Games That Let You Play As The Villain - Ripene Skip to content Games That Let You Play As The Villain September 21, 2022 by Ripene Without the repercussions of real life, being placed into the shoes of a bad guy in a video game can be a great way to go wild and let off some steam. Playing the virtuous hero who saves the day game after game can get stale pretty quickly, after all, so it’s always interesting when a game lets the player take control of the villain instead. RELATED: Video Game Protagonists Who Are Really The Villain In many of these games, it’s easy to tell when the protagonist is actually the villain, but some instead choose to obscure the player’s vision of this fact until much later on in the game. For those looking to experience the joys of being bad for themselves, here are some of the best games that let you play as the bad guy. Updated September 21, 2022, by Tom Bowen: The video game industry is full of fantastic protagonists and wonderful villains. Sometimes, however, the line that separates them can be a little blurry. Within this gray area can be found some surprisingly compelling antiheroes whose personalities and actions can make them surprisingly likable in spite of their obvious evil tendencies. Playing as the bad guy can be a real treat for players and often makes for a welcome change from the traditional good guy tropes that feature in most modern video games. GAMERANT VIDEO OF THE DAY 20 Wander – Shadow of the Colossus Love can make people do all sorts of crazy things, but even the most lovestruck of fools would probably agree that destroying 16 towering colossi to free the spirit of an evil deity so that they may once again wreak havoc on the world is more than a little too far. Unfortunately, grief is an equally powerful emotion, and one that Wander allows to take control of him during the events of Shadow of the Colossus. Though it could certainly be argued that Wander’s motivation for helping Dormin is driven by his intense love for Mono rather than any kind of internal malice, his decision to willfully ignore the potential consequences of his actions goes far beyond him just being selfish. Despite what he and the player may tell themselves, Wander is every bit as much the bad guy in Shadow of the Colossus as Dormin is. 19 Bowser – Mario and Luigi Bowser s Inside Story With Mario being one of the longest-running video game franchises of all time, it seems safe to say that the titular plumber’s rivalry with Bowser is fairly well-documented at this point. The Koopa King is constantly kidnapping Princess Peach of the mushroom kingdom, forcing Mario and his friends to rescue her from the villain’s clutches time and time again. However, there have been many games in which Bowser has been playable. Outside of sports, kart racing, fighting, and party games, Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is perhaps the most notable example. In it, Mario and Luigi are forced to work together with Bowser after he accidentally inhales them, with the resulting game being one of the best Mario spin-off games in recent memory. Fawful may serve as the game’s true villain, but Bowser remains the big bad of the series despite his temporary alliance with the good guys. 18 Frisk – Undertale There are plenty of reasons to love Toby Fox’s Earthbound-inspired game, Undertale. For many, though, the way that the game encourages players to reevaluate their actions by highlighting the disturbing nature of traditional RPG tropes is pretty high up on the list. The idea that ‘enemies’ do not actually need to be killed was revolutionary at the time of the game’s release, though it’s one that the vast majority of players didn’t really pick up on until after their first playthrough of the game. As a result, most players will begin their Undertale experience by following either the Neutral or Genocide routes. By replaying the game and following the True Pacifist route, however, players will come to realize the cost and consequences of their actions, and, in turn, the playable character’s true role in either of the aforementioned routes. It may even lead to players questioning the morality of other video game protagonists, many of whom share more than a few similarities with Frisk. 17 Overlord – The Overlord The Overlord series has players controlling the titular overlord and his army of minions as they bid to take over the world. Like many other games of the era, each title features a morality system, though rather than “good” or “bad,” the scale tends to range from “bad” to flat out “sadistic.” Those who enjoy dark humor and satire will likely love what Overlord has to offer, as the games are full to the brim with both and never take themselves too seriously. Granted, the most recent title, Overlord: Fellowship of Evil, is a bit of a dud, but the first few are top-notch and are definitely worth a look. 16 Plague Inc – Unknown It’s not entirely clear who or what the player is controlling in Ndemic Creations’ Plague Inc., but there can be no disputing that they are carrying out the role of the bad guy. Their aim is to create a virus that kills as many people as possible, which, although ridiculously morbid, has proven to be an incredibly popular premise with many modern gamers. Players are able to dictate how their virus mutates and earn upgrade points by infecting new countries and killing their inhabitants. Though exaggerated to a certain degree, the game provides excellent insight into how a virus spreads throughout the real world and the kind of things that can make developing effective vaccines a challenge for humanity. 