List of my memorable plot twists in video games
“Luke, I am your father†is the most famous plot twist in film industry. It’s the “OMFGITCANTBE!†moment of a Star Wars fan. But videogames have mind-blowing moments too. Let’s name my 10 points shall we?
Note: Major Spoilers Ahead
Metal Gear Solid:
Wtf happened? Master Miller is Liquid Snake.
I’d been crawling inside air ducts and trying not to get caught by a terrorist who loves taking a poop and this is what I got? Well, if Master Miller is Albert Wesker, it must have been better (lol). Master Miller was always giving me support whenever there’s a fork in the road ahead of me. He also taught me that I could break a guard’s neck by pressing the square button repeatedly while choking him. Remember that tough work when you need to change the card key’s temperature? That’s a pain in the ass. (gamefaqs didn’t  exist in my knowledge during that time) And when the task is done knowingly that you stopped a nuclear war, your codec will beep and this is what happens.
Metal Gear Solid series certainly had lots of twists. It’s the way of Hideo Kojima trolling his fans. Finding out that Solid Snake is not the main character in MGS2 makes me wanna drop my controller but it turned out to be a good game. Kojima’s way of breaking fourth walls is always admirable.
Final Fantasy VIII
Wtf happened? Squall’s dad is Laguna
“Squall, I am your father†– if Laguna said that, George Lucas will hunt down Hironobu Sakaguchi! (Lol) Final Fantasy VIII is well known for its romantic story. I think it’s the first Final Fantasy game that focused too much on romance. I finished FF8 before FF7 so that makes it my first FF game in PS1. The storyline is synonymous to a jigsaw puzzle; players need to put all the pieces together in order to see a clearer view of what’s going on. When it is first revealed that Laguna is Squall’s father, my mind is cluttered. Squall is a snob and Laguna is a ‘happy-go-lucky’ guy, they are absolutely opposite when it comes to their attitude. During Laguna’s sequence there’s this girl that he used to woo, her name is Julia. I thought things were going smoothly between them. And then I abruptly thought “No way! Rinoa and Squall are siblings?†(am I the only one who thinks they’re siblings?) Then I realized, there are still missing pieces; Raine and Ellone in Winhill, General Caraway, Edea, and the orphanage. Putting these all up, the result is seamless.
Heavy Rain
Wtf happened? Scott Shelby is the origami killer!
The main focus of this game is the story. So I prevented myself from searching this game online. Coz if I did, I’d surely spoil myself.  My first suspect was the protagonist himself, Ethan. He had this serious problem with his personality. He’s also visiting his psychiatrist for some treatments. That’s a strong proof that he might be the killer. When you play Scott Shelby, there’s this scene that he really appreciates children. This tells me that he’s out on the list. As the story progresses, things are getting blurry and out of hand. And In the last chapter, they will just reveal that Scott is the killer. It’s like a grenade that’s been thrown out of nowhere! WTF?
Red Dead Redemption
Wtf happened? John Marston died!
This is one of the saddest twist ever happened in my life as a gamer. What the hell Rockstar? Why did you have to do that? John Marston was a member of a criminal gang. He was jailed for years and paid for his crimes. When he got out, the law officers (sorry, I don’t remember their names) kept his wife and son somewhere off his reach. So he made a deal to do some outlaw stuffs. He finished the deal and finally returned to his family. But things get rough when the law officers starts hunting him down. He was shot in a gunfight while protecting his family. I was attached to this character (like Zack in Crisis Core) and I like to see a good ending for him but Rockstar ruined that moment. Nonetheless, Rockstar did a great job with this. It is the best open world game in my opinion and hailed as GOTY of year 2010.
Final Fantasy VII
Wtf happened? Cloud’s flashback belongs to Zack
This is the mother of all JRPGs, there’s no question here. Story is superb with lots of twists. The one thing that wtf’ed my attention is the fact that Cloud’s memories don’t belong to him. It belongs to his deceased friend, Zack. Why this twist surprised me? I started the game knowing that Cloud is a total badass, with ‘cloudy’ personality. As I progressed, my fondness for him grew. Then it is revealed that he is just genetically enhanced with mako energy. Making me lose all my respect for him (yes, character attachment). Well, it’s not that I hated Cloud back then, (I hate him for not rescuing Aerith, lol) I just felt uneasy knowing that his abilities are not innate. But my respect for him grew back when I played Crisis Core. Don’t get me wrong, I love Final Fantasy 7, everybody loves Final Fantasy 7. Right? I remember cutting classes during the PS1 era just to play this and make every one of them reach max level. Just let me add this side note, I had 3 master-leveled KOTR materia (total of 4). Imagine the time I spent leveling those up! Oh, the memories.
Persona 3
Wtf happened? Ryoji is Pharos/Death
I saw this coming, but what makes it memorable is because I hit the bullseye. When Ryoji first appeared, I’m having this theory that the mysterious boy, Pharos is somewhat connected to him. The scene in the Moonlight Bridge revealed it all. I was right all along. I think that turning point is the most interesting part of the whole game. Aigis revealed that she’s just a pawn to defeat death, but she failed and sealed death to the MC’s body. And so on… (btw, I really love the music of this game)
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Wtf happened? You were brainwashed!
This is just a common shooter game but there’s one thing that this game excels at, the story. You and Victor Reznov were best buds. During the first half of the game, mission objectives are delivered by him. If you’re pinned down, follow him and he’ll do the rest. As the game progress towards the end, it is revealed that you, Alex Mason was brainwashed by Dragovich! Victor Reznov is just messing with you.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Wtf happened? Sheik is Zelda
One of the most adorable RPGs I played (maybe because of the 64-bit graphics?). I don’t remember much of the game. But there’s a major twist that made this game memorable indeed. Remember that masked-dude? She’s princess Zelda’s Alter ego. Her swag doesn’t fit to be a ‘she’, but it turns out that Shigeru Miyamoto planned this to startle the fans.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Wtf happened? Gabriel Belmont is Dracula
Konami stated that Lords of Shadow is a reboot; an entirely different game from the previous ones. But some fans are not convinced with the outcome of this game. As for me, it was pretty good. Graphics are sick, gameplay is on par with other hack n slash games and the story is compelling. At the end of the credits, it was shown that the protagonist, Gabriel Belmont is Dracula. A fan might say “why would he go through all that crap only to become the very thing he fought all this time?â€. Since this is a reboot, that question is farfetched because there are lots of elements that (I think) made him evil. He succumbed to the darkness surrounding him. The old-lady-narrator is obviously telling us that Gabriel is losing himself as the game progresses. What makes this twist more interesting is that it ended up in the modern day. It shows us that Gabriel is immortal and too much time had passed. A Dracula killing vampire? A Castlevania game in modern day setting? I’ll leave the judgement to the fans.
Metroid
Wtf happened? Samus is a girl!
At the end of the game, it was revealed that Samus is a girl (also in bikini)! Since Samus is iconic during the NES era, I think this is the biggest twist ever happened in videogames. You saved the galaxy, and your reward? A sexy pose of your character in 8-bit glory! Thank you Nintendo for making Samus a girl!
(Sorry guys, no KOTOR or Bioshock here)
