Games With NPCs That Will Never Forgive You

Key Takeaways

Some NPCs are unforgiving due to heinous player actions, driving them to hold lifelong grudges.
Players face severe consequences in games like Animal Crossing or Baldur’s Gate 3 for betraying and attacking NPCs.
Undertale’s Genocide route highlights the lasting guilt and consequences players face when choosing violence over peace.

As a seasoned gamer with years of experience under my belt, I can attest to the profound impact that certain games have had on my emotional well-being. The Walking Dead series, for one, has left me wrestling with guilt and remorse over choices I’ve made – choices that felt necessary at the time but have haunted me long after the credits rolled.

In games, Players might swiftly develop foes among Non-Player Characters (NPCs) due to their actions or words being bothersome or harmful. But have you ever wondered how the NPCs perceive players when they intrude upon their lives? How many NPCs harbor resentment towards the protagonist, stemming from terrible deeds, unappealing personas, or petty disputes? What are the most infuriating insults, vile crimes, and minor annoyances that make NPCs so furious they vow to never forgive players?

As a gamer, I’d say it’s no secret that some NPCs in certain games, whether they hail from the hostile worlds of Rockstar Games or the terrifying realms of the Dark Souls series, seem to have it out for the player character. But believe me, it’s not just the hot-headed, unreasonable video game characters that hold grudges. Even those friendly, empathetic, and endearing NPCs can harbor such deep resentment that they can never forget nor forgive your actions. It’s hard to argue there are some in-game transgressions so heinous that no one could ever justify forgiveness. And once these NPCs have been wronged, they will carry that grudge forever.

1 Resetti – Animal Crossing

We Regretti The Resetti

Nothing strikes fear into a gamer’s heart like being forced to turn off their game without saving. It’s even worse when players finally reload and are greeted by a mysterious, scary, furious mole called Mr. Resetti, such as in the original Animal Crossing DS series. Mr. Resetti appears outside players’ homes in Animal Crossing when they turn off their game and forget to save, trapping the player in an unskippable lecture, where he screams threats, forces players to apologize and calls themselves names, and even tricks players into thinking he has deleted their entire file. What makes Resetti even more menacing is the pickaxe that he wields and waves aggressively while yelling, always seeming seconds away from committing murder.

The issue lies in players experiencing frustration due to their consoles freezing or batteries dying, which can lead to unintended button presses. Players value their game progress greatly and dislike losing it, so Resetti’s aggressive outbursts feel like adding insult to injury. Fortunately, the auto-save feature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons has put an end to Mr. Resetti’s role as a player tormentor, allowing him to manage the Rescue Service instead. Despite his early retirement, players remain wary of Resetti due to his past outbursts at the Rooster Café. It appears both he and the players struggle to move past their anger and resentment.

2 The Widows – Red Dead Redemption 2

You’re Really Not Welcome In These Parts

In the game Red Dead Redemption 2, the character Arthur, like many outlaws, isn’t striving for popularity; instead, he learns from his interactions with numerous NPCs who become enemies that his actions have moral and honor implications. The game rates players based on their behavior, with dishonorable acts such as robbery and murder decreasing Arthur’s honor. This honor level affects not only the consequences within the game (such as earning a bounty, imprisonment for in-game crimes), but also how NPC characters react to Arthur. It’s no wonder that aggressive behavior like running over NPCs, insulting them, or brandishing weapons will result in hostile responses; sometimes, even just Arthur’s presence can be intimidating enough to make NPCs uneasy.

As a player, I might find myself face-to-face with a widow, whose husband was brutally murdered by someone with a tarnished honor. This particular character, known for massacring innocents, is Arthur. If I’ve been involved in such deplorable acts, I can try to appease the grieving widow with money, but my insensitive move will only enrage her further. She vows never to forgive Arthur for his heinous actions that left her destitute and burdened with caring for her children.

Despite Arthur’s reputation for honor, many NPCs react adversely to his presence, as if they expect him to cause harm. It seems as though Arthur may have tainted the water supply in a previous life, as very few NPCs in this Wild West are willing to forgive him for real or imagined offenses.

3 All Companions – Baldur’s Gate 3

Being Your Own Worst Enemy And Theirs

In Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s hard to beat the joy of exploring with just one friend. But if you’re lucky enough, you could have a group of cherished allies by your side – companions who stand by you till the very end. However, should players opt for deceit, betrayal, self-sacrifice, or wicked acts against their comrades, these actions may provoke reactions ranging from retaliation to abandonment with minimal room for forgiveness. Each companion in your party has an ‘Approval Rating,’ indicating how much they approve of the player’s choices and values.

