| 1 | Remember, a CentralTheme is not the same as AnAesop; a theme is a question, idea, topic, or concept that the text explores, while an Aesop is a conclusion the author reaches about the theme or a lesson they wish to impart to the reader. As such, you should avoid phrasing your examples as conclusions. |
| 2 | ---- |
| 3 | [[AC: Video Games]] |
| 4 | * ''VideoGame/AceCombat'': |
| 5 | ** ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'': In war, the enemy is also human and have their own feelings, loved ones, and motivations for fighting. Alternatively, the loss of innocence in wartime. |
| 6 | ** ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'': The legacy of past conflicts can have ramifications that affect the world in the present day. |
| 7 | ** ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'': Is lasting peace achievable in a world defined by nations and borders? Alternatively, one's legacy is defined by one’s actions. |
| 8 | ** ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation'': In war everyone, soldiers and civilians on both sides, has their own story to tell. |
| 9 | ** ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'': In a world dependent on the flow of information, what would the consequences be if communications were to break down? Alternatively, what would happen if one were to remove warfare’s human element? |
| 10 | * ''VideoGame/ActRaiser'': Should a loving and caring god, like parents, take care of their creations forever? |
| 11 | * ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Days of Ruin]]'': Where there's life, there's hope. Devastating meteor strikes have destroyed both civilization and the environment, bandits and aspiring dictators are all too willing to take advantage of the chaos and a parasitic plant has emerged that targets children and teenagers, growing straight under their skin. Despite all this, however, [[AsLongAsThereIsOneMan as long as there are people willing to do the right thing]] like Brenner, Will and Doctor Morris, the world has a chance of recovery. |
| 12 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Amnesia}}'' series: |
| 13 | ** ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'': How far one is willing to go for redemption. |
| 14 | ** ''VideoGame/AmnesiaAMachineForPigs'': The way an industrialized society views its workers. |
| 15 | ** ''VideoGame/AmnesiaRebirth'': The sacrifices [[MamaBear motherhood]] demands on behalf of children. |
| 16 | ** ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheBunker'': [[WarIsHell The horrors unleashed by war]]. |
| 17 | * ''VideoGame/AmongUs'': Trust and deception. |
| 18 | * ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'': Revenge, sacrifice, teamwork, and the determination it takes to save and protect your loved ones. |
| 19 | * ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'': Taking the time to be there for your community. |
| 20 | * ''VideoGame/AoOni'': The danger of [[CuriosityKilledTheCast unchecked curiosity]]. |
| 21 | * ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'': Always aim for your goal, no matter what makes you stand out. |
| 22 | * ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'': |
| 23 | ** The franchise has the ArcWords of "Nothing is true, everything is permitted" and examines how this idea evolves and applies to different individuals and contexts. |
| 24 | ** The struggles of history itself, that our ancestors are humans, and for all our relative progress, people are still the same more or less. Great figures in history have FeetOfClay and are more human and down to earth than expected and that humanity is only the inheritance of all past achievements and that descendants have a responsibility to make "all this suffering worth something". |
| 25 | ** The struggle between the Assassins and Templars is about [[OrderVersusChaos the nature of power and freedom]]. To what extent do people need leaders to define and direct their lives, and to what extent does democracy work? Both the Assassins and Templars have a millennia-long philosophical debate over this with no real resolution, with the running theme of compromise, failure, and HumansAreFlawed. |
| 26 | * ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'': |
| 27 | ** Should you even worship or have blind faith in [[JerkassGods gods or divine beings that do not care for the mortal's strife]], [[GodIsEvil especially if they are the cause of said strife?]] |
| 28 | ** The strength one receives from familial love (the love between a parent and child, or brotherly love). |
| 29 | ** Which is better: [[UnstoppableRage blind rage]] or [[TranquilFury calm, focused, and controlled fury]]? |
| 30 | ** The lengths one can go to save the world, or their loved ones. |
| 31 | * ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' and ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'': Identity. Sometimes who we truly are goes beyond our wildest imaginations, but who do we become when faced with that revelation? When born of an evil bloodline, will we redeem ourselves or becomes something so much worse? How will that identity affect the rest of the world? |
| 32 | * ''VideoGame/TheBannerSaga'' series is about the burden of leadership in dire circumstances, decisions we make for survival and their short and long-term consequences. |
| 33 | * ''VideoGame/{{Bastion}}'': You need to let go of the past. |
| 34 | * ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'': |
| 35 | ** The series in general: How far can a man be pushed until he breaks? |
| 36 | ** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'': The theme of this game is specifically a question of whether criminals deserve basic fundamental human rights. To what extent do the worst of humanity command compassion and restraint? What does it say about a society that decides to wash its hands of them and simply corral them to a dustbin where they will eventually be subject to extermination? |
| 37 | * ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'': Question everything. Never take truth for granted. |
| 38 | * ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'': The dangers of religious extremism and how it can lead to [[AbusiveParents child abuse]]. |
| 39 | * ''VideoGame/BioShock'': |
| 40 | ** The series in general: |
| 41 | *** No utopian ideology or vision of greatness, [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans however]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned]], [[HumansAreFlawed can ever survive perpetual contact with human flaws]]. |
| 42 | *** When a person devotes their entire life to opposing an evil, it is difficult (if not impossible) to avoid [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becoming just like one's enemy in the process]]. |
| 43 | ** ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'': |
| 44 | *** What does ''redemption'' really mean? Is religion capable of giving a man a second chance, or is it a crutch to avoid taking responsibility? |
| 45 | *** Also, constants and variables (some things can be changed, others cannot). |
| 46 | * ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': |
| 47 | ** The struggle of free will versus predestination, which is summed up by the announcer: "The wheel of fate is turning. Rebel one. Action!" |
| 48 | ** A lesser theme in the series is the conflict between dependence on power and brute strength (reflected in characters like Azrael, Terumi, and Ragna prior to CharacterDevelopment) vs. the reliance on skill and finesse (reflected in characters like Kagura, Bang, Rachel, and Ragna after his CharacterDevelopment). Typically, the series favors skill over power. |
| 49 | ** ''VideoGame/BlazblueCrossTagBattle:'' Fate intertwines in the most unexpected way. |
| 50 | * ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': |
| 51 | ** Fighting for your life. This was the very first theme Miyazaki decided upon, and it shines through in the gameplay: You have no shield, your "armor" sets are just plain clothes, dodging with perfect timing is essential, and if you're injured you have a short window where attacking an enemy lets you [[LifeDrain regain a portion of the health you lost.]] It all emphasizes the feeling of being just a couple of hits away from death at all times, and the need to fight to stay alive. |
| 52 | ** The madness and insanity caused by and of a never-ending hunt. Whether that be a hunt to stop a plague, a hunt for knowledge to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascension]], a hunt for [[ItMakesSenseInContext eyes]], or the hunt for progeny. |
| 53 | ** [[HeWhoFightsMonsters Hunters and humans really being no better then the beasts they fear and hunt.]] |
