Tweet
The Biggest Video Game Spoilers, Ever [WARNING: NOTHING BUT SPOILERS]
Beware: Serious, game-ruining spoilers ahead!
There are a lot of games out there with iconic plot twists. For obvious reasons, we don't usually talk about these twists openly. We don't want to be that guy that ruins things for everyone.
But our usual 'no spoiler' rule doesn't apply here. That's because that's all this story is: Spoiler after glorious spoiler for some of the biggest and best games of all time. (NOTE: All of these games were released in the year 2015 and before, so we're not ruining any new releases.)
Do you have the courage to brave through the gallery?
Image credit: Square Enix
Final Fantasy X
There's a lot of mystery surrounding main character, Tidus, at the start of this game, and for good reason. It turns out he's actually been dead for 1,000 years.
He finds rest after killing the game's apocalyptic big bad, Sin, who also happens to be his dad.
Image credit: Square Enix
Resident Evil
Joseph! Edward! Forest! They're dead! They're all dead!
And it's because S.T.A.R.S. Captain Albert Wesker betrayed them all, as he was working for the Umbrella Corporation the whole time.
Image credit: Capcom
BioShock
"Would you kindly" is more than just a polite way to request a favor of you: In the original BioShock, it's a mind control trigger.
The importance of the phrase is revealed when Andrew Ryan uses it to order you to kill him with his own golf club. As he says of his fate, "a man chooses, a slave obeys."
Image credit: Irrational Games
Batman: Arkham Origins
Sure, we all expected the Joker to show up eventually.
That said, it was still a shocker when you learn that the Joker has kidnapped and tortured criminal kingpin Black Mask, and had assumed his identity to target you with a $50 million bounty.
Image credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Heavy Rain
In this 2010 psychological thriller by Quantic Dream, you spend a portion of the game as private investigator Scott Shelby, collecting evidence that pertains to the Origami Killer mystery at its center.
The crazy twist? Shelby himself is the Origami Killer. He's collecting the evidence to destroy it.
Image credit: Sony Computer Entertainment
Dragon Age: Inquistion
Lore-hungry fans of the Dragon Age series know all about the elven trickster god Fen'harel, also known as the Dread Wolf.
As such, it's a pretty big deal when Solas, your elven mage companion, is revealed to be the Dread Wolf in the game's ending cutscene.
Image credit: Electronic Arts
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
After obtaining the aid of Princess Zelda in the past, the mysterious Sheik guides Link in the Ganondorf-dominated future in his quest to awaken the sages. But -- decades-old spoiler alert! -- Sheik is actually just Zelda in disguise.
The twist showed that Zelda is a lot more than a damsel in distress.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Metal Gear Solid
Master Miller, the survival trainer of Foxhound, stays in constant communication with you via codec to impart tips on how to beat Revolver Ocelot, brave an interrogation, and survive the dangerous Alaskan cold.
He helps, that is, until it's revealed that the person you're talking to isn't Master Miller at all, but your nemesis Liquid Snake.
Image credit: PlayStation Network
Final Fantasy VI
When Celes and the rest of the Returners reach the floating continent, it seems as if your adventure is coming to a close. The world map has been fully traveled, and a grand confrontation is teased.
But instead of facing a final battle, Kefka uses the power of the Warring Triad to kill Emperor Gestahl and annihilate the world below. The game goes on, offering a huge new (ruined) world to explore.
Image credit: Square
InFamous
In the initial timeline, Cole runs from "The Beast," even though he has the power to fight it, ultimately resulting in the death of his family and the destruction of the world. Grief leads Cole to travel back in time, assuming the identity of the game's antagonist, Kessler.
In the new timeline, Kessler manipulates events to give his younger self the Ray Sphere and ultimately die at his own hand, readying Cole to face The Beast.
Image credit: Sony Computer Entertainment
Fallout 4
It's not a surprise that, after spending much of the game searching for him, you finally find your long-lost son. It is a surprise when your son turns out to be "Father," the head of The Institute and your primary antagonist.
