Summary
Open-world gamesoften host a variety of interesting characters, and among them, some of the best Villains in the history of gaming. But in some special cases, an even trickier antagonist plays the role of the Reverse Villain, a character who can be a turncoat, allies who later reveal themselves as enemies, or a villain who takes the wrong path in their desire to make good.
In these games, nothing is as simple as it seems. Some might be obvious villains, and some might start to sound quite right, the more players listen to their motivations. Be careful, though, in the titles spotlighted inthis list of Open-world Gameswith Reverse Villains, players might become the bad guys themselves.
The following list contains spoilers. Readers are advised to exercise caution.
The moment the players arrive at Old Villedor, they know things are as bad as they can get. Bitten by an infected, sent into the open to get a way to slow down the infection, and tasked with completing a series of dangerous requests for the Survivor faction. In all this mess, Hakon portrays himself as the players' only ally, and he actually does quite a good job at helping them get their bearings around their new lives in this zombie-ridden city. But, as it turns out, he wasn’t such a good guy after all. At some point, players will also meet a dangerous lady named Lawan, who wants to kill Hakon, and will attempt to murder Aiden at first sight. But wait a little longer, and she becomes the ally, and Hakon, the enemy you need to chase.
Its a really complex plot, where the players also need to choose between two evils: Either the corrupted Peacekeepers who want to bring back order, or the shady Survivors, whose top-tier leaders are also corrupt, actively endangering the remaining humans who want to live with freedom and in relative safety in this hellish dystopia.Dying Light 2is one of the finest examples of an Open-world game where there are many Reverse Villains, and no one can be fully trusted.
5Fallout: New Vegas
The reality of the Wasteland is that no one who has good intentions survives for long. That is a constant in everyFalloutgame, and inNew Vegas,this is elevated to the utmost. With the arrival of Courier Six to Goodsprings, everything that could go wrong does. First, they are shot and left for dead, then they recover just to discover their prized package has been stolen. And then, a wild goose chase around the most dangerous irradiated lands of Nevada begins, with no one to trust, no one to care for poor Courier Six.
Even when he stumbles with some allies like Benny, he will be ultimately betrayed and left to rot, again and again. Of course, perhaps the most notorious reverse villain element in the game is the players themselves. Courier Six can betray itself by getting corrupted (like for example, following the Caesar Legion and becoming a mass murderer) and unlocking some of theworst possible endings in theFalloutSeries.
Far Cry 4has two ingredients that make the Reverse Villain role come into fruition, and one is a main antagonist Dictator that actually makes sense on his way to ‘direct’ his minions, and then a resistance that is not as clean as they claim to be. When Pagan Min drops from the chopper in the first minutes of the game, players witness a lot of things.
First, the viciousness of this so-called antagonist, then his way to conduct himself as moderately as possible, despite being clearly deranged, which makes players think this guy had some intense background to end up turning into a psycho. Those figments of lucidity among his bloody rampage indicate something in particular: He is tired of how things are, and it is clear that this is not where he intended to be as he planned his reign. On the other hand, the Golden Path never tells the whole truth to AJ (the MC), and this leads players to think they might be betrayed at any point by them. A potential reverse villain trope in every person you meet turns the plot into a spicy thriller that will glue players to their gaming chairs, and makesFar Cry 4one of the best games of the series.
The Witcherfranchise is based on the premise that there’s no way to know who the monsters are: The creatures that roam the Northern Realms as a result of the Conjunction of the Spheres, or those who rule the land, murder, pillage, and call themselves ‘humans.’ No other Open-world dark fantasy RPG uses this premise as one of the core pieces of its narrative likeThe Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.
The best part is that this trope remains a part of the narrative consistently throughout Hearts of Stone, with a thrilling story of love, loss, betrayal, and a pact with the devil. Then, inBlood and Wine,narrative and gameplay are bound seamlessly, presenting yet another magnificent tale of chivalry, friendship, and the most unthinkable of reverse villains in the series.
Prototypeis one of the most ambitiousand accomplished open-world games of all time, with one of the most intense plot twists of the history of Survival Horror games: Players are the Monster. Though not entirely a survival horror, but a combination of action RPG, open-world, hack & slash, and action games, its core narrative is based on the premise of the Reverse Villain.
Alex Mercer, an individual infected with a strange variant of the Blacklight virus, with no memories of his past life, and thrown into an infested Manhattan that grows intensely more and more violent as the virus mutates its denizens into horrific monsters. So, Mercer has no choice but to face reality and seek answers for himself, embracing his mutant powers and fighting against the law and the mysterious black ops called Blackwatch that want to use the virus for sinister purposes. He might have been declared public enemy number one, but his soul remains human: the perfect Reverse Villain.
Set in the fictional lands of Gransis,Dragon’s Dogma I & II (AndDark Arisen)transport players into an epic quest to recover that which was stolen: The heart of the hero, taken by the evil dragon, to force them into a confrontation that has been repeating itself from times immemorial. A Dragon Chooses a Hero who becomes the Arisen, then they chase after the Dragon, and slay him, only to become the Dragon themselves.
Like the prodigal tale of the Ouroboros, this story is the perfect example of the Reverse Villain trope. With an incredibly immersive open-world to explore, filled with dangers, adventure, and memorable characters, the three games of the franchise are a magnificent piece game design, where modern storytelling and the old folk tales meet, creating an unforgettable experience.
