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Over time, video games have delivered many robust storylines and compelling characters. A good video game protagonist is crucial to elevate the gaming experience, partly because players generally play to escape reality, and stepping into the shoes of a protagonist in a virtual environment goes a long way to achieve that. Hence, it is the protagonist that makes or breaks the game experience.
The overall savoir-faire of the video game as a package, however, can only be transcended to legendary levels by having a well-crafted and well-written antagonist.
The value of a compelling villain is often undervalued or rather realized at a time when a game gains a cult following. Some antagonists are instantly unlikeable and can be easily touted as villains. They, however, need to be scrutinised in a different way. On the contrary, the best antagonists are often likable and, more often than not, are either victims of circumstance or idealistic motives.
Top five video game antagonists of all time
Some antagonists are pure evil from the get-go, while some morph into their real selves and then become villains. It is not always the case that a video game will take its sweet time to have a dedicated story arc for its antagonist. Players are sometimes given a sufficient backstory and a believable motivation to consider them antagonists.
The following are some of the best antagonists in video games:
1. Andrew Ryan (Bioshock)
Andrew Ryan of Bioshock is one of the most complex characters in gaming. He was the creator of the beautiful and creepy utopia ‘The Rapture’, a city submerged in the depths of the North Atlantic ocean. What began as an ambitious endeavor to build a paradise, eventually began to crawl into his selfish motives. Players only encounter him once throughout the game, but up until that dreaded point, they are in touch with him via radio transmission and audio logs.
Bioshock does its best to unravel Andrew’s psyche and motives via the sporadic audio logs in the game. His interactions with other characters in these logs reveal a lot about his twisted motives, but it all happens gradually throughout the game. There is a deep backstory of this character who has seen wars and the impact of nuclear weapons on cities. His ambitious city of Rapture was an unparalleled feat but it came at the cost of several lives.
2. Vaas (Far Cry 3)
Far Cry 3 is arguably the best in the series. It owes a major part of its success to the open-world sandbox with lush green landscapes and an open-ended approach to missions. A guy with a mohawk with temper issues and unpredictable rants must also be given due credit. All fans of the Far Cry series echo the same sentiment that Vaas is the best antagonist the series has ever produced.
Vaas is the definition of insanity. He is a straight-up evil villain who is a drug trafficker and a pirate. He is not even the main villain, but his antagonistic charm outweighs even the protagonist Jason Brody’s presence. Vaas is the identity of the Far Cry series as his character is the personification of the franchise theme itself; a protagonist stranded in a paradise cut off from the world.
3. Dutch Van Der Linde (Red Dead Redemption 2)
Arthur Morgan is at the heart of Red Dead Redemption 2. This makes Dutch the veins for Arthur’s realizations throughout the entirety of the story. He comes across as a charismatic leader of the Van Der Linde gang. He keeps helping people in need, and giving every gang member their fair share, and importance established as his moral principles.
The Pinkertons chasing the gang and his own mind-breaking under the pressure of constant running, leads Dutch to spiral into chaos. Only by the time Arthur redeems himself, does Dutch slip back into his real self. He abandons the code that he himself set for the gang and loses the very thing he called family.
4. Jack Baker (Resident Evil 7)
Resident Evil is a series known for its iconic evil villains. Just when it seemed that the franchise had lost its identity with Resident Evil 6, Capcom put life back into it with Resident Evil 7. Jack Baker owns a small estate in the swamps of Louisiana and ambushes the protagonist Ethan Winters, who arrives at his estate looking for his dead wife.
Jack Baker and his dilapidated house severely up the creep factor at the beginning of the game. He randomly pops up from the most unexpected places in the claustrophobic hallways and is out to kill the protagonist. He wasn't always evil. The entire Baker family turned evil under the influence of Eveline.
5. Akira Nishikiyima (Yakuza series)
The Yakuza series is best known for its compelling storyline, characters, and over-the-top boss battles. Players strap along Kazuma Kiryu’s journey throughout the 6 mainline Yakuza games, encountering several villains. One antagonist that perplexes players the most is having to beat Akira Nishikiyama. Thanks to Yakuza 0, players get to bond with him and it is clear how the two got into the life of Yakuza.
Akira was ambitious and wanted to rise to the ranks from the get-go. He, however, believed that he was never given due respect and circumstances forced him to start his own Yakuza family. Growing up with Kiryu becomes his poison and he turns to his dark side and plots to kill Kiryu. This doesn't end well for him and he gets beaten down by the protagonist Kiryu. The boss battle itself is compelling and shows flashbacks of their friendship.