| 54 | ** [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Eldritch truth]] and never being able to comprehend everything or [[KudzuPlot find answers which leave no questions.]] - This one is applicable as the central theme to the Creator/FROMSoftware Souls series as a whole, including ''Bloodborne''. |
| 55 | * ''VideoGame/BloodstainedCurseOfTheMoon'': Those you would readily call your enemies could turn out to be your closest allies. [[IWorkAlone Pushing on alone out of distrust]] can prove to be your own downfall. |
| 56 | * ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'': |
| 57 | ** ''VideoGame/Borderlands1'': The love of money is the root of all evil. |
| 58 | ** ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'': In addition to continuing the above theme, "hatred" is important. Over the course of the game, you begin to hate Handsome Jack as a truly evil force that needs to die rather than a funny FauxAffablyEvil jackass, and he in turn comes to truly hate you for everything you've done in the course of disrupting his plans. |
| 59 | --->'''Anthony Burch:''' Now, I ''totally acknowledge that this is the creepiest and most negative sounding theme ever'', and I’m not gonna throw out that little tidbit if I'm ever asked to defend video games as an expressive medium, but there it is. |
| 60 | * ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'': What takes the most courage of all, is the courage to refuse. |
| 61 | * ''VideoGame/BrutalOrchestra'': PerfectionIsImpossible and existentialism. |
| 62 | * ''VideoGame/{{Bugsnax}}'': Enticing appearances and ideas versus potentially daunting or depressing realities - and from there, dedication to what you want versus understanding what you need, both the boons and potential risks of escapism and feeling your way through coping mechanisms, and learning to listen to and empathize with others past the way they most immediately present themselves. |
| 63 | * ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' |
| 64 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaI:'' Good vs. Evil |
| 65 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest:'' Pushing on against all odds, even when you can't trust anything you hear. |
| 66 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse:'' Even the most unlikely people may be allies in your goals. |
| 67 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDraculaX'' focus on fighting out of love for those involved in your feud unnecessarily. Also, the importance of careful attention and time to your surroundings, as simply moving on through the game without exploration will guarantee a bad ending. |
| 68 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight:'' Bloodlines. How do our bloodlines affect who we are and the choices we make? What do we do when we come in conflict with it? |
| 69 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon:'' Rite of passage and who a legacy should be passed on to. |
| 70 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaHarmonyOfDissonance:'' Friendship and fighting for those you care about, even when they seem to be your enemy. |
| 71 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow:'' You are not labeled by your abilities, but rather what you choose to do with them. Also, destiny and fate are not absolute; if one is meant to be, then it will be. |
| 72 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence:'' The lengths we'll go for those we love, and even the sacrifices we must or choose to make because of it. |
| 73 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCurseOfDarkness:'' Hatred and betrayal. When someone hurts us deeply, is it right to seek vengeance on them? What could happen if we do? |
| 74 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin:'' Resentment and how it makes us feel about others |
| 75 | ** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia:'' You cannot trust everything you are told to do, as you may be being manipulated into doing the opposite of what you truly intend to do. |
| 76 | * ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'': Part of being an adult is accepting the consequences of your actions. Another major theme is the ups and downs of seeking respectively a stable and conventional life and an exciting, adventurous one... and whether or not you risk simply putting yourself into a box and living unsatisfied either way by putting either concept on a pedestal as an ideal opposed to each other rather than just trusting your instincts. |
| 77 | * ''Videogame/{{Celeste}}'': Dealing with anxiety and depression. |
| 78 | * ''VideoGame/ChaosFaction'': MightMakesRight. |
| 79 | * ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': How even the smallest of actions can change the future in a significant way. |
| 80 | ** ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'': The unintended consequences of any decision. Seeing the forest for the trees, and accepting that there's a bigger picture. |
| 81 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' series: What does it take to raise a civilization from nothing to greatness? |
| 82 | ** ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth'': What does it mean to be "human", exactly? And how might we have to change that meaning in the future? |
| 83 | * ''VideoGame/ClockTower'': The struggle to survive against evil. |
| 84 | * ''VideoGame/CodeVein'': Memories, how despite them seeming lost they still reside somewhere deep inside. Sometimes remembering what happened in our past will drive our future and the futures of those around us. Also, holding onto our humanity through those memories, as losing ourselves can lead to becoming something worse. |
| 85 | * ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'': |
| 86 | ** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberium'': Will you embrace change or resist it? |
| 87 | ** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert'': Is there really a better world than what we have now? |
| 88 | * ''VideoGame/CondemnedCriminalOrigins'': The homeless, and middle/upper-class society's view of them. |
| 89 | * ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'': Will wealth and power really give you what you honestly want? |
| 90 | * ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Unsurprisingly, control]], and the importance of a healthy relationship with it. |
| 91 | * ''VideoGame/CookieClicker'': The destructive capability of unchecked greed. |
| 92 | * ''VideoGame/CrueltySquad'': Life and its (lack of) value. The player character laments wasting his youth and his inability to change this way of life. He kills people for a measly couple thousand bucks at the behest of callous corporate employers who don't even penalize him for killing civilians. Even then the widespread use of recombinator technology implies that this is futile in the end, as the targets can resurrect themselves for cheap much like he does. |
| 93 | * ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings'': The real price of power is the human cost. Politics ultimately boils down to human interaction, and personal friendships and rivalries can decide the fate of nations. Cultural and religious differences can produce conflict and tension but are not insurmountable, and sometimes the bigger danger is the one closer to home. Your best-laid plans for the future sometimes go wrong through no fault of your own, so it's always good to cultivate possible alternatives. |
| 94 | * ''VideoGame/CultistSimulator'': As per WordOfGod: |
| 95 | -->The core theme of CS is the ''gradual revelation of the sublimely monstrous beneath the safely mundane''. |
| 96 | * ''VideoGame/CryOfFear'': Dealing with [[DrivenToSuicide suicidal ideation]]. |
| 97 | * ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'': The dangers of gambling. |
| 98 | * ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'': |
| 99 | ** The central theme of the game as a whole and its many, many sidequests is how unchecked capitalism, driven to its logical extreme, would make everyone miserable except the very few at the top... who pay for it with their humanity instead. |
| 100 | ** The central theme of the PlayerCharacter V's personal story arc is the DrivingQuestion of what is most important in life: survival alone, one's relationships and community, or being remembered long after one's death, with the three V-centric endings ("The Devil", "The Star", and "The Sun", respectively) subscribing to one of these philosophies. |
