History DealWithTheDevil / VideoGames

* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' expansion ''Hearts of Stone'', Geralt will find himself in dire straits when an unassuming, cheerful fellow, Gaunter O'Dimm offers to help him, for a price. As a result, Geralt ends up with his face branded with a magical sigil, and is forced to act as O'Dimm's proxy in collecting the debt of another poor sod who mistakenly thought to have made his deal foolproof. It quickly turns out that O'Dimm is the type of guy who [[SatanicArchetype who likes to make contracts at crossroads in midnight, signed with blood]].

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile loves making deals with mortals that they later come to regret, though in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', [[spoiler:he makes a deal he later comes to regret, in acquiring Umbra. This results in him losing some of his Daedric power.]] Though Clavicus Vile is indicated to ''sometimes'' make agreements that the recipient doesn't regret (this probably has something to do with the fact that unlike ''most'' devils, he actually has a fairly strong conscience. It just happens to be external and manifests as a BigFriendlyDog that nags him not to fuck mortals over; they tend to argue a lot).
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' shows that Nocturnal also likes cutting deals. [[spoiler:specifically she grants you special powers and badass armor, along with largely free reign in return for protecting her shrines in life and death]].
** The first Werewolves sold their souls to Hircine in exchange for their power. When a werewolf dies, his or her soul is doomed to join Hircine's eternal hunt. Some werewolves see this as a curse, and wish to be cured. Others see it as a blessing and offer it to those they deem worthy.
** In ''Dawnguard'' it's revealed that making a pact and submitting yourself to Molag Bal will turn you into a more powerful Vampire than simply letting the disease that leads to vampirism run its course does. The BigBad of ''Dawnguard'' did this long ago to stave off death, draggin his wife and daughter into it and sacrificing many of his own subjects in the process.
** In ''Dragonborn'', Miraak, the First Dragonborn, gained the power he needed to defy his former dragon masters through a deal with Hermaeus Mora. [[spoiler:The player must make that same deal in order to gain the power necessary to slay Miraak.]]
** In fact, depending on how thorough you are, by the end of the game you may have pledged yourself/sold your soul to around ten different gods.

* In ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', the [=GMan=] takes the liberty to conscript Gordon Freeman into his service without ever offering him a choice [[spoiler:or actually informing him about it until the end of the game]]. In both this and ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', he's constantly around manipulating events to turn out favorably for Gordon and his allies. Episode 2 informs us [[spoiler:that he did the same to Eli Vance. Instead of forcing them to do the work for him, he arranges it so that by achieving each of their own goals, they actually further his own hidden agenda.]]

-->'''Auron''': "This is my story, and you're not part of it."

** However he [[FaustianRebellion took control]] of the Devil and his power in Tekken 4.

-->'''Ghysis The Crooked''': "Me an’ two other lads fled like dogs, that’s what ‘appened. We scurried across the Plane fer a handful o’ days afore we came to this great pillar o’ livin’ ‘eads… an awful sight, it was... they jabbered an’ hissed at us, callin’ fer us ta come closer. That night I stole away from the others an’ went ta talk ta th’ pillar." ''Ghysis shut his eyes and rubbed at his temples'' "I… I asked this pillar ‘ow I might be freed, ‘ow I might escape Baator... an’ it told me in exchange fer th’ two o’ my brothers." ''He was quiet for a moment, biting on his knuckles as if fighting back tears'' “Ta me... at th’ time... t'was just math."

*** Placing Morte back in the Pillar [[spoiler: though you can break him out later - you'll lose some max HP from all the skulls biting you, and they'll refuse to answer any more questions - instead yelling for abashis to come tear you to ribbons.]]
*** The location of Fhjull Forked-Tongue [[spoiler: which you can get aways with lying about if your Charisma is good enough, essentially paying nothing.]]
*** The Modron Cube [[spoiler: which is immediately and irrecoverably destroyed]]
*** Fall-From-Grace [[spoiler: if you choose her, she will assume you're joking. If you confirm you're serious, she will dissappear into thin air, never to be seen again. The Pillar doesn't accept this, given she escaped and all.]]
*** Annah [[spoiler: if you choose her, she'll assume you're joking as well. Confirming you're serious will make her fight you to the death. The Pillar doesn't accept her corpse.]]

-->'''Kratos''': "'''ARES!''' Destroy my enemies -- and my life is yours!"

-->'''Velius''': "God Stone Bearer, with me now do treat. Your spirit and my flesh as one shall merge. Life undying yours forever more."
-->[[spoiler: '''Wiegraf''']]: Help me... I beg you...
-->'''Velius''': I am Velius... the devil. Your wish is granted."

* VideoGame/StarCraftII has this going on between Tychus and Arcturus. No points for guessing who the devil is.

