10 Games Where You Never Fight The Main Villain

In many narratives, there is usually a dynamic between the main character (the hero) and another important figure (often the villain). This conflict reaches its peak when the two clash in a decisive confrontation near the end of the story.

Following countless battles against the minions, it’s now time to confront and vanquish the formidable adversary, thereby completing the game.

At times, the narrative takes an unexpected turn during confrontations with the antagonist, as it seems the anticipated battle against them doesn’t materialize. We are led to expect a formidable challenge, but they crumble upon our first encounter instead.

Here are some games where you don’t even get to fight the boss to beat them.

Warning: Major story spoilers ahead!

10. Mark Jefferson

Life Is Strange

In the initial ‘Life is Strange’ game, events unfold around an approaching storm and the enigma of Rachel Amber’s vanishing. By utilizing time-travel for detective purposes, Max and Chloe eventually discover Rachel’s decayed remains hidden in a scrapyard. However, they are subsequently attacked by Mark Jefferson, who is revealed to be the actual murderer, being Blackwell Academy’s photography teacher.

As a fervent admirer of morbid photography featuring tormented and deceased women, I found myself becoming Jefferson – a man driven by an uncontrollable urge to capture his twisted visions in cold, lifeless images. Unfortunately, Max had fallen prey to this monstrous obsession, setting the stage for her next deadly photo shoot. With all hope seemingly extinguished and Max’s powers proving futile against escape or combat, it was David – Chloe’s stepfather and Blackwell’s head of security – who emerged as our beacon of light in this dire situation.

Since Max is bound to a chair, your only options are to rewind time, alert David, and assist him in defeating Jefferson. Jefferson might be a potential criminal, but compared to David who has fighting skills, he’s easier to overpower with strategic moves.

Regardless if you inform David about Jefferson killing Chloe, it’s inevitable that Max will eventually travel back in time and disclose this information to David, preventing further complications. Consequently, the police will discover Jefferson’s hideout and apprehend him permanently. He won’t be snapping photos for quite some time.

9. The Deserter

Disco Elysium

In the critically acclaimed game “Disco Elysium” by ZA/UM, you take on the role of Harry DuBois, a cop with amnesia, who is assigned to investigate a complex case about the hanging death of a mercenary named Lely Kortenaer in Martinaise. With your loyal partner, Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi, you navigate through a labyrinth of corporate intrigue, mythical creatures, and a conspiracy, all while uncovering the truth.

As I delved deeper into the game’s intricate plot, I uncovered hidden truths that revealed the lynching was merely a smokescreen. The real culprit, it seemed, was a sniper who had fatally shot Lely. The irony was, not even those who claimed to have lynched Lely were aware of the hidden gunman’s identity.

In a nearby island’s ruins, you and Kim identify the location where the shot originated. There, we encounter the shooter, Iosef Lilianovich Dros, a former soldier from the Revachol communist army who lived through the war many years ago. It seems that Iosef targeted Lely due to his disdain for the capitalistic system he symbolized and because of feelings of jealousy towards Klaasje.

Instead of clinging desperately to freedom as in the case of the mercenary tribunal where extraordinary luck was required to save everyone, Iosef voluntarily gives himself up to the officers, evidently no longer mentally stable following years of extremism and animosity fueled by the psychoactive substances secreted by the Insulindian Phasmid, a creature resembling a stickbug-like cryptid that you might decide to explore earlier in the narrative.

8. Panther King

Conker’s Bad Fur Day

As Conker endeavors to find his way home following a dreadful hangover, the ruler of the strange land, known as Panther King, notices that one of the legs on his table near the throne is absent. The Panther King instructs his servant, Professor Von Kriplespac, to rectify this issue. Ingeniously, the professor proposes using a red squirrel as a substitute for the missing leg.

In his adventures, Conker gets tangled up in absurd escapades featuring an opera-crooning mountain of manure named Great Mighty Poo, and reenacts the D-Day landings reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan. However, things take a turn when he ends up pulling off a bank heist, only to discover later that it was all part of a cunning plan by the Panther King.

As Conker prepares to battle the Panther King for wounding his girlfriend Berri, unexpectedly, the Panther King perishes when a Xenomorph-like organism erupts from his chest. Instead of facing off with the Panther King, we find ourselves in combat against an alien being called “Heinrich,” as named by the Professor.

In contrast to most games, such a subversion would be out of place. However, given that Conker’s Bad Fur Day is already brimming with illogical storylines and references to the fourth wall, an unexpected twist like the main villain being defeated by a xenomorph fits right in.