Image credit: Bethesda
Final Fantasy VII
You rescue Aeris. You spend time leveling her up. You go on a romantic date with her. (Or maybe you dated Barret; no judgment here.)
But it's all for naught -- halfway through the game, this poor girl is getting run through with Sephiroth's katana. And there's nothing you can do to stop it.
Image credit: Square Enix
Metroid
There are plenty of games these days with female protagonists. But it that wasn't the case in 1986, when Metroid was first released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
As such, gamers were absolutely blown away by Metroid's closing sequence revealing that hero Samus Aran is actually heroine Samus Aran.
Image credit: Nintendo
Red Dead Redemption
In a brutal Wild West double-cross, protagonist John Marsten gets gunned down by lawman Edgar Ross after hunting down the remnants of Dutch's Gang for him.
Not even the "Dead Eye" system can save you from your fate.
Image credit: Take-Two Interactive
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Whether you walk the path of the Jedi or turn to the dark side of the Force, your character has already made some choices without you.
It's an absolute jaw dropper when you learn about your past as Sith Darth Revan, which was wiped from your mind by a Jedi Knight, before you were retrained as a Padawan.
Image credit: LucasArts
Assassin's Creed 3
At the end of the game, Desmond is given a choice: He can endure the apocalypse, be revered as a god after death, and continue the cycle while keeping Juno imprisoned, or give up his life to protect the Earth from the coming solar flare.
Desmond chooses to sacrifice himself, and frees Juno.
Image credit: Ubisoft
Portal
In this game, GLaDOS prods you through a series of tests with the promise of cake. Well, we have some bad news for you: The cake is a lie.
Your reward for completing the final test is, instead, an attempted incineration. Or an actual incineration, depending on how bad you are at using your portal gun.
(The cake is shown after beating the game, though Chell never actually gets to taste how moist it is. Which is for the best, as it contains fish-shaped ethyl benzene.)
Image credit: Electronic Arts
More...
There are a lot of games out there with iconic plot twists. For obvious reasons, we don't usually talk about these twists openly. We don't want to be that guy that ruins things for everyone.
But our usual 'no spoiler' rule doesn't apply here. That's because that's all this story is: Spoiler after glorious spoiler for some of the biggest and best games of all time. (NOTE: All of these games were released in the year 2015 and before, so we're not ruining any new releases.)
Do you have the courage to brave through the gallery?
Image credit: Square Enix
Final Fantasy X
There's a lot of mystery surrounding main character, Tidus, at the start of this game, and for good reason. It turns out he's actually been dead for 1,000 years.
He finds rest after killing the game's apocalyptic big bad, Sin, who also happens to be his dad.
Image credit: Square Enix
Resident Evil
Joseph! Edward! Forest! They're dead! They're all dead!
And it's because S.T.A.R.S. Captain Albert Wesker betrayed them all, as he was working for the Umbrella Corporation the whole time.
Image credit: Capcom
BioShock
"Would you kindly" is more than just a polite way to request a favor of you: In the original BioShock, it's a mind control trigger.
The importance of the phrase is revealed when Andrew Ryan uses it to order you to kill him with his own golf club. As he says of his fate, "a man chooses, a slave obeys."
Image credit: Irrational Games
Batman: Arkham Origins
Sure, we all expected the Joker to show up eventually.
That said, it was still a shocker when you learn that the Joker has kidnapped and tortured criminal kingpin Black Mask, and had assumed his identity to target you with a $50 million bounty.
Image credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Heavy Rain
In this 2010 psychological thriller by Quantic Dream, you spend a portion of the game as private investigator Scott Shelby, collecting evidence that pertains to the Origami Killer mystery at its center.
The crazy twist? Shelby himself is the Origami Killer. He's collecting the evidence to destroy it.
