Best Games That Let You Grow From Childhood To Hero

Key Takeaways

• Games like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Assassin’s Creed 2 immerse players in childhood, developing characters over time.
• Titles like The Sims 4, Fallout 3, and Fable offer simulations of various depth of growth from birth to adulthood.
• Dragon Quest 5 and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time explore full lifetimes, emphasizing consequences and personal growth.

One experience that video games can offer that no other medium can is to give its players a new life in a completely different world or reality. Some games go as far as to induct their players as with real life: by having them born into the world and grow from innocent to adult, giving them a chance to relive that precious time that all humans eventually lose: their childhood.

This allows the player to get a feel for the controls and learn the ropes more organically than dropping them into the shoes of a skilled or powerful hero. It also roots the player’s immersion by making them really feel like they are a part of the world and giving the player a powerful connection and bond with their avatar.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

From Tetherless Toddler To Heroic Hunter

Born from mysterious circumstances into Horizon: Zero Dawn’s world of long-ruined high civilizations and roaming machine monsters, Aloy is raised and eventually trained by Rost, the outsider. Players experience the game’s first stages and get to grips with many central mechanics through Aloy’s eyes during her childhood.

Of course, the prologue does not last long. Players get to see Aloy develop and sharpen her skills during a training montage. After that, they are given back control of a seasoned, powerful woman in a dangerous world, complete with archery, freerunning, and tracking skills, and are directed to help her uncover her origins.

Assassin’s Creed 2

From Roguish Youth To Master Assassin

Most Assassin’s Creed fans will remember this hooded killer for his late-life appearances, but his journey starts surprisingly early on. The Animus, the Assassin’s Creed universe’s most amazing gadget (at least for VR gaming enthusiasts), allows its users to relive the experiences of their ancestors. In Desmond Miles’ case, that means looking back at the life of Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the moment he was brought into the world in 1459.

Since newborn babies don’t make the best free runners, Assassin’s Creed 2’s story fast-forwards the plot to Ezio’s 17th year. Although this is a major skip, much of Assassin’s Creed 2 revolves around Ezio’s transformation from a naive and somewhat irresponsible kid to the gritty and mature freedom-fighting serial killer that fans would come to love, made all that more immersive by the excellent vocal transition from boy to man by Roger Craig Smith.

The Sims 4

A Homely Simulation Of The Journey To Adulthood

The greatest sitcom human simulator naturally has one of the greatest toddler and childhood gameplay. Granted, the Create-A-Sim feature does allow players to create a sim of any age, from baby to elder. However, there really isn’t another game that so comprehensively simulates the time between birth and adulthood (and beyond) quite like the Sims series.

While it may not have a simulated and evolving open world like its predecessor, Sims 4 somewhat makes up for this with its deep life-stage mechanics and countless customization options. Besides, thanks to car culture and super-suburbanization, most kids’ childhood in modern society is restricted to the confines of the home.

Fallout 3

From Sheltered Child To Shell-Shocked Survivor

Following the third iteration of the most iconic openings in video game history, voiced by the legendary Ron Perlman, Fallout 3 has the player’s character quite literally birthed into a post-nuclear world, after which character creation begins. As the player watches their vault-dwelling avatar go through important life stages, they can make important decisions about who they will be for the rest of the game.

That includes learning to walk, taking on bullies, and taking Vault 101’s hilariously depressing vocational aptitude test, the G.O.A.T, from a first-person view. As players eventually emerge from the safety of the vault, they are thrust into a world that tests their survival skills to the limits and continues to shape their identity as they attempt to track down their in-game daddy.

Fable

Shaped By Every Little Life Decision

In Fable, the player begins as a young child in the stereotypically tranquil fantasy village of Oakvale, only to see their idyllic life shattered by tragedy, sending them into a world of adventure. This “innocent childhood” segment allows players to interpret their misfortune as something they should respond to in a cruel or kind fashion, and Fable is more than ready to cater to either choice, evil or good.

Every choice the player makes, from childhood through adulthood, shapes the hero’s appearance, abilities, and reputation, emphasizing the weight of personal growth and consequence. While Fable and its sequels didn’t exactly deliver on every promise made (for example, that the player will age in real-time), the transition from innocent child to legendary adult still feels personal and impactful.

Dragon Quest 5: Hand Of The Heavenly Bride

A Lifetime Of Growth, Loss, And Legacy

The story of Dragon Quest 5 begins at the very moment of the protagonist’s birth, a literal fresh start for the player as they name their character and begin their journey. Players follow Pankraz, the hero’s father, through his formative years until the devastating moment of his death and the hero’s enslavement.

Dragon Quest 5 doesn’t just explore one stage of life; it lets players live a full lifetime. As time passes, Dragon Quest 5’s hero transitions into adulthood, marries, and starts a family. Many games proclaim to be “epic” in nature, but few take the time to wave a story about a maturation from naivete and generational growth quite like Hand of the Heavenly Bride does.

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

A Lot Can Change In Seven Years

While many games are willing to use childhood as a prologue or jumping-off point to the game proper, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time stands out as a rare example of a game that puts its players through a parallel childhood for half of the adventure before thrusting them into the adult world. Of course, Ocarina’s journey from boyhood to manhood isn’t exactly linear.

Link occasionally jumps back in time to take care of a puzzle or fetch quest to change the future in some small way. However, the effort that Ocarina goes to in conveying a world inhabited by childhood friends, condescending adults, and whimsical adventures is nothing short of magical, and that magical experience is largely unmatched, even today.