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What video game worlds are screwed if the protagonist were to die before reaching endgame?

AllMight1

AllMight1

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,719
Purely hypothetical.

What video game worlds could make it without the protagonist to defend it, if they had another character strong enough to continue the fight... and which ones are completely screwed?

I thought this Idea was interesting enough to entertain.

Like in Kingdom Hearts series, you've got Riku who's strong enough if Sora were to fail, or like in DMCV, Nero can finish the fight on his own if Dante were to perish, but in other games where they're completely relying on the protagonist, the world would simply perish.
A nice example of a world that could make it without the protagonist was Chrono Trigger and this was illustrated in the game.

What are your takes?
 
vlaar

vlaar

Banned
Sep 23, 2018
496
Almost all of them, that's the whole point of these games.

The real question is the other way around.

What videogame worlds would not even notice the death of the MC.
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,438
Fallout games really because you only protect one state at a time and if you defeat the big bad like Eden/Autumn, Caesar or father, it still doesn't change the events of the next games. Even if like the enclave survives and you die, the next protagonists can still create a safe new vegas in the next one, or loads of settlements in 4.
 
Vulcano's Assistant

Vulcano's Assistant

Member
Oct 29, 2017
13,513
Outside of fantasy and sci-fi, villains are not ending the world so it is tougher there. Among these you could make the argument that Modern Warfare 1 and 3 would have escalated to a global nuclear disaster. That said, you do die at some point in these games and them continue playing with someone else.
 
OP
OP
AllMight1

AllMight1

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,719
Oinone said:
Eh, he was clearly beaten by Urizen and would have no chance especially after Urizen ate the fruit. Even in the final mission it was a pretty close fight – and there his opponent was already weakened.
Apart from that, he'd be fine on his own, tho.
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there's the secret ending for Nero tho


glanzwulf said:
Almost all of them, that's the whole point of these games.

The real question is the other way around.

What videogame worlds would not even notice the death of the MC.
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Yes, we're talking both ideas.
 
MC_Leon6494

MC_Leon6494

Member
Sep 7, 2018
501
Jak 3 is the only one in the series that is literally dealing with the end times. But jak 1 and 2 are not cataclysmic in nature, which i heavily prefer.

As for games that do the opposite, ie where they wouldn't notice your characters death, we need more of them. The Last of Us is a good example. Dunno why i got Naughty Dog on the brain
 
Vulcano's Assistant

Vulcano's Assistant

Member
Oct 29, 2017
13,513
Video game worlds that wouldn't even notice the protagonist dying?

Nearly every game that uses the underworld as its setting. GTA, Mafia, etc. You are not saving society in the first place so it wont end without you, and even if you are a cop like Sleeping Dogs, you are just one person.

And then you have the opposite, which is games where things would actually been better if you had died sooner, like Spec Ops: The line and Shadow of the Colossus.
 
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Shadow

Shadow

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,125
Kirby in Smash Bros Ultimate. He's the last one left to even be able to do anything.
 
Onix555

Onix555

Member
Apr 23, 2019
3,381
UK
MC_Leon6494 said:
Jak 3 is the only one in the series that is literally dealing with the end times. But jak 1 and 2 are not cataclysmic in nature, which i heavily prefer.

As for games that do the opposite, ie where they wouldn't notice your characters death, we need more of them. The Last of Us is a good example. Dunno why i got Naughty Dog on the brain
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Uh did you forget about the Dark Eco mage trying to open the Silos resulting in the world becoming a toxic wasteland.
And then the whole metalheads almost wiping out humanity in 2.
 
Muntaner

Muntaner

Member
May 12, 2018
956
Sekiro.

If Sekiro dies in the very first encounter with Genichiro, the game (and the story) would end after 5 minutes.
 
Quantza

Quantza

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
641
Shadow said:
Kirby in Smash Bros Ultimate. He's the last one left to even be able to do anything.
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Wait, but since Nintendo characters have interacted with other game properties, does that mean their worlds also got destroyed at the beginning of Ultimate?
So for example, the Sonic Universe (multiverse?) was destroyed at the beginning of Ultimate? lol
 
taepoppuri

taepoppuri

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,185
Death Stranding.
Without Sam, all life would have gone extinct by EE(Emily).