| 101 | ** Different ways of dealing with mortality, your own and your loved ones. Religion is still a big part of the setting (averting OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions), the wealthy can buy life-extending procedures to slow down aging and the hottest new piece of tech is a chip called the Relic, on which you can essentially [[BrainUploading store a copy of your consciousness]] (though it's only available for the mega-rich). Many sidequests center around different characters' ways of dealing with their loved ones' deaths, and V [[spoiler:has to face their own slow, and seemingly inevitable death)]]. |
| 102 | ** The game is also, despite its title, actually a {{Deconstruction}} of the {{Cyberpunk}} genre -- or, more specifically, of TheEighties' action-packed cyberpunk as embodied by Johnny Silverhand. A recurring theme throughout the game is that the cyberpunks ("edge runners") of 2077 do not operate in the same way as the brazenly establishment-hating cyberpunks of the (in-universe) [=2020s=]. While everyone from that era bemoans the passing of the age when Silverhand could rally crowds to assault corporate headquarters at a moment's notice, the game also goes out of its way to point out how naive, immature, pubertal, and unhealthy that attitude was for everyone involved (as well as that Johnny himself was a toxic and narcissistic douchebag). On a metatextual level, having been signed off on by Creator/RTalsorianGames, ''2077'' can be read as a reflection on and a polemic with that [[TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk}} older, more punk-y vision]] of the genre that was prevalent in the '80s. |
| 103 | * ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'': |
| 104 | ** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'': |
| 105 | *** Fire, death, what beauty means in the CrapsackWorld of Dark Souls, and ultimately, HumansAreGood. |
| 106 | *** Fear, whether it's fear of the known or unknown. Gwyn feared humanity and the darkness, so he linked the First Flame; Laurentius will train you in pyromancy only if you aren't afraid or put off by his power; and both the Crestfallen Warrior and Crestfallen Merchant are cowards who refuse to hope for anything cause of their fear, encouraging the Chosen Undead to basically give up. Fear clearly leads to bad ends cause the two crestfallen NPC's are miserable, you miss out on a Pyromancy teacher if you tell Laurentius his practices are unsavory, and Gwyn's linking the First Flame is inevitably leading the world to ruin rather than preserving it, if the third game is any indication. |
| 107 | *** Determination. Is it better to simply give into despair and await the inevitable in relative peace, or is it nobler to struggle mightily against everything that stands in your way and reach for whatever end you can get? Hollows only lose their minds when they completely lose hope, while those who maintain a goal cling to their sanity a little bit longer. Essentially, when all hope is lost, you keep going because you choose to. |
| 108 | ** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'': |
| 109 | *** If the world is run by an infallible cycle, do any of our choices really matter? Should we rebel against the cycle or make peace with it? Perhaps what makes a choice meaningful is if we conquer adversity and fight in spite of the apparent uselessness of our choices? |
| 110 | *** ''II'' also has a theme of losing and changing identity, which even extends into the mechanics (now that you can respec). A lot of the secondary cast are losing their memories over time, and many of the bosses are marked by either having had their identity changed in some way ([[spoiler:Vendrick]] by hollowing, the Old Iron King by possession, Velstadt by the darkness of the Undead Crypt, Raime by the black fog of the Bride of Ash, the Ivory King by the Old Chaos, and the Old Dragonslayer by simple time). It's not even always negative; both Mytha and Alsanna are changed by love, but one descends into madness and obsession while the other [[LoveRedeems finds redemption]]. |
| 111 | ** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'': |
| 112 | *** The game adds the theme of whether anything can get worse when a CrapsackWorld has reached the depth of awfulness, [[spoiler: even an age of Dark,]] and nothing lasts forever but one legacy can live on for eternity, for better or worse. |
| 113 | *** ''III'' also has a theme of legacies. Many of the bosses and secondary characters are tied in various ways to legacies: struggling to live up to them, abandoning them, continuing them, seeking them, corrupting them. The final ending choice is whether to continue the legacy of lords, bring it to an end, or seize its power and create a new one. |
| 114 | * ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'': Achieving even the smallest victories, no matter the cost. |
| 115 | ** What is the [[SanityMeter emotional and psychological toll]] of an adventurer's life? |
| 116 | * ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeonII'': Facing and overcoming your failures. |
| 117 | * ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' keeps a running theme from corrupt government officials, the selfish who wish to profit and to the psychopath bosses: Is the greatest threat during a crisis the crisis itself, or other people? |
| 118 | * ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'': Loneliness. The whole game centers around delivering cargo through swaths of empty terrain to isolated outposts and connecting them to the Chiral Network (essentially the internet). [[PlayerCharacter Sam]] travels completely alone, and the only [=NPCs=] you see in the game are hostile (with the exception of a few friendly porters that randomly spawn sometimes, but you can't really interact with them much). When you get to said outposts, you only interact with holograms, and not characters. Everyone in the main cast is alone/lonely in a way too, either due to tragic events in the past (Mama, Heartman, Fragile, Die-Hardman, Sam, Higgs) or simply due to their nature they can't quite accept and which makes it difficult to make connections with others (Sam, Deadman, [[spoiler:Amelie]]). |
| 119 | * ''VideoGame/DeBlob'': The importance of art, color and personal expression. |
| 120 | * ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': None of us can choose who we are in this world, but we at least have each other for friendship and support. |
| 121 | * ''VideoGame/Depict1'': [[SignificantAnagram As the game's title can be rearranged to]], deception. |
| 122 | * ''VideoGame/DeusEx'': Worries of the modern age, in particular self-aware AI, governmental conspiracies, the rise of cybernetics, and the loss of [[DeusExMachina an easy way out]]. |
| 123 | * ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': Nature vs nurture and the importance of maintaining one's humanity over throwing it away for power. |
| 124 | * ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'': How much can excessive nostalgia for the past ruin a person? Much of the issues that take place in the game are due to people [[NostalgiaFilter waxing nostalgic for the past and how much better it was than it is today]], but more often than not it's at the expense of either stopping people from moving on or even putting the past on a pedestal of lies and outright ignoring all the terrible things that came with it. |
| 125 | * ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'': The Disgaea games tend to tackle at least one or more themes in each respective game. |
| 126 | ** ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'': Individuals of different races, such as demons, angels, and humans, can together [[ThePowerOfFriendship unite in spirit]]. One race shouldn't judge another based on rumors or historic facts alone. All living creatures, no matter where they were born, can feel emotions like love. |
| 127 | ** ''VideoGame/DisgaeaD2ABrighterDarkness'': The importance of family and what it means to protect them. The detriment of being resistant to change and adhering to outdated traditions and worldviews. |
| 128 | ** ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'': YouAreNotAlone and you don't have to wallow in bitterness and loneliness for the rest of your existence. The most unexpected people can help you heal mental and emotional scars. |
| 129 | ** ''VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice'': Open your heart to others, no matter how hard it may be. Discovering the true virtues of heroism, such as self-sacrifice, having the courage to stand up for others, faith in your beliefs, and helping AFriendInNeed who strayed from the wrong path. |
| 130 | ** ''VideoGame/Disgaea4APromiseUnforgotten'': No matter how trivial or detrimental, keeping promises is important. Even in unfortunate circumstances, you can always stay positive and find something to gain from it, especially if helps you grow as a person. The horrors that [[HumansAreFlawed humans]] [[WarIsHell waging war]] against one another can wreak. Ignoring responsibilities for too long will have dire effects in the long run. |