''*cue various machines assembling a Marine suit on Tychus*''\\

* The Elder Power Tlacolotl in ''[[NexusWar Nexus Clash]]'' runs a giant pyramid-scheme demonic organization run on this trope. You never deal with him directly, but if you join his side everyone who may scam you in a devil-deal is themselves a victim of a larger Deal with a greater demon, and so on all the way up to Tlacolotl himself.
* In ''TheWitcher3WildHunt'' expansion ''Hearts of Stone'', Geralt will find himself in dire straits when an unassuming, cheerful fellow, Gaunter O'Dimm offers to help him, for a price. In result Geralt ends up with his face branded with magical sigil, and is forced to act as O'Dimm's proxy in collecting the debt of another poor sod who mistakenly thought to have made his deal foolproof. It quickly turns out that O'Dimm is the type of guy who [[SatanicArchetype who likes to make contracts at crossroads in midnight, signed with blood]].

-->'''Dante''': I'm not really interested in mending fences with my brother, so here's my counteroffer: You give me a job that can pay my electric bill for the year, and I'll leave you here with your head attached to your body.
-->'''Mephisto''': ...Actually, there's a fiend called Blackheart who has caused me trouble to no end.
-->'''Dante''': Done. [[TheDevilIsALoser But I'm charging you triple because you're such a tool]].

--> '''Johanna:''' "You have finally found your own [[JusticeWillPrevail justice]]... Please... Never lose sight of it again..."

-->'''Faras:''' So you have some experience with infernal beings, then?
-->'''PlayerCharacter:''' You could say that. I once knew a warlock who collected them, actually,

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', each character's [[ShadowArchetype Shadow]], [[BeneathTheMask the other self]], first manifests voice either [[WhatTheHellHero confronting]] them about not [[BystanderSyndrome doing anything]], or commenting that they had been waiting for them, and offering them a "contract", which results in the Shadow becoming a [[FightingSpirit Persona]] in exchange for unleashing their [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge rage and hatred on the world that wronged them]]. However since Shadows are [[BeneathTheMask part of them]] and Persona are Shadows given form by [[HeroicWillpower strength of heart]], it basically means [[HeroicVow it is a contract with themselves]] to no longer compromise who they are, which is what gaining a persona essentially is.
** Case and point [[LadyOfWar Makoto]] [[JumpedAtTheCall gains her Persona]] after being [[RageBreakingPoint pushed around one to many times by one of the villains]]. She is far happier and more well adjusted after this and decides to make her own path instead of just doing what is expected of her.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', each character's [[ShadowArchetype Shadow]], [[BeneathTheMask the other self]], first manifests voice either [[WhatTheHellHero confronting]] them about not [[BystanderSyndrome doing anything]], or commenting that they had been waiting had been waiting for them, and offering them a "contract", which results in the Shadow becoming a [[GuardianEntity Persona]] in exchange for unleashing their [[DarkerAndEdgier rage and hatred]] on the world that wronged them. However since Shadows are [[BeneathTheMask part of them]] and Persona are Shadows given form by [[HeroicWillpower strength of heart]], it basically means [[MindScrew it is a contract with themselves]] to no longer compromise who they are, which is what gaining a persona essentially is.
** Case and point [[LadyOfWar Makoto]] [[JumpedAtTheCall gains her Persona]] after being [[RageBreakingPoint pushed around one to many times]] and completely [[UnstoppableRage losing her shit]]. She is far happier and more well adjusted after this and decides to make her own path instead of just doing what is expected of her. "You have finally found your own [[JusticeWillPrevail justice]]... Please... Never lose sight of it again... ".

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile loves making deals with mortals that they later come to regret, though in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', [[spoiler:he makes a deal he later comes to regret, in acquiring Umbra. This results in him losing some of his Daedric power.]] Though Clavicus Vile is indicated to ''sometimes'' make agreements that the recipient doesn't regret (this probably has something to do with the fact that unlike ''most'' devils, he actually has a fairly strong conscience. It just happens to be external).

* In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', each character's GuardianEntity first manifests as a MagnificentBastard version of a character's own voice offering them a "contract" for power, in exchange for unleashing their hidden vengeance / rage / etc on the people and society that's wronged them.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' starts with Link being recruited by a a wicked-looking [[TheImp Imp]] who will help you rescue your friends in return for retrieving [[SealedEvilInACan three forbidden artifacts sealed away by Hyrule's light spirits]]. [[spoiler:Subverted -- the imp, Midna, may ''look'' wicked, but she isn't. Well, not much]].
** The game also has a variant on this in Zant, who [[spoiler:sells his allegiance to Ganondorf in exchange for the latter's help in usurping the throne of the Twilight Realm. Zant, mistakenly believing Ganondorf to be a god, can't be killed as long as the immortal thief-lord lives, but in exchange for the Twilight throne, Ganondorf forces Zant to turn his people into monsters and invade Hyrule. (Zant didn't really need much persuasion on that matter, though.)]] In the end, this deal [[spoiler:backfires on Ganondorf when he tries to reach out to Zant for power to save him from dying, but a disillusioned Zant opts to kill himself instead by snapping his own neck, taking Ganondorf with him.]]

