Roundtable Talk #12: Our Favourite Video Game Protagonists

Arguably one of the most important elements of any game is having a solid protagonist. Incredible visuals, amazing open worlds, and outstanding gameplay are major factors, but experiencing a strong character’s journey to conquer struggles and evil really puts the icing on the cake. The Controller Crusade team assembled to discuss which video game protagonists stood out to them the most, and what aspects of those characters made them so special.

Allison’s Pick: Jin Sakai – Ghost of Tsushima

I first picked up Ghost of Tsushima for several reasons – the impeccable graphics, the stellar sound design, the gripping historical storyline, and, of course, the fan hype. Little did I realize that Ghost of Tsushima also included one of the most stellar, hard-hitting protagonists of any action-adventure game I’ve ever played – Jin Sakai. Sucker Punch beautifully incorporated so many profound, powerful moments along Jin’s journey. Amid war, Jin struggles with maintaining his samurai code of ethics while facing the relentless reality of the Mongol army invasion. He faces so much vehement betrayal, hope, fear, peace, and isolation that the player feels immersed in his story arch.

One of my favorite moments was when Jin was first introduced to poison darts. Initially, Jin feels guilt for using such a sneaky tactic on his enemies, but once the player finally decides to whip them out in battle, there’s a cut scene featuring Jin and his uncle discussing samurai code and honor. The player chose this autonomous action to use the darts but, as a result, is forced to reflect on Jin’s past. This balance of culture, upbringing, and compulsion creates such a compelling tactic for story immersion. The developers seamlessly incorporated the player’s escalating emotions and Jin’s prolific past into a heroic yet flawed protagonist.

George’s Pick: Dimitri – Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Dimitri is one of my favourite game protagonists (besides Cloud Strife, of course). Though, this was a really hard question for me to answer. My mind first went to the main characters of my favourite games and, of course, Mario. Mario is cool, but I’ve always personally preferred Luigi. What I’m trying to say is that I didn’t want to just a pick a character because I think they’re fun. I wanted to pick a character because I felt something towards them (whether I related to them or felt sorry for them etc.)

Dimitri is a fairly complex character for a video game. I was immediately drawn to him because of his attitude. The noble who was actually trying to be noble and live up to a high moral standard. Because of this, I think he set himself up to fail as that standard was so impossibly high, it was practically unreachable for him. I think this is a situation we can all relate to on some level. Setting ourselves standards that are unachievable and being too hard on ourselves when we don’t meet these impossible standards.

Unfortunately, we see the fallout of this in the latter half of the game. It’s sad to see because if he had realised that he had friends around him and opened up, perhaps things would have turned out differently. He was a good man who believed he was a monster and eventually became it.

Justin’s Pick: Cecil Harvey – Final Fantasy IV

A Dark Knight in service to a corrupted king. Cecil leads the Red Wings, the airship legion of the Kingdom of Baron as they pillage the world looking for the crystals. He’s brutal, he’s a killer, but he’s also conflicted. He follows orders, but to what end? Is following orders really the right thing to do if it means robbing and murdering innocents? In 1991, this kind of character depth was unheard of.

Of course, Cecil doesn’t stay a bad guy. He (quite literally) goes through a transformation and (quite literally) defeats the darkness inside of him. After learning to forgive himself and, he emerges as a Paladin – a shining, virtuous knight that’s the complete opposite of his former self. Even Cecil’s abilities change; As a Dark Knight he wields abilities that do devastating amounts of damage, but hurts himself in the process. As a Paladin, he can use healing magic and throw himself in front of others, absorbing the damage that would otherwise mortally wound his ally. He goes through a full transformation not just in personality, but in gameplay.

Cecil is a textbook example of the hero’s journey of redemption, and these days it comes off as a little contrived. But 30 years ago it was revelatory. Going from the blank slate characters of 8-bit RPGs to one that not only had a full personality, but actual growth and development, was an incredible thing to see.

Josh’s Pick: Nathan Drake – Uncharted Series

A childhood friend introduced me to the world of Indiana Jones back when we were in elementary school, and from that moment on the character of Indy always became synonymous in my mind with what a badass leading hero should be. Many video game enthusiasts of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 era likely didn’t grow up seeing Harrison Ford’s escapades as Indiana Jones, however Naughty Dog has created a character that embodies everything that’s to love about Indiana Jones with Uncharted‘s Nathan Drake.

Nathan Drake is intelligent, charming, and has a lovable goof-type personality that instantly hooks me in every time I boot up an Uncharted game. Drake’s character is really defined and fleshed out in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and the character building in those games elevate Drake to much more than just an Indiana Jones clone, at least in my opinion.

Here are just a few of our favourite video game protagonists from some of our favourite franchises. Did your favourite hero or heroine make the list? Let us know some of the video game protagonists that hold a special place in your heart in the comments below.