Sometimes it’s fun to hate on a video game villain because they are pure evil. For example, there is no trace of humanity left in Kefka from Final Fantasy 6. All he wants is power; he gets it, and it leads to a great catastrophe until the heroes can bring him down.
Best Games That Let You Be The Hero Or The Villain
Whether they want to be the world-saving hero, or tear the world apart ass the terrifying villain, these games give players the option to do both.
A villain with no moral value is fun, but it’s also interesting when developers write their villains with more nuance. Maybe their backstory is tragic, or maybe they have a bigger reason for being evil that goes beyond human comprehension. The following open-world games will take a look at villains who perhaps had a point to their madness, with only a brief explanation of the plot, as they are all rather complex.
That said, there will still be spoilers.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Sephiroth
A Grand Plan For The World
Sephiroth in the original Final Fantasy 7 wanted to take back the planet because he felt it was his to claim. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second remake of the trilogy, it exists as a sequel within the multiverse. So now this time, Sephiroth feels compelled to not only be the ruler of one planet, but the sole judge of an entire universe.
Since the last part isn’t out yet, his exact plans are still a little vague, but overall, Sephiroth is not wrong to want to unite worlds or to save the planet from those who are sucking it dry. His goal of mass execution is where things go off the rails.
Lilith
Grace In The Devil
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
Lilith is the big villain of Diablo 4, and unlike the more masochistic, typical demons that the Diablo series became known for in sequels and expansions, Lilith took a different approach to her evil ways. She acted as a holy mother to the humans and offered them a choice to feel worth.
By succumbing to her rule, they would no longer feel pain or misery in their simple lives. On paper, that sounded great, and that probably did benefit some villages she took over, but she sort of lost the point of it all toward the end when it did become more of a blood sacrifice thing.
The Institute
Submit Or Die
Fallout 4 doesn’t really have one overarching villain, and instead, has an organization centered around the greater Boston area called The Institute. They were trying to claim all knowledge and technology for themselves, and they gained a great asset with the recovery of Shaun, the player’s child.
After getting kidnapped mid-freeze, Shaun grows up faster than his parents because of the difference in cryo-sleep and thus becomes a leader within The Institute. Whether it’s Shaun or The Institute, they are technically both villains in the game because of how they oppress the surface people, and because their pursuit of knowledge and power for “all” would only benefit those underground.
Higgs Monaghan
Should We Have Connected?
Higgs is the returning villain of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, who looks like and is voiced by Troy Baker. Higgs returns on a revenge quest because he was stuck on a Beach and went mental during his stay there. As a message to Sam and the rest of his team, Higgs cautions against the idea of reconnecting everyone because it lets someone dangerous like him through, who is hellbent on destruction.
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With his mind broken, all he wants is to create another apocalyptic event to reset or end everything. Either way, the mental anguish of eternity would understandably cause anyone to become a nihilist. Is life even worth living if society has to continue in tiny bunkers underground?
Pagan Min
Sit Down And Relax
Pagan Min is another character voiced by Troy Baker, but he does not resemble the dictator in Far Cry 4. Players assume the role of Ajay, someone returning home to his country to spread his mother’s ashes. Once there, he meets with Pagan Min, who welcomes him with open hospitality, excusing himself during their meeting for just a few minutes.
If players wait for him to return, they will get an ending, showcasing how cool a guy Pagan Min is to those who follow his leadership. If players go against his wishes, then the game will continue, but even after blowing up bases, it takes a long time before Pagan Min shows any kind of true animosity, as he just wants there to be order, thus making it seem like Ajay is the villain.
The Tantas
Suppressing A Bigger Threat
- ESRB
- M For Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Forspoken is an Isekai where Frey, an ordinary woman down on her luck in New York City, is transported to a fantasy world. In a desolate wasteland, the people are oppressed by female mages called The Tantas, who seem like they are the very definition of evil.
However, the further players get, the more things will start to seem strange, like the Tantas are out of their minds. Ages ago, they sealed a more powerful threat away, Susurrus, which in turn caused them to go batty. Still, the Tantas cruelty does not compare to what Susurrus would have done if he remained free, so it’s kind of like getting the lesser of two evils.
Eredin
Kill One To Save Millions
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
The titular Wild Hunt of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is led by Eredin. The Wild Hunt comes from another world, which is about to be destroyed. Apparently, only Ciri can save millions of people, and as their chosen warrior, Eredin will do anything to save his world from annihilation. It’s a typical moral setup for a story.
Would you sacrifice one life, even if it was someone you loved, to save dozens, thousands, or millions of others? It sounds like an easy answer, but when Geralt has to face the idea of sacrificing Ciri, whom he raised like a daughter, he cannot, in good conscience, let Eredin win. It’s more complicated than that since Eredin’s people would then all invade Geralt’s world, but it’s still a noble task for Eredin.
Luxaar
Defending His Turf
Xenoblade Chronicles X is like the reverse plot of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt because humans are the invaders. They land on a new planet, Mira, which they do not know is housing intelligent life. So, while trying to establish links around the area to help get New L.A. In order, humanity is attacked by an alien race comprised of several species, sort of like The Covenant in Halo.
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The leader is Luxaar, and while he could hold meetings with the human population to come to a negotiation, he decides eradicating humanity is the best option. While technically evil, Luxaar is defending his planet, giving his empire the right to do so, even though diplomacy and kindness are always the better values to chase.
Akechi Mitsuhide
Returning Order To The Shogunate
Assassin's Creed Shadows begins with Naoe having her ninja homeland destroyed by masked men. When she grew up, she assumed Lord Nobunaga was behind it all, which is why she hatched a plot to overthrow his rule. Once she gets close, Naoe gains the aid of Akechi Mitsuhide.
Mitsuhide gives Naoe all she needs to succeed, but it was all a plot to take over, revealing that he was actually the masked leader behind Naoe’s village, burning all along. Mitsuhide thought Japan was going under because of Nobunaga’s rule, which was not untrue. While it was clearly wrong to wipe out Naoe’s village and to form a coup d'état, perhaps Mitsuhide could have ruled more benevolently if given the chance.
Karen Travers
If I Could Turn Back Time
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Scarlet Nexus is set in a post-apocalypse where humanity largely stays safe in one city, while soldiers are tasked with keeping the peace by patrolling the area for monsters. The story is divided into two playable campaigns between Yuito and Kasane, all going toward the same goal, namely to stop their old commander, Karen. Karen is causing more abnormalities to appear because he is trying to harness lost technology to go back in time.
He wants to save a woman named Alice, whom he blames himself for letting die. While it’s a noble goal that could fix things, along with how he uncovered a dark truth about the government, his actions also caused ripples in space and time to appear, dooming countless others. In the end, Karen is actually a villain who makes the right call.
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