Best Game Worlds That React Realistically To Evil Players

Key Takeaways

Red Dead Redemption 2 enforces player morality through impactful consequences in a realistic world.
Undertale challenges players to make moral choices with emotionally weighty consequences.
Spec Ops: The Line demonstrates the psychological toll of war and the consequences of evil actions.

As a seasoned gamer with decades of virtual adventures under my belt, I must say that these games have certainly shown us a mirror to our own society, albeit through the lens of a post-apocalyptic wasteland or medieval fantasy. Each game presents its own unique take on the concept of law and order, and more importantly, how actions have consequences – a lesson we could all use in real life as well!

Exploring the role of the antagonist in video games is not uncommon, and game developers often market their products by offering “immoral playthroughs” with features like theft, torment, and mass killing for entertainment. While destroying a digital universe can provide relief, gamers have expressed that worlds where they can carry on their journey after perpetrating one atrocity after another can disrupt the immersion.

These games offer some degree of player autonomy but aim to portray a world where actions have repercussions. Whether through the game’s law system enforcing punishment for destructive players, or NPCs reacting adversely to unethical behavior, the world responds accordingly.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Honor Is Everything, Even To Outlaws

In Red Dead Redemption 2, even as an outlaw on the frontier, I’m not entirely free from moral obligations. Though law enforcement didn’t have a complete stranglehold on violence in 1900, it wasn’t the wild west movies portray it to be. My actions, whether they lean towards honor or not, significantly shape how this intricately detailed, realistic, and immersive world responds to me.

Engaging in actions like murdering innocents, burglarizing shops, or tormenting prisoners brings swift repercussions. Law enforcement officials, bounty hunters, and even the criminal underworld itself react negatively to immorality. As honor wanes, non-player characters you encounter on the road or in towns may either steer clear of you or confront you directly. Over time, Arthur Morgan will start feeling the effects of his violent lifestyle as the world around him grows more and more hostile.

Undertale

Becoming The Real Monster

This endearing tribute to early RPGs set in pixel-art worlds is well-known for challenging traditional notions of empathy, power, and morality within gaming environments. In the game Undertale, the distinction between good and evil becomes a matter of player choice. There’s an option for a “pacifist” path, where all characters survive, contrasted by a “genocide” path, where the player must ruthlessly eliminate every creature they encounter, a scenario typical in many other games.

In contrast to many other games where villainous acts are merely symbolic, Undertale presents players with the tangible emotional impact of every choice they make. The non-player characters (NPCs) react to each death with a startlingly human-like sadness, even though they’re actually monsters, and the world progressively darkens and empties out. Characters like Sans challenge players to acknowledge their own transformation into a monster as a result of their actions. The story evolves based on past decisions, demonstrating that once one embarks on the path of evil, it’s extremely difficult to reverse course, even between saved games.

This War Of Mine

How The Evils Of War WIther People Away

War is a ruthless, chaotic period, an idea that may appeal to some, but in truth, many would crumble under its overwhelming terror, either succumbing to evil or losing the drive to persist. Unlike many games set in such a backdrop, “This War of Mine” does not romanticize war violence; instead, it offers players a glimpse into the harsh realities of surviving it. In a city reduced to rubble by artillery, disease, and turmoil, players are compelled to make tough, morally ambiguous choices.

In a war-torn area where there’s no one to enforce laws, survivors may find themselves resorting to theft for food or causing harm to innocents just to survive. These actions can have severe emotional consequences on the humans living in this environment, leading some to withdraw cooperation or fall into despair. Unfortunately, abstaining from such acts often means letting the entire group perish.

Spec Ops: The Line

What Happens In War-Torn Dubai Doesn’t Necessarily Stay In War-Torn Dubai

In most video game studios, it takes a lot of courage to let players know they’re not the hero destined for greatness. But in the game Spec Ops: The Line, this unconventional approach is used brilliantly to explore how war can glorify actions and lead us down a path towards darkness and evil, despite our initial intentions being good.

In this game world, the penalties for performing truly awful deeds are not only physical or social but also psychological. The protagonist of Spec Ops: The Line, Walker, is plagued just as much by a deteriorating conscience as he is by reproach. This transformation is mirrored in the changing attitudes and increasingly erratic behavior of his squad, which serves as a reflection of Walker’s own state.

Daggerfall

All Evildooers Shall Halt! Before The Glory Of Justice

Enthusiasts of the Elder Scrolls series sometimes critique the presence of “psychic guards” that can detect wrongdoings instantaneously, even when they occur behind walls or in shadows. This often leads to a relentless pursuit of the player until they are penalized, imprisoned, or executed. Although it takes away some of the excitement of initially escaping undetected, the consistent pursuit of law-breakers by Imperial soldiers and hold guards adds an essential layer of realism, ensuring that wicked individuals can’t freely harm others (in theory).

As a gamer, I’ve come to appreciate the depth of Daggerfall’s legal system, even though its graphics might seem rudimentary now. This game masterfully simulates the consequences of evil actions, with thieves and murderers facing not only pursuit by the authorities but also trials before a judge. Consequences aren’t just about reduced stats; they can mean missing out on time-sensitive quests if you’re locked up. What makes it even more immersive is that charismatic or wealthy player characters might be able to use their charm or wealth to evade jail time, adding an extra layer of realism to the game world.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Judgement Comes Under The King’s Law

In medieval times, much like today, law was primarily designed to serve the interests of the powerful. Yet, to avert potential rebellion among the peasants, there existed certain laws meant to ensure that even individuals adorned with the shiniest armor or wealthiest enough to buy gold, couldn’t escape justice for committing heinous acts such as murder (or other crimes), as portrayed in the historical RPG, Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

In this world, overtly wicked acts like theft and homicide are handled by law enforcers who aim to capture and penalize the culprits. However, offenses against animals, threats, and reckless horse riding that endangers pedestrians are also subject to punishment. Although the justice system may not always be flawlessly fair, it keeps tabs on your actions, as do regular people. If you make Henry frequently engage in wrongdoing around others, he will face rejection, fear, and hatred. Repairing such a negative reputation is nearly impossible.

Fallout

Bad Even By The Standards Of A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland

In the world of Fallout, even amidst the ruins of civilization and mankind, there remains a flicker of kindness within those living in the wasteland. The Vault Dweller is known for their reputation, whether it’s favorable or not, which can influence who approaches them for conversation or trade, while also shaping potential hostile reactions they might encounter.

This action is most clearly illustrated in either Fallout or Fallout 2, where players (with a North American version of the game) have the option to perform one of the most wicked deeds in the series, equivalent to actions committed by the most malevolent characters in the Fallout universe: murdering children. Consequences of this action include the Vault Dweller being ostracized and banished by the majority of society, and constantly pursued by relentless bounty hunters seeking revenge.

2024-12-04 06:09