Editorial Disclaimer: Unfortunately, it is impossible to discuss all the main characters of video games in the context of one article. We chose these characters after a long discussion with the author, as well as based on his own desire to write about their adventures and escapades. The main thing is to have an easy-to-read article to remember your favorite games. We have a request for our readers - write in the comments your favorite characters from games that would easily fall under the label of "chosen hero" or "hostage of the situation." Let's remember more of our favorite protagonists together!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The main character of Skyrim is the embodiment of the concept of "chosen one." From the very beginning, an ordinary criminal is called Dragonborn. He is summoned to the top of the mountain Hrothgar to develop the Thu'um among the Greybeards – a great gift that gives power to the voice. The status of Dragonborn allows him to stop wars and requisition premises for capturing a dragon. And the powerful of this world obey, because the great warrior is destined to stop the end of times.
The game has enough mundane activities such as blacksmithing or performing tasks in the style of fetch-and-carry. However, there is nothing for a hero from the people to do here, since the Dragonborn's chosen status extends to almost all aspects of his life:
- The Dragonborn is able to become Archmage while being a complete zero in magic;
- Joining the ranks of the Dark Brotherhood assassins makes you the chosen one who is able to communicate with the dead goddess named Mother Night;
- If you try to become a thief, you are already a member of the secret society of Nightingales, and the Daedric princess Nocturnal bestows her grace upon you;
- If you wish, you can become the champion of all Daedra, and use their powerful artifacts in battle. Or get the useless skill of "cannibalism."
In fact, the game allows you to be chosen in all areas, and it doesn't become boring, contrary to all logic. As the famous phrase says: "It just works"! During the playthrough, I refused to perform the main story quests – so that the dragons wouldn't bother me during my travels. But this did not affect the ability to enjoy being chosen in other areas!
Gothic
If the Dragonborn embodies the very idea of being chosen, then the hero of "Gothic" is its complete opposite. He starts so much from the bottom, as some worthless criminal, that others don't even bother with his name. He is the most ordinary person who doesn't even know how to hold a weapon properly.
By the time a typical chosen character receives his first magical weapon or unique ability – the Nameless Hero gets a beating from the local wildlife. He has to collect and steal resources so that experienced warriors can teach him the wisdom of life through barter. And even becoming a confident warrior – you will have to go out of your way to get the powerful of this world to notice you. Only by going through this path will you be able to accomplish a great feat, and defeat the embodiment of evil.
The beginning of the second part finds the Nameless One in a severely weakened state. You will have to suffer in battles with weak opponents and earn money in honest and not-so-honest ways in order to build up your muscles again and learn forgotten skills. Status also loses all meaning – before that, the Nameless One was the most famous criminal inside the Colony of Mines, but outside of it he is nobody. He is not even a citizen! And only the status of one will allow him to fully fight the next embodiment of evil — because only after that he will be able to wear armor like the paladin Lothar.
At the end of the second part, the main villain says that the main character is not a hostage of the situation, but the chosen one of the gods Innos or Adanos. And even his name is not so important, only his status as the chosen one is important. On the one hand, such a revelation does not change anything, because the Nameless One remained who the player made him: a strong warrior, a smart mage, a skillful archer or a thief. But the meaning of Gothic is that the main character achieved everything thanks to his efforts, cunning and the help of his comrades, and the status of the chosen one that fell from nowhere does not diminish his merits at all. Even if the Nameless One was chosen by the gods, and his path was predetermined — "Gothic" clearly makes it clear that only the journey and adventures are important, and not some kind of status.
DOOM
Another series where the status of the main character changed during the development of the franchise, but it doesn't become disgusting. In the first two parts, you need to control Doomguy: an ordinary infantryman whose ability to use a massive arsenal of weapons has repeatedly saved humanity. Doomguy shot Demons on Mars, Earth, and even went to Hell – proving that it's not so easy for hellish creatures to get rid of a man with a shotgun.
In 2016, Doomguy acquired the pompous nickname Doom Slayer. Now he is a legendary warrior who even demons fear. At least that's how the game presents him in various messages. In terms of gameplay, the hero remained Doomguy – exterminating demons with the help of an arsenal of weapons, and learning to tear them apart in close combat into beautiful bloody shreds. The idea was developed in DOOM: Eternal, where people respectfully and fearfully gave way to the main character, because after so many years of fighting demons, he acquired almost the status of a demigod, an angel of doom. But all the time it seems that you are being told something incomplete — as if part of the story remained behind.
DOOM: The Dark Ages closes this question. The developers managed to fully realize the chosen status of the Doom Slayer, showing the time when he was just earning his reputation. At the same time, the hero is not just a machine for destroying all living things – his terrifying status is visible in every movement and reaction of the demons to his appearance. This is a massive man in a fur cloak, armed with a saw shield and a double-barreled shotgun, who breaks through rows of hundreds of creatures with a roar and rumble. Doomguy climbs onto a huge mech to trample entire armies of hellish invaders and does not doubt his credo for a second: to kill demons.
