isaac Throughout The Depths Of The Sprawl

The events of Dead Space were most unkind to Isaac Clarke, an innocent space engineer who just wanted to fix the USG Ishimura and see his girlfriend, Nicole Brennan, a doctor onboard this giant space station. Yet, an endless battle against transformed monsters, the Necromorphs, would see Isaac never reunite with his girlfriend again. At least, not in life. Due to the manipulative whispers and piercing insanity from the mysteries Markers, Isaac would envision Nicole.

Throughout Dead Space 2, Isaac is plagued by Nicole, a growing presence that grows like a tumor on his brain due to the imprinting caused by the Marker. Nicole is a terror for Isaac, but a comfort in the dark, causing a struggle in his amnesia in discerning what exactly is real and what is not.

2 Dishonored 2

Jessamine's Heart Provides Whispers Of Secrets To Corvo

A gift from the Outsider, Corvo Attano can use a heart infused with mechanical parts to discover runes and bone charms throughout the Empire of the Isles. With a throbbing beat held in his palm, Corvo can use the heart to learn about the world and the morality of its people. Yet, it seems only he can see the heart, and only he can hear the seductive whispers of his cold and dead lover, Empress Jessamine Kaldwin whenever he interacts with it.

The heart is a disturbing creation, neither living nor dead. There’s a romantic tragedy involved in having Corvo wield the heart of his dead lover, who can still speak to him from the abyss that awaits after death, and despite the death it represents, there is much comfort in hearing the voice of Jessamine again.

1 Call of Duty: Black Ops

Viktor Reznov Guides Alex Mason Through The Cold War

A brilliant CIA operative, Alex Mason was subjected to mental torture and reprogramming in an attempt to kill the United States President and escalate a global nuclear war. Whilst this reprogramming robbed him of his memories and saw him forever tormented by numbers that he couldn’t understand, it did bring forth an eternal friend that would r emain at his side in the dark: Viktor Reznov.

Reznov managed to sabotage the attempted brainwashing of Mason, overriding his original mission and instead putting in his own will to kill 3 Russian operatives that could start a global war. Throughout many of Black Ops’ missions, Mason will see Reznov, and even speak to him, but in reality, nobody is there. Mason’s memories may be fractured, but there is safety in knowing Reznov is always there.

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