In this article, I’ll take a look at some of the most sympathetic villains from RPGs that I’ve played. As the reason they’re sympathetic villains is often revealed late in the games' stories, there may be some spoilers. The titles I chose are all pretty old ones though, so hopefully you’ve already finished these games anyway.
There are many games where the villain is just a cackling caricature who you don’t think twice about killing. I mean, they’re trying to destroy the whole world, so why not? Then there are the other kind of “villains” - the ones where the more you know about them, the less you’re sure if they should truly be considered villains at all. Some games even let you redeem them. Other times you’ll still have to kill them…you just may not feel very good about it afterwards. Let’s take a look. First up, Great Grey WolfSiffromDark Souls.
1) Great Grey Wolf Sif, Dark Souls
As a dog lover, I found putting down this beauty to be rather difficult. Not primarily because it’s a tough fight but just because of how it pulls at the heart strings. The fight starts out tough. It isDark Souls, after all. However, as the battle drags on,Sifbecomes slower and weaker. Eventually he starts to limp. By that stage it’s barely a fight at all any more. I don’t want to kill him — but there isn’t another option.Sifwas just loyally guarding his masterArtorias’sgrave, so can barely be classed as a villain at all. Despite his injuries, he refused to surrender. I needed to take a break from playing after defeating this boss. There was a rumour that it was somehow possible to spareSif. Unfortunately that rumour proved to be false.
2) The Master, Fallout
The Masterlooks hideous. But before he was transformed into a monster, he was a good man. He was attempting to discover the origins of animal mutants that were attacking humans. After being transformed, he eventually thought of a way to unite the wasteland by making everyone mutants. If you have the right stats and skills, you can talk him out of it. Feeling remorseful, he’ll then commit suicide. Mind you, you can feel quite sympathetic towards the main “villain” ofFallout 4too…
3) Saren, Mass Effect
Another sympathetic villain, another suicide.Sarenis a bad ass Spectre in the originalMass Effect. He was trying to save organics by pledging servitude to the Reapers. He hoped that this would result in them being spared. After learning the truth about the Reapers, he didn’t think that anybody could defeat them. So you can see that while he did some very bad things, they were from a good starting point. Alas, he ends up being indoctrinated by the Reapers. And as time passes, he becomes blind to his own crimes. In the end you have the option to make him see the error of his ways. If you do this, he kills himself. It’s a pity that you can’t recruit him instead. Especially sinceMass Effect 3’s “best” ending - synthesis - is pretty close to whatSarenwanted all along. I did enjoyMass Effect Andromedabut for me the original two remain the best in the series - and for the first game, that’s partly down toSaren.
4) Zulf, Bastion
Zulfhad a very hard life. His parents died when he was a child. Since then, he’s worked really hard - getting by however he could. It felt like things were finally getting better for him. He was madly in love with someone who accepted his marriage proposal. It’s clear sailing from here on, right? Well…no. The Calamity happens. He wakes up to find his city and the love of his life have just been wiped out.
So when he later deciphers a journal and discovers that the player’s (“the Kid’s”) race was responsible for causing the Calamity, I don’t really blame him for turning against the player. In the end of the game, the player has the choice to forgiveZulf. If you do, he’ll either join you on a ship heading towards a new beginning or he’ll be reunited with his love when the world’s reset to a pre-Calamity state.
5) Loghain Mac Tir, Dragon Age: Origins
Here’s another sympathetic villain from a BioWare RPG. And this time, it’s a villain who you eventually have the option to recruit.Loghainis brave, strong and a traitor. After abandoning the king of Ferelden, his son in law, to certain death,Loghainbecomes de facto ruler. He wars against both the player and the darkspawn. What initially appeared to just be a grab for power is eventually revealed to be the desperate actions of man striving to protect the honour of both his kingdom and his daughter. It turned out that King Cailan was contemplating leaving his wife for the empress of Orlais - a move that would have ended Ferelden independence.
In my mainDragon Ageplay-through, I ended up recruitingLoghainand marrying his daughter Anora - much to Alistair’s dismay. If Alistair wasn’t such an annoying character, I may have felt bad for him. As it was, he’s lucky that I didn’t also choose the option to have him executed. Having finishedDragon Age Inquisition, I have no regrets regarding my decision to side with Loghain.
Which villains are you most sympathetic towards? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Want more opinion pieces? If so, you could readThe Strangest RPG Crossovers of All Timenext. Alternatively, you could read10 RPG sequels we’d like to see in 2018instead.
