Summary
- RPGs often lack compelling evil playthroughs, but games like Alpha Protocol offer enjoyable guile hero experiences.
- Dragon Age: Origins allows players to be tricky and manipulative as the Grey Warden, offering non-binary roleplaying options.
- Games like Tyranny and Baldur’s Gate 3 showcase the fun of playing as guile heroes who use deception and manipulation to reach their goals.
Role-playing games almost always let players play the valiant hero who makes clear-cut good decisions to save the day. While being a bad person can be entertaining, the sad truth is that most RPGs fail to make an evil playthrough equally as compelling as a good one, which is a shame.
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Thankfully, some RPGs feature heroes who can employ their guile to achieve the greater good, even if it may come at the cost of manipulating or exploiting other people. Thankfully, the ends justify the means and ensure that players will have a great time being a bit sly and crafty while completing their quests.
8
Michael Thorton
Embodying The Three JBs Of Spy Fiction Is A Blast
Michael Thornton’s very nature as a spy entails that he must employ a fair bit of trickery from time to time to be more efficient. Alpha Protocol does a great job of letting players embody the personalities of Jason Bond, Jason Bourne, and/or Jack Bauer as they go through the game’s many entertaining missions.
All three approaches require a fair amount of guile as players lie and manipulate others to get the information they need. While they may eventually be drawn into firefights after a point, it’s quite possible to go through this game with a silver tongue and dubious morality to reach the end of this underrated espionage RPG.
7
The Hero Of Ferelden
The Warden Can Be Tricky And Manipulate People If They Want
- Released
-
November 3, 2009
The Dragon Age games are notorious for being dark and brooding, with the first game showing off its dark fantasy roots with great finesse. The Grey Warden that players control is a blank slate with a unique origin who can be either heroic or evil, but the former doesn’t need to be a binary goody-two-shoes character.
Saving Ferelden may require some tough choices where players employ a fair bit of trickery to make things easier for themselves. Brute-forcing the entire game is possible, but players can roleplay as a guile character who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty for the greater good.
6
The Fatebinder
In A Game That Explores Evil, Roleplaying A Guile Hero Is Arguably The Best Way To Play
Tyranny is one of the best CRPGs for players who want to check out different flavors of evil in a unique video game. The Fatebinder that players control eventually becomes the Archon of the Spires, utilizing some fearsome power to stop the forces of Kyros from laying waste to the world.
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It may be a heroic action at heart, but some of the actions that The Fatebinder can take throughout the game to achieve this goal can be truly heinous. The fact that infanticide is somehow a good course of action in the game’s context shows why playing as a guile hero can be so much fun.
5
Shadowheart
Serving The Dark Lord Shar And Trying To Stop A Great Evil Involves A Great Deal Of Guile
- Released
-
August 3, 2023
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
In many ways, Shadowheart is the perfect protagonist for Baldur’s Gate 3. Her personal struggles coupled with the game’s overarching plot make for a great time as players either devote themselves to Shar or follow their own path.
Either way, the massive suite of roleplaying options in Baldur’s Gate 3 ensures that players will have plenty of options to play as a guile heroine Shadowheart. A great example of this is how players unravel Ketheric Thorm’s immortality, pretending to side with the enemy until they get the information they need, only to negate the tyrant’s threat and show their true colors.
4
Edgar Roni Figaro
The King Plays Both Sides To Try And Fight For A Better Future
- Released
-
October 11, 1994
- Developer(s)
-
Square Enix
, Square - OpenCritic Rating
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Mighty
Final Fantasy 6 boasts the largest cast of playable characters in the series, with players resonating with some of the more memorable personalities. This is precisely why players love Edgar Figaro, a king with an eye for the ladies who is seemingly cooperating with the Empire when players reach his castle.
However, it turns out that Edgar is a member of the Returners who is maintaining a facade of submission to hide his true intentions. It’s a small part of what makes this guile hero such a charming part of the ensemble cast, even after he reveals his true colors and betrays the Empire for good.
3
Brad Armstrong
His Heart May Be In The Right Place, But His Actions Can Be Unjustifiable
- Released
-
December 15, 2014
Lisa: The Painful is one of the most disturbing RPGs players can enjoy, set in a dark post-apocalyptic world where all women have disappeared. When the main character, Brad, finds a young baby girl in the wasteland, he decides to serve as her father and becomes overprotective over time.
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The true extent of his actions isn’t fully revealed, but it’s clear that he wasn’t the perfect father to Buddy. He may still have a noble goal where he tries to locate her after she disappears, but his actions are hard to justify during this adventure. Players can help out other people if they wish, but they can also sacrifice their party members to keep their valuables safe and take drugs to make themselves more efficient in combat, which isn’t exactly heroic but is perfectly in line with the behavior of a guile hero like Brad, who is smarter than he lets on.
2
The Courier
Players Can Play A Wily Hero If They Wish
- Released
-
October 19, 2010
New Vegas is one of the greatest Fallout games ever made. The roleplaying options in this title are so impressive that players will have a great time molding their version of The Courier in whatever manner they see fit.
This means that players with high Charisma and dubious morals can play the role of a guile hero with ease. Manipulating other people and tricking opponents to make things easier is a ton of fun every single time, making it clear why New Vegas‘ interactions and dialogue were lauded by fans and critics alike.
1
Commander Shepard
A Renegade Playthrough Involves A Lot Of Guile
Action RPG
Third-Person Shooter
- Released
-
November 6, 2012
Commander Shepard is one of the most iconic video game heroes of all time, with their imposing presence and zeal to get the job done making them an easy protagonist to love throughout the iconic Mass Effect trilogy. Being a Paragon may be fun, but some people may not be huge fans of the goody-two-shoes approach they have to embody as a result.
This is why some people love playing as Renegade Shepard instead, letting them act more unhinged and mess with people. Players may still be working to save the Earth from the Reaper invasion, but how they achieve this goal is completely up to them and may involve some sly and morally dubious actions from Shepard’s end if need be.
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