Open world games where they treat you like the villain

Open world games are one of the best places to experience the battle between good and evil. Instead of being presented from a single perspective, players can instead venture out and learn about the story, opinions, and motivations of each character in the universe. Sometimes the games try to portray the player as a heroic force on a noble quest to save the world, while in others they get a chance to carve their own path, be it good or evil. However, in a few cases, he really is the player treated like a villain just to exist in the world, either right from the start or after they make certain choices that change their perception.

In many cases, this is done by creating an ambiguous character with gray morals, as they often need to do some damage to achieve the good at the end of the tunnel. Alternatively, the player can lean fully on the bad side of things, continuing to wreak havoc and cause as much damage as possible, taking on the role of villain assigned to them. Whatever the reason and origin, it's a very interesting dynamic to be portrayed in such a negative light, especially if the player is only trying to be a positive force in the world rather than pure evil.

Prototype

Not quite a superhero

• Civilians and soldiers react to Alex Mercer with fear.

• Progress is associated with destruction.

Prototype is probably the best example of how to create a protagonist who couldn't be further from a hero. Alex Mercer is not misunderstood or morally grey; is an unstoppable biological weapon that tears up Manhattan from the moment his powers emerge. Civilians flee on sight, the military considers Mercer a top priority target, and the city itself becomes increasingly hostile as players continue to wreak endless havoc.

The world itself directly contributes to this idea, allowing players to climb skyscrapers and jump from above to destroy virtually anything in their path, leading to a widespread perception of villainy by the rest of the city. Even the story relies on the evil aspects of the character, never really redeeming the player's actions and maintaining the perception of evil from start to finish. Mercer is even cast as a villain Prototype 2.

Dying Light 2

Fear more than credible

• Most characters openly distrust you.

• Grudge from entire zones depending on your choices.

While Dying Light 2 casts Aiden as a potential hero, the world rarely treats him. His supernatural abilities, violent tendencies, and immunity to infection make him uneasy with almost everyone he meets, with NPCs often reacting with fear or outright hostility.

As the choices pile up, entire districts can turn against the player depending on who benefits from their actions, creating a unique dynamic where even allies can still look suspicious. Since survival is at the forefront of many characters, it's much easier to treat the player as a potential enemy than to risk death, leading to many situations where trust becomes a bigger enemy than the monsters themselves.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Outlaws In The Lawful World

• Arthur is considered by many to be a bad man.

• The law is constantly in conflict.

Red Dead Redemption 2 tells the story of Arthur Morgan, largely about his existence in a world actively moving around him. No matter how honest a player behaves, society increasingly treats them as a dangerous relic doomed to failure. He is relentlessly pursued by the lawmen and the cities become increasingly hostile, making it feel as if the entire world is slowly closing in on the player from the moment he steps into it.

The brilliance is that the game never lets the player forget their criminal identity. Even kindness is temporary, often overshadowed by harsher realities, and no matter how much good the player tries to offer, there is still a sentiment of hatred that cannot be escaped, much like the fate of Arthur himself.

Watch Dogs

On the fly from start to finish

• The media portrays Aiden as a domestic terrorist.

• Civil panic during the event escalates matters.

Aiden in Watch Dogs he is the modern equivalent of a villain on the run because no matter how far into the game players are, they will always be seen in a deeply negative light. The town is full of people who are constantly on the alert and afraid, mostly thanks to the media presenting Aiden as a real terrorist to be avoided. Despite any attempts to perform some good deeds, there is no way to completely remove the villainous mark placed on their head.

From a gameplay perspective, this fear actually makes a lot of sense, as it's virtually impossible to complete missions or roam the world without some harm coming to a defenseless civilian. Hacking the world may be the only way forward, but the cost to innocent people on the periphery turns this nobility into fear, with no way to undo what has happened.

INFAMOUS

A slow descent into corruption

• A system of morality that relates to public perception.

• Even good paths come with resistance.

INFAMOUS is one of the few open-world games that explicitly follows the player as a villain. Cole MacGrath's powers terrify the populace and public perception changes dramatically based on the player's choices, whether he follows the path of good or becomes the villain he is believed to be.

Even Heroic Paths don't erase this fear, as civilians still back down and soldiers still shoot on sight, ensuring that no matter how good they may be, the player remains the enemy. It's less about their intentions and more about how their power is seen as a potential weapon of evil, even if they never use it as such.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

More like a monster than a Savior

• Open insults from NPCs straight to Geralt's face.

• Tasks are defined by moral ambiguity.

IN The Witcher 3Geralt saves lives all the time, yet the world rarely thanks him or changes his view. Warlocks are feared, reviled, and mistrusted at every turn, and the world characters aren't afraid to voice their opinions, constantly cursing and clearly demonstrating their point that, despite their use, hunters are no better than the monsters they hunt.

This concept remains constant throughout the game. Even when Geralt does the right thing, the results are often grim and far from a vision of true heroism. He may not be a traditional anti-hero, but the world certainly seems to see Geralt as more of a problem or a scourge than a savior trying to rid the world of evil.

Cyberpunk 2077

Causing trouble for everyone in the night city

• V is little more than expendable muscle to the Fixers.

• Corporations see V as a major threat.

Cyberpunk 2077 is already a game full of deeply questionable morals, and the player's place in the world is as gray as anyone else's. No matter where he places his allegiance, V will always be seen as bad in some way, whether as a real problem for corporations or an indispensable tool for the Fixers.

Quests also reinforce many more ambiguous moral choices that never lead to a single good outcome without some cost. V is never the noble hero of the story; rather, they're just more people looking to make a name for themselves, regardless of the people who may suffer from standing in their way.

Fallout: New Vegas

The most dangerous factor in the wasteland

• Reputation is related to perception.

• Neutrality can be more problematic than commitment

Fallout: New Vegas is one of the best examples of how an NPC's perception can change drastically over the course of a single campaign. Because there are so many factions at odds with each other, one group may see a player as a valuable asset while another may see pure evil in the flesh.

More interestingly, if players choose a more neutral path, there's a chance that their lack of loyalty will actually be seen as more of a threat than if they sided with the enemy. Given how fragile the world and the relationships in it are, it's safer to assume that people always want to cause trouble than to blindly trust them and be defeated later, leading to a widespread perception of hatred towards those outside of particular ideological camps.