Approval can drop heavily by hundreds of points for petty or subjective reasons, such as insensitive breakups or recruiting new companions who are at odds with the party, or for bigger betrayals. Characters will be distraught and violent if a player’s actions go against their core values, like Karlach, Wyll, or Gale if the Druid or Emerald Grove is decimated.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, how a character reacts to a player’s actions can vary based on alliances. If a player betrays one companion by trading Shadowheart for Viconia’s support or killing Alfira, their reaction could range from friendly approval to strong disgust. However, there are certain extreme choices made by the player that almost every companion finds abhorrent, such as accepting Bhaal’s murder offer or attempting to sacrifice a companion. These actions can lead to immediate hostility or eventual departure from the party, as they find it impossible to live alongside evil. The game offers many ways for a player to estrange or deceive their companions in Baldur’s Gate 3, but choosing the more brutal path towards evil is often a surefire way to irreversibly damage friendships beyond repair.

4 The Stranger – The Walking Dead: Season One

Grief Can Make You Lose Your (Wife’s) Head

In survival games, players frequently find themselves compelled to make tough, self-centered decisions to ensure their own survival. This can range from slaughtering defenseless animals for sustenance to backstabbing friends and innocent people, with Telltale’s The Walking Dead series being no exception. Over the course of four seasons, players were confronted with extremely difficult, significant choices in The Walking Dead, such as executing liabilities, deserting companions, and experiencing betrayals due to trusting the wrong individuals. Among these, taking food from what appeared to be an unguarded car in Season 1 seems the least morally questionable choice, particularly when it comes to safeguarding loved ones.

In other words, it was clear to both players and characters that by seizing the food, they were potentially denying sustenance to the people who had owned the vehicle. Although Lee and Clementine chose not to join in the theft, their group still claimed the supplies. However, no one could foresee the vengeful narrative trajectory this car-related plot point would eventually trigger.

In this story, an enigmatic character known as “The Stranger” turns out to be the surprising antagonist for the current season. Due to the theft he committed, which ultimately led to the demise of his family – wife and children – he becomes hell-bent on seeking revenge against Lee and his companions. By communicating with Clementine via walkie-talkie, The Stranger uncovers the poor decisions made by Lee throughout the game and manipulates Clementine into falling into his trap. When Lee discovers them, The Stranger blames Lee for putting Clementine in danger and indirectly causing his family’s death. Overwhelmed with sorrow, The Stranger keeps his wife’s decapitated head in a bag and plots to murder Lee, planning to raise Clementine afterward.

Fortunately, Clementine takes action against The Stranger, offering Lee a chance to end his life at last. While players may have been tormented by guilt over numerous decisions made throughout the game series, this particular NPC (if not killed by Lee) would have held a lasting grudge for any actions taken by the player.

5 Everyone – Undertale: The Genocide Route

Erase Lives And Save Files But Not Memories

As a devoted admirer, I can’t help but express my profound appreciation for Toby Fox’s 2015 pixel art gem, Undertale. This game subtly yet persistently advocates for choosing harmony over conflict, offering rewarding, heartwarming character exchanges in return. Gamers accustomed to action-packed shootouts might reflexively engage in combat, obliterating creatures en route, but unlike in many other games that promote violence, characters within Undertale will chide and guilt trip players into adopting a more peaceful approach.

In this heartwarming world, even formidable characters such as Undyne can be won over by kindness, transforming them into cherished companions. On the other hand, kind-hearted Toriel, quirky Papyrus, and witty Sans also grow fond of the player, forming unbreakable friendships. A surprising force, guilt, plays a significant role as players deeply regret minor transgressions like letting down Toriel or failing to bring a souvenir to the Snowman.

This suggests that if players choose to carry out numerous murders as part of the Genocide scenario, a gameplay option where they aim to eliminate every character in the game including their beloved companions, they will encounter a harsh experience. The Genocide route is challenging because it eliminates all pleasant, joyful exchanges between players and the characters. Once all life forms have been wiped out in the devastated areas, NPCs will avoid Frisk in other stages of the game, and bosses that confront Frisk will express fear or animosity, albeit a few sympathetic characters may plead for harmony.

The Genocide route concludes with evil Chara offering to destroy the world and erase the Genocide save file. Players might breathe a sigh of relief that the guilt spiral is over, but the game itself and every character will remember what Frisk has done. If players restart, the game will accuse players of returning to the world they destroyed, triggering a Soulless Pacifist route with ominous endings. The only way to truly make the game forget player’s in-game atrocities is to re-install the game, but guilty players may still suspect unforgiving NPCs are forever giving them the side eye.

2024-10-06 16:35