Many action games are power fantasies that let players step into the shoes of beings who can accomplish feats beyond imagination, some of which are downright scary. While it might not always be the main selling point, these games shine in their ability to empower, and a brilliant way to show that is by having AI enemies react out of pure fear. They might scream, beg for mercy, run away, or act irrationally; either way, the outcome is the same. They are scared of you.
To be most effective, this mechanic needs to be triggered by the player’s direct actions rather than obviously scripted events, even though the latter can still be satisfying. Let’s take a look at a wide assortment of games that incorporate these types of reactions, ranging from RPGs to stealth and open-worlds.
Trepang2
Fear What They Cannot See
Similar to its spiritual ancestor, F.E.A.R, Trepang2 allows you to put the fear of death into enemy NCPs, as they steadily become aware that they are going up against a super soldier whom they cannot see. The FPS game doesn’t have a fear meter or anything of the sort, instead relying on dynamic AI to carry the burden. As you use enemies as shields or attach bombs to them, their squadmates descend into pure chaos, and it is a sight to behold.
Trepang2 gives you two abilities: Bullet-time and invisibility cloak. While these are relatively basic powers to hand out in any FPS game, they feel particularly strong here, largely thanks to how the enemies react. Putting aside supernatural entities, you spend most of the campaign going up against highly-trained paramilitary teams, all of whom begin firefights with confidence and discipline; as the bloodbath progresses, their calls turn from professional to reactive and panicked.
Prototype
The Human Bioweapon
Both Prototype games feature these types of reactions from NPCs, but the first entry showcases it better than the second. While he gets stronger as the story moves along, Alex Mercer is a terrifying threat right from the start, as he can shapeshift, consume people’s memories, turn his hands into weapons, scale buildings, and use Manhattan as his bloody playground. Normal folks react with fear when they run across a being who is essentially Venom, but the true terror stems from the Blackwatch forces fighting Mercer.
Once they realize that bullets do very little to harm this monster, they quickly realize the hopelessness of their situation, breaking down as they face their mortality. Mercer tears through tanks and helicopters like they are made of paper, and the soldiers react to that sight fairly realistically. Mercer’s shapeshifting also causes soldiers to doubt each other.
The sequel maintains this element of fear, but Blackwatch is way more aware of what Prototypes are capable of doing thanks to Mercer, so they keep a handle on their panic a bit more.
Enemies Will Only Be Aggressive For So Long
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was a step backward in some ways for the Elder Scrolls series. While the great attention to side quests remained, the game’s over-simplification of weapon, magic, and skill systems greatly diminished the build diversity that earlier games were known for. One way that Skyrim moved forward, however, was its graphical and technical fidelity, which gave way to much more dynamic NPCs.
Enemies, if pushed to their limits during combat, will crouch and begin begging for mercy instead of continuing to fight. This gives the Dragonborn some time to recover if they’re low on health, but keep in mind that enemies, even once fearful of you, can be provoked again.
Enemies Fear Big Boss, And Can You Blame Them?
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain lets you decide how to approach most missions. Players are dropped a ride away from their target, which is usually an enemy camp, and they have to then plan how they want to complete their task. For most folks, the first step will probably be stealth, but guns blazing is a viable candidate as well.
The Phantom Pain‘s AI enemies learn from their failures, with soldiers trying to adapt to counter previous tactics. This could be something as simple as wearing helmets to avoid a headshot, but it can take various forms. Beyond just taking Big Boss seriously, you can also engage in some good old-fashioned psychological warfare by messing with formations, eliminating allies, and causing chaos while staying hidden. Even when all hell breaks loose, Big Boss still feels like the aggressor, with his targets entering a panic state of fight or flight.
Sleeping Dogs
A Crime-Focused Open World Title With A Twist
Sleeping Dogs is an underrated open-world title, all things considered. It had the same humor and charm of the much-loved Grand Theft Auto series, albeit in smaller doses to accommodate a very different story tone-wise. The setting feels vast and alive, and while this game does let you play as a gangster, there’s a very interesting twist in the form of the protagonist being an undercover police officer with a personal stake in the unfolding story.
Leveling up Face XP, one of the three levels players can put experience into, makes the protagonist’s moves more brutal and hard-hitting, which causes enemies to reel back in fear, instinctively aware of the danger they’re facing.
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