History CaptainObviousReveal / VideoGames

*** "What? Are you telling me that the serious, pale-skinned man who uses a red scouter-like machine on his right eye, wears a robe with eyeballs in it and is constantly talking on behalf of Team Plasma is actually a villain and Team Plasma's real leader? And the guy who looks like a younger version of him is actually his son!? HOW WOULD I KNOW?" Though what IS a surprise is just how evil said villain is and [[AbusiveParents how he has treated his son]].

** Primrose's route: Simeon is [[ArcVillain the Head of the Crows]]. He [[DarkIsEvil dresses in black]], a flashback of his first encounter with Primrose [[UnnervinglyHeartwarming has ephebophilic implications]] that are a ''very'' good sign that something is wrong, and the Right Hand of the Crow mentions that his boss has a "[[MadArtist flair for the dramatic]]" not too long after Simeon tells Primrose that he makes his living as a playwright.

** Cyrus' route: Headmaster Yvon is responsible for the theft of ''From the Far Reaches of Hell''. While Yvon was already [[{{Jerkass}} unpleasant]] before he was revealed to be a downplayed example of EvilAllAlong, this could have been a somewhat surprising twist... if he didn't have [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]. You can't give a character red eyes and expect the audience to be surprised if they turn out to be evil. Similarly, [Lucia's complicity in Yvon's schemes might have been genuinely surprising... if she wasn't shown stalking Cyrus while [[DarkIsEvil dressed in a black, hooded robe]] that concealed her identity until moments before she betrays Cyrus.]] In contrast, the twist that Lucia, and not Yvon, is the main antagonist of Cyrus' story is much better executed.

** Cyrus' route: Headmaster Yvon is responsible for the theft of ''From the Far Reaches of Hell''. While Yvon was already [[{{Jerkass}} unpleasant before he was revealed to be a downplayed example of EvilAllAlong, this could have been a somewhat surprising twist... if he didn't have [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]. You can't give a character red eyes and expect the audience to be surprised if they turn out to be evil. Similarly, [Lucia's complicity in Yvon's schemes might have been genuinely surprising... if she wasn't shown stalking Cyrus while [[DarkIsEvil dressed in a black, hooded robe]] that concealed her identity until moments before she betrays Cyrus.]] In contrast, the twist that Lucia, and not Yvon, is the main antagonist of Cyrus' story is much better executed.

** Ophilia's route: While [[spoiler:Lianna's betrayal at the end of Ophilia's Chapter 3 out of grief at her father's death and longing to resurrect him]], is generally agreed to be a genuinely surprising and well-done twist, the identity of [[ArcVillain the Savior]] being [[spoiler:Mattias]] is easy to guess. [[spoiler:Mattias stands about suspiciously after Ophilia receives word that Archbishop Josef has collapsed in her Chapter 1, expresses his doubts in the Sacred Flame during her Chapter 3, and the voice of the hooded figure that enters the inn after Lianna drugs Ophilia to steal the ember all but gives away his identity.]]
** Cyrus' route: [[spoiler:Headmaster Yvon]] is responsible for the theft of ''From the Far Reaches of Hell''. [[spoiler:While Yvon was already [[{{Jerkass}} unpleasant]] before he was revealed to be a downplayed example of EvilAllAlong, this could have been a somewhat surprising twist... if he didn't have [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]. You can't give a character red eyes and expect the audience to be surprised if they turn out to be evil.]] Similarly, [[spoiler:Lucia's complicity in Yvon's schemes might have been genuinely surprising... if she wasn't shown stalking Cyrus while [[DarkIsEvil dressed in a black, hooded robe]] that concealed her identity until moments before she betrays Cyrus.]] In contrast, the twist that [[spoiler:Lucia, and not Yvon, is the main antagonist of Cyrus' story]] is much better executed.
** Primrose's route: [[spoiler:Simeon]] is [[ArcVillain the Head of the Crows]]. [[spoiler:He [[DarkIsEvil dresses in black]], a flashback of his first encounter with Primrose [[UnnervinglyHeartwarming has ephebophilic implications]] that are a ''very'' good sign that something is wrong, and the Right Hand of the Crow mentions that his boss has a "[[MadArtist flair for the dramatic]]" not too long after Simeon tells Primrose that he makes his living as a playwright.]]
** Therion's route: [[spoiler:Heathcote is a former thief]]. This is hinted at several times and rather unsubtly throughout Therion's story, to the point that Therion himself eventually figures it out with little input from [[spoiler:Heathcote. Heathcote was able to both sneak up on Therion in Ravus Manor, and slip the Fool's Bangle on Therion's wrist, without being detected. He is also quite knowledgeable of criminal activities, including the existence of the Black Market next to Wellspring, which, according to Therion, is information that "only those in the business are supposed to know".]]

