Many screenwriters write stories based on the classic structure laid out in The Hero’s Journey. So, the protagonist goes on an adventure, leaving the comfort zone, dramatically overcomes difficulties, defeats evil against all odds, and returns a changed person. But sometimes, significant adjustments are made to this structure, showing us how good loses, despite all its attempts, and evil triumphs. Similar games can be found at Game Karma.
The outcome of prequel events is almost always predetermined, but that doesn’t stop writers from depicting tragic events that expand the franchise’s lore. In many games, there are also “bad” endings that are not considered canon, but in some titles, the victory of evil is the only possible ending, and it will not be possible to avoid it.
Resistance 2
In trilogies, it is customary to make the second part the darkest to allow heroes to return triumphantly in the sequel. The protagonist became a member of the elite squad of “Guardians” consisting of soldiers infected with the Chimera virus, which increased their strength. In the course of the story, Hale tries to contain the spread of the virus through his body, cracking down on the leader of the chimeras named Daedalus and, without realizing it, absorbs his abilities. Hale leaves the scene of the battle with another member of the squad, Corporal Joseph Capelli, but they have an accident. Waking up, Capelli sees that Hale has already completely turned into a chimera and kills him because he sees no other way out.
Shadow of the Colossus
The game told us the story of Wander, a young warrior trying to resurrect the girl Mono, who was killed because her fate was cursed. Having reached the forbidden lands on horseback, he makes a deal with Dormin, a mysterious entity that can resurrect the dead. In exchange for revitalizing Mono, Dormin forces Wander to destroy 16 colossi roaming the vast game world. Dormin says that it is necessary for the resurrection of the girl, but over time, it becomes clear that other motives drove him. After each killed colossus, the appearance of the protagonist gradually changes, and when Wander deals with the last colossus, we understand that he was deceived. Thus, Wander’s blind love for Mono led to the actual victory of evil and doomed the protagonist to death.
InFamous
inFamous is known for its morality system. In the role of cyclist courier Cole McGrath, we gain the ability to control electricity by surviving the explosion in Empire City, and we can either help its inhabitants, earning karma points, or act selfishly, gaining a bad reputation. At some point, Cole comes into conflict with Kessler, the leader of the First Sons gang, which, after the explosion, seized control of the city. After several skirmishes, during one of which Trish is killed, we finally fight Kessler head to head. Regardless of Cole’s current level of karma, it is revealed that Kessler is in fact Cole from an alternate future destroyed due to his own actions. He also reveals that he killed Trish to prevent Cole from marrying he, as the protagonist’s family would distract him from preparing to fight the Beast in the future.