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Top 5 unexpectedly dramatic moments in video games
4 years ago
Time to tip the scales!
That last list was fun, let's do it again!
HERE BE SPOILERS POSSIBLY. Even though most of these games are pretty old xD Below are the games to be mentioned in case you wish to dodge spoilers
Layton Vs Wright
Final Fantasy 15
The World Ends With You
Professor Layton and the Lost Future
Tales of Symphonia
Overwatch (HM)
***
1) Layton Vs Wright - "Bring her back!"
Phoenix Wright is usually a calm character when he can be, but a nervous bluffer when he isn't. When something ticks him off, you can really tell, as he displays sheer amounts of courage compared to the norm.
In the Witch Trials of LvW, his partner, and closest friend Maya, chooses to go against the wishes of the court to burn a supposed witch to death by helping free her from a cage. In the process she is accidentally locked inside as the cage is lowered into a pit of flames. Phoenix's scream of despair is heartbreaking, but it's the scene after that earns this spot.
As Phoenix and company flee the courtroom in its confusion, the prosecutor stops them to offer a comforting apology for what he clearly didn't mean to happen. Phoenix simply stands straight up near his face and yells malice for everyone daring to think Maya was a witch at all. "Maya wasn't. Witch! And yet the last time I saw her, she was being dropped into a pit of fire!... Magic exists in this world right? Well use some and bring her back!!"
The last line in particular hits the hardest. Phoenix has spent most of the game in steady disbelief about the existence of magic in this new land, but he's desperate enough to try anything if it means getting his friend back.
2) Final Fantasy 15 - "Die..."
When protagonist Noctis goes to meet his bride to be for their wedding, the waterfront city he spent the whole first act of the game trying to reach is blown to bits by a giant leviathan. Lunafreya stands up to the creature and is able to save many lives, but loses her own to an assailant. Meanwhile Noctis' friend Ignis suffers blindness and the prospect of becoming king in such dire times looms over him, with nobody giving him the breathing room to grieve and think ahead.
From this point on Noctis' dialogue changes dramatically in the story. He acts more sour and demanding of his allies, and when he attacks enemies he puts a lot more effort into it. Nothing is more certain of this when you activate his transformation state. He simply yells "Die..." in a shallow, callous voice and attacks violently. A single word shows how much all of his losses have affected him, but mercifully it takes a single arguement from his friends to help fix his broken mind.
3) The World Ends With You - "What I value most is me."
You play as a grumpy teenager who is suffering from a sharp and negative change in personality, Neku. His first partner in the game, Shiki, is a true angel. Despite Neku throwing everything she says and offers back at her, Shiki does all in her power to help them get through the challenges of the Reaper's Game, opening her heart to him every chance she gets. That is until a Reaper in charge of the game confronts her and hammers words in about her being less sunshine and rainbows than you may expect.
Hitting it home, Neku accidentally discovers a girl that looks exactly like Shiki - her best friend Eri - and she is forced to admit some truths. To enter the Game, players are forced to give up what they value most, though not out of choice. In Neku's case his memory which lead to his personality changes in turn.
In Shiki's case she gave up her appearance, which at first confused her. She was given the appearance of her best friend and seemed happy at first. but as time passed, she realised just how jealous she was of her friend being prettier, more talented and more popular. "The Reaper was right. What I value most is me... I'm scared of getting a second chance if it means being jealous of Eri again!"
Shiki demonstrates a natural level of low self esteem that she mistakes for malicious intent. Thanks to Neku, she learns that she can as much be her own person, and people like her for who she is, not what she's like compared to Eri. Shiki's highly relatable anxieties are incredibly relatable and naturally eased as the story continues.
4) Professor Layton and the Lost Future - "I don't want to say goodbye again."
Our favourite puzzle solving gentleman is often very one note in his personality. He's calm, collected and always certain of everything he does. So when he gets transported to a supposed future version of London, even he gets thrown off balance by the sheer scale of the mystery.
The story delves into his past love interest, Claire and her unfortunate demise. She was to be the test subject of the first attempt at a time machine but disappeared and the machine exploded.
