The most basic and followed trope in all media, not just videogames, is; that the good guys always win. This trend is more apparent in videogames as the player controls said good guys and follows them on their journey to defeat a villain or rescue someone or retrieve something. This has been a long-standing trope, but the more games have evolved, and story-telling and narrative have come front and center; the more this trope has been subverted.
There are hundreds of games now that operate in morally grey story-telling areas, and dozens more where the heroes fail, or the villain explicitly wins. Games like these, when done well, are a refreshing change of pace from the norm. We go over some of the best ones below. Obviously, spoiler warnings for everything.
7 SPEC OPS: The Line
One of the best narratives found in a first-person shooter ever, Spec OPS: The Line, is widely regarded as a storytelling masterpiece. The game finds the player as Martin Walker, a member of the US Delta Force, sent to a ravaged Dubai; to search for survivors and deal with the actions of Colonel Konrad. Walker and his team learn about the atrocities and war crimes being committed frequently in this new wonderland for violence. Blaming Konrad for everything and searching for answers.
The problem however is, Walker and his team themselves committed brutalities and essentially shot through the city; Konrad was dead; they were the bad guys. The game gives the player multiple choices, such as scaring away crowd or killing them all. The game is littered with dark and depressing scenarios and expertly portrays the misery of war and the effect it can have on a soldier’s mind as well. Spec Ops is one of the most brutal and violent games you will play and by the end it will make you hate every second of it.
6 Far Cry 5
The Far Cry series is no stranger to enigmatic and charismatic villains taking the spotlight away from the player controlled ‘good guy’. Whilst Far Cry 5 is probably not the best in the series, it takes this up a notch, and no matter what the player does, they lose.
The game takes place in a rural town and features a maniacal cult led by Joseph Seed. The player operates as an unnamed deputy sheriff and, with the help of others from the Sheriff’s department and some resistance ‘fighters’ attempts to arrest Seed and shut down his cult. Fast-forward, the game either ends with the players and his allies escaping Seed’s church brainwashed, or nuclear war breaks out. Quite flamboyant yes, but somehow it works.
5 The Last of Us
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The Last of Us and its sequel are strangers to no one. One of the Playstation’s all-time classic hits Last of Us follows Joel and Ellie on a basic premise, an escort mission. However, throughout the game Joel bonds with Ellie and learns some harsh truths along the way. Eventually after a tribulating journey Joel reaches the health center, knowing Ellie could be the cure to the zombie plague the plan has always been to let the professionals keep her.
However, Joel, who thinks of Ellie as a daughter at this point; learns a potential cure will cost Ellie her life. Having already lost a daughter, he can’t bring himself to fail again. Joel saves Ellie, potentially losing the cure along the way. While players may be left with a warm feeling by the end, the truth is the good guys lost, Joel had to make an impossible decision and everyone’s sacrifices to get him to that point were wasted, along with a hope for humanity.
4 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Hailed as one of the best games of its time, Sons of Liberty was a trailblazer in terms of creative freedom and the creator’s expressionism. Sons of Liberty is a tale of espionage and intrigue and features the three-sided conflict between Snake & Raiden, Solidus Snake and the patriots.
The plot is quite honestly confusing and slightly contrived and gets tied up in the sequel. However, at the end of Sons of Liberty, the patriots end up winning, controlling the world through propaganda and misinformation, though this doesn’t last long.
3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The original Modern Warfare 2 features an extremely popular, and critically lauded campaign. Following Cpt Soap and his squad in hunt of Makarov at the dawn of a world war featuring Russia and the United States.
Whilst on pursuit, Soap and Co are betrayed; Shepherd is outed as a turncoat and kills Roach and Ghost. By the end of the game, they manage to kill Shepherd but are now wanted as global criminals and forced into hiding, kicking off the events of Modern Warfare 3.
2 Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is a strategy role-playing game developed by Square Enix, acting as a reboot of the original game. Tactics Ogre operates similarly as Final Fantasy Tactics, though its story goes much darker and the gameplay features more personalization.
This critically lauded game follows the journey of seemingly ordinary warrior Denam Pavel as he operates his way through brutal civil war in an attempt to save the continent. While this premise may seem stereotypical, there are no heroes in this game. The game forces the player to make some impossible decisions, and regardless of your choice, the game gets darker and morally questionable as it goes on. Pavel is forced to commit horrid crimes to save his people; at a time being labelled the ‘Butcher of Golyat’. The game perfectly depicts the horrors of war, and each seemingly stalwart character’s demise is carried out in front of the player’s eyes.
1 Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar’s magnum opus does not have a happy ending. Red Dead Redemption features the tale of John Marston as he’s stuck in a cycle of violence and embroiled in a local civil war. John is caught in both sides of this conflict, while all he wants to do is somehow live the semblance of an honest life. He’s promised this peace in exchange for one last job.
Afterwards, John returns to his family, only to be betrayed and shot down tragically. The cycle of violence finally ends with John’s death, though he dies with the comfort that his family escaped