| 131 | ** ''VideoGame/Disgaea5AllianceOfVengeance'': Being driven by rage and revenge can lead to one's eventual self-destruction. Always have faith in yourself and [[TrueCompanions your allies]]. Even the coldest of hearts can be warmed with genuine kindness. |
| 132 | ** ''VideoGame/Disgaea6DefianceofDestiny'': No matter how many times you fail, you have to keep trying if you want to reach your end goal. Doing so may yield unexpected results, like amassing allies who share in your pursuit. |
| 133 | * ''Franchise/{{Dishonored}}'': |
| 134 | ** Series as a whole: |
| 135 | *** In a corrupt society, criminals, smugglers and assassins are more honorable than [[AristocratsAreEvil the lords who have power]]. |
| 136 | *** Choices determine who we are and the world we live in, every choice has consequences in big and small ways, and living with those choices is the hardest thing one can do. |
| 137 | *** [[WhatYouAreInTheDark What do people do when they get a little bit of power?]] Does power always corrupt or can people choose to be different? |
| 138 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'': LaserGuidedKarma, as the non-lethal takedowns for each of Corvo's targets, with the uncomfortable exception of Lady Boyle, are ironic reflections of their own transgressions[[note]]Overseer Campbell abuses his religious office -- and is himself branded a heretic; the sadistic Pendleton twins get a taste of their own cruelty, being forced to labor anonymously in their own mines; the Lord Regent, the mastermind behind the whole conspiracy, is OutGambitted and falls to his own schemes[[/note]]. |
| 139 | ** ''VideoGame/Dishonored2'': Healing and restoring. In a stark contrast to the first game's, the sequel's non-lethal takedowns (again, with the notable exception of Kirin Jindosh) are focused on healing and restoring justice[[note]]Dr. Hypatia is freed from her SuperpoweredEvilSide, the Crown Killer; Breanna Ashworth is stripped of her dark powers; Aramis Stilton's sanity is restored via CosmicRetcon; and while Duke Luca is too corrupt and depraved to do any good, he is symbolically "fixed" by secretly replacing him with his much more benevolent and wiser body double, healing Karnaca as a whole[[/note]]. |
| 140 | * The ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series as whole: [[ThePowerOfFriendship Loyalty and friendship]] ''can'' change a CrapsackWorld [[AWorldHalfFull for the better]]. |
| 141 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': |
| 142 | *** No victory comes without great cost, known or unknown. |
| 143 | *** [[TheNeedsOfTheMany The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.]] |
| 144 | *** Our duty is determined by the circumstances of our lives, but we have a choice in how we fulfill it. |
| 145 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'': The justification (or lack thereof) of immoral research that ''may'' save millions of lives in the long run. |
| 146 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'': |
| 147 | *** Sometimes [[GreyAndGrayMorality all sides share the blame for a terrible situation]], and there isn't a BigBad who one can conveniently point to as the source of every problem. |
| 148 | *** Mistreating people in fear that they are dangerous will [[ThenLetMeBeEvil make them dangerous]], [[SelfFulfillingProphecy because you've given them good reason to hate you]]. |
| 149 | *** When ''do'' the needs of the many justify harming the few, and who decides? |
| 150 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'': |
| 151 | *** Losing faith and finding it (again). |
| 152 | *** Authority in all its forms, including religious authority. |
| 153 | *** Fear and what it can drive people to do, for better or worse. |
| 154 | *** What happens when rose-tinted ideals meet a compromising reality? Should ideals that fail be cast aside, or should people try again while learning from past mistakes? |
| 155 | *** What to do with an AwfulTruth: is it better to face it head-on, accepting the reality of the situation for what it is no matter what damages it may cause? Or is it better to recognize that people cling to comforting lies for a reason, and the AwfulTruth isn't inherently better for them. |
| 156 | *** Inevitability of corruption in any large organization. In the ''Trespasser'' DLC, even the Inquisition itself is revealed [[spoiler:to have been thoroughly infiltrated by the Qunari and Fen'Harel's agents]] despite its youth. |
| 157 | *** In ''Jaws of Hakkon'': How the legend both elevates and conceals the individual. |
| 158 | *** In ''The Descent'': Some things in life will remain a mystery no matter how you explore or what you find out about it. |
| 159 | *** In ''Trespasser'': Does one simply let go of all the power they've accumulated if the purpose behind it is gone, or do they hold on to it by changing the purpose to fit current circumstances? |
| 160 | * ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' has themes for many of its games: |
| 161 | ** ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestI The]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestII Erdrick]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIII Trilogy]]'': [[HeroicLineage The legacy of your family]] and living up to it. |
| 162 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'': The power of teamwork: What one or two people could never achieve can be easily accomplished by a larger group. |
| 163 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': The importance of love and family: When you are cornered and feeling helpless, your family will be there to help. |
| 164 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'': Dreams and Reality: What changes can someone's dreams have on the world around them? What does it mean to exist within a dream, with the possibility of disappearing when someone else wakes up? Also, the end of the game is about the triumph of hope over despair. |
| 165 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'': Time travel. Save the past in order to save the present. |
| 166 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'': Which is ultimately more important to you, your personal obligations or your freedom to happiness? |
| 167 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestX'' has various themes across its various expansions: |
| 168 | *** Version 1: Revival: Sometimes the best way to continue the fight against the forces of evil is to reincarnate in the deceased body of any of the game's 5 races. |
| 169 | *** Version 3: Does the savior either free the god who believed in MightMakesRight or save the region that had to suffer from the fallout of his sins? |
| 170 | *** Version 5: Cooperation: Putting aside old feuds between humans and demons in the favor of fighting the true enemy who benefited from said feuds. |
| 171 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': The series as a whole focusses on [[YouCantFightFate different]] [[ScrewDestiny views]] on [[SelfFulfillingProphecy fate]] and what it means for people's lives. Beyond that, each game has its own core themes: |
| 172 | ** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'': Divinity. What makes a god, what comes with being one (religion, in particular), and how far mortals would go to achieve godhood. |
| 173 | ** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'': Change is inevitable. You can alter that change to be something better but in the end, NothingIsTheSameAnymore. |
| 174 | ** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': |
| 175 | *** Is the world worth fighting for? |
| 176 | *** What makes a nation, culture, or society what it is? How do you determine who is a "true" member, and who gets to decide? |
| 177 | *** When two sides in a conflict both have legitimate grievances with each other, how do you decide which one to support? Or is supporting neither a legitimate choice, when there is a greater enemy to face? |
| 178 | *** The overarching theme of the [[StoryBreadcrumbs many, many small subnarratives]] of the game is "What it takes to persevere in the brutal GrimUpNorth". |
| 179 | *** The whole theme of the game appears to be "Are the old ways really worth preserving?" and "Should a change be greeted with grace or hostility?" The Stormcloaks are fighting to preserve their tribal identity yet their actions inadvertently trigger the end of the world. The Forsworn claim to be original rulers but have now become brutal, overzealous tribesmen who want to kill all Nords than make an effort to make peace (Ainethach was once a Reachman until he gave it up and he's now the leader of Karthwasten and owns Sanuarach Mine). Paarthurnax even asks why the Dragonborn wants to stop Alduin if the end of the world is a natural part of the grand cycle. |
