This list contains spoilers!
Summary
It doesn’t take much of an imaginative leap to conceive of humanity being the bad guys from the perspective of other species, and video games often take this slanted perspective to a new extreme, with entire games being based around humans being the bad guys. Best of all, it’s a lot of fun to fight against humanity occasionally.
Sometimes, the player takes the role of a monster that just wants to wreak havoc against the naughty humans, and other times, humans are a sinister force that only becomes clear in the final moments. This list is ranked both by the quality of the game and by how much meaning can be found in humanity being the bad guys.
At the beginning ofManeater, players adopt the perspective of a shark who has experienced a tragedy at the hands of humans. Now, it’s time to take revenge, however possible, which mostly involves eating lots of other fish and getting as big as possible to wreak havoc and unlocka litany of awesome abilities.
In the cartoony world ofManeater, the player essentially takes on the role of Jaws, wreaking havoc on humans who are polluting the wildlife and killing innocent animals. It’s schlocky but incredible fun with some surprisingly addictive game design thrown in for good measure.
BeforeHorizon Zero Dawnreleased, one of the biggest questions going in was what even led to the post-apocalyptic state of the world where the old humanity had disappeared to be replaced by robot dinosaurs anda new tribal societynone the wiser about their forebearers.
However, as players discover in the main quest of the game, human beings were pretty awful in their final days, and their own hubris led to their destruction, nearly eradicating the entire planet. Even their creations, such as a rogue AI, linger as a reminder of how far humanity had fallen.
The Last Guardianwas beset by delays and concern ever since its release, and when it finally came out it didn’t quite get the critical acclaim that many thought it would. That’s a shame, because it’s a great game that beautifully follows up the legacy ofShadow of the Colossusby demonstrating how humanity uses violence against what it doesn’t understand.
That mostly comes through the experience of Trico, the massive cat/dog/bird/snake creature that guides the protagonist home. Humans hate Trico and react violently to his presence, even if he’s just an animal who did nothing wrong. Humanity is seen as irrational, and the tragedy of the game comes from humanity’s inability to try and understand Trico and his species, instead of hunting them.
Climate disaster is a hot-button topic for good reason. There are few crises quite like it, and many people feel powerless to do anything about it.Terra Nil, a novel indie game, came out of nowhere and reinterpreted strategy mechanics to do the opposite of building up humanity’s industry, but breaking it down, and helping nature re-take the environment.
Part puzzle game, part strategy, players are tasked with repairing humanity’s greed and selfishness by regenerating desolate planets, and, most importantly, cleaning up afterwards as if the player were never there. It’s a powerful little game with a great and inspiring message of environmental renewal, as well asbeing ideal for beginner players.
Insideis one of those games that defies description, often better played than described. Yet, its enigmatic nature and complete refusal to explain how the world of humanity had fallen so far make it endlessly compelling to think about, even if the game ends in tragedy.
In the game, players guide a boy through a dystopian state where humans have subjugated themselves and each other to the point where they’re almost bestial, conducting inhuman experiments, and hunting outsiders. It’s a grim world, but a potent warning of the depths humanity can sink to at its worst.
For a long time in video games, players assumed they were the good guys. After all, they’re the ones who are saving the princess, saving the world, and restoring order. WhileShadow of the Colossuswasn’t the first game to question this assumption, it was the first to question that idea to such an extent that it changed games forever afterwards.
In the game, players are tasked with hunting down massive colossus creatures to save a princess. However, it becomes clear thatthe incredible colossiare peaceful and never attack first. The player is 100% the bad guy, and other humans are seen as a corrupting force in the realm of nature who trample the dignity of others without a second thought. It’s a punchy statement to make, but one that has made the game go down in history as one of the best.
Nier: Automatais, undoubtedly, one of the very best games ever made. This post-postmodern masterpiece envelops itself in self-reflexive criticism to the point of existential nightmare, with repeated playthroughs adding further knots to the philosophical angst of androids sent to do humans' dirty work of slaughter and mayhem.
Yet, throughout the game, the android characters and the robots they fight start to develop self-awareness of each other, and themselves, as well as questioning how bad the aliens (yep, there are aliens in the game, don’t worry about it) really are, too. It’s a fantastically knotted story that paints humanity in the worst light possible.
Though games that try and twist a player’s expectations were nothing new in 2015 whenUndertalereleased, it was still remarkable just how revolutionaryUndertalewas in reconceptualizing the baseline assumptions of RPGs and the role of violence so essential to the genre’s functioning.
In the narrative, humans and monsters have become estranged, with monsters being hunted and forced underground. Turns out, the monsters aren’t so monstrous after all, and the assumptions of a genocidal humanity is far more dangerous. If the player wants, they can evenindulge in a little bit of evilto get a taste.
