Highlights
- Valve's protagonists, like Chell and Gordon Freeman, are iconic and known for their resilience and silent nature, shaping compelling stories.
- Characters like Coach, Scout, and Zoey from Left 4 Dead bring humor and depth to Valve's narratives, making the games more engaging.
- Alyx Vance stands out as a loyal and upbeat protagonist in Half-Life, while Gordon Freeman remains Valve's most recognizable character despite being silent.
Valve has become renowned for its ability to create and tell compelling stories. Half-Life is almost always considered as one of the greatest narrative-driven games developed, or at the very least, one of the greatest narrative-driven FPS titles.
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However, oddly enough, Valve has rarely dipped its toes into creating a traditional, singular protagonist with a branching character. They have graced players with silent protagonists or a multitude of main characters in one game, but not a single conventional persona. Despite this, each of the protagonists Valve has created are some of the most well-known protagonists in video games, whether due to their fun personalities, how iconic they are, or how a strong narrative proceeds, regardless of their desire to stay silent.
8 Coach (Left 4 Dead 2)
A Teacher With A Fun Side
The second Left 4 Dead introduced a different cast of survivors than the first game. One of the new characters that made an appearance was Coach, whose real name still eludes players.
Given the nature of a zombie outbreak affecting everyone, the survivors of Left 4 Dead 2 are characters from all walks of life. Coach is no different, having worked at a high school as a health teacher and football team coordinator, the latter of which most likely gave rise to his nickname. Coach has become a fan favorite due to his comedic personality and quotes.
7 Scout (Team Fortress 2)
One Of Valve's Funniest Characters
Valve has always had a knack for writing comedic and easygoing characters. The Scout is a great example, being one of the funniest characters in Team Fortress 2, which is saying a lot given the hilarity of the game. Being one of the best co-op PvP games, most of the playable characters are memorable, but Scout is more popular than others.
Scout is a beloved character by many fans due to his almost hyper attitude. He is always up in the faces of others, and his fast gameplay mirrors his personality. He also says some of the funniest lines in the game, with his Boston accent further amplifying the comedic tone of his quotes.
6 Zoey (Left 4 Dead)
An Ordinary Yet Skilled Survivor
Zoey is one of the most normal characters Valve has created, being someone anybody could imagine seeing on the street. Well, before the zombie apocalypse at least.
Despite being more of a regular person, especially when compared to some of the other playable survivors in the first Left 4 Dead, she is no less epic, easily mowing down zombies throughout the game. Zoey's voice actor, Jen Taylor, helped give her a sassy tone. She also has quite a sad backstory, losing both parents to the outbreak, with implications that she could have saved her father. Zoey, and the other survivor characters, help to make Left 4 Dead one of the highest-rated games on Steam.
5 Heavy (Team Fortress 2)
An Iconic Powerhouse
By far the most recognizable character from Team Fortress 2, Heavy is one of the nine multiple playable protagonists. Even though Heavy is the most well-known, the fact that all the other protagonists are iconic demonstrates how memorable characters help retain a game's popularity.
Heavy is a larger-than-life character, which actually isn't saying much given the tone of Team Fortress. He is incredibly popular due to his personality, being deeply attached to his minigun as if it were his lover and being someone who is very straightforward in what he says and does.
4 Ellis (Left 4 Dead 2)
An Easy-Going Guy With Golden Retriever Energy
Left 4 Dead2 is one of the best zombie games out there, and though it might not seem comedic on the surface, the underlying implications of the game being a movie can certainly allow humorous themes. No other character represents a comedic tone more than Ellis. A mechanic before the outbreak, he almost has the personality of a golden retriever, being excited and never perturbed by anything.
Of course, amid a zombie apocalypse, he still has that aura of awesomeness needed to survive such an outbreak. As seen in the opening of the game, he is extremely willing to kill any zombies. In addition, his quotes are some of the most hilarious in the franchise, with his Southern American accent amplifying anything he says.
3 Chell (Portal)
A Determined Silent Protagonist
Portal
Chell is one of Valve's more traditional protagonists, being the main character of both Portal 1 and Portal 2. While Portal, being a puzzle platformer game, might not seem like it would be narrative-driven, Chell's role as a protagonist and her adventures throughout Aperture Science prove otherwise.
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She is a silent protagonist, much like Valve's other iconic protagonist, Gordon Freeman. Players don't get to know Chell as much as other protagonists due to her silent nature, but it does allow for other unique characters in the story, such as GlaDOS. Despite this, players can learn more about Chell if they really desire to, finding out she is incredibly resilient and smart, traits clearly needed to escape a facility controlled by a sadistic A.I.
2 Alyx Vance (Half-Life: Alyx)
An Upbeat And Loyal Protagonist
Alyx might have been introduced in the story of Half-Life during the second game, but it wasn't until Half-Life: Alyx that she would become the protagonist of her own narrative. In Half-Life 2, she was the deuteragonist to Gordon Freeman, with Half-Life: Alyx taking place before the second game.
Alyx is one of the few characters in Half-Life to impress and consequently get 'hired' by the G-Man. As a result, she is able to match Gordon Freeman's skills, constantly helping him throughout Half-Life 2. However, overall, she is a very friendly girl, wishing nothing for the good of humanity by dismantling the Combine and attempting to kick them off Earth.
1 Gordon Freeman (Half-Life)
Valve's Most Iconic Protagonist
Valve's most recognizable protagonist, Gordon Freeman, despite last appearing in Half-Life 2: Episode 2 decades ago, has been cemented as one of the company's best main characters thanks to the great story-driven FPS. Much like Chell from Portal, Gordon is a silent protagonist. Players don't get to find out much about him personally via the central story. Mainly, Gordon's character and personality can be found out via other characters.
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From the first Half-Life, Gordon is presented as a tough and resilient person, with the second game solidifying these traits. He doesn't appear all too tough, looking like a simple worker, something that plays into the narrative given G-Man's appreciation for those with extraordinary value in unlikely circumstances. He's almost the everyman, trying his best to survive in a world growing larger than him.
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