| 180 | ----> '''Paarthurnax''': "Why must you stop Alduin?"\ |
| 181 | '''Dragonborn''': "I like this world. I don't want it to end."\ |
| 182 | '''Paarthurnax''': "Pruzah. As good a reason as any. There are many who feel as you do, although not all. Some would say that all things must end, so that the next can come to pass. Perhaps this world is simply the Egg of the next kalpa? Lein vokiin? Would you stop the next world from being born?"\ |
| 183 | '''Dragonborn''': "The next world will have to take care of itself."\ |
| 184 | '''Paarthurnax''': "Paaz. A fair answer. Ro fus... maybe you only balance the forces that work to quicken the end of this world. Even we who ride the currents of Time cannot see past Time's end... Wuldsetiid los tahrodiis. Those who try to hasten the end, may delay it. Those who work to delay the end, may bring it closer." |
| 185 | * ''VideoGame/EverOasis'': New opportunities come from meeting new people. |
| 186 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' series: A single choice can have far-reaching and everlasting consequences, not only for the person making the choice, but also for the world at large. |
| 187 | ** ''VideoGame/FableII'': Reflecting on what you lost and the different ways to cope with it and possibly bring it back. |
| 188 | ** ''VideoGame/FableIII'': What is a person willing to sacrifice in order to do the right thing? |
| 189 | * ''VideoGame/FaithTheUnholyTrinity'': The conflict between Christianity and Satanism. |
| 190 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series: Even AfterTheEnd, people will still find reasons to kill one another. |
| 191 | --> [[ArcWords War... war never changes.]] |
| 192 | ** Via WordOfGod, the series' other central theme is that you need to let go of the past. In ''New Vegas'' in particular there is a direct correlation between a faction's evilness on the KarmaMeter and how tightly they cling to the values of the past. This even extends to all of your human/humanoid companions and all of the DLC. |
| 193 | ** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has a theme beyond that, and a different one for each DLC. In the game overall, it's that all power is a gamble (quite appropriate for Las Vegas) and small things can tip huge scales. |
| 194 | *** In ''Dead Money'': Obsession is a cage. ([[ArcWords Begin again, let go.]]) |
| 195 | *** In ''Honest Hearts'': We're all tribes in the end and family forgives no matter what, so long as you admit that you went wrong. |
| 196 | *** In ''Old World Blues'': The Wasteland may be harsh, but the Old World was no kinder. Look to the future - not for something better, but to ''make'' it better. |
| 197 | *** In ''Lonesome Road'': One person with one careless action can leave unimaginable scars, and the power of symbols - particularly flags. |
| 198 | ** ''New Vegas'' also heavily tackles the topic of Hegelian dialectics, which is mentioned by Caesar himself. As Caesar said in-game, the thesis contains or creates its antithesis. They are bound to clash and in that moment a synthesis is born, combining elements from both. On a second glance, [[NotSoDifferentRemark the NCR, Legion, and House are one and the same thesis, as they represent different parts of the old world.]] Their inevitable clash created an antithesis, a new power in the Mojave: The Courier. |
| 199 | ** ''VideoGame/Fallout4'': |
| 200 | *** Letting go of the past, but also using it to make better decisions. Unlike ''New Vegas,'' their stubbornness to let go isn't directly related to how evil a faction is, as the Institute wants to create a better future by ignoring the past, whilst the Brotherhood of Steel seek its history for answers. Rather, it’s how the factions view and approach their past that affects their morality. |
| 201 | *** A second theme is deciding [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman who, and what, makes up human civilization in the 23rd century]]. Synths, Super Mutants, Ghouls, robots/A.I.s, irradiated humans and the very few "pure" humans left all have to live together. [[FantasticRacism Some think they're better than others]] - but who's counting? |
| 202 | *** The themes of the story arcs for the companions (and the main storyline itself) in ''4'' are about the need to [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife reinvent oneself]], [[QuestForIdentity struggling with identity]], and the need to let go of the past to begin anew. |
| 203 | * The ''Franchise/FarCry'' series has an overarching theme of men becoming monsters, whether figuratively or literally: |
| 204 | ** ''VideoGame/FarCry2'': War for the sake of war, and that eventually the only way to make it end is to save the innocent and kill everyone else, including yourself. |
| 205 | ** ''VideoGame/FarCry3'': Insanity, the blurred line between fantasy and reality, and whether or not a normal person can ever be good again if they choose to go down the rabbit hole and embrace their inner warrior. |
| 206 | ---> [[ArcWords "Have I ever told you the definition of insanity?"]] [[spoiler:(It's doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result.)]] |
| 207 | ** ''VideoGame/FarCry4'': [[BlackAndGrayMorality Definite "good and evil"]] [[EvilVersusEvil doesn't actually exist]] [[WarIsHell in wars]]. [[HeWhoFightsMonsters Trying to fight "evil" may only make you just as bad as the enemy]] ([[MotiveDecay or at least forget what you're really fighting for in the first place]]). |
| 208 | ** ''VideoGame/FarCry5'': Faith, or rather reasons why people turned to extremism of their own beliefs. |
| 209 | ** ''VideoGame/FarCry6'': When it comes to restoring a troubled nation to its former glory, believing that [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans no cost is too steep]] can have disastrous consequences. |
| 210 | * Each Lostbelt from Arc 2 of ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' has one, focusing on the nature of the lostbelt and why it was ultimately pruned. |
| 211 | ** Anastasia: Strength, what it leads people to do, and how [[LivingIsMoreThanSurviving solely focusing on strength is detrimental]]. |
| 212 | ** Gotterdammerung: Love, good and bad, and how it influences people. |
| 213 | ** SIN: Stability and how it hinders interaction, growth, and progress. |
| 214 | ** Yuga Kshetra: Flaws and how we interact with them. |
| 215 | ** Atlantis/Olympus: Pride, how it can make you lazy, how it can break you, and how it can also push you to surpass your limits. |
| 216 | ** Avalon le Fey: Responsibility - you have a duty to uphold, and you have to be held accountable if you fail it. Even if it would be easier to just die, you need to shoulder on to do what must be done. |
| 217 | ** Nahui Mictlan: Sacrifice - what will you give to save others? How much is too much? |
| 218 | * Once ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' started to develop genuine plots, it began to look at themes: |
| 219 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' - WarIsHell. |
| 220 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' - LightIsGood and DarkIsEvil are fallacies; instead the world must have a balance of both. |
| 221 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' - [[MustMakeAmends What does it mean to redeem yourself]]? How strong is guilt as a motivating factor? |
| 222 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' - Legacy. The old generation making room for the new one, most visibly by the deaths of the PrecursorHeroes. |
| 223 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' - Our sense of fulfillment in life is derived from the connections which we form with others; that love ''itself''--in all its forms--is the meaning of life. Meanwhile, more selfish ambitions such as the pursuit of power are self-destructive, as they ultimately leave one feeling alone and nihilistic due to awareness of everything's impermanence, as [[BigBad Kefka]]'s inability to find any meaning in life personifies. There's also taking responsibility for your past deeds and forgiving yourself, as seen with Terra, Locke, Shadow, Setzer, and Cyan. Finally, there's the theme of ''loss'': each and every main character has lost or loses something important to their lives, and learning to move past that and find hope afterwards is vital to everyone's arcs, save for possibly Umaro and Gogo. |
| 224 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' - Emotional maturation; learning to value life itself. Losing that which was most precious to you in your formative years; learning to cope with pain and hardship as you find your place in the adult world, and accepting loss as part of the inevitable and never-ending cycle of life and death. No matter how much is taken from you, how much you suffer, or whether it will ultimately last, you should never give up living and finding things to live and strive for. |
