Finally. Something that would give M. Night Shyamalan the kicks and giggles. It’ll be spoilerific, today’s challenge, by it’s very nature so please be wary. If you’re one of those that finds stories ruined by spoilers, than I’d recommend you read the last several Mage Challenges instead. But if you can suck it up, read on and be sure to share with us your favorite plot twists! If it seems like it’s too much of a spoiler, consider speaking in vague terms if you can! This post contains potential spoilers for:
Heavy Rain
Metroid
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyArkham City
Undertale
Mega Man 7
Final Fantasy X
“What is the Most Shocking Plot Twist in a Video Game?“
The Timely Mage
I love a cleverly executed plot twist and there are certainly some good ones out there. The big dark-clad villain is your brother? The bad guy actually succeeds in destroying the world? The antagonist is you from the future? Would you kindly kill your father with a golf club? The ghost is your stillborn twin brother? Sorry, I’ll stop but one of my favorite plot twists was a sort of Sixth Sense moment in Heavy Rain when they reveal the Origami Killer. While I think the reveal could’ve been handled better it certainly makes you think back through the story up until that point and appreciate how well-hidden in plain sight the answer was.
The Black Humor Mage
I was barely getting serious about video games when I played Metal Gear Solid 2, so I did not expect the plot twist that Raiden was communicating with an AI the whole time. And that there was a secret society controlling world events. And that Raiden was a child soldier who had his memory wiped. There were a lot of things, really. It’s a complicated game. I’m pretty sure I still don’t understand a lot of that game today. That game had a perfect twist because not only was it one of the most “Huh?” moments in gaming, but I also hadn’t learned to see a plot twist coming. Now, they don’t surprise me too much. 
The Rage Mage
Speaking of armpit hair. How about getting stiffed with this platinum blonde waif? I’d call that a plot twist… when all we wanted in MGS2… was to play as SNAAAAAAKE!
The Green Screen Mage
Undertale takes the cake on this one. There’s been a few games that left me in utter shock, but none like this one. The reveal of Flowey at the end of the True Pacifist run and learning about the First Human. It was just such a jaw dropping moment.
The White Out Mage
Finding out that Tidus’ own father had become the monstrous monstrosity Sin in Final Fantasy X was quite the shock. It deepened the drama knowing Tidus had to confront Jecht and face his ruined relationship with his dad.
The Well-Red Mage
Three twists popped into my head that I’ll give mention to: The Joker’s death at the end of Arkham City, finding out Samus Aran was a woman the whole time at the end of Metroid, and Mega Man almost killing Dr. Wily. In that last one, in Mega Man 7, the blue bomber defeats Wily, who says he’ll go quietly. Mega Man says he doesn’t trust him and aims his buster cannon at the old man, saying (with terrible translation): “I gonna do what I should have done years ago!!” Wily retorts that robots cannot harm humans (referencing Asimov’s 3 Laws), and Mega Man says… “I am more than a robot!! Die Wily!!” Only the intervention of Bass stops Mega Man from icing the evil scientist and committing cold-blooded murder. That’s quite the twist on the generally cheerful blue android, who admits he is more than a robot.
But my top choice ultimately goes to the Joker’s death from Titan poisoning at the end of Arkham City. It was so shocking because who kills the Joker? Nobody kills the Joker! Unless you’re Frank Miller. You don’t just up and kill off the Joker! But Rocksteady did it. And the moment was quiet and strangely tragic as the Joker breathes his last, having stabbed Batman and causing him to drop the last of the cure for the Joker’s sickness, thereby ending all hope for recovery. Batman looks down at him and says “Do you want to know something funny? Even after everything you’ve done… I would have saved you.” The moment is played so heartfelt by Kevin Conroy’s steely baritone, it’s intensely solemn despite it being the death of the worst possible criminal there could be. Batman carries his body out and lays it on the hood of a cop car. Fade to black. Roll credits. Play a voicemail left by the Joker earlier in the game where he sings “Only You” to Batman. Sick and terrifying and shocking. My jaw tumbled down the steps and came to rest two floors below me.
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I agree that finding out Raiden was speaking to an AI in Metal Gear Solid 2 is the best plot twist in any game. Considering that I do not seem to play many games with good plot twists or have joined a series at a time when I do not understand how the plot was twisted. I was surprised to see Midna’s actual form and to find out the actual villain behind the events of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
MGSV’s Venom Snake/Solid Snake reveal at the end. It’s what got me blogging.
I appreciate the spoiler warning tags in the beginning! It allowed me to get to the posts for the games I’ve played while avoiding accidentally spoiling games that I still want to play like Undertale. As you may know, some of my favorite games are point-and-clicks and visual novel type games. One of my favorite series lately is Zero Escape, which just had a new entry with Zero Time Dilemma. The games focus on a mastermind named Zero who pits a group of people in a deadly game of survival and betrayal. In each game, the reveal of Zero is usually a huge gamechanging plot twist, and that’s all I’ll say to avoid spoiling anything. For the record, my favorite reveal is during the second game in the series, Virtue’s Last Reward.
I’ve said it before, but Samus turning out to be a chick has to be the one of the biggest twist in gaming history. I can still hear all the young boy minds being blown as the gender lines were suddenly wiped away permanently
That’s got to be one of the biggest in gaming history!
Without question its got to be
The ending of Arkham City was indeed shocking and excellent. Great choice!
Bioshock’s plot twist is probably my favorite, since I never saw it coming. I actually sat down my controller and thought about every instance those words were uttered throughout the game.
Oh thanks for not spoiling whatever it is for me! I’ve yet to plug in Bioshock! You’re a scholar and a gentleman.
Spoilers are the devil! I always do my best to avoid them, even if the game’s old.
Great article! I don’t know how many people remember this game, but Outcast’s twist blew my mind. It was a PC game from 1999. The twist was finding out the ruler of an alien world Fae Rahn was actually one of your team members who had been living there for years due to time travel. It sounds weird but within the context of the game it was just “Whaaaaaat?!”
I actually do not remember that game at all! Probably because I’ve never been much of a PC gamer. Thanks for sharing and reading!
I liked Heavy Rain ending (even with some plot holes). If I have to chose one right now, inFamous ending, it blew my mind. Thinking of playing again (third time) to capture and share it.
Yes, that was also one of my favorite endings with a twist. Infamous was a great game.
I know you all are going to be like, “Ugh her AGAIN with the VII,” but I’m being legit. Aeris’s death at the of disk 1 absolutely floored me. It was the first time I’d seen a main character actually killed off in a video game. I genuinely thought it was a farce or a feign. You’d realize it’s been an illusion, dream, etc. and/or she’d be revived or whatever (no starting with the “Phoenix Down” insistence lol), but nope; her death was integral to the story (and more than likely inspired by the creator’s personal tragedy), and like death in our own world, could not be undone. To this day people mourn her, which is an achievement for any medium, but as video games are unfairly considered a bastard medium, this phenomenon is even more profound.
I honestly can’t think of any other game plot twists that shocked me more. The ones I typically compare it to are from other media (books and movies). Though Tidus being a dream of the Fayth was shocking, it was FFVII that introduced me to the idea that games could provide such profound and poignant plot twists.
Trust me, we all love FFVII around here! Any talk of it is welcome.
Yay! That’s good to know. I mean I know it from all your posts, but still. I just worry because many people have grown weary of my yammering on about it…for days.
Honestly, before it got buzz, NOBODY saw it coming. It was seriously a “Red Wedding” moment.