7. Zachary Hale Comstock

Bioshock Infinite

In the newest installment of the Bioshock series, Zachary Hale Comstock, commonly referred to as the Prophet and ruler of the floating metropolis Columbia, aims to prevent the main character, Booker DeWitt, from rescuing Elizabeth who is confined in her tower.

He’s not just the head of an extreme nationalist political group that brainwashes its followers into submission, but he’s also imprisoning his adoptive daughter Elizabeth with the aim of training her as his future replacement. Additionally, he exploits her abilities to manipulate reality for his own benefit.

Initially, Comstock attempts to dissuade Booker through radio communications, but later intensifies his approach by repeatedly deploying troops and eventually unleashing the fearsome Songbird, with the intention of eliminating Booker and capturing Elizabeth.

In the end, when Booker and Elizabeth come face to face with Comstock, rather than engaging in combat with the elderly antagonist, Booker ends up brutally crushing Comstock’s skull and submerging him in a baptismal font instead, preventing him from disclosing any secrets about Elizabeth’s past.

It’s fascinating how secrets often come to light, even when people strive to conceal them. In a stunning twist, it appears that Comstock is none other than an alternate version of Booker, who underwent baptism as a means to seek redemption for his role in the Wounded Knee Massacre.

6. Illusive Man

Mass Effect Series

In the universe of Mass Effect, The Illusive Man isn’t strictly a villain, but he certainly doesn’t adhere to a strict moral code. He strongly advocates that the goal justifies any means taken. Although there are moments when he collaborates with Commander Shepherd, his ambiguous actions frequently conflict with Commander Shepherd’s principles.

As the head of Cerberus, a group that believes in human supremacy, the mysterious figure known as the Illusive Man is exceptionally intelligent and carries out a plan that only he and his organization understand. Equipped with artificial eyes, and of unknown origins, the Illusive Man plays the role of the enigmatic puppeteer throughout the second and third Mass Effect games.

In a situation where the Illusive Man gets inadvertently brainwashed by the Reapers and transforms into an adversary who firmly believes that overseeing the Reapers is the key to victory, Commander Shepherd finds himself engaged in a verbal conflict with the Illusive Man instead of a physical one.

Regardless if Shepherd manages to persuade the Illusive Man, this confrontation suits him well given that his most potent weapon isn’t brute force but knowledge and cunning. As stated in an interview with Adrien Cho, the producer of Mass Effect 2, the Illusive Man embodies both the finest and darkest aspects of humanity.

5. Zero

Metal Gear Franchise

David Oh, also recognized by the alias Cipher, serves as the main antagonist throughout the Metal Gear series up until Metal Gear Solid 4.

Similar to many figures in this series, Zero’s moral compass isn’t clearly good or evil, but rather a complex mix of shades, which can be aptly defined as “misguided altruism leading to unintentional villainy.” His ambition was to bring unity to the world by setting a common goal, and he chose global domination as the means to achieve it.

Following the demise of their leader, the Boss, Zero and Big Boss joined forces to establish a covert authority known as the Patriots, which held significant influence over the United States. Over time, however, they started to have differing opinions about the late Boss’s wishes, leading to a gradual drift apart between them.

Eventually, Zero initiated the Les Enfants Terribles project and subsequently developed an artificial intelligence system designed to continue the work of the Patriots, a group that aimed to control humanity. This AI program was programmed to learn and adapt its methods, thus unintentionally mirroring the concept of Skynet, a self-aware AI system in another context, which could potentially control or even threaten humanity.

Since Zero tended to be solitary and enigmatic for the majority of his life, we unfortunately didn’t have a chance to engage him in any manner during the course of the series.

In MGS4, when Big Boss located him once more, the character was already in a vegetative state, being artificially sustained by medical equipment. Big Boss then deactivated these machines to end the man’s life, which had significantly deteriorated. As a result, the Patriots’ influence persists as a lingering memory, but there is much debate among fans about its continued relevance.

4. Xivu Arath

Destiny 2

In the world of the video game series, Destiny, one of the major opposing groups is the Hive, an extraterrestrial race whose belief system centers around a concept known as Sword Logic – a magical principle that essentially equates to violence and demonstrating your worth through survival, which confers supernatural abilities upon them.

Oryx, known as The Taken King, Savathûn, titled The Witch Queen, and Xivu Arath, referred to as The God of War. Essentially, the power of the Hive pantheon grows whenever the principles they symbolize are actively lived out.

In her role as the War Deity, Xivu Arath amasses strength from both physical conflicts and strategic maneuvers. With a devastating impact, she has effortlessly destroyed numerous civilizations.

In the games The Taken King and Witch Queen, Guardians managed to overcome Oryx and Savathûn, their siblings. However, defeating the fundamental nature of war itself isn’t about confronting it in battle. Instead, the strategy is to avoid engaging her in combat altogether and thwart her schemes by denying her access to weapons and resources.

