Video game stories have come a long way. For years, many talented developers have managed to use the interactive gaming medium to weave stories that wouldn’t do justice in a linear format. But with the good must also come the bad.
It’s one thing to get a poorly written twist in a linear medium like books or movies, but games require a certain amount of finesse on the part of the player. Video games are one of the few media that denies users content if they aren’t good enough, making bad twists all the more stinging.
Spoilers for various games below.
10 Silent Hill Downpour Prefers Making Murphy’s Past Multiple Choice
It is a pity that the Silent Hill franchise had to end on such a mediocre note, if downpour was another example of a western studio tackling the franchise without really understanding what made it special. Apparently, the Konami and Vatra studios disagreed over the player character Murphy Pendleton, which explains this dubious design choice.
Unlike previous Silent Hill titles like 2Murphy’s great sin is entirely dependent on the end the players reach. As Yahtzee Croshaw pointed out, this makes a lot of the game’s symbolism in elements like the creature designs and puzzles completely meaningless.
9 Only if rewards players who finish with a proverbial middle finger
This obscure first-person, choice-based adventure title may have been free. Still, it wasn’t worth the time players would have to endure the various illogical puzzles, obnoxious vocal performances, and poorly written dialogue that awaited them. Players who endure this terrible title will be rewarded with a twist that defies all reason.
It turns out that the girl Anthony is in love with is his sister, and Vinny, the voice on the radio, has been trying to end their relationship all along. Why Vinny allowed Anthony to go through this whole ordeal instead of just telling him is never explained.
The even-numbered entries of the Metal Gear Solid submissions often turn out to be the most polarizing. During MGS2Hideo Kojima had no intention of continuing the story and deliberately wrote the ending with a conflict that was impossible to resolve. The puppeteers who orchestrated everything turn out to be dead for 100 years.
Players who waited with bated breath to see how this was possible were stunned to discover that the next game would be a prequel to the entire series. If only they knew that the fourth entry would bring them more than they expected.
7 The Internet Lives In Indigo Prophecy
In Indigo Prophecy, countless factions seek the elusive indigo child, who would determine the fate of humanity. The world is plagued by falling temperatures – which is probably the plot point that requires the most suspension of disbelief. But instead of CO2 emissions, a terminally ill child is apparently the cause of this particular climate disaster.
Making matters worse is an insidious AI group, the Purple Clan, run by the internet. That’s right, the internet is sensitive and the leader of a cult trying to bring about a second ice age.
the end of Metal Gear Solid 4 holds the Guinness World Record for the longest cutscene in a video game, clocking in at 71 minutes. It makes more sense if players remember that this title was supposed to be the grand finale of the entire series. Just as the credits begin to roll, Big Boss, a character long believed to be dead, appears to give Snake a half-hour hug and filibuster.
Even the credits are halted for some more bloated exposition, as Big Boss reveals that the Patriots kept him alive for years via nanomachines.
5 Alice in Detroit becomes human turns out not to be human
Detroit becomes human was another example of Quantic Dream which used branching narratives to clumsily address complex topics such as classism and discrimination. The whole Kara and Alice subplot has already misled several players with its grossly oversimplified portrayal of abuse. Yet the twist around the young girl completely negates Kara’s character arc.
Kara sacrifices everything to save this human child from her terrible father and raise Alice as her own. Except Alice isn’t human after all, and Kara knew it all along. The game even flashes back to a scene that players have never seen.
4 The wife of the aforementioned Bionic Commando is his mechanical arm
The big plot twist in the 2009 Bionic Command reboot managed to overshadow everything else about the game. In a plot reveal that has been widely criticized by fans and critics alike, it is revealed that Nathan Rad Spencer’s mechanical arm was created from the consciousness of his wife.
According to Keji Inafune, the relationship between Japan-based Capcom and Swedish developer GRIN was particularly tense, with the former reportedly telling the developer: “Whatever. Do whatever you want. I do not give a hoot.“If that’s the case, that certainly explains how an ill-considered twist could make it to the final product.
3 The true nature of Tidus in Final Fantasy X defies explanation
Final Fantasy X marked a turning point in the franchise. It was the first main title to eschew the pre-rendered backgrounds imbued with the PlayStation episodes, the first entry to feature voice acting, and one of the last titles produced by longtime figurehead Hironobu Sakaguchi.
For many players, it also meant a significant dip in storytelling quality from which the series would never really recover. A major point of contention is the game’s ultimate twist regarding the character Tidus. It turns out he hasn’t traveled from the past at all, as he never really existed. When Zanarkand fell, the citizens wanted to keep it in a dream state.
2 Sonic The Hedgehog Takes ‘Keep Calm’ To Absurd Extremes
Among Sonic ’06Due to the game’s many shortcomings, the main plot of the game wasn’t exactly Pulitzer material. It turns out that the Princess Sonic, who has been constantly rescuing throughout his campaign, has sealed an evil god within her, and the only way he can escape is through her tears.
There are so many things wrong with this twist that it’s impossible to adequately examine them all. Covering up the process in which the dark god was sealed in Elise, maintaining a stiff upper lip is one thing. Still, tear glands cause the eyes to create tears when people even blink, rendering Sonic’s previous murder completely pointless.
1 Harvester is a VR simulation just because
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Harvester is one of several games that tried to capitalize on the success and controversy that followed titles like Mortal Kombat and demise. But unfortunately, the combination of graphical adventure and survival horror mechanics turned out to be like oil and water. At the same time, his attempts at social commentary were more offensive than his violent images.
Once players get through all the horrific combat and heavily compressed FMV cutscenes, they discover that the world they’ve explored is a virtual reality simulation designed to create the perfect killer. Why do they want to do this? Gilbert P. Austin could not otherwise have a parable for violent video games.
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