15 Stubbs the Zombie – Stubbs Much like a real zombie horde, the endless stream of zombie-related games, movies, and television shows in the early two-thousands was incredibly relentless. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse managed to set itself apart though, by having players control one of the flesh-hungry creatures rather than fighting endlessly against them. RELATED: The Best Zombie Games Ever Made (According To Metacritic) Though it was both short and linear, the game was a lot of fun and garnered something of a cult following as a result. A remastered version of the game was released for current-gen consoles in early 2021, which, although not the sequel that many fans had been hoping for, at least brought the original title a lot closer to modern-day standards. 14 God Of War – Kratos Kratos is one of the most complicated protagonists in all of gaming. While he’s certainly been on the receiving end of some pretty despicable acts, some of the things that he’s done are truly unforgivable. He’s killed more family members than can be counted on a single hand and has unleashed his wrath and rage on countless mortals and gods alike. The most recent entry in the God of War series saw some big changes to Kratos’ character, both in terms of his appearance and his personality. As well as being redesigned to look a bit less intimidating, players were shown a different side to the bloodthirsty brute as well as a genuine desire from Kratos to change his ways. As the game unfolds, however, it becomes clear to both Kratos and the player that he can’t escape his true nature or his bloody past. 13 Dead By Daylight – Various The dramatic rise in the popularity of asymmetrical multiplayer games over the past decade or so has led to some fantastic titles. Few have had quite the same impact as Dead by Daylight though. Four players must work together in order to escape from a crazed killer, who just so happens to be controlled by another player. Despite releasing more than five years ago now, the game is still going strong and continues to add new characters to its roster as time goes by. Having launched with just three killers, there are now 24 of them; many of whom are licensed from movies, television shows, and other video games. 12 Hitman – Agent 47 Likable though he may be, it’s hard to argue that Hitman‘s Agent 47 isn’t a bad guy. Throughout his career as a professional assassin he has racked up quite the body count and it doesn’t look like he’s planning his retirement anytime soon. He’s proficient with an arsenal of weapons and isn’t afraid to improvise in order to get the job done. RELATED: Things You Didn’t Know About The Hitman Franchise For all his flaws, however, there’s just something incredibly satisfying about taking control of this cold-blooded killer. The level of fluidity with which he works is fascinating to behold, as too is his ability to change his plans at a moment’s notice. He may be bad to the bone, but sometimes it can feel pretty good to be bad. 11 Maneater – Bull Shark Games like Goat Simulator and Untitled Goose Game opened the door to a whole new genre of games that allow players to control a host of misbehaving animals. While the aforementioned goat and goose were merely mischievous though, the bull shark that players take control of in Maneater is out for blood. Though the game’s evolution mechanic can at times border on ridiculous, it can greatly improve the proficiency with which this bloodthirsty bull shark can cause carnage and chaos. It could certainly be argued that it’s in her nature to kill, but that doesn’t make it any easier for her many innocent victims. 10 Carrion – The Monster Most horror games are filled with fearsome foes and jump scares that are designed to petrify their players with fear. In Carrion, however, players are the jump scare. The amorphous monster that they control throughout the game is absolutely terrifying and becomes even more so as the game progresses. Few monsters are as adept at causing death and destruction and the prospect of it roaming free of the lab’s confinements really doesn’t bode well for humanity. There is no gray area here; only a large red tentacled blob that kills indiscriminately and is incredibly proficiently to boot. 9 Destroy All Humans – Crypto Destroy All Humans is a classic example of a video game that lets players control the bad guy. The game takes place in 1959, as players get to take control of the alien Cryptosporidium (Crypto, for short) and unleash carnage with an arsenal of powerful and hi-tech weaponry. RELATED: The Best PS2 Remakes & Where You Can Play Them Crypto is a Furon warrior who enjoys destroying and torturing the inhabitants of Earth. The comedic tone of the game makes ravaging the planet feel a lot less terrible than it really should, which in turn makes this game incredibly unique and a lot of fun to experience. 