Image credit: Sony Computer Entertainment
Dragon Age: Inquistion
Lore-hungry fans of the Dragon Age series know all about the elven trickster god Fen'harel, also known as the Dread Wolf.
As such, it's a pretty big deal when Solas, your elven mage companion, is revealed to be the Dread Wolf in the game's ending cutscene.
Image credit: Electronic Arts
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
After obtaining the aid of Princess Zelda in the past, the mysterious Sheik guides Link in the Ganondorf-dominated future in his quest to awaken the sages. But -- decades-old spoiler alert! -- Sheik is actually just Zelda in disguise.
The twist showed that Zelda is a lot more than a damsel in distress.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Metal Gear Solid
Master Miller, the survival trainer of Foxhound, stays in constant communication with you via codec to impart tips on how to beat Revolver Ocelot, brave an interrogation, and survive the dangerous Alaskan cold.
He helps, that is, until it's revealed that the person you're talking to isn't Master Miller at all, but your nemesis Liquid Snake.
Image credit: PlayStation Network
Final Fantasy VI
When Celes and the rest of the Returners reach the floating continent, it seems as if your adventure is coming to a close. The world map has been fully traveled, and a grand confrontation is teased.
But instead of facing a final battle, Kefka uses the power of the Warring Triad to kill Emperor Gestahl and annihilate the world below. The game goes on, offering a huge new (ruined) world to explore.
Image credit: Square
InFamous
In the initial timeline, Cole runs from "The Beast," even though he has the power to fight it, ultimately resulting in the death of his family and the destruction of the world. Grief leads Cole to travel back in time, assuming the identity of the game's antagonist, Kessler.
In the new timeline, Kessler manipulates events to give his younger self the Ray Sphere and ultimately die at his own hand, readying Cole to face The Beast.
Image credit: Sony Computer Entertainment
Fallout 4
It's not a surprise that, after spending much of the game searching for him, you finally find your long-lost son. It is a surprise when your son turns out to be "Father," the head of The Institute and your primary antagonist.
Image credit: Bethesda
Final Fantasy VII
You rescue Aeris. You spend time leveling her up. You go on a romantic date with her. (Or maybe you dated Barret; no judgment here.)
But it's all for naught -- halfway through the game, this poor girl is getting run through with Sephiroth's katana. And there's nothing you can do to stop it.
Image credit: Square Enix
Metroid
There are plenty of games these days with female protagonists. But it that wasn't the case in 1986, when Metroid was first released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
As such, gamers were absolutely blown away by Metroid's closing sequence revealing that hero Samus Aran is actually heroine Samus Aran.
Image credit: Nintendo
Red Dead Redemption
In a brutal Wild West double-cross, protagonist John Marsten gets gunned down by lawman Edgar Ross after hunting down the remnants of Dutch's Gang for him.
Not even the "Dead Eye" system can save you from your fate.
Image credit: Take-Two Interactive
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Whether you walk the path of the Jedi or turn to the dark side of the Force, your character has already made some choices without you.
It's an absolute jaw dropper when you learn about your past as Sith Darth Revan, which was wiped from your mind by a Jedi Knight, before you were retrained as a Padawan.
Image credit: LucasArts
Assassin's Creed 3
At the end of the game, Desmond is given a choice: He can endure the apocalypse, be revered as a god after death, and continue the cycle while keeping Juno imprisoned, or give up his life to protect the Earth from the coming solar flare.
Desmond chooses to sacrifice himself, and frees Juno.
Image credit: Ubisoft
Portal
In this game, GLaDOS prods you through a series of tests with the promise of cake. Well, we have some bad news for you: The cake is a lie.
Your reward for completing the final test is, instead, an attempted incineration. Or an actual incineration, depending on how bad you are at using your portal gun.
(The cake is shown after beating the game, though Chell never actually gets to taste how moist it is. Which is for the best, as it contains fish-shaped ethyl benzene.)
Image credit: Electronic Arts
More...