This list contains minor spoilers
Summary
- Horror protagonists are ordinary people dragged into relentless trauma.
- Their suffering fuels courage, guilt, or spirals into vengeance and madness.
- Player empathy grows as leads endure loss, hallucinations, monsters, and impossible choices.
Considering most horror developers aim to make the player feel as if they're living in a true nightmare when booting up their game, it wouldn't make sense if the protagonist were a happy-go-lucky lead character who never experiences any hardship in the story. With that being said, while it's understandable that a horror protagonist would face their fair share of hardships, some have had it a lot worse than others, to the point where it forces players to question how on earth they can make it to the end of their horror-filled journey after everything they've already been through.
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When a protagonist has been to hell and back, yet still manages to stay resolute despite it all, it can make them pretty inspirational in the eyes of the player. Then again, there's also the chance that the amount of stress and fear that the character experiences can turn them into a monster who rejects the world around them. Either way, it's time to take a closer look at the lead stars in popular horror games who might as well have traveled through hell itself when taking into account the horrific journeys they've been on.
James Sunderland
James' Actions Plunge Him Into A Guilt-Ridden Nightmare
Silent Hill 2
- Released
- October 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence
When James Sunderland receives a letter from his late wife claiming that she's waiting for him in their 'special place' at the beginning of Silent Hill 2, the gloomy protagonist at least has something to hold on to. Soon after, though, James finds himself in the monster-ridden town of Silent Hill, which is packed full of haunting imagery and disturbing creatures that are enough to keep even the most seasoned of horror veterans up at night.
Because Silent Hill 2 largely revolves around James's journey untangling his own guilt, he is forced to take on a myriad of terrifying monsters, all while his fractured mind tries to make sense of what is happening, and more importantly, what happened to Mary all those years ago. It's also important to mention that James isn't some super-powered cop or special agent who is prepared for the horrors that he encounters. Instead, he's just an average guy who finds himself being tortured for his past sins, though whether he manages to make it out in one piece, or as someone entirely different, depends on the ending the player receives.
Isaac Clarke
What Should Have Been A Simple Rescue Mission Ends Up Going Horribly Wrong
Dead Space
- Released
- January 27, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Rated M for Mature for Blood and Gore, Strong Language, and Intense Violence.
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
At the beginning of the original Dead Space, Isaac Clarke is the engineer of a rescue crew who have been sent to the USG Ishimura to uncover why the mining ship had suddenly gone dark. Only moments after arriving, Isaac is separated from his comrades and forced to fend off a plethora of grotesque Necromorphs who stalk him throughout the ship. As if that wasn't enough, Isaac is also on a desperate search to find his girlfriend, Nicole, who he believes is still alive somewhere on the ship As he starts to get closer to the mysterious Marker, the protagonist begins to lose his grasp on reality, and begins hallucinating people who aren't really there.
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Isaac's suffering doesn't stop there; in the sequel, he is once again forced to duke it out with a new batch of Necromorphs, all while trying to keep his mind together, which has been completely warped after the events of the first game. Dealing with such heavy trauma while also trying to fight for his life isn't a position anyone would want to be in, and while Isaac did manage to make it through to the end, it's highly unlikely he will ever recover from what he witnessed back on the Ishimura.
Ellie Williams
Losing So Much In A Short Period Took A Heavy Toll On Ellie
The Last of Us
- Released
- June 14, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
Ellie is a protagonist who has gone through a hell of a lot despite being so young, to the point where it's hard to know where even to begin when talking about the tragedies she's experienced. After losing her childhood friend Riley to the cordyceps infection, Ellie, who is immune to the ongoing outbreak happening in the world of The Last of Us, is treated like a piece of cargo that Joel was ordered to deliver from A to B in an attempt to create a cure.
While the two do eventually end up bonding and forming a father-and-daughter style relationship, this is snatched away from the protagonist after Joel is mercilessly killed right in front of her at the beginning of the second game. The pain she felt as a result of all this would then lead Ellie into a murderous quest for revenge, which ends up driving her down a dark path. It's honestly somewhat understandable when taking into account everything she has experienced from such a young age.