| 225 | *** ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' - Legacy. The actions of one generation influencing the next and paving the way for a new age, either through genetics (Jenova cells) or inherited wills/morals (Angeal's honor and the Buster Sword). Do the circumstances of one's birth determine whether or not they're a monster? The price of freedom, what it takes to become a hero, and what it means to be one. |
| 226 | *** ''VideoGame/DirgeOfCerberus'' - Environmentalism. Deeply buried corporate secrets (Deepground) returning to haunt the survivors of a global crisis brought about by said corporate power. The sins of the past being used to save the present world. |
| 227 | *** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' - Predestination. Both in the sense of [[SlidingScaleOfFreeWillVsFate destiny and all of its tropes within a narrative]], but also, and perhaps far more prominently, [[{{Postmodernism}} what predestination means in relation to a remake and how the nature of a remake influences a team's creative freedom]], as well as the safety and comfort of just going along with how things are supposed to go pitted against [[PrescienceIsPredictable the excitement of letting things go in unexplored directions and the joy of not knowing what's going to happen next.]] |
| 228 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' - The importance of ThePowerOfFriendship and how distancing oneself from others emotionally can be more damaging than forming bonds and being open. Predestination and [[YouCantFightFate the inescapability of fate.]] |
| 229 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' - Self-discovery and what it means to "live". One's fate is not decided by how they are born or what their predetermined purpose is. |
| 230 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' - All tradition must be questioned, no victory comes without sacrifices, and the inner conflict between personal ambitions and cultural/familial expectations. |
| 231 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' - An exploration of a world's culture and society experiencing significant changes and shift from tradition. The tensions between the old and new ideologies threatening to escalate into a war and repeat the mistakes of the past. Shaking off the constraints of the past and finding a strong and confident person within yourself by embracing your newfound freedom. |
| 232 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' - The cycle of revenge and forgiveness. Is power the only way to fight against power? |
| 233 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' - [[FateVsFreeWill Free will]], the power of the human spirit, [[BeneathTheMask facing yourself]], forgiveness, and redemption. It's pointless to try to run from your problems as they will eventually catch up with you and potentially get out of hand on a large scale. Theocracy, totalitarianism, and propaganda. The nature of people from two different worlds being brainwashed and conditioned over centuries to fear and hate each other, only to meet and realize they have a lot more in common than previously believed upon getting to know each other properly. |
| 234 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'' - [[PowerAtAPrice How far will you go]] to [[ScrewDestiny defy]] fate? |
| 235 | ** ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII'' - Having emotions and being true to yourself are not weaknesses. The downsides of immortality, even the illusion of it, and how death can become a desirable option. The rise of religious cults that aim to fill the void of absent leadership and use their power to influence who they believe deserves to live or die. |
| 236 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV: A Realm Reborn'' - Healing after the great catastrophe, and the power of belief to shape reality. |
| 237 | *** ''Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward'' - How the past influences the present, the terrible cycle of revenge, how people react to the upending of their beliefs, and how one deals with grief and loss. |
| 238 | *** ''Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood'' - Loyalty, the identity of a nation, retaining or regaining hope amidst overwhelming odds, and the lengths people go to be free. |
| 239 | *** ''Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers'' - Legacy, how the people and civilizations of the past shaped us. Also, despite our mortality, we should never give in to indolence and despair and always strive for a better tomorrow for our future generations. In addition to this, acts of heroism and villainy are defined by the victors and can be misconstrued by the opposing side. |
| 240 | *** ''Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker'' - Hope in the face of nihilism and despair. |
| 241 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' - The [[FateVsFreeWill fated]] rite of passage from childhood to adulthood, and the incredible burden that it entails. Fortunately however, [[YouAreNotAlone you don't have to go about it alone]]. |
| 242 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'': The destructive consequences of unchecked power in all of its forms. |
| 243 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' - The consequences of seeking power and using people as tools. |
| 244 | *** Also: What is the difference between pride in oneself and arrogance? Will our actions exonerate or condemn us, both to ourselves and to others? And in either case, which is more important, the approval of ourselves for our conduct, or the approval of others? |
| 245 | ----> Ramza: "A man who's lost his pride will never be free." |
| 246 | *** True heroism isn't always rewarded positively |
| 247 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'': |
| 248 | *** Avoiding reality is not healthy. |
| 249 | *** Things aren't always as bad as you think they are. Doned may have been confined to a wheelchair, but his mother babied him while Marche was neglected. Ritz's confidence grows when she's no longer ashamed of her natural hair color, especially after she sees it in a completely different light. While Mewt had the most reason to want an escape, due to losing his mother and being bullied, ultimately his father and his friend did still care and try for him. |
| 250 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' - You must live life to the fullest, even the painful bits. |
| 251 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' - Memories are precious things that make us strong. |
| 252 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChroniclesEchoesOfTime'' - A loving family can overcome anything. |
| 253 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight'' - Evil conquers from within the heart. |
| 254 | * ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': |
| 255 | ** General: In a conflict between humans and other species, HumansAreTheRealMonsters. They are usually be blamed for the cause of the conflict in the first place because of the scummy bunch of them ruining things for everyone. However, this is not an excuse for humans to allow themselves to be trampled by the others for the crimes of their ancestors, as many of the heroes have to fight off the vengeful human-hating factions as it is the only way to stand up for whatever they are protecting. |
| 256 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'': |
| 257 | *** A person's worth being determined by their actions and character, not blood or title. |
| 258 | *** Following any ideology to the extreme will cause negative consequences, which is reflected by how both the kingdoms of Zofia and Rigel ended up how they are because they took the ideals of their patron gods without any moderation. |
| 259 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem'' - It is important to strike down an ally/beloved one turned enemy, either because of the atrocities that they have caused, or [[MercyKill to end their misery]] of [[BrainwashedAndCrazy being possessed to do those evil things at the first place]]. Sometimes you would have to work with previous enemies to tackle the root of the issue. This theme gets carried over to many later games. |
| 260 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'': A deconstruction of "conquering the continent to save the day", inheritance, and the CycleOfRevenge. |
| 261 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'': Heroes aren't born, they are made. |
