The Best Games Where The Protagonist Uses A Prosthetic

Summary

• Pirates used peg legs and hook hands due to 18th-century ship accidents, sparking creativity in prosthetic design.
• Fiction explores prosthetics creatively, from devastating character impacts to comical malfunctions.
• Video games feature prosthetics with discernible gameplay impacts, from bionic arms to supernatural limbs.

Prosthetics, in their simplest definition, are devices that are used to substitute a missing body part. Throughout history, there have been a lot of different ways to lose parts of the body. Accidents and violence are common ones. Even today, there are still situations where a medical emergency can necessitate the removal of a limb. Alternatively, some people are just born missing an arm or a leg.

Because of this, people throughout history have looked for ways to work around a missing body part. One of the main reasons pirates are so commonly associated with peg legs and hook hands is because there were a lot of ways to get hurt on 18th-century sailing ships, and they were simple prosthetics that could be thrown together using whatever was on hand. In the modern era, humans have gotten a lot more creative with prosthetics, developing incredible designs that change the lives of their users.

In the context of fiction, prosthetics (especially arms) can also be used creatively. A more dramatic take on the subject can explore the devastating impact losing an arm has on a character, how they adjust to the prosthetic, and ultimately grow from the experience. In a more comical setting, the prosthetic itself can be a comedic device that regularly malfunctions or fails to work as intended.

Science fiction is especially fond of this for the simple reason that if a character loses an arm, they can get it replaced by a cool robot arm, though fantasy sometimes offers equivalents. But the interactive nature of video games also means a prosthetic arm can lend itself to some very interesting gameplay. A lot of games can get creative with how they design the arm itself, but finding interesting ways to use or modify it can produce some very unique experiences.

For the purposes of simplicity, this list is focused specifically on single-player games in which the main playable character has a prosthetic. This means the list has avoided multiplayer-only games and NPCs, both of which could be their own lists. Additionally, the selection has further been narrowed down to examples where the prosthetic has a discernible impact on gameplay.

8 Bionic Commando

Grapple Hero

This classic 1987 arcade title (later ported to the NES before going through a series of remakes and sequels) follows Nathan “Red” Spencer, a soldier whose left arm has been replaced with a grappling hook. How he got this bionic arm is not made clear (unless you count the 2009 game claiming his bionic arm was made from his dead wife’s remains), and it might seem simple compared to other entries.

After all, it only has a single function (grappling), compared to the upgradeable/modifiable limbs of others. However, the fairly straightforward grapple arm is crucial to Bionic Commando‘s gameplay. Because of the level design and the (at the time) unusual decision to not have a jump command, Nathan has to rely on the grapple to move around his environment. He can use it to get across wide openings and reach higher platforms. But it is also useful as a weapon. Used in conjunction with his gun, the grapple can also be launched or swung at enemies.

7 Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Double Prosthetics

The setting of Deus Ex is a world where cybernetically modifying the body is a common occurrence, and powerful shady characters like to experiment with using cybernetic enhancements to create supersoldiers. Naturally, almost every protagonist in the series has been a cyborg to some extent, and acquiring and installing augmentations are central parts of gameplay. But Adam Jensen of Human Revolution and Mankind Divided goes a step further. Most characters on this list only lose one arm. Adam Jenson has both arms replaced with prosthetics. And they can be upgraded (alongside the rest of his body) to give him a few combat advantages.

For instance, there are upgrades that enhance the arm’s strength or stabilize it for a more precise aim. On the more advanced end, he can augment it with a hidden blade Assassin’s Creed-style, or enable remote hacking of enemy equipment. The ability to experiment with different augmentations for a unique playstyle is easily one of the biggest draws of the series.

6 Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

An Arm From the Void

Billie Lurk went through a lot of trauma between Dishonored 1 and 2, losing both an eye and her right arm by the second game. But things changed when she became playable in the spin-off game Death of the Outsider. In an odd turn of events, the very being she’s setting out to kill gives her the Black Shard Arm. Being an artifact from the void, this is one strange-looking prosthetic. The hand is barely attached to the arm and looks like it should easily fall off, yet somehow functions pretty smoothly.

