TOP-10 best games where the main character changes

In the vast majority of story-driven video games, we control one character. But in some of them, the developers change the main character right during the game, after which the story is told from his point of view. Such decisions are not always liked by fans, but they greatly refresh the series. Our article is devoted to such examples.

Be careful, the text contains plot spoilers! You can’t do without them, because in some cases the change of the protagonist is presented as an unexpected surprise.

In advertising campaigns, Metal Gear Solid 2 was presented as a continuation of the story of Solid Snake. It is for him that we play in the first levels. But then we are given control over Raiden, a completely new character for the series. Many fans were irritated by him, because against the background of the protagonist of the first part, this long-haired guy seemed boring and uncharismatic. Meanwhile, it was he who remained the main character of Sons of Liberty until the very final credits.

There is an opinion that in this way Hideo Kojima laughed at those players who hoped to see a standard sequel to the original Metal Gear Solid. This trick was partly repeated in the fifth part, but there it was not presented as effectively.

With the fourth Devil May Cry the opposite happened. Even during the development stage, it was announced that the main character would be a young demon hunter named Nero. Fans began to actively complain, so the developers decided to add levels for Dante. Let us remind you that we played for him in the first three parts. In the Special Edition, it became possible to take control of Lady, Trish, and Vergil.

The concept of being able to play for different heroes was developed in Devil May Cry 5. There, the difference in combat systems between Dante and Nero became even stronger. In addition, the fifth game in the series introduced V, a third character who almost never fights personally, but can summon familiar allies to the battlefield.

The first Devil May Cry was developed by Hideki Kamiya. After leaving Capcom, he began working on the slasher Bayonetta, which turned out to be similar to Dante's adventures. In the threequel, in addition to Cereza, we were given the chance to play as the young witch Viola. Apparently, she was supposed to become the main character of future games in the series. However, in 2023, Kamiya left Platinum Games, so it is not yet known what will happen to Bayonetta in the future.

The protagonist of the first The Last of Us was Joel, but in several episodes we played as Ellie. She was expected to become the main character of the second part. But for about half of the story campaign we play as Abby, a girl who, for obvious reasons, hated Joel. Her thirst for revenge led to tragic consequences. Moreover, we followed the events from both sides at once, so we saw the full picture of what was happening.

Many fans of the series were surprised when they found out that in the fourth part we would play as Ciri. Meanwhile, episodes with her participation were found in "Wild Hunt" (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt). They were designed as memories from the past. In them, we were not just shown a video, but allowed to take control of the young witcher. However, from a gameplay point of view, everything was limited to battles with opponents. There was no full-fledged leveling or open world.

You can find more information about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in [/articles/126400-10-years-of-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-remembering-one-of-the-best-rpgs-of-all-time.html]our article[/url], which is dedicated to its tenth anniversary.

The third Witcher is not the only CD Projekt RED game with interactive flashbacks. Similar moments are in Cyberpunk 2077. According to the plot, in the head of the protagonist V there is a construct with the personality of the musician Johnny Silverhand. And we are shown events from the distant past from his point of view. As in the case of episodes of the game for Ciri, there are no RPG elements here, only story scenes, dialogues and vigorous action.

The third Assassin's Creed managed to surprise players. For the first few hours, we play as Haytham Kenway. However, at a certain point, it turns out that he is not an assassin, but a Templar. Many fans were shocked — will they really show us the other side of the confrontation between the Order and the Brotherhood? But no, the real protagonist turned out to be Haytham's son named Connor. And he adheres to the ideals of Altair and Ezio.

It is noteworthy that two years later we will actually be allowed to play as a Templar. It will be Shay Patrick Cormac from Assassin's Creed: Rogue.

Chronologically, the second Red Dead Redemption is a prequel to the first part. Most of the time, we play as Arthur Morgan. But closer to the end of the story campaign, the main character becomes John Marston, the protagonist of the original 2010 game. After the end of the story of this thug, we are offered to take control of his son Jack. The guy can find those responsible for the death of his father and take revenge.

It is curious that the change of characters in the Red Dead Redemption dilogy did not cause discontent among fans. After all, the center of the story here is not a specific person, but the story of the Van der Linde gang.

During the story mode of the second Max Payne we are unexpectedly offered to play as Mona Sax, with whom the main character is in love. Unfortunately, she does not have any unique gameplay features. The scriptwriters could have shown the criminal side of the fatal beauty's life, which we did not know about. But this does not happen — the girl simply helps Max during another shootout with bandits.

We wrote more about Max Payne 2 and other Remedy games in [/articles/131829-30-years-of-remedy-the-creative-path-from-max-payne-and-alan-wake-to-quantum-break-and-control.html]a separate article[/url].

In the fourth Mafia there is also a change of protagonist closer to the end of the story. The gameplay hardly changes — we are simply offered another level, but from the perspective of another person. Meanwhile, this episode puts a beautiful end to the whole story. We will not name the specific name of the second character, because the game was released recently, and you may not have completed it yet.

And what games with a change of protagonist do you remember? Share your opinions in the comments!