Summary
- Many RPGs offer players the option to embrace their dark side and indulge in evil deeds while still progressing through the game.
- Titles like Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Cyberpunk 2077, and Mass Effect allow players to make morally ambiguous choices.
- These games offer a refreshing change from the typical RPG hero narrative by allowing players to explore darker storylines.
RPGs are usually known for casting players in the role of a hero, the one who will rise up to face the evil and save the world. It's the basic premise given to most RPGs, each putting their own spin on the formula (and often to great effect). After all, who doesn't want to play the lauded hero grabbing all the glory?
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Well, perhaps the people whose interest aligns with the darker side of the story. Not everyone wants to be the shining example of everything good and heroic; they may instead want to further their own dark desires while just happening to slay the main villain threatening their world.
8 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Forsake Humanity to Slake the Vampiric Thirst
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Released
- November 16, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Troika Games
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC
After a date night gone terribly wrong in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, the player character finds themselves embraced into the world of the vampire, becoming another bloodthirsty child of the night. They have to toe the line of the masquerade, lest they find hunters waiting for them outside their haven. As recompense for the Prince of LA affording the fledgling clemency, they must undertake the task of recovering the unearthed sarcophagus, which might hold great power within, all the while learning about their peculiar new existence.
Vampire: The Masquerade is all about striking balance, as players need to keep their hunger in check lest they become a frenzied beast tearing through everything in sight, but they also need to be careful about the humans they do partake of, as slaking their thirst too much can make them dangerously anemic and can even lead to their death. For those who are tired of playing the tortured soul vampire, they can simply give into their cravings and suck dry countless victims, degrading their humanity down the dangerous levels, making them more monster than man.
7 Cyberpunk 2077
Night City Affords Ample Opportunities to Make the Lives of Others a Neon Hell
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
On a fateful job with their friend Jackie, V inserts the item they were transporting, known as the Relic, into their very brain, infecting themselves with the cyber ghost of Johnny Silverhand, a military veteran and legendary musician. V is running against the clock, as Johnny's consciousness will eventually overwrite theirs, and they are unable to remove the relic without instantly killing themselves.
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With time not on their side, it would only be natural that V might cut some corners on their mission, but players can do so much more (and so much worse). In fact, they can be downright evil to some of the people they meet in Night City, which, honestly, there is really no excuse for, other than that some players might really enjoy having the freedom to play games like that. If that is the case, Cyberpunk 2077 might be one worth checking out.
6 Fable 2
Evil Runs Alter the Character's Appearance
Fable 2
- Released
- October 21, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Language, Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Lionhead Studios
- Platform(s)
- Xbox 360
Suffering beneath poverty and the biting cold of winter, the main character of Fable 2, known as Sparrow, and their sister Rose wish they could live in Castle Fairfax. One day, their wish becomes a reality when they acquire a music box from a mysterious peddlar, but their dreams are dashed when Lucian senses that one of them is the hero who will rise up and kill them. Sparrow escapes wounded, but Rose is killed, leaving them as the destined hero.
Despite them being promised to stop the vicious Lucian, there are no rules stating that Sparrow also has to do good at every moment of their life, as there is a rather in-depth morality sytem in the game. Any evil they do, from killing innocents to embezzling from the royal treasury, will incur alterations to the character's appearance. As such, the more evil a character is, the more demonic they will look, wearing their ill deeds on their very skin.
5 Vampyr
Give in to the Thirst for Blood
Vampyr
- Released
- June 5, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Dontnod Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
From the minds behind Life is Strange came a completely unexpected surprise--that was the dark and gothic RPG, Vampyr. As most players will surmise from the title, they control one of said undead blood-drinkers, turned as soon as they return to England from serving in World War 1. Turned loose into the world without much of a sense of what they are and what they can do, Jonathan doesn't exactly have an easy time of it, though he meets helpful individuals such as Lady Ashbury.
As a physician in life, he does have the Hippocratic Oath to consider, but death very likely nullifies it. As such, players can decide to drink the blood of the people they are meant to care for, which in turn grants exp for them to develop their vampiric skills, allowing them to become stronger and making the game easier. On the other hand, denying the beast within makes the game more difficult, as players miss out on that tasty exp. It is interesting that the game tries to tempt players down the path of evil, but this is likely to reflect how vampires would always feel the urge to drink the blood of any mortal they encounter.
4 Undertale
The Infamous Genocide Run
Undertale
- Released
- September 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Toby Fox's RPG took many gamers by surprise, as this simple-looking indie game had a lot more depth than what might appear on the surface. Controlling a human who falls into an underground world full of monsters, they are told the only way to escape is to confront King Asgore. Along the way, they will also meet many monsters, with some being friendly and others being quite aggressive. One interesting mechanic of this game is the Mercy mechanic. As long as players select the right action to take on their turn, they can spare the monster they are facing and move on.
Doing so to every monster and every boss will lead them down the Pacifist route, but in typical turn-based RPG fashion, they are also free to attack on their turn. Killing monsters leads players down the Genocide route, and this will alter any additional runs they do, as the game remembers the evil actions they took during that fateful run.
3 Fallout: New Vegas
A Revenge Quest Was Never Going to be Merciful
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Well, ain't that a kick in the head? While out on one of their delivery jobs, the Courier in Fallout: New Vegas finds themselves caught up in a game that goes way above their pay grade, as they held in their possession the platinum chip, which was said to be a key item needed to control New Vegas. Benny then decides to shoot the messenger in order to steal the chip, but through miracles and modern medicine, the Courier wakes up alive and sets off on a quest to even the score.
While exploring the Mojave, finding side quests, and chasing the main objective, players are given some freedom as to how they conduct themselves. They can be mean-spirited, aggressive, and even outright hostile to those they meet. Dialogue options and potential faction alignments put players firmly on the darker side of the game, but seeing as this person was just shot in their head for doing their job, one couldn't really blame them for not having much compassion for anyone they meet.
2 Mass Effect
The Renegade Options Are For Those Low on Patience and Kindness
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
- Released
- May 14, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
Taking the world of RPGs into space, players suit and boot up as Commander Shepard, a customizable main character who is the galaxy's only hope against the threat of the Reapers, a race of ancient, sentient machines that cyclically raze races and worlds. With trillions of innocent lives hanging in the balance, Shepard sets off to unite the galaxy to face off against them.
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But even while shouldering the fate of every known advanced race, Shepard by no means has to be a goody two-shoes. There are plenty of dialogue options that are not exactly nice, with several showing Shepard at their very worst, such as tasing a worker to get by them quickly or punching a nosy reporter in the face. While not as outwardly evil as the Reapers themselves, it is still a shocking way for the supposed savior to conduct themselves.
1 Baldur's Gate 3
The Dark Urge Offers a Refreshingly Evil Take on the Game
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The brilliant minds at Larian got their hands on the Dungeons and Dragons IP, resulting in Baldur's Gate 3, another entry in a storied franchise that has earned love and accolades over the years from the attention and care placed into all of these RPGs. In this title, players control either an origin or custom character thrust into the Sword Coast with the task of finding a cure to the Mind Flayer parasite nestling in their head. The only customizable origin character, the Dark Urge offers a new take on the story of Baldur's Gate 3.
A voice in their mind tries to tempt their character into committing all sorts of ill deeds during their adventures, and it seems to imply the character relishes violence and murder. Though players can try to rebel against this desire to do evil, they might eventually cave and do something truly awful. Giving in is all too easy, and it may even be fun for the those who want to play an evil character in an RPG.
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