Summary
- Video game heroes often leave NPCs in ruins due to collateral damage from their quests.
- Untitled Goose Game showcases how a mischievous goose can ruin relationships and livelihoods.
- In Tales of the Abyss, John’s tragic fate highlights the devastating consequences of heroism.
Imagine this: you’re an NPC, living your best life in a fantastical world. Everything is perfect… until one day, a so-called ‘hero’ bursts into town on some grand quest to save the world. Before you know it, your village is in ruins, your livelihood destroyed, and your life is forever changed. All in the name of ‘heroism’. Sound familiar?
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This scenario plays out time and again in video games, where the hero’s journey often leaves a trail of collateral damage in its wake. Whether it’s toppling a kingdom, raiding ancient temples, or triggering catastrophic events, the world-saving quest tends to come at a cost—especially for NPCs, who are left to pick up the pieces.
Beware of major story spoilers ahead.
8
The Artist And The Cricket Player
Untitled Goose Game
In Untitled Goose Game, you take on the role of a mischievous goose whose main goal is to cause chaos and mayhem in a peaceful town. If you’re feeling particularly rambunctious, you can start a war between two neighbors: an artist and a cricket player.
For the full sequence, don’t forget to bring the clipped rose to the cricket player.
Previously on good terms, their relationship deteriorates rapidly as you orchestrate pranks that pit them against each other. The climax of the feud occurs when you trick the artist into pruning the cricket player’s beloved rose, a prized possession. You waddle away from the scene of the crime, leaving the once-harmonious neighbors suspicious and bitter, their peaceful coexistence shattered by your calculated goose mischief.
7
Focalors
Genshin Impact
The world of Teyvat is governed by seven powerful beings known as Archons, each associated with a different element. Before the rule of the Archons, Teyvat was controlled by the Seven Sovereigns, mighty elemental dragons. According to ancient lore, the only way for the Sovereigns to reclaim their dominion is for an Archon to die and relinquish their Authority, preventing their reincarnation.
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The region of Fontaine is governed by the Hydro Archon, Furina. Unbeknownst to the people of Fontaine, Furina is merely a figurehead. The true Hydro Archon is Focalors, who centuries ago split her divine essence from her mortal form, thus creating Furina. This act was part of Focalors’ long-standing plan to return the Hydro Authority to the original Sovereign. As the story unfolds in Fontaine’s finale, Focalors is condemned to death, marking the end of the line for Hydro Archons and paving the way for the return of the Hydro Sovereign.
6
Guru-Guru
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
- Released
-
November 21, 1998
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
- Engine
-
Zelda 64 Engine
- ESRB
-
E10+ for Everyone 10+: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
Guru-Guru, a recurring character in The Legend of Zelda series, is known for his obsession with things that go “around and around.” In Ocarina of Time, his fascination centers on the Windmill in Kakariko Village. In the past, he was driven to create a musical masterpiece: a song inspired by the rhythm of the Windmill’s constant rotation.
Guru-Guru gets his name from the Japanese onomatopoeia, guruguru, which means swirling or spinning.
However, when Link learns the Song of Storms and plays it as a child, the Windmill begins to spin uncontrollably, draining the Well of Three Features and giving Link access to the dungeon below. This sudden disruption shatters Guru-Guru’s life. The once inspiring Windmill is ruined, sending him into a spiral of despair that haunts him for the rest of his days.
5
Jeff
Five Nights At Freddy’s: Into The Pit
Into The Pit celebrates Five Nights At Freddy’s (FNAF) ten-year anniversary. It retells a short story of the same name from the Fazbear Frights anthology series. You play as Oswald, a boy who stumbles upon a time-traveling ball pit hidden in the back of Jeff’s Pizza, a run-down pizzeria that once operated as Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.
The game leads Oswald into a dark journey through the past, where six children are murdered by a menacing Yellow Rabbit.
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Throughout the game, your choices and actions determine which ending you achieve, with the Good Ending being a bit bittersweet. To unlock it, you must complete all the mini-games without collecting all of your Dad’s things. Oswald and his dad escape the Yellow Rabbit, seemingly returning to safety.
Despite their escape, Jeff enters the backroom and becomes the next victim of the Yellow Rabbit. All because you couldn’t be bothered to retrieve all of your Dad’s collectibles.
