10 Video Games Where The Villain WINS

10 Video Games Where the Villain Wins

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at video games where the bad guy actually accomplishes their goals, even if they die in the process. Naturally, you can expect some heavy spoilers ahead.

“Red Dead Redemption” (2010)

Although Edgar Ross operates on the side of the law, he’s still most certainly the villain of Rockstar’s seminal Western, “Red Dead Redemption.” Taking John Marston’s family captive and forcing him to hunt down his former gang members, after he’s already turned over a new leaf, is evidence enough. But apparently, leaving any members of Dutch van der Linde’s posse alive is a big no-no. After letting John reunite with his family, Ross and his men confront the former outlaw at home and gun him down. John’s son gets revenge during the epilogue, set three years later. But in the grand scheme of the story, Ross is the villain and he sure gets what he wants.

“Dead Space 3” (2013)

The Necromorphs of “Dead Space” are quite the mighty force. And throughout the games, there’s basically nothing Isaac Clarke can do to put an end to them. The third game doesn’t exactly end with them victorious; Isaac and John Carver, the secondary protagonist, destroy a Necromorph hive mind, but seemingly die in the process. However, then there’s the ‘Awakened’ DLC, which continues the story. It shows that Isaac and John survived, and they’re eventually able to make it back to Earth. What would’ve been a happy ending turns incredibly sour when they see Necromorph forces invading their home, and likely ripping everyone to shreds. Unfortunately, that’s how the series came to a close; original developer Visceral Games was shut down by EA, and we’ve gotten nothing but a remake of the first game since.

“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” (2008)

“The Force Unleashed” begins with you playing the villain, but you’re not the one who comes out on top. As Starkiller, the apprentice to Darth Vader, you’re given an assignment to help him overthrow his big bad boss, Emperor Palpatine. Except, surprise! You were just being used to lure out the good guys. Starkiller eventually starts acting against his masters and even defeats Vader in combat. You’re then given a choice of two endings: kill Vader like Palpatine wants, to commit fully to the Dark Side, or save your friend, Kota, by taking a lethal dose of force lightning. The sequel shows that the Light Side ending is canon. But either way, the Emperor and his minions are victorious.

“For Honor” (2017)

Ubisoft’s “For Honor” is mostly known for its multiplayer, thanks to a fun, if not implausible premise, and several updates over the years bringing in new types of warriors from around the world. However there is a story mode, which follows the belligerent Apollyon trying to pit Knights, Vikings, and Samurai against each other in all-out war. Why? Something generic about the powerful wanting control over the weak. Regardless, she works hard to pull each faction’s strings to bring about an age of war. Even though you’re able to defeat her in the end, her death does nothing to stop things. Apollyon’s actions are far-reaching and disastrous, bringing about the deaths of innumerable people.

“Singularity” (2010)

This FPS features three different endings, but none are happy. “Singularity” follows Captain Nathaniel Renko, who gets sucked back in time after crashing on a mysterious island. There, he saves the life of scientist Nikolai Demichev, who he finds to be a world-ruling dictator once he’s back in the present. He’s then given a Time Manipulation Device, or TMD, which he uses to go back and save Victor Barisov, the machine’s inventor and a murder victim of Demichev. By the end, you get three choices. You can shoot Demichev, go back in time, and kill your past self to stop the rescue. But this leads to Barisov having used the TMD to take over the planet himself. If you shoot Barisov, you and Demichev take over the planet together, leading to an eventual falling out and cold war. If you shoot both, the world falls into chaos until you take control. Either way, the world ends up with a tyrant in charge.

“Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness” (1999)

Although it has long been axed from the franchise’s canon, “Legacy of Darkness” fits well on our list. It starts, like many “Castlevania” games do, with Dracula’s minions tormenting the innocents. The main campaign follows Cornell, a lycanthrope, whose sister is kidnapped in a plan to sacrifice her in order to return Dracula to his full power. Cornell fights bravely, defeating every minion in his path. And he’s able to rescue his sister in the end by sacrificing his wolf-man abilities. Sadly, this is the sacrifice that Dracula actually wanted. The magic is used by his underlings to bring Dracula back to his full might, which he presumably uses to wreak havoc.

“Far Cry 5” (2018)

The fifth “Far Cry” has players go up against Joseph Seed, leader of a violent cult within a fictionalized Montana who has prophesied the end of days. Throughout the game, you fight to free the people of his twisted rule, which can be hard since he has a lot of diehard followers and uses Bliss, a potent hallucinogenic. There are two options to choose from during the ending, but they both benefit Joseph. If you choose to leave to save your friends, you end up brainwashed by him. If you choose to fight, the nuclear war he’s been going on and on about comes to pass. You wake up in a bunker, with only Joseph to keep you company.

“Prince of Persia” (2008)

In the 2008 reboot for “Prince of Persia,” the hero meets a Princess named Elika. Together, they fight against her villainous father in order to seal away Ahriman, the God of Darkness. It seems like, no matter what, saving the world from Ahriman’s terror is paramount. While the duo is able to come out victorious, the Prince kind of screws everything up. Elika dies while sealing Ahriman away, and so the Prince cuts down the Tree of Life to save her, letting Ahriman right back out, further corrupting the land. That’s how the game ends, and even the ‘Epilogue’ DLC doesn’t resolve things. Elika is rightfully upset that the world was doomed on her behalf, and no alternate solution for defeating Ahriman is ever found.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” (2009)

Still one of the best campaigns in the “Call of Duty” series, “Modern Warfare 2” sees you desperately try to avoid World War III, which you sadly fail to do. In one of gaming’s most gut-punching reveals, we learn that our ally, General Shepherd, has been pulling strings from the shadows to instigate conflict between Russia and America. We only learn this as he kills two beloved characters in cold blood. And everything that he’s been scheming towards comes to pass. Additionally, the real big bad you’ve been hunting the whole time, Vladimir Makarov, gets away. While the game does end with you getting vengeance on Shepherd with a swift knife to the face, that doesn’t change the fact that his goals were met.

“Halo: Reach” (2010)

This excellent prequel to the original trilogy follows the famed Noble Team in their defense of Reach, a human planet under threat of the Covenant. While the group fights heroically against alien forces, there’s no making it out alive. The climax sees the team giving their lives to ensure the safety of the Pillar of Autumn, a ship holding the planet’s citizens and Cortana with her Covenant-ending information, which kicks off the original game. It’s definitely bittersweet. While Cortana’s escape leads to her meeting Master Chief and setting victorious events in motion, the Covenant wins at the end of “Reach.” Each member of Noble Team dies, with the player’s post-credits final battle being one of the series’ most tragic moments.

What’s your favorite game ending where the villain wins? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great gaming videos every day!