Some online game protagonists merely can’t have a cheerful ending. There are a variety of various elements that lead right into a tragedy, usually exterior the protagonist’s management, resulting in grief and loss unimaginable.
Generally, although, these characters are doomed by the narrative itself.
It might be as a result of character’s way of life, occasions previous to the sport, or simply being on the improper place on the improper time. Finally, their destiny is not desired or deserved, but it’s their destiny anyway.
That is the tragedy of those characters; they had been utterly doomed from the beginning.
This text comprises heavy spoilers for all characters and their respective video games.
10
Isaac Clarke
Useless House
In Useless House (and by extension, its remake), the members of the USG Ishimura had been unaware of the truth that they had been all despatched straight to their deaths.
The Concordance Extraction Company (CEC), the main physique of the house mining trade, had an unlawful mining firm on the planet Aegis VII, the place they’d found Marker 3A — the creator of the Necromorphs and the catalyst of the complete recreation.
The Church of Unitology used their connections within the CEC to man the ship and retrieve this marker, with the crew inside being expendable. Isaac Clarke serves because the ship’s engineer and is the only real survivor of the sci-fi horror recreation.
Surviving might not have been the very best end result, nonetheless, particularly after he comes into contact with the Crimson Marker, driving him insane. His now-infected thoughts fractured, and he would by no means be capable of shake away the Marker’s affect, nor the trauma from the occasions of the primary recreation.
Due to this, EarthGov makes use of him to be a Marker Sign Host in future video games, which does not go properly both.
He was doomed to die, however met a far worse destiny by surviving.
9
Joel Miller
The Final of Us
The post-apocalyptic world of The Final of Us is unforgiving to everybody — most particularly to Joel Miller, the primary protagonist of Half I. His story is a tragic one from begin to bitter finish.
After the devastating lack of his solely baby, Sarah, the sport begins with him residing as a smuggler, an already harmful way of life in an much more harmful setting. His destiny is sealed, nonetheless, the second he agrees to smuggle an immune 14-year-old woman named Ellie to the Fireflies.
By the top of the sport, Joel is confronted with an unattainable determination that continues to spark debate: probably making a remedy from Ellie’s DNA, killing her within the course of, or saving her and damning the remainder of the world. He selected to avoid wasting her, a alternative that many gamers, together with his voice actor, Troy Baker, would have replicated.
Nevertheless, this motion would have dire penalties. He was later hunted down and killed by Abby, the daughter of the surgeon dealing with Ellie’s operation and the primary antagonist of Half II, and strained his relationship with Ellie by doing so.
Even when she hadn’t, another person would have — he was doomed the second he met Ellie, and the second he agreed to escort her throughout the nation.
8
Hyperlink
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda franchise is infamous for its advanced and interwoven timeline, spanning dozens of video games and complicated storylines.
Previous to the occasions of Skyward Sword, the goddess Hylia renounced her divinity in order that she might wield the Triforce, making certain that she and Her Knight would proceed to reincarnate to forestall the Demon King from returning ever once more.
Her Knight, particularly, would reincarnate as Hyperlink.
That is an unavoidable, irreversible course of, which means that Hyperlink is actually pre-determined to combat Ganon and all his incarnations to the top of eternity. His complete existence is solely depending on this, and it feels extra of a tragic destiny than simply failing altogether.
7
Cameron “Caz” McCleary
Nonetheless Wakes The Deep
When gamers are launched to the world of Nonetheless Wakes The Deep, it is hopeless. It is determined, heavy, and chilly. There isn’t any gentle or hope on the finish of the tunnel—everybody’s work is fruitless, struggling to satisfy the corporate’s revenue calls for and correct maintenance.
The world is bleak, as is the angle of everybody on the Beira D. Oil Rig — and it is most obvious within the recreation’s doomed protagonist, Caz McCleary. He is determined for a means out of his scenario, simply because the oil rig is determined for a break from the fixed funds cuts and disrepair.
If this implies recklessly and unknowingly drilling into The Form, the Lovecraftian monster of the sport, then so be it. Reawakening The Form, mixed with the disrepair of the oil rig, would result in the deaths of each single worker.
And, in a ultimate, selfless sacrifice, this consists of Caz, a call that has divided a number of gamers. Satirically, although, for a recreation that began off and appears utterly hopeless, the ultimate message of the ending is nearly hopeful, regardless of the tragedy that happens.
6
Noble Six
Halo Attain
Halo gamers constantly hear characters within the franchise reference one thing referred to as Attain. It was an icon, a motivator, a battle cry—and it is not till Halo Attain that gamers lastly get heartbreaking context for the sport’s historical past.