4
Puppy AKA Lil’ Cutie
Little Misfortune
Little Misfortune follows a young girl named Misfortune as she embarks on a quest to claim Eternal Happiness, guided by a mysterious and often ominous narrator. The game weaves through a series of choices, where each decision carries consequences that affect the story’s progression.
One of the early choices Misfortune faces is whether to interact with a little white puppy tied to a tree, wearing a party hat. You’re given two options: play with the puppy or set it free.
If you choose to play with the puppy, Misfortune throws a ball for it, but the ball ricochets off a tree, smacking her in the head and dislodging a large branch that falls and crushes the puppy.
This outcome might tempt you to reload the game and choose to set the puppy free instead. At first, everything seems better as the puppy happily follows Misfortune along her journey to the beach. But the relief is short-lived, as the puppy is soon attacked by a mob of crows and carried off to its death.
3
Lunafreya Nox Fleuret
Final Fantasy 15
Lunafreya, the Oracle of Tenebrae, is blessed with the ability to communicate with the gods, a rare gift that she uses selflessly to aid her betrothed, Prince Noctis, in his quest to restore peace and light to the world of Eos. Luna is a figure of grace and compassion, beloved by the people for her unwavering dedication to their well-being.
Throughout Final Fantasy 15, Lunafreya awakens the Astral gods, securing their blessings to aid Noctis in his battle against the encroaching darkness, including Leviathan, the goddess of the sea. The summoning, however, triggers a cataclysmic battle as Leviathan tests Noctis’s resolve and strength, demanding proof of his worthiness.
In the midst of this chaos, Lunafreya’s fate takes a tragic turn. Ardyn, the game’s main antagonist, ambushes and fatally wounds her. After Noctis finally defeats the Leviathan, the goddess of the sea summons a massive tidal wave. Lunafreya uses the last of her strength to summon her powers one final time, creating a protective barrier around Noctis and shielding him from the devastating force of the sea.
2
Chiaki Nanami
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
- Released: July 26, 2012
- Platforms: PSP, PS Vita, Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
- Genre: Adventure, Visual Novel
The Danganronpa series is set in a world where students from an elite high school called Hope’s Peak Academy are trapped in a deadly game, where the only way to escape is by committing the perfect murder. Each of these students, known as Ultimates, is at the pinnacle of their field, whether it be talent, skill, or knowledge. After a murder occurs, the remaining students are forced to investigate, leading to a trial where the group must deduce the killer.
Danganronpa: The Animation is a spin-off anime series that tells about the downfall of Hope’s Peak Academy and the real Chiaki’s fate.
In Danganronpa 2, the students find themselves trapped on the tropical Jabberwock Island, once again forced into the deadly cycle of murder and betrayal. Among them is Chiaki, the Ultimate Gamer. Chiaki’s downfall occurs when she accidentally kills Nagito, the Ultimate Lucky Student. Nagito sets an elaborate trap designed to expose the hidden traitor among the students, resulting in his death.
The twist that makes Chiaki’s fate even more tragic is that she was the traitor, though not in the traditional sense. Chiaki was secretly working against Monokuma, the sadistic mascot controlling the deadly game.
But she was no ordinary student; Chiaki was an AI, modeled after a real-life version of herself who died before the events of the game. Her mission was to guide the students toward a better future and end the vicious cycle of despair.
1
John
Tales Of The Abyss
Tales of the Abyss
- Released
-
October 10, 2006
- Engine
-
Unreal Engine 4
- ESRB
-
t
John is a young boy living with his parents in the quiet mining town of Akzeriuth. This peace is shattered when Luke, the protagonist of Tales of the Abyss, rolls into town. Under the manipulation of his mentor, Van, Luke is tricked into unleashing his powerful hyperresonance, ignoring his friends’ desperate warnings.
In an instant, the Daathic seal, which was holding back a deadly force beneath the town, is destroyed. The entire settlement of Akzeriuth, along with its 10,000 residents, is consumed by the poisonous miasma of the Qliphoth below, leading to unimaginable destruction.
Among the chaos, John becomes the sole survivor. Luke finds the boy clinging to the wreckage, his father’s lifeless body shielding him from the worst of the collapse. But despite the party’s efforts, the miasma claims John’s life in front of them. His heart-wrenching cries for his parents echo as he sinks into the toxic muck, leaving you haunted by the overwhelming tragedy of Akzeriuth’s destruction.
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