Games where you realize too late that you were the villain

Games are an amazing medium that allows you to see the perspectives of heroes, villains, and everything in between—while keeping your hands on the wheel and driving the action. There's no shortage of games that let you play as the villain from the get-go, or games that let players make “bad” decisions, but sometimes you get a game that pulls a bit of a trick on its own players: a surprise reveal of the hero vs. the villain.

In each of the following games, the character is presented from the start as a force for good or otherwise a neutral party, only to have the truth come crashing down on the players' heads. Whether it was by choice or completely unintentionally, here are five games where it turns out you were the bad guy all along.

This article will contain major spoilers for: Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, Heavy Rain, Mouthwashing, Shadow of the Colossus, and Nier Replicant.

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean — Kalas

Revenge is a powerful motivator

This GameCube RPG, which also had a remaster shadowdropped on Steam, was developed by Monolith Soft, the team behind Xenosaga and Xenoblade Chronicles series and follows protagonist Kalas as he travels the world seeking revenge for the murder of his grandfather and little brother. While perspective Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean is the eyes of Kalas's Guardian Spirit (and all dialogue the player makes is from the spirit), the player has full control over Kalas' movements and actions during the game.

After meeting a woman named Xelha, Kalas inadvertently releases an “End Magnus” that could be used to unseal the evil god Malpercius in combination with the other four End Magnus. The group travels the world to stop the release of these beings, but is rebuffed at every turn, making Malpercio's revival increasingly likely.

It was no coincidence, however, that the enemies seemed to be one step ahead at every turn. It turns out that Kalas has been working for them the whole time, helping to find and capture every End Magnus along the way. Eventually, Kalas absorbs the power of End Magnus and becomes possessed by Malpercy.

Fortunately, there is a bit of a happy twist to this story. Kalas regrets his betrayal and searches for a way to reseal Malpercio. The player, now in control of Xelha, eventually reunites with Kalas and frees him from his slavery to the evil god. They then work together to defeat Malpercio and restore the world.

Heavy Rain — Scott Shelby

Perpetuating the cycle of violence will not heal you

Throughout Heavy rainthe player takes control of four different playable characters, all of whom appear to be on the hunt for the Origami Killer, a serial killer who targets children during the rain. One of the four playable characters is private investigator Scott Shelby, who meets with the families of previous victims and collects evidence from each of them that may lead to the Origami Killer's whereabouts.

However, towards the end of the game, it is revealed that Scott was not looking for the Origami Killer, but he was actually the killer. Changed by the experience of losing his brother to parental neglect, Scott kidnaps children to find a father willing to sacrifice himself for their child. Scott Shelby's actions throughout the game are then recontextualized as he was not collecting evidence for investigative purposes, but rather disposing of it and securing his escape.

The twist may feel a little cheap to players, however Heavy rain it gives us the inner monologues of the playable cast throughout the game, and Shelby's inner voice never mentions or alludes to his real reason for gathering evidence. Many of the endings, including whether or not Scott gets away with his crimes, are determined by player actions and the characters who arrive to help Shaun escape.

Mouthwash – Jimmy

Avoiding responsibility to the end

A story told through a non-linear, fractured timeline Mouth rinse follows five crew members: Jimmy, Captain Curly, Anya, Daisuke and Swansea. The crew is stranded after their captain intentionally crashes the ship they are working on. Each small story vignette reveals more about the events leading up to the crash and the aftermath. Our hero, Jimmy, tries to take on the role of captain and guides everyone to survive.

However, the whole mess was Jimmy's fault in the first place. Not only is Jimmy the one who crashed the ship, but he also commits other serious offenses throughout the game that cause the crew to lose their lives. As the game progresses, Jimmy descends further and further into insanity, trying to “fix” the mistakes he's made, culminating in Jimmy literally cannibalizing Captain Curly before giving up and placing Curly in a cryo pod to keep him alive.

It's a harrowing account of how far some people will go to avoid responsibility, and one that's sure to stick with players who can make it all the way.

Shadow of the Colossus — Wander

The road is paved with good intentions

The story of Shadow of the Colossus follows a young man named Wander as he tries to revive a young woman named Mono and asks the entity Dormin to help bring her back. Dormin promises to revive Mono if Wander kills the 16 colossal beasts scattered throughout the realm.

As Wander tracks down and defeats each of the colossi, a gush of dark essence permeates his body, causing him to fall unconscious and wake up back in the temple. After each successful kill, Wander's skin turns pale and his hair darkens. Each new colossus is accompanied by its own theme music, which starts out heroic and exciting, but moves to a more mournful tone when the colossi are finally brought down. Every fight ends with a touch of sadness.

The journey itself is beautiful and haunting in its own way. These massive, majestic figures once littered the land and minded their own business, but now the Forbidden Lands are empty. After defeating the final colossus, the truth is revealed: the colossi were actually fragments of Dormin's soul. When Wander destroyed the guardian, he unknowingly unleashed the great evil Dormin.

While it's clear from the start that something was wrong, the final transformation into Dormin's vessel is shocking. The whole journey to save Mon was a task devised by the great evil to free itself. The effort seems to have been futile as Mono remains lifeless on the board and Wander is pulled into the portal to be sealed away. However, in the final moments of the game, Mono finally wakes up, the injured Agro returns, and Mono finds a small horned child in the pool where Wander was sealed away. Maybe there is still hope for Wander?

NieR Replicant — Nier

Protecting one soul will destroy countless others

NieR Replicant begins as standard fantasy fare: a young man explores a post-apocalyptic world to find a cure for his sister's terminal illness. Along the way, he massacres hundreds of “Shades” (monstrous, shadowy creatures that appear to be soulless food) at the behest of Devola and Ash. In the process, however, a terrible truth is revealed to us: the shades were human.

As part of the Gestalt Project, the souls of humanity were separated from their physical bodies. It was necessary because the disease threatened to end the existence of mankind. So it was devised that humans would separate their souls from mortal flesh and then place them in the manufactured bodies of Replicants. However, the replicants developed their own souls, rejecting this merger and forcing humans to live without bodies.

If the wanton destruction of these human souls wasn't enough, it's also revealed that the Shadow Lord is the only thing keeping the shadows from going insane, and is actually a gestalt of the boy from the prologue, with our protagonist as a Replicant body to house him. By defeating the Lord of Shadows, Nier will destroy all of humanity and by extension the Replicants.

A real tragedy NieR Replicant is that there are no good answers or clean solutions and everything in the game is a bit messy. If Nier allowed the Shadow Lord and the other Gestalts to inhabit the bodies of the Replicants, the Replicant souls that evolved would be removed. And while stopping the antagonist allows the Replicants to retain their free will, it amounts to the genocide of all humanity and ultimately dooms the Replicants as well.