Attain is, actually, a Fortress World that fell in sooner or later. Enjoying because the protagonist, Noble Six, new and veteran followers of the collection lastly perceive the catastrophic weight of the Human-Covenant Battle.
Gamers develop hooked up to the Noble Crew in despair, figuring out what’s coming subsequent — and even nonetheless, no one was prepared for it.
The ending of Attain is notoriously one of many saddest in gaming historical past, with the complete workforce being picked off one after the other in a devastating poetic irony.
Noble Six is the final one standing, the doomed Lone Wolf compelled to helplessly watch the literal finish of the world.
5
Ghost and Roach
Name of Responsibility: Fashionable Warfare 2
Name of Responsibility: Fashionable Warfare 2 is undoubtedly one of the vital fashionable video games within the Name of Responsibility franchise. It was not too long ago rebooted, with many adjustments to the story and its characters for a contemporary, new outlook.
One factor is constant in each video games, although: Normal Shepherd is a traitor.
Within the authentic Fashionable Warfare 2, although, his traitorous reveal ends in the direct loss of life of two characters: Ghost and Roach, who gamers management. Shepherd shoots them each and has their our bodies burned after, spitting on their graves and reminiscences.
Neither character knew of their upcoming demise till it was far too late, regardless of Shepherd and the remainder of his crew being in on it.
4
Kratos
God of Battle
Not often does Greek Mythology finish properly for mortals, and for Kratos within the God of Battle collection, the sample continues. If something, it is the epitome of a Greek Tragedy, regardless of it being an action-packed hack-and-slash.
By desperately making a take care of Ares, Kratos, unknowingly, sealed his demise, and the demise of his then-wife and daughter. He would break freed from the gods’ clutches by slaying the complete pantheon, however it could cement his title because the true God of Battle. He could be unable to flee from his previous, as evident within the newer video games set in Norse Mythology.
And that is ignoring the function of the Three Fates — Kratos cannot be extra doomed from the beginning than his future being written into destiny earlier than he was even born.
3
Arthur Morgan
Crimson Useless Redemption 2
The world is unforgiving to outlaws, being most very true within the case of Arthur Morgan in Crimson Useless Redemption 2.
Arthur is properly conscious of the grim destiny that awaits him within the recreation, making a number of mentions of it at numerous time limits. In a single instance, after gamers full a Stranger Mission involving the reveal of the electrical chair, Arthur writes in his journal that he hopes that when he is caught, he is hanged as a substitute.
Unexpectedly, he is hit with a wholly completely different reason behind loss of life, equally horrifying in 1899: Tuberculosis. And, much more miserable, it is terminal and there isn’t any remedy — simply as 1000’s have died over a century in the past to not having a remedy, both.
He was lengthy foreshadowed to die, particularly contemplating how Crimson Useless Redemption 2 is a prequel to a recreation that does not present Arthur as soon as. It is a devastating tragedy, however one that almost all, together with the narrative itself, knew could be coming.
2
Strong Snake
Metallic Gear
The lore of the Metallic Gear franchise is immensely advanced and convoluted, and it is robust to comply with with a number of completely different variations of Snake. Maybe one of the vital tragic, nonetheless, is the long-lasting Strong Snake himself.
Strong Snake goes by way of far an excessive amount of, starting from battle trauma to accelerated growing old to a thousand different tragic occasions throughout the franchise.
His doom, nonetheless, comes from the truth that he is a clone of Massive Boss — and can come from the FOXDIE virus in his bloodstream, the reason for his accelerated growing old. His cells degrade to the purpose the place they can not restore themselves, killing him immediately.
It is a assured loss of life, utterly unavoidable, it doesn’t matter what Snake’s makes an attempt could also be. He was created this fashion as a clone, cementing his destiny earlier than he might perceive the idea of what destiny is.
1
John Marston
Crimson Useless Redemption
Essentially the most tragic a part of John Marston and his story in Crimson Useless Redemption comes from the truth that he fought so exhausting for a standard life — and in the end did not have it.
John’s story sends a transparent to the opposite Wild West outlaws: no one can utterly run away from their previous, as it would at all times discover a option to catch again up. It is a theme that Rockstar appears to like bringing again of their video games.
Gamers combat together with John to reclaim the narrative, to take again the quiet life that they’d labored so exhausting to keep up. They are going to shoot down anybody, Useless Eye or not, who stands in the best way of that.
All of this, only for John to die on the finish, with a harrowing realisation to everybody concerned: the Pinkertons by no means supposed to let him stay within the first place. He was at all times doomed from the very begin.