In any other context, this would be the worst prosthetic ever, but here it has a strange way of working. It actually comes with the advantage of self-replenishing energy, meaning Billie doesn’t have to worry about restoring mana the same way other Dishonored protagonists did, and it gives her a couple of superpowers. It is a strange choice on the part of the Outsider, especially since it undoes a potential choice in Dishonored 2, but it seems to be a response to her not wanting the mark he usually gives to other people.

5 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Surprise Arm Transplant

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had an item called the Sheikah Slate which allowed Link to collect runes that gave him special abilities. When bringing this mechanic back for Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo decided to go in a slightly different direction by instead having the role filled out by an arm. When Ganondorf is resurrected (again), he manages to use his new powers to shrivel Link’s left arm.

Luckily, the spirit of Rauru is able to save Link and perform an impromptu limb transplant. This isn’t exactly a prosthetic in the most conventional sense, as it is Rauru’s actual arm literally grafted onto Link’s shoulder. That may sound morbid, but it is done to give him an edge in his quest to save Hyrule. Rauru’s arm allows Link to find and collect special powers that range from the simplistic (picking up heavy objects) to crafting and even small-scale time reversal. These can help him with everything from puzzle-solving to combat, often becoming essential to navigating Hyrule.

4 Lies of P

Swappable Arms For Different Situations

A Dark Souls-inspired reimagining of Carlo Collodi’s Pinnochio might not be the kind of place where you’d expect to see a prosthetic. After all, Pinnochio is a wooden puppet, is he not? And yet their version, known simply as “P”, does indeed have a metal prosthetic arm, known as a legion arm. However, there is a twist. Instead of having a single upgradeable prosthetic, there are different models of legion arm that P can craft over the course of his journey, and each one comes with a different secondary ability that can be used in conjunction with his primary attack.

These skills range from simply grappling with enemies to projectile-firing to firing landmines into the ground. While P is restricted to one function at a time, the arms are interchangeable, giving players room to experiment with finding the one that best suits their playstyle.

Losing an Arm is Tough, but Now You Have a Weaponized Robot Arm

The fifth entry in the Metal Gear Solid series begins with its new protagonist, Venom Snake, waking up in a hospital after surviving an explosion, where he realizes he is suddenly missing an arm (presumably amputated for medical reasons). This injury is even referenced in the game’s title, as “phantom pain” is a common sensory occurrence where a person feels pain in a missing body part.

His first prosthetic, a hook quickly thrown together by another patient, wasn’t very effective. However, once he (finally) escapes the hospital, Venom gets a bionic arm that can be upgraded with several combat functions, like shooting missiles or shocking enemies. Given a lot of the game involves observing, infiltrating, and/or attacking enemy strongholds, the bionic arm can have a variety of applications for Venom Snake to work with.

2 Phantom Fury

Robot Arm With Special Skills

3D Realms’ sequel to their retro-shooter Ion Fury begins with protagonist Shelley “Bombshell” Harrison waking up after undergoing surgery for injuries sustained in the previous game. The first thing she notices is her missing right arm, and she barely has time to process it because the facility is already under attack by the game’s antagonists. The good news is she now has a fancy robot arm that can punch enemies with enough force to make them explode, and she can get upgrades over the course of the game that offer more options like producing a force field that blocks projectiles.

The arm itself actually becomes a pretty big plot point, as it turns out to be a lot more than a mere prosthetic. Turns out it has ties to Shelley’s own family history and a deeper conspiracy that now threatens global security.

1 Sekiro

An Unsettling but Very Useful Arm

FromSoftware’s adventure through Feudal Japan begins with protagonist Wolf being charged with protecting the heir to an ancient clan, only for that to go wrong when he encounters his nemesis. Their epic Kendo duel ends rather anti-climactically with Wolf’s left arm being cut off in one hit before he can do much. Luckily, before he can bleed out, he somehow ends up in the home of a sculptor who gives him a strange prosthetic. Unlike many examples on this list, this one is supernatural instead of mechanical, and it appears to be made of bones.

The forearm alone is a framework made of three different bones, and the same is true of the fingers. In true FromSoftware fashion, this ends up leaving him with more questions than answers about what exactly is happening. The new arm turns out quite valuable in his quest for revenge, and can even be upgraded with various “tools” found throughout the game.