When it comes to video games, there are always high and low points. Some titles skyrocket to mainstream popularity, while other games may be disappointing to fans. However, if there is one thing most anyone can agree on, it’s that a great villain is a character people love to hate.
With protagonists often serving as blank slates for the player, major antagonists can receive the most depth when handled correctly. It’s not unusual to see a player’s desire to stop or learn more about a villain drive them through a game. While 2020 did not have a huge number of stand-out villains, its highs were certainly high. Major spoilers ahead for all games included.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla players will find Basim to be an important ally, as he is a key member of the Hidden Ones – a precursor to the Assassin Brotherhood. However, over time they come to learn Basim is a reincarnation of the Norse god Loki whose plan all along has been to seek revenge against Eivor, a reincarnation of Odin. It’s an interesting twist on an Assassin’s Creed narrative, and one that begs to be explored further so the world can get a better appreciation of Loki’s trickery.
Sephiroth feels like the free space of a Bingo card, as the iconic status of the character since Final Fantasy 7 debuted in 1997 makes him an inevitable choice for a ‘best of’ list. In fact, it was just announced that Sephiroth is the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighter.
However, Square Enix was not content to simply recreate its villain verbatim in this year’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Sephiroth becomes an embodiment of the remake’s design philosophy, as his goal is to change the course of fate; a reflection of the idea that this reimagining of the classic RPG is doing something entirely new. It’s a clever idea that adds new depth to this fan-favorite bad boy.
The Gears of War franchise has long chronicled the war between the COG armed forces and the Locust Horde, but Gears Tactics offers fans a look at the man behind the Locust’s might: Ukkon.
Ukkon is a hyper-intelligent scientist who began life as a human. He was considered Patient Zero for Rustlung, and one of many children experimented upon to cure the disease, leading to the creation of the Locust Horde. The scientist leads genetic mutation experiments to create new creatures as weapons of war against humanity, and the entirety of Gears Tactics sees the player’s squad hunting him down to stop these abominations.
Ghost of Tsushima wears its samurai movie inspirations on its sleeve. The game even has a cinematic Kurosawa mode approved by the filmmaker’s estate. Thus, it makes sense that the tropes inherent to this kind of story would be present in Sucker Punch’s sendoff to the PS4, including an unexpected betrayal.
Ryuzo is a childhood friend of Jin Sakai. However, he becomes the leader of the Straw Hats, a gang of ronin that side with the Mongols following their invasion of Tsushima. While Jin believed the warrior would aid him in freeing the island, this only stokes a personal conflict which ends with Jin killing his friend to reach the Mongol leader. Ryuzo is a perfect representation of the idea that perhaps under a different set of circumstances his partnership could have been a boon.
Supergiant Games’ Hades won two accolades at The Game Awards 2020, while being nominated for many more. The action-packed roguelike has been lauded for its gameplay and visuals, but a big part of its appeal is the extensive narrative it weaves. Both Hades‘ story and gameplay revolve around the god of the underworld.
The game features Hades’ son Zagreus attempting to escape the underworld so he can meet his birthmother, Persephone, whom was kept a secret his entire life. Hades has more words than The Iliad and Odyssey, according to Creative Director Grey Kasavin, and a huge amount is dedicated to exploring Hades’ relationships with his son and the Olympian pantheon. This creates an ever-present antagonist who controls every challenge; and one steeped in a familial drama that lives up to the mythological source material.
Tripwire Interactive’s Maneater essentially lets players embody the killer shark from Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster Jaws. However, instead of the grizzled, war-weary sea captain Quint, Maneater‘s shark gets to battle the documentary star Scaly Pete.
Scaly Pete is a despicable character on the surface; a professional shark hunter who kicks off the game by mutilating a newborn so he knows which one to hunt years later. However, the game’s goofy documentary premise and willingness to show Pete become more deranged and mutilated over the course of the game makes for a fun parallel story about seeking revenge.
The titular Origami King is a major antagonist who stands out for more than being the first non-Bowser Paper Mario villain since 2007’s Super Paper Mario. Olly’s motivation to get revenge on Toadkind because his creator “scribbled” within his folds is somewhat silly in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way, but his impact is undeniable.
Paper Mario: The Origami King‘s villain does what few others have managed in a Mario game: create true narrative stakes. For one, his insignia can be spotted all over even if he doesn’t appear on-screen often. When he does, his actions directly lead to Bobby the Bob-omb killing himself so Mario and Olly’s sister Olivia can continue their journey. This narrative beat traumatizes the characters and is referenced throughout the game as a personal reason to stop the maniacal king, which makes for an unforgettable experience – particularly in terms of Mario stories.
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s near-ubiquitous popularity has come an explosion of Marvel Comics games. Many sung the praises of characters such as Monica Rappaccini in Crystal Dynamics’ Marvel’s Avengers as a bright spot in an otherwise middling game, but Insomniac Games’ use of Tinkerer stands out.
In his original incarnation, the Tinkerer is Phineas Mason: an old man whose villain-of-the-week schemes have to be stopped by one friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. In Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Tinkerer is reimagined as Phin Mason, Miles’ childhood friend who plans to destroy the Roxxon Corporation after her brother is killed to cover up the side effects of its prototype energy.
Her connection with the titular hero is explored to the same effect as Miles and his uncle Aaron in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Phin proves how much a villain can thrive given a deeper tie to their hero than a simple evil vs. good dichotomy.
Of the characters listed, Abby Anderson is perhaps the hardest to classify as a “villain.” She is the seemingly calloused main antagonist for Ellie, and serves as a foil that shows what the once innocent girl can – and in many ways does – become when driven to seek revenge after Joel’s death.
However, Abby is given arguably as much development as Ellie, and both are flip sides of the same coin; caught in an endless cycle of violence in a post-apocalyptical world. As divisive as the sequel has been, this relationship at its core helped lead The Last of Us 2 to be widely recognized at The Game Awards 2020.
Wasteland 3 follows the Arizona Rangers as they journey to Colorado. The Patriarch, Saul Buchanan, promises to aid them in a post-nuclear world if they can hunt down his children before they take over. While his sons Valor and Victory are a bit crazy and over-the-top, Liberty is a real, ominous threat to the state with a growing army.
Liberty’s menacing presence lingers over the entire game, but that’s not the only reason she is a great villain. Wasteland 3 boasts its open-ended narrative paths and RPG elements, and at the end Liberty embodies this system. Crafty players can do more than just engage in direct combat with the final boss; they can also join her army, arrest her peacefully, or more if they have cultivated the right stats.
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