Summary
- Survival horror game protagonists become heroes by putting everything on the line to save others.
- Characters like Sebastian and Waylon exhibit heroic actions in their respective games.
- Regina and Artyom also display bravery and heroism in their quests to save others.
In most survival horror games, the main character will be thrust into the position of being the protagonist, even when they'd rather not be. Being the star of a nightmarish story full of ghouls, zombies, and other creatures isn't exactly a role anyone wants to fill, but sometimes, these protagonists will go beyond just survival, and instead become heroes of their own stories.
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In order for a character to be seen as heroic in a horror game, they need to put everything on the line to save someone, or to make the world at large a safer place by taking down their enemies once and for all. With that said, here are the survival horror protagonists who have deemed themselves worthy of being called heroes thanks to their actions within their respective games.
8 Sebastian Castellanos (The Evil Within 2)
Sebastian Willingly Jumps Back Into STEM To Rescue His Daughter
The Evil Within 2
- Released
- October 13, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Tango Gameworks
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
In the first The Evil Within game, Sebastian's only real goal is to try and escape Ruvik's nightmare in one piece, but in the sequel, he once again ventures into the STEM project with a simple goal in mind: saving his daughter Lily. After a horrific house fire which seemingly takes the life of his daughter, Sebastian comes to learn Lily is actually still alive, although can only be retrieved by entering STEM and taking on the numerous hellish monsters that reside within.
As a result, Sebastian goes to extreme lengths to reunite with his daughter, including fighting off a crazed photographer, a malicious cult leader, and even a manifestation of his own wife, Myra. After one hell of a journey, Sebastian's efforts finally pay off when he manages to successfully escape the onslaught with Lily by his side as they return home, making him one of the most heroic dads in all of gaming.
7 Waylon Park (Outlast: Whistleblower)
Waylon's Decision To Become A Whistleblower Places A Large Target On His Back
Outlast
- Released
- November 4, 2013
- Developer(s)
- Red Barrels
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Linux, macOS
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Just as the name implies, this DLC for the immensely popular Outlast puts players in the shoes of Waylon Park, a man who would eventually become the whistleblower of the horrific ongoings within the Mount Massive Asylum. Throughout the expansion, players will record everything they encounter with a camcorder, which includes footage of the cannibals and crazed inmates running rampant across the entire facility.
At the very end of the DLC, Waylon manages to escape with his life and camcorder intact. He must then decide whether to release the footage or keep it hidden. Despite being warned by a fellow colleague that exposing the incident is guaranteed to put a target on his and his family's backs for years to come, he still decides to bite the bullet and make the footage public, risking his own life for the greater good.
6 Alyssa Hamilton (Clock Tower 3)
Alyssa Musters Up The Courage To Save Her Mother And Put An End To The Ritual Of Engagement
Clock Tower 3
To kick off the story of Clock Tower 3, protagonist Alyssa is suddenly teleported back in time to 1940s London where she must fend off a sledgehammer-wielding maniac in an attempt to return back to the present to be with her mother. As the games goes on, and Alyssa is transported to numerous other time periods, she eventually comes to learn about the Ritual of Engagement which, in simple terms, allows a human to become an all-powerful 'Entity', which of course, the final boss of the game attempts to do.
However, pulling off the ritual would not only make Lord Burroughs, as he's commonly known, immensely powerful, but it would also come at the cost of Alyssa's mother, Nancy, whose soul would be required for the ritual to work. In a moment of heroism, Alyssa puts an end to the gentleman's madness and reunites with her mother's spirit, ensuring no harm will come to her precious guardian.
5 Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil 4)
Despite Experiencing Setback After Setback, Leon Never Gives Up In Trying To Save Ashley
Resident Evil 4
Leon S. Kennedy does show a few heroic characteristics throughout Resident Evil 2, such as when he takes a bullet for Ada, for example, but it's in the fourth entry that he really proves himself to be a dependable protagonist who can always get the job done. Leon's mission is simple: rescue the president's daughter Ashley from a sadistic cult known as the Los Illuminados. However, escorting Ashley back home is far from easy considering she is re-captured numerous times by the cult, and the fact that both she and Leon are infected right up until the very last moments of the game.
