For many video game characters, the threat of death lends some tension to the events of a story. While it is often assumed that the main character must survive to the end of the game, this is not always the case, and the character’s vulnerability drives the events forward. What a character does to escape an untimely demise might help their characterization, or if they fail, open up questions for the other characters and storylines in the game.
Sometimes, however, these stakes are thrown out the window to drive the plot forward, regardless of how the circumstances fit within the established world. Whether it’s a soldier surviving a fall from orbit or a hero being brought back to life to finish a boss fight, these moments often trade sense for spectacle. Here are the wildest examples where coherence took a backseat to the needs of the narrative.
There are HEAVY SPOILERS for the following games: Mass Effect 3, Heavy Rain, The Last of Us Part 2, Halo (franchise), Xenoblade Chronicles, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and the Yakuza franchise, as well as MINOR SPOILERS for Tomb Raider (2013) and the God of War Franchise. Skip any sections that you don’t want spoiled.
Scott Shelby—Heavy Rain
Can’t Die Before the Big Reveal
In Heavy Rain, players take part in the investigation to find the Origami Killer and save the main character Ethan’s son, Shaun. Throughout the game, players will control four protagonists: Ethan Mars, Norman Jayden, Madison Paige, and Scott Shelby. While both Jayden and Madison can die before the game’s finale, neither Ethan nor Scott can perish in the lead-up to the final chapter (despite its status as a pioneering game for player choice), which leads to some very awkward encounters.
The game utilizes quick-time events to add a timed element to the action, aiming to keep tension high in every scene. While this does work in many cases, such as characters not discovering the killer or not getting to Shaun in time, it flops spectacularly when playing as Scott, since none of the QTEs, failed or succeeded, matter to any events in the game. As Scott is actually the Origami Killer himself, he must be present at the end of the game to ensure a confrontation with the other cast members.
Scott gets beaten up, slashed with a broken bottle, shot with dozens of rounds, and trapped inside a sinking car in a lake—none of it matters. The game cannot continue without his survival, and so survive he must.
Master Chief—Halo Franchise
Luck Stat Set to Maximum
Master Chief has survived some pretty extreme circumstances and performed miraculous feats throughout his adventures in the Halo series. Some of his success can certainly be attributed to his skills and powerful armor—he is a super soldier, after all—but other events leave us scratching our heads.
Some classic examples of his survivability include surviving a fall from space with only a heat shield, reviving and recovering quickly after being frozen in space, surviving a nuclear explosion, and a multitude of other seemingly “lucky” happenstances going his way. This “luck” is often mentioned in Halo material as something the Master Chief is known for, but the application is questionable.
Master Chief alone can penetrate Sangheili Personal Energy Shields in only 3 AR rounds, survive and escape the consequences of risky, near-impossible ship maneuvers, and can even prevent significant damage to allied spaceships and vehicles—all just by being the MC! The series’ constant and consistent handwaving of these events as the Master Chief’s inherent “luck” falls flat, but he keeps on moving, regardless.
Ellie—The Last of Us Part 2
Revenge is a Powerful Motivator and, Conveniently, Also a Shield
While The Last of Us established a world where anyone can be snuffed out in an instant—a lesson Joel learned the hard way—Ellie frequently survives encounters that would seem insurmountable for an ostensibly normal human person, especially in The Last of Us Part 2. From point-blank explosions and massive falls to escaping the clutches of the WLF and Seraphites while outnumbered twenty-to-one, Ellie is able to find a way through the day toward her final confrontation in the finale.
Whether it is through intervention at the last moment by a nearby friend or just plain stupidity on the part of her foes, Ellie gets out of her situations with ease. For example, when Ellie is captured and tied up, Abby’s gang also gets their hands on Dina, Ellie’s partner. While the WLF soldier does have a gun, he opts to walk over slowly to the grounded Dina to try to strangle her, leaving Ellie free to escape and kill him.
These absurd moments feel a bit sloppy in the broader context of what the game is doing with its storytelling. In a world that is meant to feel dangerous, and with a story meant to impart messages relating to grief and survival, Ellie’s invincibility undermines what the rest of the game is trying to build.
Kiryu—Yakuza Series
None Can Slay the Dragon
The legendary Dragon of Dojima, Kazuma Kiryu, possesses a level of plot armor that transcends that of a mere yakuza, becoming an almost mythical figure within the world. Throughout the Yakuza series, he survives multiple stabbings, point-blank gunshots, and even being caught in massive explosions, often walking them off after a quick fade-to-black or a visit to a local doctor. His toughness is so extreme that he fought off an entire cadre of armed Tojo Clan members single-handedly, coming out the other side with barely a scratch.
Kiryu has survived being shot multiple times in the chest at the end of games, as well, with the most notable being in Yakuza 2 and Yakuza 6, only to reappear in the sequels fully recovered and ready to tussle. Even when there are attempts to retire him through terminal illness or final sacrifices, Kiryu manages to find his way back into the story or the party.
William ‘BJ’ Blazkowicz—Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
The Miracles of Medicine Know No Bounds
William Joseph “BJ” Blazkowicz, known to the Nazis as “Terror-Billy,” is the primary protagonist of the Wolfenstein franchise and a seemingly unkillable force of nature. This is best demonstrated the moment Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus begins, as he survives the point-blank grenade blast and a nuclear explosion from the end of the previous game. Despite being physically compromised due to injury and surgery, BJ still possesses the strength and stamina to slaughter dozens of soldiers when they arrive to kidnap him and his wife.
The most absurd example of his unkillable status occurs during his public execution, where he is actually decapitated by Frau Engel. This is no problem for the likes of BJ, as his head is caught and kept fresh by his allies, then successfully grafted onto a bio-engineered Nazi super-soldier body. Thankfully, this new body is more than capable of punching Nazis, and BJ continues his crusade against the fascist foes.
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