*** All Summoners, including Yuna, will die at the end of their journey. The game is not very subtle in hiding its hints. High Summoners, the title given to Summoners who have defeated Sin, are all dead; Yuna's meaningful glances at all places, before leaving them; the tearful farewell from her village or the [[ChirpingCrickets noticeably awkward silence]], after Tidus insensitively saying that they'll do this and that, after Yuna has defeated Sin. The reveal scene itself, about halfway through the game, seems to be more for [[FishOutOfWater Tidus]] than for the player.

** Primrose's route: [[spoiler:Simeon]] is [[ArcVillain the Head of the Crows]]. [[spoiler:He [[DarkIsEvil dresses in black]], a flashback of his first encounter with Primrose has ephebophilic implications that are a ''very'' good sign that something is wrong, and the Right Hand of the Crow mentions that his boss has a "flair for the dramatic" not too long after Simeon tells Primrose that he makes his living as a playwright.]]

** Goro Akechi being Black Mask, as well as [[SixthRangerTraitor the one who sold out the protagonist during the Niijima's Palace heist]]. Many fans suspected this plot twist from the beginning, as Akechi isn't present in a lot of promotional material and didn't receive official artwork of his Phantom Thief outfit or his Persona Robin Hood until a few years after the game was released. The game isn't subtle in this regard either, as several of Akechi's DLC outfits gives him costumes that hint at his true moral standing such as [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf Ideo Hazama's uniform]] and [[VideoGame/{{Catherine}} Boss (Dumuzid)'s suit]], a book for his Persona doesn't get unlocked when he joins the party unlike with the other party members [[note]]this is downplayed as it's a case of the book being DummiedOut via programmer incompetence instead of being intended to hint at Akechi's true colors; this mistake is fixed in ''Royal''[[/note]], and one of the first scenes where the protagonist personally encounters Akechi has him talking about "delicious pancakes", despite that Morgana was the only one who mentioned pancakes and it's established early on that only those who have visited the Metaverse can understand [[TalkingAnimal Morgana]]. All of it actually serves to disguise the ''real'' twist about Akechi: his treachery was so obvious that the protagonists knew about it the whole time, having caught the "pancakes" slip-up.

** Ophilia's route: While [[spoiler:Lianna's betrayal at the end of Ophilia's Chapter 3 out of grief at her father's death and longing to resurrect him]], is generally agreed to be a genuinely surprising and well-done twist, the identity of [[ArcVillain the Savior]] being [[spoiler:Mattias]] is easy to guess. [[spoiler:Mattias stands about suspiciously after Ophilia receives word that Archbishop Josef has collapsed in her Chapter 1, and expresses his doubts in the Sacred Flame during her Chapter 3.]]

** Primrose's route: [[spoiler:Simeon]] is the Head of the Crows. [[spoiler:He [[DarkIsEvil dresses in black]], a flashback of his first encounter with Primrose has ephebophilic implications that are a ''very'' good sign that something is wrong, and the Right Hand of the Crow mentions that his boss has a "flair for the dramatic" not too long after Simeon tells Primrose that he makes his living as a playwright.]]

* While ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'' is already considered an example of PlayTheGameSkipTheStory, one particularly common criticism is how several plot-points are easy to predict.

* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'': Heathcote, from Therion's route, is a former thief. This is hinted at several times and rather unsubtly throughout Therion's story, to the point that Therion himself eventually figures it out with little input from Heathcote. Heathcote was able to both sneak up on Therion in Ravus Manor, and slip the Fool's Bangle on Therion's wrist, without being detected. He is also quite knowledgeable of criminal activities, including the existence of the Black Market next to Wellspring, which, according to Therion, is information that "only those in the business are supposed to know".

* ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}:'' The fact that Zagreus's mother is not Nyx, but Persephone. Just the mere premise of "you play as Hades's son" would make anyone even slightly familiar with Greek mythology go "oh, so Persephone is his mom, right?" Someone more familiar with said mythology would recognize that Zagreus is [[MinorlyMentionedMythsAndMonsters an existing, albeit obscure god]], and while the specifics of his father and nature vary (he's often an aspect of Dionysus), he's almost always a son of Persephone. Not to mention Persephone being conspicuously absent from the underworld would make anyone curious as to what happened to her, and Zagreus having one of his eyes be bright green pretty much seals the deal. Somewhat PlayedForLaughs too, as Zagreus usually first hears the information from the [[InteractiveNarrator narrator]] accidentally saying too much somewhat early in the story.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'': The main villain [[EnemyWithout Urizen]] and the new mysterious ally [[DarkIsNotEvil V]] are actually the two halves of Dante's brother, Vergil. It's supposed to be a big endgame reveal, but the narrative lays it on so thick that you likely have it figured out 5 missions prior to the big explanation or appearance of the latter. By the opening to Mission #10, we've learned that Urizen and V were split from a half-demon swordsman who has Vergil's voice and signature weapon, which pretty much seals the deal for anyone who's played a ''Devil May Cry'' game before.

* ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'': In the original game, Iris Zeppelin being the real villain is a genuinely surprising twist. But in the sequel ''Freudenstachel'', given that the games are heavily influenced by ''Franchise/MegaMan'', it's rather easy to predict that Iris is [[HijackedByGanon once again the true villain]] while the Pope is just a DiscOneFinalBoss, as this is a common twist used in the Mega Man series. And even without that knowledge, there are other blatant hints: one of the bosses is a homunculus version of Liebea, which was also a boss in the original game alongside homunculi of the other RKS members created by Iris, and the GameOver message says “Let there be light for a new Goddess”, the ''exact same message'' used in the original game's Iris Stages and ''Grollschwert'' mode which blatantly refer to Iris Zeppelin, making the character's involvement even more obvious.

* In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioColorSplash'', virtually nobody was surprised by Bowser being the BigBad. In fact, [[ExaggeratedTrope most people figured it out the moment the game was shown off]]. Not only is there Bowser tape in Port Prisma but during Ruddy Road, the first ''actual'' level, a Shy Guy is shown placing Bowser tape down ''right in front of your eyes''. [[IdiotPlot And yet no one suspects a thing]]. The reveal of the Koopalings being the main bosses only rubbed salt into that wound. Like the above example, it feels like the GrandfatherClause is obliging the series to use Bowser as the BigBad in every game now.

* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXV'': Krohnen is [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2001 K9999]]. They're the only two playable characters in the franchise with blue hair and yellow clothes, share numerous visually different yet functionally identical moves, act rather [[{{Jerkass}} assholish]] to everyone around them, have [[BadassBiker an affinity for motorcycles]], and the former's backstory hints at him being an ex-member of NESTS - which was the occupation of the latter. Most will put two and two together long before Ángel finally drops all pretenses and calls Krohnen "K9999".

* Mandalore in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' is Canderous Ordo from the first game. Who'd have thought, in that they're both Mandalorians from the Clan Ordo, who are both getting on in years, both cyborgs, both travelled with Revan, and that they both share a voice actor. It wasn't supposed to be a big reveal. The game infamously got ChristmasRushed and there was intended to be a scene almost right after we meet Mandalore in which Kreia blackmails him into following the Exile, and refers to him by his given name. The final release of The Sith Lords however never actually refers to him as Canderous until close to the end of the game.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': Tetra is revealed to be this game's incarnation of Zelda. For one thing, she's the only significant blonde female character in the game besides Link's sister. Also, if you enter Tetra's room on one of the two occasions you're able to do so, you can see sketches and paintings of the Triforce, the legendary hero, and Tetra's mother wearing regal attire. [[AvertedTrope The game's other twist though...]]

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'':
*** Tetra is revealed to be Zelda. She's the only blonde female protagonist in the main story who isn't Link's sister. Also entering Tetra's room earlier on, you can see portraits of the Triforce, the legendary hero and Tetra's mother who looks like a queen. [[AvertedTrope The game's other twist though...]]
*** The world the player is sailing around is Hyrule, after it had been flooded by the gods, which Ganon proudly proclaims at the climax of the game. That would be a very shocking reveal, had ''the opening narration'' not already mentioned it.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'' has Link working with the mysterious Hilda, who claims to be his ally in Lorule, Hyrule's alternate dimension counterpart. It's an established fact that everyone in Lorule is the polar opposite of their Hyrulean counterpart. Zelda is kind, wise, and a genuine friend to Link, so it's not quite hard to guess that Hilda turns out to be a villain (though she's admittedly a complex character who falls more toward WellIntentionedExtremist territory than any truly evil acts). Even worse, the apparent BigBad of the game, Yuga, is first seen transforming Seres, a young nun, into a painting for part of some kind of evil ritual. After completing the spell, Yuga ''outright states'' "Her Grace will be most pleased..." It's possible that the developers hoped players would overlook that line, but if you read it for even a moment, it becomes obvious that the two are conspirators.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'': That Roxas is Sora's Nobody. It's made clear from the prologue that Roxas has an extremely strong connection with Sora and that he's something called a "Nobody". When you take control of Sora for the first time in the game and meet with [[BigGood Yen Sid]], he will explain what a Nobody is. At this point, anyone who paid even the smallest amount of attention to the plot of the first game will put two-and-two together and figure out the reveal less than ''four hours'' into the game. That said, since the audience by default gets more clues than Sora due to following Roxas's prologue before playing as Sora, it's easy to treat the matter less as an overly obvious reveal and more as straightforward DramaticIrony, so Riku telling Sora that Roxas is his Nobody during the endgame still works as an InternalReveal for a protagonist who spent most of the story LockedOutOfTheLoop.

** PlayedForLaughs in the spinoff ''Webcomic/LearningWithMangaFGO'', where Lancer starts showing off abilities (like [[ShamuFu using an icthyosaur in combat]]) that make her [[IKnowYourTrueName True Name]] incredibly obvious. When Mash points this out, Lancer responds that in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', the reveal of a Servant's True Name has never actually mattered all that much.