Clementine
Clementine Is Forced To Learn How To Survive When She Is Only A Child
The Walking Dead
- Released
- April 24, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Graphic Adventure, Horror
While it's already difficult for the average adult to keep their emotions in check during a zombie apocalypse, Clementine is forced to toughen up when she is still only a child. Though she is separated from her parents when the zombies first start to arrive, Clementine is lucky to run into Lee, who is generous enough to teach her the best ways to defend herself when she comes up against a few zombies.
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This relationship, however, ends in tragedy when Lee gets infected, forcing Clementine to choose whether to leave him handcuffed to a radiator, or to put him out of his misery before he turns. There will be plenty of other tough decisions that Clementine will need to make in the multiple subsequent games that all follow her growth into becoming an adult, though this journey is far from an easy one, especially considering the staggering number of people she loses along the way.
Alan Wake
Alan's World Is Turned Upside Down When He Loses Alice
Alan Wake
- Released
- February 16, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Survival Horror
It's no wonder that best-selling author Alan Wake appears to be out of his mind and disheveled when he first appears in the second game, since this would surely happen to anyone who was forced to endure everything he witnesses after he is separated from his wife. What should have been a peaceful vacation quickly turns into a nightmare after Alan's wife, Alice, is mysteriously kidnapped from a cabin. Before long he realizes that the world around him, including the shadowy monsters hunting him, are all the result of his latest book coming to life.
Things don't get much better for Wake, though, as he is soon trapped in the Dark Place, which ends up rooting itself in his mind and almost takes him over completely. Alan was stuck in a torturous purgatory for many years, but only time will tell whether he will ever get to live a normal life, or if he will be trapped typing away on his typewriter for as long as he lives.
Sebastian Castellanos
A Cop Who Is Thrown Into A Nightmarish World Of Another Person's Creation
The Evil Within
- Released
- October 14, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Survival Horror
Sebastian Castellanos, the main protagonist of The Evil Within, finds himself in a precarious position when he is inserted into the mind of a maniac by the name of Ruvik. Because of Ruvik's tragic upbringing, this nightmarish world contains all kinds of grizzly horrors, all of which Sebastian has to try and make sense of while keeping himself alive in the process. One moment, Sebastian is desperately trying to limp away from a bloodthirsty maniac wielding a chainsaw, and the next, he is shooting flaming barrels to try and incinerate a Grudge-like monster who wants nothing more than to see him dead.
Sebastian can't catch a break in the second game either, as he is once again forced to enter the STEM program after learning that his daughter Lily is trapped inside. While he initially seems hopeful about reuniting with the daughter whom he believed had died long ago, Sebastian is targeted by several devious monsters and individuals along his journey, including a crazed artist who seeks to take down Sebastian in the most stylish way possible.
Ethan Winters
The Latest Protagonist Of The Resident Evil Series Just Can't Catch A Break
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Released
- January 24, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Psychological Horror, First-Person
Characters like Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield have definitely been through the ringer on more than a few occasions, but at least they were somewhat prepared beforehand to handle their particular situations beforehand. Ethan Winters, on the other hand, who is first introduced in Resident Evil 7, is literally just an everyday civilian who gets caught up in a bunch of nightmarish scenarios in a desperate attempt to rescue his family. The first time this happens is when he travels to the Baker House to rescue his wife, Mia, only to find himself taking on an army of eerie Mold monsters, along with the Baker family themselves, many of whom have been mutated beyond belief.
Just when it seems like the nightmare is finally over, Ethan's daughter Rose is kidnapped by a mysterious cult, forcing him to go on yet another adventure where he takes on werewolves, vampires, and even giant trolls. It's almost comical how much hardship Ethan faces just to try and keep his family together, but it also makes it easy to sympathize with him since he never asked to be put in any of these terrifying situations.
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