What is only worth the moment when the Slayer saves one of the characters with the only rude word "Run!", before blasting the main villain from the plasma cannon of a huge mech.
BLOOD
Caleb was the embodiment of the concept of "antihero." He was an outstanding shooter, and established himself as a cruel and cynical man. At a certain point in his life, Caleb fell in love with a woman named Ophelia – under her influence, he joined a cult called Cabal. With his bloodthirstiness and efficiency, Caleb earned the status of chosen one in the cult, for which he paid the price. A deity named Tchernobog betrayed Caleb and his comrades, and ordered his servants to kill them.
However, the status of the chosen one allowed Caleb to return to life. For perverting his own soul during service, the undead hero was rewarded with superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and reaction. He gladly used the gifts to destroy the members of the Cabal and avenge the deity who betrayed him. But the price of power and authority turned out to be high: the death of his beloved and friends, who were also marked as chosen ones.
This story is a warning. You need to initially hold on to those warm feelings that unite you with friends and loved ones. And you definitely shouldn't join the ranks of psychopaths-cannibals in order to receive the chosen status as a reward with a big, foul-smelling catch.
God of War
In the usual stories about the struggle between good and evil, you need to be an exceptional adherent of one of the ideologies in order to gain the status of chosen one. In ancient Greek mythology, everything is decided by connections. You need to come out of the divine womb in order to have privileges from birth. Or strike with outstanding charisma, which will make the gods pay attention to a small funny mortal.
Kratos belongs to the first category, and is a Spartan demigod covered with family sediment from ash. He carried out the will of the god of war Ares, and showed himself as an outstanding warrior and commander. The squabbles associated with the status of the chosen champion led to an unexpected result – Kratos defeated Ares, and became the god of war himself. Such an ascension up the career ladder gave him a rare opportunity to appoint the chosen ones himself.
Alas, but the developers did not seize on an interesting idea, and implemented a simpler and more uninspired one. In subsequent parts, it turned out that all the gods are bad. As a result, we have to watch a cycle of revenge, where an evil bald man removes all sources of fun from mythology. At least the consequences were not forgotten — the death of the gods was followed by catastrophic destruction and the extinction of most of the population of Greece. After all, being chosen is one thing, but the fate of small funny mortals has not been canceled.
Kratos destroyed the very system of "electing-elected" in his homeland. The developers could have created a game where the main character deals with the consequences of his own actions in the previous three — as a single god. However, instead, Kratos was sent to change the system already in another place, Scandinavia, and then made him and his Spartan son, Atreus, the chosen ones of the new setting, who are destined to change the new homeland.
Hades
Another ancient Greek story that was depicted from the other side of the coin. In most myths and legends of ancient Greece, heroes and chosen ones try to get into the Kingdom of the Dead: Orpheus tried to rescue his beloved with the help of music; Odysseus arrived for a prediction of the future; Hercules went to perform feats, and so on.
Hades' son Zagreus, being chosen by right of birth, received an honorary position in accounting thanks to connections. But he was visited by the wild idea of escaping from the Underworld, where there is — well, "a complete minus vibe." The father not only threatened Zagreus, who was running away, with screams and curses in his back, but also used all his influence to stop him. The main character has to destroy hordes of the dead and champions before he has to face the main obstacle – Hades himself. Oh, dad will take it out on his son more than once, believe me. But the peculiarity of the son of the god of the underworld is immortality — Zagreus is forced to return to Tartarus time after time, make a new escape and confront heroes and demigods on the way to the surface.
This could be a rare story where the main character with divine origins is the opposite of the chosen one. But the events taking place underground attracted the attention of the gods from all over Olympus, who began to support Zagreus. Some did it to annoy Hades, while others did it for fun. As a result, an attempt to take a breath of fresh air made the main character a repeatedly chosen champion, and whose — depends only on the player himself. And such a story is unique not only for Zagreus — you will have to deal with Theseus, who also enjoys the favor of several gods and lives in Elysium, side by side with his battle friend-minotaur.
Analysis
Playing as the chosen one is full of advantages. The hero is given the best equipment, talents and training. The powerful of this world are obliged to pay attention to him, because countless destinies depend on his decision. However, the status of the chosen one can be the main source of problems for heroes, as it was in God of War or BLOOD. You will have to put up with strict restrictions, because the chosen one is expected to take certain actions, and in any case, you have to pay for the gifts of benefactors — there is no free cheese except in a mousetrap.
Playing as an ordinary mortal is more difficult at the beginning – no handouts or special treatment for you, just like in Gothic or DOOM. You have to achieve everything with your own work. The reward for your efforts is greater freedom of choice or the status of a demigod, as well as the pleasant feeling that all your achievements are your merit.
Both story paths are full of advantages, disadvantages and nuances. Often they are intertwined, and an ordinary guy becomes the chosen one, and the chosen one may turn out to be an ordinary guy. The main thing is that what is happening corresponds to the plot logic – otherwise you stop believing what is happening on the screen. Fortunately, we have not encountered such problems in the games mentioned today.