Layton spends the majority of the game proving that time travel does not exist and that the future London is not what it seems. One of the many figures guiding him through his journey turns out to be Claire herself. The time machine actually did succeed, but it only has so much effect. Claire will soon be forced to return to her own time... Just as the explosion occurs, which will most certainly take her life.
Everything comes crashing down on poor Layton at once and he desperately yells at Claire not to leave him again. When he realises there's nothing he can do, and she gives him a last smile before rounding a corner and disappearing, he bursts into tears. The final shot of the game sees him remove his hat in respect for his love.
5) Tales of Symphonia - "Her name is Raine, she's my pride and joy."
This scene is not very well known because of how easy it is to miss. Friends of the protagonist, Raine and Genis, are half elves who were abandoned by their mother due to an incident of discrimination.
In the journey, the group travels to a floating island where elves and half elves live in isolation. Here you can find the mother herself, Virginia. She lives alone in a small, well kept home and is seen cradling a doll that she calls Raine. She even says she has another child on the way that she will call Jean if a girl, or Genis if a boy.
Genis tries to remain calm as he works out who the woman is, but Raine completely loses her mind. Yelling at her mother about her abandonment, Raine tries to make her mother see reason about the dolls and her her real children being in front of her. Instead Virginia claims the doll is now crying and asks the party to leave, locking the door behind them. The scene only lasts a short while, but it's a tremendous moment of character development for all involved, and one of the best acted moments in any video game.
Honourable Mention) Overwatch - "Why would you do this?!
A brief shoutout to the Widowmaker trailer which isn't strictly in the game of Overwatch itself, but is still an official part of the story. Ever heroic Tracer defends an Omnic monk, Mondatta, whom she idolises from a sniper assassin, Widowmaker. Unfortunately she is tricked into dodging a bullet that was actually intended for Mondatta. It's a clever moment of visual trickery and plays into Tracer's insecure personality as she frets that people would have rather she sacrificed herself if it meant Mondatta would have survived. Seeing Tracer violently lunge at the assassin and simply as "Why?!" also clearly shows how much she believes in a more free world as he did.
HERE BE SPOILERS POSSIBLY. Even though most of these games are pretty old xD Below are the games to be mentioned in case you wish to dodge spoilers
Layton Vs Wright
Final Fantasy 15
The World Ends With You
Professor Layton and the Lost Future
Tales of Symphonia
Overwatch (HM)
***
1) Layton Vs Wright - "Bring her back!"
Phoenix Wright is usually a calm character when he can be, but a nervous bluffer when he isn't. When something ticks him off, you can really tell, as he displays sheer amounts of courage compared to the norm.
In the Witch Trials of LvW, his partner, and closest friend Maya, chooses to go against the wishes of the court to burn a supposed witch to death by helping free her from a cage. In the process she is accidentally locked inside as the cage is lowered into a pit of flames. Phoenix's scream of despair is heartbreaking, but it's the scene after that earns this spot.
As Phoenix and company flee the courtroom in its confusion, the prosecutor stops them to offer a comforting apology for what he clearly didn't mean to happen. Phoenix simply stands straight up near his face and yells malice for everyone daring to think Maya was a witch at all. "Maya wasn't. Witch! And yet the last time I saw her, she was being dropped into a pit of fire!... Magic exists in this world right? Well use some and bring her back!!"
The last line in particular hits the hardest. Phoenix has spent most of the game in steady disbelief about the existence of magic in this new land, but he's desperate enough to try anything if it means getting his friend back.
2) Final Fantasy 15 - "Die..."
When protagonist Noctis goes to meet his bride to be for their wedding, the waterfront city he spent the whole first act of the game trying to reach is blown to bits by a giant leviathan. Lunafreya stands up to the creature and is able to save many lives, but loses her own to an assailant. Meanwhile Noctis' friend Ignis suffers blindness and the prospect of becoming king in such dire times looms over him, with nobody giving him the breathing room to grieve and think ahead.