| 262 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'': Whether or not humanity is worth saving despite its flaws. |
| 263 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'': Goals motivated by familial love. Several heroes and villains do what they had to do because of their love for their family members. |
| 264 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'': The road to hell is paved with good intentions. |
| 265 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'': Discrimination, family, and the CycleOfRevenge. |
| 266 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'': [[OrderVersusChaos Order and Chaos are not black and white]]; order can be evil, and chaos can be good. |
| 267 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'': [[ScrewDestiny We shape our own destiny]]. |
| 268 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': Having to choose between morals or loyalty, PoorCommunicationKills, as well as the clash between Eastern and Western cultures. |
| 269 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': How transgressions of the past generations make life miserable for the young adults of today. Beyond that, each of the Houses' routes has additional core themes of its own: |
| 270 | *** Black Eagles: The need to challenge obsolete and restrictive institutions. The cost of seeing one's ambitions and ideals realized. |
| 271 | *** Blue Lions: Finding light even in the darkness. Learning and growing from tragedy. |
| 272 | *** Golden Deer: The importance of an outside perspective in resolving and mediating age-old conflicts. |
| 273 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'': Shifting alliances. Just because someone's your enemy now doesn't mean they always have to be. |
| 274 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'': [[ThePowerOfFriendship Alone, people are weak, but together, people are strong]]. |
| 275 | * ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': |
| 276 | ** Corruption of innocence and idealism. A place made to inspire joy in the hearts of children and adults alike devolves into a nightmare for everyone it touches, including and ''especially'' those who created it in the first place. A common occurrence in the franchise is children dying, suffering or experiencing horrific trauma, especially being [[WouldHurtAChild murdered]]. |
| 277 | ** WhoWantsToLiveForever: Many characters achieve eternal life to some capacity in the series, and suffer all the more for it. [[BigBad William Afton]] achieves some sort of JokerImmunity by suffering a CruelAndUnusualDeath through spring-lock failure to become a zombie fused with a rotting bunny suit, and is subsequently "killed" through [[KillItWithFire burning]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3 several]] [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator times]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach after the fact]], one of those times being by his old friend and implicitly his own son. [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation Michael Afton]] suffers a similar fate as his father, where he has his insides removed so he could be a temporary FullBodyDisguise for Ennard but ends up surviving even as an empty, rotting corpse. All of the [[HauntedTechnology haunted]] [[HostileAnimatronics animatronics]], most of which have the souls of aforementioned dead children in them, achieve eternal life as machines but at the cost of anything that made them human. |
| 278 | * ''VideoGame/ForHonor'': Is there really honor in war? Can there be? Should there be? |
| 279 | * ''VideoGame/FrostPunk'': The City '''must''' survive. What are you willing to sacrifice to ensure that it does? Will it be enough? |
| 280 | * In ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'', as per a samurai game, the [[ToBeLawfulOrGood concept of honor]] is explored in many forms. |
| 281 | ** Yuna only cares about two things: her brother Taka and leaving Tsushima. She will kill and steal from the shadows and she doesn't care that others call her dishonorable for it. However, she is one of the most noble people in the game, being the person who saves Jin (twice!) when she had no reason to do so and she keeps her promises despite her desperate circumstances. |
| 282 | ** Ryuzo is also a commoner like Yuna looking after his family (the Straw Hat ronin) but he chooses to side with the Monguls to feed his men and betrays Jin's friendship. |
| 283 | ** Shimura is presented as a paragon of honor early in the game but [[spoiler: this makes him see peasants more as resources and the honor he and the Shogun cling to is all about keeping them in their place.]] |
| 284 | ** Jin, despite using "dishonorable" methods and tricks to stop the Monguls and empower peasants to fight back the invaders, is a very noble and kind man. [[spoiler: The Shogun, seeing the samurai privilege threatened, brands Jin a criminal and orders Shimura to kill Jin.]] |
| 285 | * ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'': [[VengeanceFeelsEmpty Revenge leaves you empty]]. |
| 286 | ** For the [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 Norse]] [[VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok chapter]]: We must actively strive to [[ArcWords be better]] than the past, lest we keep repeating the same mistakes. |
| 287 | * ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games deal with the over-the-top nature of American popular culture, the sliminess of mass media, and the ubiquitous moral corruption in modern society. |
| 288 | ** Betrayal and revenge are running themes throughout the series. ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' for example has the protagonist being betrayed by his girlfriend and partner, Catalina, in crime in the opening among others throughout the game and he [[HeroicMime appears]] to be on a quest for revenge against her. ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'' likewise deals with a character who has been betrayed twice and must betray others in return to survive and all subsequent games have had multiple people betraying the protagonist as a major plot points. |
| 289 | ** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' deconstructs the TrueCompanions sentimentalism in street gangs. The people who you think are your real friends will sell you out if you get in their way. Your real friends turn out to be the ones who are there for you when you are really down. |
| 290 | ** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'': Your past scars your future. Every character has one mistake they regret and try to fix it in some way or another. Most importantly, is UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream still alive? |
| 291 | ** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned'': Is the concept of brotherhood and chivalry in a criminal empire still relevant in these changing times? |
| 292 | ** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheBalladOfGayTony'': Does moving to a higher position in society make you safer from crime and if not, does the crime become more dangerous to everyone around you? |
| 293 | ** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'': In an age where everyone is willing to betray, kill and steal in the pursuit of the almighty dollar, is loyalty still a virtue worth dying for? |
| 294 | * ''VideoGame/GravityRush2'': The separation and inequality between people on a social, economic, geographic and even ''temporal'' scale, and yet how great things can still happen if connections are formed between them. |
| 295 | * ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'': [[HumansAreFlawed Sin]] and [[TheAtoner redemption]]. |
| 296 | * ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}'': |
| 297 | ** Cycles. |
| 298 | ** Reconciliation and family ties. |
| 299 | ** Giving people chances to grow and change. |
| 300 | ** Running away. |
| 301 | * ''VideoGame/HalfLife'': Is science a beneficial tool or a destructive force? And is a OneManArmy IconOfRebellion against an Orwellian state truly a hero, "The One Free Man", or an UnwittingPawn to circumstances and forces beyond his understanding and control? |
| 302 | * ''VideoGame/HuntDownTheFreeman'' -- Don't make deals with the devil. |
| 303 | * ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': A few games in the series display strong central themes. |
| 304 | ** ''VideoGame/Halo2'': The two sides of war. In the beginning, Chief is declared a hero for stopping the Covenant from activating Installation 04 while the Elite who eventually becomes the Arbiter is declared a heretic for allowing a Halo to be destroyed. Both of their stories highlights the contrast, yet similarities to each side which eventually leads them to find out the truth they didn't know about and create an alliance between the humans and the Covenant Separatist. |
