Fans probably thought that these video game figures were betraying their allies. In the end, it became clear what their real plans were.
Video games will sometimes use a “red herring” to trick players. This is a clue or character that is purposely shown in a bad light to make them look evil or bad. Adding a character who seems sketchy or secretly bad keeps players on their toes and reminds them to question the story they’re told because it could all be a lie.
It’s a real problem that video game plots are getting easier and easier to guess, and deliberately tricking the player can keep things feeling new and different. The following video game figures were thought to be traitors but turned out not to be.
Bugsnax – Elizabert Megafig (Lizbert)
There’s an air of mystery around Snaktooth Island right from the start, so it makes sense that players are wary of everyone and everything from the start of Bugsnax.
The writer, who is the player character, chose to go to Snaktooth Island because she wanted to find out more about the tasty Bugsnax, where they came from, and why they seem so addicting. A lot of players thought the cute game had a dark side, and they thought that Lizbert, the island’s hero, might have been involved in the town of Snaxburg’s downfall since she was the only Grumpus who wasn’t there for most of the game.
Of course, it turns out that the bugsnax were the bad guys and that poor, mutated Lizbert was just doing her best to warn the people of Snaxburg about their coming doom. Giving up something you want can be a selfish act sometimes.
The Last Of Us – The Fireflies
The main characters in The Last of Us, Joel and Ellie, were at odds with each other after they met for the first time. Ellie was just luggage that Joel had to get safely to a certain place. But after going through hell and back with Ellie, Joel finally understands that he loves her deeply and sees her as his own daughter. In the same way, Ellie looked up to Joel as a father figure who would look out for her.
A lot of TLoU is spent with the Fireflies being a secret, since their leader Marlene only shows up at the beginning and end. People who were playing the game had doubts about the Fireflies because they thought the rebel military group would betray the two in some way. Many of the players, though, think that Joel is the one who tricks them. Ellie’s family was ready to give up her life for the greater good, but Joel couldn’t handle losing someone close to him again. One of the Fireflies’ jobs was to find a cure. They didn’t mean to “betray” Joel’s faith, but he did.
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (999) – Akane Kurashiki (June)
From the start of Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, it is clear that Zero, the mysterious masked figure, is the (supposedly) evil mastermind behind the Nonary Game. All the unfortunate players must work together to solve puzzles and find a way to escape, and if they break any rules, they will die too soon.
The main character, Junpei, was friends with Akane as a child, which made her seem shady from the start. There were times when she disappeared without a reason. In the end, it turns out that Akane was really Zero the whole time. But Akane wasn’t really trying to hurt anyone (except for the cruel, greedy, and careless Cradle Pharmaceutical C.E.O. Ace), and she wanted everyone to live. She was just using Junpei to help her get through the first Nonary Game that happened in the past.
Resident Evil 5 – Jill Valentine
After not being in any of Resident Evil 4, Jill Valentine, a beloved RE hero, finally made a big show in RE5. That being said, Jill doesn’t show up with newbie Sheva or fighting with longtime friend Chris Redfield. After getting a full makeover, including getting bleach-blonde hair, Jill was now Wesker’s friend and a strong new enemy.
Fans thought they had lost one of their favorite characters to the dark side, but it turned out that Jill hadn’t really betrayed her friends (or at least she hadn’t done it freely). Jill had turned against her friends because of Wesker and his mind-control hack. Chris and Sheva beat Jill and turned off the device. Jill went back to being herself, and everything was fine in the RE world.
Portal 2 – Glados
After Portal 1‘s success, fan-favorite AI bad guy Glados came back for the sequel as the main character Chell’s snarky enemy after being accidentally turned back on.
Wheatley is a friendly and talkative personality sphere that Chell meets. He helps her find her way around the Aperture Science building so she can get out. But after a big turn of events, Wheatley gets into the whole testing center and leaves Glados’ mind in a simple potato. When Wheatley gets too much power and starts to kill Chell, they switch places, and Glados has to work with Chell to save the center from Wheatley.
Chell finally has no choice but to hand back control of the building to Glados after getting rid of Wheatley. When that happens, Slope Game player knows what will happen and hopes that Glados will end their partnership with Chell for good. Glados doesn’t betray her, though. Instead, he decides to give Chell (and her beloved Companion Cube) the freedom she’s been working for all along.
Danganronpa V3 – Kokichi Oma
In Danganronpa V3, Kokichi Oma, Ulitmate Supreme Leader, is often annoyed, but who could blame the player for not liking him? Kokichi first comes across as a wicked, sneaky mastermind who likes lying to others to make the infamous Danganronpa Killing Game “more fun.” For the first few hours of the game, Kokichi acts like he is a mean joker who is always messing with and controlling the people around him to keep things interesting for himself.
But near the end of the game, Kokichi makes a big reveal: he has always hated the Killing Game and his only real goal was to end it. He planned to do this by lying and cheating to break the rules or make a conflict that would stop the game, even if it meant giving up his own life.
Resident Evil 8 – Chris Redfield
At the start of Resident Evil 8, players were shocked to find that Chris Redfield, who had been a hero for so long, had finally turned bad after all the horrible things he had been through. Chris seemed to betraying the new Resident Evil protagonist, Ethan Winters, right in front of him by killing his wife, Mia, and taking his baby daughter without giving any reason. It was clear that the game was trying to make Chris look like the new Resident Evil bad guy.
Ethan finally finds out that the woman Chris shot wasn’t his wife Mia, but the evil Mother Miranda in disguise, after a long trip where he had to fight off people like Lady Dimitrescu and her friends.
Chris could have told Ethan what was going on a little earlier, but that would have taken away all the thrill!
Metal Gear Solid 3 – The Boss
The last fight between Naked Snake and The Boss is without a doubt one of the saddest parts of the Metal Gear Solid series. He taught Naked Snake everything she knows over many years, but she betrayed the United States so badly that he had to kill her boss. The events of MGS3 start with The Boss telling everyone that she is going to escape to the USSR. Snake has thought his whole time in Tselinoyarsk that The Boss had abandoned her duty and, out of selfishness, agreed to help the cruel Colonel Volgin take the Shagohod for himself.
But after Naked Snake beats The Boss and sadly kills her in battle, Eva tells him that The Boss was just doing what she was told to do: sneak into Volgin’s ranks to get The Philoshoper’s Legacy. Volgin’s choice to fire a nuclear shell into the USSR meant that The Boss had to act like a rebel and die at the hands of Naked Snake to show that the U.S. was not guilty.
