Summary
Whether a player character is likable or not, most gamers become invested in their progression, sharing the excitement of victories and commiserating when something goes awry. The best narratives often have their fair share of challenges for the protagonist, be they physical or internal, that they must overcome.
Unfortunately, the nature of horror games means that the main character almost never has it easy. While some perils the protagonist can take a certain amount of accountability for, other events are entirely out of their control — a matter of unfortunate circumstances that can’t be blamed on anything other than bad luck. These are some of theunluckiest protagonists in horror games.
There are definitely unluckier characters in the following games, but this list focuses on the playable protagonists.
Spoiler Warning: each entry in this article discusses major in-game events and plot twists.
As interactive games with numerous playable protagonists, many of Supermassive’s titles have a roster of characters that find themselves in sticky situations. One that stands out in particular isNick,from the developer’sinteresting take on the werewolf legend,The Quarry.
As well as being caught in the middle of Emma and Jacob’s relationship drama, Nick also ends up getting bitten and transforming into a werewolf. Beyond the obvious physical turmoil, this also causes further tensions in the group and strains his potential with Abigail. Despite the unlucky turn of events, Nick (like the other playable characters) can be saved.
Sometimes a person is simply set up to fail from the moment they were born or, in the case ofBioshock’sJack, from the moment they were conceived. Leading a seemingly normal life until making his way to the Rapture, Jack’s true identity is much more complicated.
Actually the son of thecity’s creator and tycoonAndrew Ryan, he was sold as an embryo, eventually becoming a slave to Ryan’s power-hungry rival, Frank Fontaine. Implanted with false memories and manipulated into doing others' bidding, Jack never had the chance to make his own way in life. That said, there are two possible endings inBioshock,one of which is considered good.
Detentiontells a tragic story of personal and political struggle. After reporting a list of banned books to military officer Bai, protagonistRayends up getting the school’s entire book club arrested and her counselor-slash-lover executed.
Although she believed herself to be doing the right thing, albeit reacting to hurt from a perceived betrayal, Ray’s naivety meant she was unaware of the consequences. Despite her ignorance, she still has to face purgatory, reliving her mistakes over and over again until she can face her guilt.
Dead Space’s Isaac Clarkeis an interesting character that players have to witness cope with all of his trauma across the games, from denial to grief to rage and emptiness. In the first game, Isaac’strip into spacegets him a lot more than he bargained for.
Not only must he confront the death of his girlfriend Nicole’s death, he also gets his brain scrambled by the Marker. All that, alongside becoming involved in a cult vs state conflict and a Necromorph invasion, makes it hard to believe luck was ever on this space engineer’s side.
It is safe to say thatElliewas unlucky from the beginning ofThe Last of Us.Despite having the gift of immunity, this proves to be a huge burden that leads her to be wanted by the Fireflies and, indirectly, causes Joel’s murder (which she witnesses).
Further down the line, these events put a strain on Ellie’s relationship with Dina and her son, who eventually end up leaving. Torn betweenan un-ignorable desire for revengeand a duty to her family, it’s unlikely that Ellie could be content whichever she prioritized.
Simon Jarrettis the protagonist ofSOMA,and one character that apparently cannot catch a break. From being the victim of a car crash (which his girlfriend doesn’t survive) to having his home planet destroyed by a comet and being unwillingly pitted against hostile robots in an underwater facility, luck doesn’t seem to be a familiar concept for Jarrett.
SOMAin general is a very interesting game, delving into concerns around artificial intelligence, identity, and consciousness. How Simon deals with his bad lot only adds more meat to conversations about what being human means.
As a child thrown alone into a world overrun with zombies,Clementine’smisfortune inThe Walking Deadis just that: a matter of bad luck which she, more often than not, has no control over. In an unfortunate turn of events, she not only ends up losing Lee, but also finds her parents zombified, making the whole purpose of their journey in vain.
As well as these monumental losses, Clementine ends up losing a leg after being bitten herself. On top of all the difficult encounters and decisions that players must make throughout the game, it’s easy to see that fate has no soft spot for this survivor. Regardless, Clementine is astrong character who powers throughwhatever is thrown at her.
Ethan Winters' goal inResident Evil 7is to save his wife, but in the process, he stumbles upon a murderous family infected by mold who want to initiate him into their brood. It also turns out that he happened to marry a member of the Connections, a crime syndicate dabbling in bio-weaponry.
Surviving brutal killers, mutant mold monsters, and a psychic bioweapon obsessed with having a family of her own, Ethan once again ends up in peril when he is abducted inResident Evil Village.In this sequel, he is on a mission to save his daughter, eventually having to make the ultimate sacrifice in exchange for his family’s survival.
Being in cahoots with an investigative journalist is bound to have its share of danger and risk, no doubt something thatBlake Langermannwas prepared for inOutlast 2. But Blake and his wife Lynn had no intention of landing in the middle of an abusive cult deluded with premonitions of the birth of the antichrist.
When Lynn is abducted, Blake has no interest in digging deeper, only in finding her and escaping. Despite his best efforts, he continually finds himself in trouble. Aside from being maimed, hunted, crucified, Blake also loses his wife after she gives birth to a baby that, as it turns out, wasn’t even real.
Heather Mason, the protagonist ofSilent Hill 3,quickly became a fan-favorite in the franchise, not just because of her humor and personality, but because of her inspiring bravery and determination. Doing her best to grow up as a normal teenage girl, Heather all of a sudden comes face-to-face with the knowledge that she is in fact a reincarnation of Alessa Gillespie, a victim of The Order cult who was chosen to birth their God that has promised Paradise via the destruction of humanity.
If that wasn’t overwhelming (anddownright traumatizing) enough, she also ends up facing the horrors of Silent Hill, losing her adoptive father in the process. If being compelled to abandon a normal-ish life only to become an unwilling vessel for a malevolent deity isn’t a turn of bad luck, then nothing is.