8 Prototype – Alex Mercer Prototype lets players unleash their unnatural powers on the civilians of New York City long before the final twist seals their fate as the villain. Alex Mercer is the playable character of the first Prototype game and has shape-shifting powers that can turn him into a deadly weapon. Initially, Alex thinks that he was fighting for the right side and against the virus that was plaguing the city. Once his memory is restored, however, both he and the player realize that Alex was the one who unleashed the virus in the first place; making him the true antagonist of the game. 7 Star Wars The Force Unleashed – Starkiller The legendary Star Wars universe has seen a dramatic increase in content over the past decade or so, thanks in large to Disney’s acquisition of the IP. There’s been a huge influx of new movies, tv shows, and video games, with one of the most memorable being Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. RELATED: The Best Movie Trilogies Of All Time The game did an excellent job of offering fans some Star Wars fun at a time when the hype surrounding the franchise was nowhere near as plentiful as it is today. Playing as the bad guy is the main draw of The Force Unleashed, with players starting out as Darth Vader before switching over to his young apprentice, Starkiller. 6 InFAMOUS 2 – Cole MacGrath Multiple endings are something that more video games should try and incorporate into their narratives, as it can really improve the sense of agency that’s given to players. It also provides a great deal of replayability, which is something that is prevalent in the inFamous series. Cole MacGrath is the main character of inFamous 2 and is one of the most interesting protagonists in gaming when it comes to morality. One of the endings explicitly paints him as the villain of the game, though the player can choose to do evil deeds way before the credits roll at the end of the story. 5 Grand Theft Auto V – Michael Trevor & Franklin The Grand Theft Auto franchise shows that video games based around playing as the bad guy can resonate with a wide audience of gamers around the world. Despite players growing to like the characters of the fifth installment, Grand Theft Auto V, all three of the playable protagonists are undoubtedly hardened criminals. The three go to great lengths to make their fortune and protect their own interests; often at the expense of other people’s lives and wellbeing. That’s arguably what makes Michael, Trevor, and Franklin such compelling characters in the end though, as players are given a lot of insight into what makes each of them tick. 4 The Last Of Us Part 2 – Abby The Last of Us Part II kicks off Ellie’s story of revenge. Abby brutally murders the beloved Joel pretty early on in the game, instantly making her the primary villain of the story. At least it does for a while, anyway, but the narrative takes a pretty big turn a bit later on. RELATED: The Last Of Us 2: Things You Need To Know About Abby Eventually, control switches over from Ellie to Abby, allowing players to see the bigger picture from another side. Despite the game doing its best to make her an admirable character though, many fans of the franchise were unable to see her in a positive light due to the horrific manner in which she killed Joel. 3 Batman Arkham City – Joker Most of Batman: Arkham City is spent playing as Batman cleaning up the streets of Gotham City as one might expect. Near the end of the game though, the caped crusader is injected with a dose of Scarecrow’s fear toxins, which sends Batman into a hallucinogenic state. Control then abruptly switches from Batman to that of his arch-nemesis, The Joker, resulting in some of the very best gameplay in the franchise. Not only do players get to roam the halls shooting things with Joker’s weapons, but they also get to drive a Joker-inspired Batmobile that looks incredibly cool. 2 Mafia 2 – Vito Scaletta There have been a few different playable protagonists throughout the Mafia trilogy, each with their own quirks and vices. The name of the franchise speaks for itself though, as criminal life is heavily ingrained across all three of the games and into all of their playable characters. Vito Scaletta is a former soldier who now lives the life of an up-and-coming gangster who is hoping to rise up in the ranks of the Falcone crime family. In order to do this, Vito does everything that one would expect a typical mobster to do; intimidating, beating, and, in many cases, killing those who stand in his way. 1 Spec Ops The Line – Martin Walker Spec Ops: The Line is a third-person shooter that was released in 2012 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The player takes control of Martin Walker, a soldier in an alternate reality version of Dubai that has been ravaged by war. The city is now controlled by oppressors and Martin is tasked with finding one of his fellow soldiers who has reportedly gone insane. As the game’s narrative begins to unfold around him, however, Walker becomes more and more unstable. His actions gradually switch from heroic to unholy, leading players to start to question whether Walker is really the person that he first appears to be. As it turns out, he really isn’t; as it’s revealed that it was him who was behind all of the tyranny engulfing Dubai. MORE: Villains Who Deserve A Standalone Video Game Source link Recent Posts Everyone Gives Herschel Walker a Pass on Abortion Scandal During Georgia Senate Debate Raphael Warnock- Ripene CFTC Commissioner to Pitch Retail Investor Definition to Get Set for Crypto-Crypto She-Hulk’s Finale Does a Disservice to Jennifer Walters’ Journey Janet Mills says Maine could propose federal law changes to ‘unclaw’ hold on lobster fishery Classic Tetris is at a crucial crossroads.