10 Creative Ways Games Strip You Of Your Powers

Balancing the level of power within a storyline can prove challenging, particularly when it comes to interactive formats such as video games.

Sometimes, in order to keep the story interesting, the game needs to take you down a peg or two.

At virtually any point, this scenario could unfold – perhaps your character experiences a temporary loss of skills mid-story, or maybe you begin a new installment without some of your previous abilities to set the stage anew.

Reasons for these power loss incidents can be extremely diverse, encompassing everything from unintentional mishaps, malicious actions by villains, to simply the natural progression of time.

10. Pinched By The Sierra Madre

Fallout: New Vegas

In the initial significant downloadable content for the game “Fallout: New Vegas,” titled “Dead Money,” you’re unexpectedly transported to the enigmatic Sierra Madre by the eccentric Father Elijah, where a surprise heist awaits you.

Regrettably, the Sierra Madre is equipped with numerous cutting-edge pre-war defense mechanisms.

One option available is a self-regulating teleportation device that safely removes any hazardous or polluted items from the belongings of its passengers, which in this case means everything you carry, including equipment and weaponry.

To make it through the Sierra Madre, you’ll need to figure out its secrets solely by gathering equipment from the surroundings and crafting weapons using the vending machines.

It’s good news! At the conclusion, everything you had gets returned to you, and future DLCs assure you that your inventory will not be cleared out again.

9. Ten Years In The Slammer

Yakuza Kiwami

In the opening scene of “Yakuza Kiwami”, Kiryu is at the peak of his physical abilities. Not only is every one of his combat techniques at its highest level, but he also has the ability to unleash his most powerful Dragon style.

Regrettably, following his imprisonment for a decade due to taking the blame for Nishiki, he had limited chances to maintain his physical fitness.

When Kiryu goes back to Kamurocho, he realizes that street fights aren’t flowing naturally for him like they used to, as his power and arsenal of moves have significantly weakened.

It’s Majima who initially notices this, which contributes to his decision to pursue Kiryu constantly, aiming to provoke him into fights so that he can rekindle their rivalry.

8. Dipped In The Styx

God Of War 3

In the continuation of the last game’s suspenseful ending, God of War 3 finds Kratos climbing Olympus on Gaia’s back, poised for a strike against Zeus.

Yet, it’s Kratos who finds himself under attack, as Zeus swiftly defeats him and hurls him deep into the Underworld.

Instead, it is Kratos who receives a blow, as Zeus easily overpowers him and flings him into the depths of the Underworld.

In the River Styx, Kratos finds himself surrounded by spectral souls that start nibbling at him relentlessly. This gradual feast erodes both his vitality and magical reserves.

In addition to his verbal insults, Kratos intentionally discards the Blade of Olympus and significantly weakens the power of the Blades of Athena.

7. Switching To Super Heroes

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

In the epic conclusion of “South Park: The Stick of Truth,” I, the newcomer, bravely vanquished the zombie horde that threatened our beloved town. My heroic actions didn’t go unnoticed, and as a reward, I was humbly crowned the king for my triumphs!

In “The Fractured But Whole,” the children continue their role-play of a sword and magic adventure. The New Kid triumphantly defeats what appears to be a dragon in this make-believe world.

All of a sudden, there’s Cartman, dressed as The Coon, his superhero alter ego. He announces that they should band together as a superhero squad, with the goal of locating a missing cat for a hefty cash prize.

Afterward, he shares with you and the rest that we are all pretending to be superheroes from now on, as anything fantastical is considered dull.

If you want to join the new game, you have to roll up a new superhero persona and start from zero.

6. Nuked In Orbit

Destroy All Humans 2

Due to Pox’s research from the initial ‘Destroy All Humans’, Crypto was able to gather a formidable collection of potent alien weaponry.

While visiting Bay City, however, Crypto only took his Zap-O-Matic with him, leaving the rest on the spaceship to avoid being overburdened.

In this scenario, it turned out to be an unfortunate move since, during Crypto’s celebration, a Russian nuclear missile wiped out the mothership, resulting in Pox’s demise.

Pox successfully saves a duplicate of his mental data, yet unfortunately for Crypto, every single weapon he possessed, along with the associated research documents, vanish without a trace, compelling him to recreate those items anew.

5. Power Suit Destroyed

Metroid: Zero Mission

Metroid: Zero Mission is an expanded version of the original NES Metroid game.

The storyline closely mirrors the original, but with a twist: Mother Brain is vanquished beneath the surface of Zebes, not after.

In an attempt to depart from Zebes aboard her spacecraft, Samus is pursued by a swarm of Space Pirate vessels that manage to bring her down, forcing an emergency landing back on the very planet she was trying to flee.

During this event, Samus’s Power Suit gets damaged beyond repair, stripping her down to just her Zero Suit and a backup emergency stun gun.

During a stretch, the game transitions into a covert operation where you need to slip past adversaries as Samus waits to acquire a new Power Suit from the surrounding Chozo ruins.

4. Luminary Lost

Dragon Quest XI

In the heart of my Dragon Quest XI adventure, my team and I embarked on a quest to seize the Sword of Light nestled within the grandeur of Yggdrasil, the World Tree itself.

However, they’re overpowered by the dark sorcerer Mordegon and his minion, Jasper.

Under the Luminary’s control, Mordegon seized the ancient power within the Hero’s essence, intending to claim the sword for himself forcefully.

As a gamer, I found myself unable to access any skills from the Luminary branch in my hero’s skill tree due to an unexpected lockdown.

This means you can’t use useful skills like the Zap line or Omniheal until you get the power back.

3. No More Keyblade

Kingdom Hearts

Toward the end of the Kingdom Hearts tale, our trio – Sora, Donald, and Goofy – reach the remnants of Hollow Bastion. There, they encounter Riku.

It seems that Riku had been intended to wield the Keyblade initially, but when it failed to locate him, it bonded with Sora instead.

In a move utilizing his bond with the Keyblade, Riku seizes it from Sora, compelling Donald and Goofy to accompany him.

In the game, Sora is only left with a wooden toy sword that’s no more effective against the Heartless than it was when the game began.

Although our hero may not engage in hand-to-hand fighting, he retains his magical abilities and has the assistance of the Beast. Consequently, he’s not left entirely vulnerable or helpless in a fight.

2. Parasite Injection

Prototype

In the game called Prototype, each time Alex takes on the memories of someone who has useful information, he endures a painful headache as he learns their knowledge.

During a fight with Blacklight Captain Cross, Alex is consumed by one of these flashback headaches.

This allows Cross to administer a parasitic serum to Alex, gradually eating away at him from inside.

Under the influence of the parasite, Alex’s combat skills such as his sharp claws and arm blades become inactive, restricting him to only his fundamental physical prowess, camouflage capabilities, and movement skills.

In simpler terms, Alex had to find a specific type of creature, genetically suited to him, known as a Hunter, to extract the required antibodies which would help fight off the Parasite.

1. Two Months On The Couch

River City Girls 2

At the conclusion of the initial “River City Girls” game, the pair consisting of Kyoko and Misako amassed a significant amount of experience points and acquired fresh abilities.

Regrettably, when River City Girls 2 begins, they are kicked out of their school following an unexpected punch from enforcers of the yakuza.

Primarily undisturbed, the duo chose to visit Kyoko’s residence for a marathon session of video gaming, which lasted an uninterrupted two months.

It wasn’t until Kyoko’s mother suggested it that they decided to step out of their house, and once outside, they realized that several months of inactivity had significantly diminished their fighting skills.

2025-02-13 18:10