Video Game stories have come a long way. For years, many talented developers have managed to use the interactive gaming medium to weave tales that couldn't be done justice in a linear format. However, with the good, there must come the bad.
It's one thing to be met with a poorly written twist in a linear medium such as books or films, but games require a certain amount of finesse on the players' part. Video games are one of the few mediums that deny users content if they're not good enough, making bad twists sting all the more.
Spoilers for several games below.
10 Silent Hill Downpour Prefers To make Murphy's Past Multiple Choice
It's a shame that the Silent Hill franchise had to end on such a middling note, as Downpour was another example of a Western studio that tackled the franchise without really understanding what made it special. Apparently, Konami and Vatra studios were at odds regarding the player character Murphy Pendleton which explains this dubious design choice.
In contrast to previous Silent Hill titles such as 2, Murphy's big sin is entirely dependent on the ending the players achieve. As Yahtzee Croshaw pointed out, this makes much of the game's symbolism in elements such as the creature designs and puzzles utterly meaningless.
9 Only If Rewards Players Who Finish It With A Proverbial Middle Finger
This obscure first-person choice-based adventure title may have been free of charge. Still, it wasn't worth the time players would have to endure the several illogical puzzles, obnoxious vocal performances, and poorly written dialogue that awaited them. Players who endure this terrible title are rewarded with a twist that defies all reason.
It turns out that the girl Anthony's infatuated with is his sister, and Vinny, the voice on the radio, has been trying to stop their relationship the whole time. Why Vinny made Anthony go through this whole ordeal instead of just telling him is never explained.
8 The Big Twist In Metal Gear Solid 2 Was Clearly Never Meant To Be Resolved
The even-numbered entries of the Metal Gear Solid entries often prove to be the most polarizing. At the time of MGS2, Hideo Kojima had no intentions to continue the story and deliberately wrote the ending with a conflict that couldn't possibly be resolved. The puppet masters who have been orchestrating everything are revealed to have been dead for 100 years.
Players waiting with bated breath to see how this was possible were dismayed to find out that the next game would be a prequel to the entire series. If only they knew that the fourth entry would give them more than they bargained for.
7 The Internet Is Alive In Indigo Prophecy
In Indigo Prophecy, numerous factions seek the elusive indigo child, who is said to determine the fate of humankind. The world is being ravaged by falling temperatures – which is probably the plot point that requires the most suspension of disbelief. However, instead of carbon emissions, a terminally ill child is apparently the cause of this particular climate disaster.
Making matters worse is an insidious A.I. group, the Purple Clan, led by the internet. That's right, the internet is sentient and the leader of a cult trying to bring about a second Ice Age.
6 Big Boss Is Revealed To Be Alive In Metal Gear Solid 4
The ending of Metal Gear Solid 4 holds the Guinness World Record for the longest cutscene in a video game, clocking in at 71 minutes. It makes more sense if players remember that this title was supposed to be the grand finale of the entire series. Just as the credits start to roll, Big Boss, a character long presumed to be dead, shows up to give Snake an embrace and filibuster for half an hour.
Even the credits are put to a screeching halt for some more bloated exposition as Big Boss reveals the Patriots kept him alive via nano-machines for years.
5 Alice In Detroit become Human Turns Out Not To Be A Human
Detroit Become Human was another example of Quantic Dream using branching narratives to awkwardly tackle complex subjects such as classism and discrimination. The whole subplot with Kara and Alice already rubbed several players the wrong way with its grossly oversimplified depiction of abuse. Still, the twist surrounding the young girl completely negates Kara's character arc.
Kara sacrifices everything in order to save this human child from her horrible father and raise Alice as her own. Except, Alice isn't human after all, and Kara knew the whole time. The game even flashes back to a scene that players never got to see.
4 The Aforementioned Bionic Commando's Wife Is His Mechanical Arm
The big plot twist in the 2009 Bionic Commando reboot managed to eclipse everything else about the game. In a plot revelation widely lambasted by fans and critics, Nathan Rad Spencer's mechanical arm is revealed to be created from his wife's consciousness.
According to Keji Inafune, the relationship between Capcom of Japan and Swedish developer GRIN was particularly strained, with the former reportedly telling the developer, "Whatever. Do what you want. I don't care." If that's the case, that certainly explains how a twist this ill-conceived could make it to the final product.
3 Tidus' True Nature In Final Fantasy X Defies Explanation
Final Fantasy X represented a turning point in the franchise. It was the first mainline title to eschew the pre-rendered backgrounds that permeated its PlayStation installments, the first entry to incorporate voice acting, and one of the last titles to be produced by long-time figurehead Hironobu Sakaguchi.
For many players, it also represented a significant dip in narrative quality that the series would never truly recover from. One major point of contention is the game's ultimate twist regarding the character Tidus. It turns out he didn't travel from the past at all, as he never really existed. When Zanarkand fell, its citizens aimed to preserve it in a dream state.
2 Sonic The Hedgehog Takes 'Keep Calm' To Absurd Extremes
Among Sonic '06's many flaws, the game's main plot wasn't exactly Pulitzer material. It turns out that the princess Sonic's been continuously rescuing throughout his campaign has an evil god sealed within her, and the only way he can escape is through her tears.
There are so many things wrong with this twist that it's impossible to scrutinize all of them adequately. Glossing over the process in which the dark god was sealed within Elise, keeping a stiff upper lip is one thing. Still, lacrimal glands cause eyes to create tears when people so much as blink, making Sonic's preceding assassination completely pointless.
1 Harvester Is A VR Simulation Just Because
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Harvester is one of the many games that tried to capitalize on the success and controversy that followed titles like Mortal Kombat and Doom. But unfortunately, its hybrid of graphic adventure and survival horror mechanics proved to be like oil and water. At the same time, its attempts at social commentary were more offensive than its violent imagery.
Once players get through all the horrible combat and heavily compressed FMV cutscenes, they discover that the world they've been exploring is a virtual reality simulation designed to create the perfect murderer. Why do they want to do this? Gilbert P. Austin couldn't have a ham-fisted parable for violent video games otherwise.