In the narrative of Destiny 2, we’ve successfully prevented Xivu Arath’s invasion of Earth on multiple occasions: first, Rasputin made the ultimate sacrifice during Season of the Seraph; then, we disrupted a ritual to capture a proto-wormgod in Season of the Deep; lastly, by assisting Eris Morn in Season of the Witch, we assumed the role of the new Hive God of Vengeance, expelling Xivu Arath from her realm, making her vulnerable and mortal.

Currently, Xivu Arath remains elusive, as we haven’t engaged her in a direct confrontation yet. However, the outcome of our potential encounter with her is uncertain and will only be revealed once the saga known as “Episode Heresy” comes to a close.

3. Pagan Min

Far Cry 4

In the role of the principal adversary in “Far Cry 4,” Pagan Min is a self-styled, autocratic ruler and self-proclaimed king of Kyrat. He exhibits ruthless, cruel, and narcissistic tendencies, yet also possesses an intriguing and layered personality that sheds light on his actions. Not unlike Vaas, Pagan Min might be one of the franchise’s most memorable villains due to this complexity.

At the outset of the narrative, Ajay encounters Pagan Min upon crossing the border into Kyrat, and is apprehended by his soldiers. It’s evident that Pagan Min is unstable as he takes revenge on the soldier who led him astray by stabbing him multiple times in the neck. He expresses irritation over getting blood on his shoes during this act.

At the start of the tale, Pagan asks Ajay for dinner and asks him to stay put while he questions his visitor and suggests he savors the crab rangoon. If you follow Pagan’s instructions and wait for about 15 minutes, he will reappear and escort Ajay to scatter his mother’s ashes together with his late half-sibling Laskmana. This provides an early, different ending to the game.

In the narrative, Pagan Min aims to quell the Golden Path uprising, and his behavior towards Ajay suggests a complex mix of feelings that may include hesitation about taking his life. However, you won’t engage in combat with Pagan. Instead, he extends an invitation for conversation, offering you the opportunity to either confront him or join him in scattering Ajay’s mother’s ashes.

2. Father/Shaun

Fallout 4

In the role of the director at the secretive Institute and serving as the primary adversary in Fallout 4, Father engages in a conflict with both the Railroad and the Brotherhood of Steel over dominion of the Commonwealth. He holds the firm belief that the surface-dwelling humans are beyond redemption, deeming the Institute as the sole faction deserving of survival.

The individual is referred to as a ‘Father’ due to his crucial role in supplying the DNA essential for generating the third generation of artificial humans who are indistinguishable from real ones. However, he holds little respect for those living on the surface and the synthetic beings he manufactures, focusing solely on enhancing the technology within the Institute.

Eventually, it transpires that the true name of the character known as Father is Shaun, and he turns out to be the Sole Survivor’s estranged son. The baby we thought we would reunite with is no longer in the picture. As Shaun reveals his dire situation battling an extremely aggressive cancer, it becomes clear that he wishes for the Sole Survivor to inherit his estate.

If you choose to oppose the Institute, the Sole Survivor can talk to Shaun on his deathbed, who remains convinced that destroying the Institute is a terrible mistake and is bitter at your decision to destroy his life’s work. Regardless of your actions, Shaun dies at the end of the story from his cancer.

1. Professor Nakayama

Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt

Professor Nakayama serves as a scientist for Hyperion and is an ardent admirer of Handsome Jack, and he may very well be one of the saddest villains to emerge from the Borderlands series.

After the Vault Hunters defeated Handsome Jack in the storyline of Borderlands 2, he felt heartbroken and swore retribution against the Vault Hunter. In an attempt to resurrect his idol, he planned to clone him by merging Jack’s DNA with a native Pandoran creature.

In the storyline of the DLC called “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt,” Nakayama got stranded in the wilderness of Aegrus. To his surprise, he discovers that a Vault Hunter has also arrived. Instead of confronting the Vault Hunter head-on, Nakayama, exhibiting typical Hyperion intellectuality, sets up challenges to hinder the Vault Hunter’s progress rather than engaging in direct conflict.

In the heat of the battle after I’ve bested my creation, Jackenstein, I step forward, brimming with confidence and ready to face off against the Vault Hunter. However, as I psyche myself up, I stumble and trip, tumbling down a long staircase. As I fall, my health bar visibly depletes, until, with a final crack of his neck upon hitting bottom, I meet my end instantly.

Nakayama’s death as a boss in gaming could be one of the most unconventional and surprising, perfectly aligning with the eccentric atmosphere that the Borderlands series aims to create.

2025-03-11 19:43