And nearly all FF mainline, but one would argue that Vaan can be dead within the first hour of the game and the story wouldn't change much lol

Oinone said:
Eh, he was clearly beaten by Urizen and would have no chance especially after Urizen ate the fruit. Even in the final mission it was a pretty close fight – and there his opponent was already weakened.
Apart from that, he'd be fine on his own, tho.
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You can beat Urizen in the prologue as one-arm Nero, the game even has a special ending for that.
 
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Willin

Willin

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,090
The player character in World of Warcraft stops about 2 dozen world ending events every expansion so them.
 
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,705
A bunch of Pokemon games. The police are apparently inept and even the equivalent of interpol sometimes employs you, a kid, to solve some serious shit.
 

rras1994

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,743
Dragon Age Origins defo Ferelden gets destroyed without the Warden as they actually have a DLC showing this happen were you play as a Darkspawn.
 

Deleted member 60096

User requested account closure
Banned
Sep 20, 2019
1,295
taepoppuri said:
And nearly all FF mainline, but one would argue that Vaan can be dead within the first hour of the game and the story wouldn't change much lol
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I'm pretty sure Vaan is the only or one of the main reasons Ashe doesn't fall for the ghosty people's trick to try to get her to be consumed by revenge and become their puppet at the end isn't he?
 
IIFloodyII

IIFloodyII

Member
Oct 26, 2017
23,979
Destiny 1 and 2's, the Guardian, killed actual gods who can take over most other species, whose existence requires them to cause maximum carnage. Stop time travelling Machines from turning all of time and space into a big machine. Stopped a self sustaining and replicating machine from spreading and infecting the World/Galaxy. Pretty much single handily defeated Space Romans, who'd blow up a Sun if it means winning and have pretty much destroyed the military might of multiple species at this point, bringing them to their brink. Even had to go back in time to fix the shitshow of a Universe.
 
Starlatine

Starlatine

533.489 paid youtubers cant be wrong
Member
Oct 28, 2017
30,421
lvl 99 Pixel said:
A bunch of Pokemon games. The police are apparently inept and even the equivalent of interpol sometimes employs you, a kid, to solve some serious shit.
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gen 1 and gen 2 wouldnt have much trouble since all the protagonist does in the grand scale of things is mess with team rocket (which always come back in a way or the other anyway). in gen I nobody would even miss you as a champ since blue would still exist

gen 3 onwards its not just about police/interpol business, its about saving the world from idiots wanting to commit genocide or flood the entire planet
 
KushalaDaora

KushalaDaora

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,838
Dragon Age Origins Darkspawn DLC plays out this idea. Basically what happen if The Warden didn't survive The Joining early on in the game.

Alistair basically replace The Warden throughout the story and he actually did a damn good job (he succeeded in gathering armies to defend Denerim and became the king of Ferelden). Too bad unlike The Warden, he failed to defend Denerim.
 
Oinone

Oinone

Member
Oct 12, 2018
4,161
Mtn. Ida right of Troy / But mainly Germany
grand

grand

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,980
Pretty much every Zelda game and even the timeline itself is based around this idea. The very lore of the series is how fucked up shit gets when a particular reincarnated Link fucks up even a little (see BOTW and OOT).
 
MC_Leon6494

MC_Leon6494

Member
Sep 7, 2018
501
Onix555 said:
Uh did you forget about the Dark Eco mage trying to open the Silos resulting in the world becoming a toxic wasteland.
And then the whole metalheads almost wiping out humanity in 2.
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Not at all. If jak died before end game in 1, the world might have turned into a toxic wasteland, but it's also not as if there weren't others attempting to deal with things. Jak 2 okay so we lose Haven City if jak doesn't make it, or somebody else goes off to fight Kor. Not for nothing but the Baron did have a few big bombs he was planning to drop on the metal head nest. Jak doesn't truly embody the "chosen one" trope in full until 3 where he is actively groomed by the precursors to save the planet, and is the only one capable of doing the things he does
 
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