*** Alternatively, a Spirit-Eater with a very high Appraise skill - or an eagle-eyed eyed player - can notice that a word is misspelled in the contract, rendering it nonbinding under infernal law. Pointing this out to the devil causes him to meekly leave the plane.

* This is how most of the bosses in the ''MegaManStarForce'' games become bosses in the first place.

** In ''VideoGame/TwistedMetalBlack'' though, the wishes have to malicous in nature to not be twisted as we learn.

* [[spoiler:Wiegraf]] in ''FinalFantasyTactics''.

** Yet another Sliske moment: a dying man named Gregorovic prayed to Sliske to spare him from his terminal illness. Long story short, Gregorovic is now an insane MonsterClown that eats people (and ''demons'') to stay alive.

** Sliske gains another Barrows wight in "Kindred Spirits" by offering [[spoiler: Linza the blacksmith]] protection from [[spoiler: the Dragonkin she'd robbed for supplies]], in exchange for [[spoiler: betraying the player character to him and]] becoming a wight after death. He never promised not to kill them ''himself''.

** Sliske gains another Barrows wight in "Kindred Spirits" by offering [[spoiler: Linza the blacksmith]] protection from [[spoiler: the Dragonkin she'd robbed for supplies]], in exchange for [[[spoiler: betraying the player character to him and]] becoming a wight after death. He never promised not to kill them ''himself''.

* Once upon a time in ''VideoGame/RuneScape'', six great champions bargained with a mysterious entity for the power to defeat the vampires of Morytania. They indeed gained great power, and defeated the vampires in battle after battle... only to be turned into undead thralls by their benefactor ''on the eve of their final battle''. [[ExactWords He'd never promised them victory, only power.]] And so, the Barrows Brothers came to be.
** Sliske gains another Barrows wight in "Kindred Spirits" by offering [[spoiler: Linza the blacksmith]] protection from [[spoiler: the Dragonkin she'd robbed for supplies]]. In this case, the deal-ee ''knows'' what they're in for and agrees that they will only serve him as a wight after they die and no longer need protection, but forgets to specify that Sliske isn't allowed to kill them himself.

* Nyx manages to pulls one in ''Kingsglaive VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' with the entity sealed in the Ring of the Lucii to get the magical powers to hold off General Glauca and stall the Niflheim invasion long enough for Libertus and Luna to get to the Lucis border. While he is granted immerse magical powers, he will die by sunrise.

* Once upon a time in ''VideoGame/RuneScape'', six great champions bargained with a mysterious entity for the power to defeat the vampires of Morytania. They indeed gained great power, and defeated the vampires in battle after battle... only to be turned into undead thralls by their benefactor ''on the eve of their final battle''. [[ExactWords He'd never promised them victory, only power.]] And so, the Barrows Brothers came to be...
** Sliske gains another Barrows wight in "Kindred Spirits" by offering [[spoiler: Linza the blacksmith]] protection from [[spoiler: the Dragonkin she'd robbed for supplies]]. In this case, the deal-ee knows what the consequence of their bargain will be, and tries to betray ''you'' to Sliske instead, but it's unknown whether that would have saved them.

*** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' also has two party members who have made such deals with all the best intentions. [[Cloudcuckoolander Merrill]] made a deal with a demon to become a blood mage so that she could help her clan rebuild its former glory. [[WellIntentionedExtremist Anders]] made a deal with the benevolent Fade spirit Justice; Justice could possess him, preventing Justice's death and augmenting Anders's powers...but, since Fade spirits are essentially [[BeingOfPureThought creatures of emotion]], his own anger at the Templars and the injustices he saw in the world corrupted Justice into a demon of Vengeance. Both end up suffering greatly for their poor judgment later.

* Twisted on its head in ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' with Fhjull Forked-Tongue, a devil who tried to tempt a fallen angel with a deal... [[GoodIsNotNice Only to find that said angel was ''considerably'' defter at contract manipulation than he]], with the end result being that he's forced to be good for as long as he and the angel remain alive (both are, naturally, immortal). It goes without saying that when you meet him, he's ''not'' having a happy existence.

* In ''VideoGame/CharlieMurder'', Paul Bitterman strikes a deal with dark forces after being kicked out of the titular band, becomes the powerful Lord Mortimer, and forms the DeathMetal band Gore Quaffer to take Charlie Murder down.

** Sliske gains another Barrows wight in "Kindred Spirits" by offering [[spoiler: Linza the blacksmith]] protection from [[spoiler: the Dragonkin she'd robbed for supplies]]. In this case, the deal-ee knows what the consequence of their bargain will be, and tries to lure ''you'' to Sliske as a counter-offer, but it's unknown whether that would have saved them.

** In the Player-Owned Port, amateur adventurer Meg sometimes asks for advice about dealing with demons. The best-scoring advice is "don't risk it", though if she's already made a pact you can advise her to [[LoopholeAbuse check the contract for loopholes]].