Games That Change Their Protagonist Midway Through

There have been multiple characters in games for ages. Old-school games like Diablo allowed players to choose their starting class and this trend continued with the rest of the series. In recent years, fully formed characters have been included in games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. At different points, players could control Peter or Miles and eventually, they could swap between them on the fly.

Then there are games where choice is taken away. A game may start with one hero, but another could replace them due to death or some other circumstance. Most of these examples happen deep into the story but others are quicker and more abrupt.

WARNING! There will be spoilers.

6 Final Fantasy 7

Cloud Goes Through The Amnesia Ringer

Final Fantasy 7 does not permanently change the hero part way through or even in the beginning. Cloud is the main attraction here but there is a big twist when players make it to The Northern Crater. Cloud gets possessed by Sephiroth, gives the real body the Black Materia, and then disappears.

The game then shifts to the perspective of Tifa who takes over for a bit until the party finds Cloud again. She wants to stay by his side in the hospital while Cid takes over command for a time too. Eventually, Cloud comes back but he is a reformed person. It’ll be interesting to see how the third and final remake fairs with this revelation.

5 Fire Emblem: Genealogy Of The Holy War

A Forgotten Entry With A Dark Intro

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is a game most may not be familiar with. It was a SNES entry in the Fire Emblem series and one that never came over officially although fans have translated it into English over time. The game begins with Sigurd as the protagonist who leads a few missions.

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After a short time with him, Sigurd and his entire army get annihilated. Time passes and Sigurd’s son, Seliph, takes over command as the new protagonist. There’s a lot more drama with Sigurd’s saga but that is the basic premise. Any time a game kills a character quickly, it is a big revelation and hopefully Nintendo will one day bring this entry over in its 16-bit glory or with a remake.

4 The Last Of Us Part 2

From Killer To Protagonist

The Last of Us Part 2 opens with Joel and Ellie making their home in a settlement within the wastes of society. After an exploration mission goes horribly wrong, Joel is murdered, leaving Ellie in a position to find this killer, Abby, and get revenge. It’s quite the journey before the two meet and when it happens, Ellie loses, and then the game rewinds to Abby’s perspective right after she murders Joel.

It was a bold move by Naughty Dog to try and make players sympathize with a character who murdered the playable hero from the previous game. Joel was not perfect, but players grew to love him. This change in The Last of Us Part 2 did not sit well with players at the time and it will assuredly not sit well with Max viewers when season two of The Last of Us adaptation comes out.

3 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty

Snake Takes A Backseat To The Rookie

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty begins with Solid Snake as the lead again, this time infiltrating a tanker just outside of the New York City harbor. It’s a short mission before the boat sinks and things go dark for Snake. The game then shifts focus to Raiden, a rookie, who takes Snake’s place to infiltrate a new facility built after the disaster of the tanker sinking.

The thing that threw players for a loop was that Konami showcased Snake being playable in the new facility. Raiden wasn’t shown at all until the game was released. It was truly a masterful bait and switch pulled off by the game’s director, Hideo Kojima, which did rightfully make some upset at the time.

2 NieR: Automata

There Are Three Robots To This Tale

NieR: Automata was built on the foundation of giving players false endings. The game began with 2B and her partner 9S going down to Earth to repel a robot invasion and hopefully make the planet safe again for humans. After completing the game, players could then replay it through 9S’ eyes through a different gameplay style.

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The same beats are mostly followed but it’s not until the third playthrough with A2 wherein things start to get really trippy. NieR: Automata is not so much an example of a game-changing protagonists so much as it is a game with no protagonist. It’s even so bold that it asks players to delete their save file upon getting the complete ending and it’s hard to say how many players took that leap.

1 Red Dead Redemption 2

A Series Known For Killing Protagonists

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a gut punch on two levels. First, it’s a prequel to the original game following the gang that was going against the hero of Red Dead Redemption aka John Marston. How could players gel with Arthur Morgan and the rest of the sequel’s characters knowing that? While it may not have settled right with everyone, Arthur Morgan could at least be seen as a good guy.

The things players can decide to do with him can actually turn Arthur into a true sweetheart and the reason that John was able to go as far as he does in Red Dead Redemption. No matter what decisions are made, Arthur will die and he will be replaced by John in an epilogue scenario that lasts quite a while. In Red Dead Redemption, John dies and then gets replaced by his son, Jack. If there is ever a sequel, fans can bet someone is going to die and get replaced.

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