This isn't even mentioning the numerous monstrosities Leon is forced to take down along his journey, from giant salamanders and invisible bugs, all the way to creepy cultists and a deadly warrior from Leon's past. Many other characters probably wouldn't have even made it out of the village, but Leon proved why he was deemed to be the "American hero" so many times by Saddler throughout the game thanks to his actions.
4 Regina (Dino Crisis)
Regina Deserves A Lot Of Credit For Her Efforts In Stopping The Dinosaur's Rampage In Dino Crisis
Dino Crisis
- Released
- August 31, 1999
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- Sega Dreamcast, PC, PlayStation (Original), PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PS Vita
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Upon being tasked with infiltrating a secluded research facility, there's no way Regina ever could have predicted she would be expected to go up against hordes of dinosaurs as part of the mission. While she starts off just as bewildered as everyone else, upon learning the origins of the dinosaurs and how they came from their own pocket of time, she steps up and plays a big role in ending the horrific situation once and for all.
For example, near the end of the game, it's Regina who acquires both the stabilizer and initializer needed to overload the generator and close the vortex for good. She's also credited with taking down an abundance of deadly dinos, including a T. Rex who undoubtedly would have spilled a lot more blood if Regina hadn't put an end to his rampage.
3 Artyom (Metro 2033)
Artyom Is The Only One Who Succeeds In Making Contact With The Dark Ones
Metro 2033
Admittedly, Artyom does play a heroic role in all three of the Metro games, but his fearless and determined drive to protect the people he cares about shows itself the most in the very first entry, Metro 2033. Upon learning of a dangerous collective called the Dark Ones who have been causing problems for a group of survivors known as Exhibition, Artyom attempts to track them down and stop them once and for all. Along the way, Artyom loses several comrades, rescues a few fellow survivors including a young boy, and succeeds in dealing with the Dark Ones after almost being killed more times than he can count by the grossly mutated creatures that roam the surface.
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There are two possible endings to Metro 2033 which both paint Artyom in a heroic light. The first sees him firing off a set of missiles, seemingly defeating the Dark Ones and making the world just a little safer for the Exhibition. In the alternate ending though, Artyom deactivates the device after realizing the Dark Ones were actually trying to make peace with the humans all along.
2 Saga Anderson (Alan Wake 2)
Saga Ultimately Acts As Alan's Savior By The End Of Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2
- Released
- October 27, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Though Alan Wake 2 is split between two protagonists, Alan and Saga, it's the latter who does a lot of the heavy lifting, and ultimately saves the story from becoming distorted and twisted by Mr Scratch. Alan's affiliation with the Dark Place causes him to become possessed at one point in the story, prompting Saga to restore his body, before then rescuing Casey in a similar fashion.
It's also Saga who fires the fatal Bullet of Light at Alan to show him the true nature of the story, and is also the one to retrieve the Clicker, which is a device that plays a crucial role in the larger narrative. Though Alan Wake 2's story can get a little confusing, one thing is for sure, if Saga hadn't been there, things would have been much, much worse.
1 Ethan Winters (Resident Evil Village)
Ethan's Efforts To Save His Wife And Daughter Lead To Him Making A Heroic Sacrifice
Resident Evil Village
- Released
- May 7, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
This can honestly apply to both Resident Evil 7 and Village, since Ethan embarks on a heroic journey in both of those games. For Resident Evil 7, he takes on the entire Baker family, along with numerous molded monsters, all for the sake of saving his wife, Mia. In Village, he once again navigates his way through numerous creepy locales filled with Lycans, Vampires, and all kinds of terrifying monsters in an attempt to rescue his daughter Rose.
While he does succeed in putting Rose back together by collecting each of her flasks, it ultimately comes at the cost of Ethan's own life as he begins to crumble away after learning the Mold had been keeping him going all this time. It's a heroic sacrifice which allows Rose and Mia to both continue living on, and for that, Ethan most definitely deserves a Father of the Year award for his bravery and heroism.
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