From this point on Noctis' dialogue changes dramatically in the story. He acts more sour and demanding of his allies, and when he attacks enemies he puts a lot more effort into it. Nothing is more certain of this when you activate his transformation state. He simply yells "Die..." in a shallow, callous voice and attacks violently. A single word shows how much all of his losses have affected him, but mercifully it takes a single arguement from his friends to help fix his broken mind.
3) The World Ends With You - "What I value most is me."
You play as a grumpy teenager who is suffering from a sharp and negative change in personality, Neku. His first partner in the game, Shiki, is a true angel. Despite Neku throwing everything she says and offers back at her, Shiki does all in her power to help them get through the challenges of the Reaper's Game, opening her heart to him every chance she gets. That is until a Reaper in charge of the game confronts her and hammers words in about her being less sunshine and rainbows than you may expect.
Hitting it home, Neku accidentally discovers a girl that looks exactly like Shiki - her best friend Eri - and she is forced to admit some truths. To enter the Game, players are forced to give up what they value most, though not out of choice. In Neku's case his memory which lead to his personality changes in turn.
In Shiki's case she gave up her appearance, which at first confused her. She was given the appearance of her best friend and seemed happy at first. but as time passed, she realised just how jealous she was of her friend being prettier, more talented and more popular. "The Reaper was right. What I value most is me... I'm scared of getting a second chance if it means being jealous of Eri again!"
Shiki demonstrates a natural level of low self esteem that she mistakes for malicious intent. Thanks to Neku, she learns that she can as much be her own person, and people like her for who she is, not what she's like compared to Eri. Shiki's highly relatable anxieties are incredibly relatable and naturally eased as the story continues.
4) Professor Layton and the Lost Future - "I don't want to say goodbye again."
Our favourite puzzle solving gentleman is often very one note in his personality. He's calm, collected and always certain of everything he does. So when he gets transported to a supposed future version of London, even he gets thrown off balance by the sheer scale of the mystery.
The story delves into his past love interest, Claire and her unfortunate demise. She was to be the test subject of the first attempt at a time machine but disappeared and the machine exploded.
Layton spends the majority of the game proving that time travel does not exist and that the future London is not what it seems. One of the many figures guiding him through his journey turns out to be Claire herself. The time machine actually did succeed, but it only has so much effect. Claire will soon be forced to return to her own time... Just as the explosion occurs, which will most certainly take her life.
Everything comes crashing down on poor Layton at once and he desperately yells at Claire not to leave him again. When he realises there's nothing he can do, and she gives him a last smile before rounding a corner and disappearing, he bursts into tears. The final shot of the game sees him remove his hat in respect for his love.
5) Tales of Symphonia - "Her name is Raine, she's my pride and joy."
This scene is not very well known because of how easy it is to miss. Friends of the protagonist, Raine and Genis, are half elves who were abandoned by their mother due to an incident of discrimination.
In the journey, the group travels to a floating island where elves and half elves live in isolation. Here you can find the mother herself, Virginia. She lives alone in a small, well kept home and is seen cradling a doll that she calls Raine. She even says she has another child on the way that she will call Jean if a girl, or Genis if a boy.
Genis tries to remain calm as he works out who the woman is, but Raine completely loses her mind. Yelling at her mother about her abandonment, Raine tries to make her mother see reason about the dolls and her her real children being in front of her. Instead Virginia claims the doll is now crying and asks the party to leave, locking the door behind them. The scene only lasts a short while, but it's a tremendous moment of character development for all involved, and one of the best acted moments in any video game.
Honourable Mention) Overwatch - "Why would you do this?!
A brief shoutout to the Widowmaker trailer which isn't strictly in the game of Overwatch itself, but is still an official part of the story. Ever heroic Tracer defends an Omnic monk, Mondatta, whom she idolises from a sniper assassin, Widowmaker. Unfortunately she is tricked into dodging a bullet that was actually intended for Mondatta. It's a clever moment of visual trickery and plays into Tracer's insecure personality as she frets that people would have rather she sacrificed herself if it meant Mondatta would have survived. Seeing Tracer violently lunge at the assassin and simply as "Why?!" also clearly shows how much she believes in a more free world as he did.