| 305 | ** ''VideoGame/Halo3'': Desperation. The UNSC and Elites are desperate enough to ally to avoid genocide. The Flood make everyone desperate enough that Hood allows the Elites to glass half of Africa. The Flood are desperate enough to stop the Ark being fired that they ally (briefly) with Chief and Arbiter. Once the tide turns, the Covenant are desperate enough to stop Chief that they throw everything they have at him. |
| 306 | ** ''VideoGame/HaloReach'': Defiance in death. Reach falls, and quickly. But the Covenant lose more taking it than in any other battle. Noble Team (with the exception of Jun and Kat) all die in some way spiting the Covenant. On a grander scale, the loss of Reach and Six's death allow for Master Chief to reach Halo, and end the war. |
| 307 | ** ''VideoGame/Halo4'': Losing your humanity to pursue goals. The game opens with a discussion about how the Master Chief is a functional sociopath, and Cortana reminds him that his determination, both to fight the Didact and to save her, turns him into more of a machine than anything else. Both the Didact and his Prometheans are warped from what they once were (in the case of the Prometheans, humans literally becoming machines), due to extensive attempts to fight the Flood. |
| 308 | ** ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'': How an 'Imperial Peace' like the Mantle is not worth it, due to the force and terror needed to enforce it. How your viewpoint depends on your perspective, and when you dig deeper, things that are one way look to be another one very quickly. |
| 309 | * ''VideoGame/Haven2020'': When it comes to defying authority and earning the freedom to love who you want, will you be confident enough to see it through? |
| 310 | * ''VideoGame/HellbladeSenuasSacrifice'': [[spoiler:Overcoming grief]], though it doesn't become apparent until near the end. While the game leaves it somewhat ambiguous as to [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane how much of it is real and how much is in Senua's head]], it is strongly implied that much of what she hallucinates are manifestations of her grief and trauma after being abused by her father, shamed by her tribe because of her illness, and witnessing the deaths of Dillion and her mother—the only two people who ever showed her love and understanding. Her repressed memories of [[spoiler:her mother's death at the hands of her father]] and quest to revive Dillion are rooted in her inability to cope with that trauma; the combat—Senua mowing down countless enemies through a labyrinth of nightmarish environments—is a metaphorical representation of her denial. By the end of the game, [[spoiler:she finally gives up fighting ([[GameplayAndStoryIntegration literally and metaphorically]]) and lets go of Dillion's skull; accepting that she will never get him back. Only by coming to terms with her grief and accepting her condition is she able to confront her inner demons and move on]]. As the saying goes: "Life's toughest battles are fought in the mind." |
| 311 | * ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'': Your actions have consequences, so think wisely. |
| 312 | * ''VideoGame/{{Horizon}}'': |
| 313 | ** ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': Moving on from the past, and maintaining hope for the future in the wake of tragedy. |
| 314 | ** ''VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest'': Does love for humanity also require love for individual people? |
| 315 | * ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'' and ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'': The viscerally delightful, briefly satisfying, and alluring, but ultimately pointless and self-destructive nature of violence. |
| 316 | * ''VideoGame/HyperLightDrifter'': |
| 317 | ** The futility of striving for something that may not even exist in the first place. |
| 318 | ** Individuals taking power for themselves with violence. |
| 319 | ** The nature of death, and the different ways one can relate to it. |
| 320 | * ''VideoGame/InFamous'': If given great powers, would you [[KarmaMeter choose]] to use them for [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility good]] or [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity evil]]? Or as stated by this one in-game quote [[BeamMeUpScotty (mis)attributed]] to UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln: |
| 321 | -->"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." |
| 322 | * ''Franchise/{{Injustice}}'': |
| 323 | ** ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': BewareTheSuperman. Can the ideal hero [[HeWhoFightsMonsters turn into the very monster]] they once opposed if they had a [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke "bad day"]]? |
| 324 | ** ''VideoGame/Injustice2'': ThouShaltNotKill vs. PayEvilUntoEvil. Is killing in the name of justice and saving lives morally acceptable? At what point do we draw the line? The game also does a DeconReconSwitch of both methods on solving crime. |
| 325 | * ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'': Expression. |
| 326 | * ''VideoGame/KentuckyRouteZero'': the burdens of capitalism and debt, and the power of community, found families and art. |
| 327 | * ''VideoGame/Killer7'': Every nation has its own culture, and one nation forcing its culture onto another will only make the other nation bitter. |
| 328 | * ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'': The importance of teamwork, especially when confronting global threats. |
| 329 | * ''Franchise/KingdomHearts:'' Connection. [[YouAreNotAlone No man is an island]], good or evil. ThePowerOfFriendship can drive people to overcome many kinds of things. |
| 330 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'': The nature of memory, and whether even false memories can be important to keep close to the heart. |
| 331 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'': The importance of emotion, and the struggle of determining one's own identity. |
| 332 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'': [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Whether something "inhuman" can still have measure]], and trying to live a fulfilling life in the face of inevitable tragedy. |
| 333 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'': The struggles to maintain friendships and faith in others in the face of overwhelming odds and overbearing responsibilities. Also, LightIsNotGood and DarkIsNotEvil as the world does not always work in absolutes. |
| 334 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'': Responsibility to a greater cause than yourself, and acceptance of who you are in spite of everything you've lived through. |
| 335 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'': Facing the struggles of the past, including your own failures, and working to fix or make up for them. |
| 336 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsMelodyOfMemory'': The reflection of an event and the reaction to it going forward. |
| 337 | * ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': Cute and cheerful is not necessarily harmless, and in the face of dark, insurmountable, even nightmarish odds, a heart of love and hope can always shine through. |
| 338 | ** ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'': Going on adventures and lending a helping hand when possible. |
| 339 | ** ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'': Nature, and the folly of lusting after its beauty. |
| 340 | ** ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'': Technology, and how it can be used to harm and subjugate when driven by greedy or insatiable desires, but also how it can be used for good when in the right hands. |
| 341 | ** ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'': Friendship, love, teamwork and [[ThePowerOfFriendship the power]] they have to save the day. |
| 342 | ** ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'': Captivity, whether literally or psychologically, and being exploited in some way during that confinement. This shows up with the Waddle Dees, [[spoiler: [[BrainwashedAndCrazy King Dedede and the Beast Pack]]]], and [[spoiler: the FinalBoss]]. |
| 343 | * ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'': |
| 344 | ** ''VideoGame/KlonoaDoorToPhantomile'': Dreams, memories and loss. |
| 345 | ** ''VideoGame/Klonoa2LunateasVeil'': The ways we deal with sorrow compared to other emotions. |
| 346 | * ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': Is redemption truly possible for everyone? |
| 347 | * ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'': |
| 348 | ** Even seemingly innocuous actions can have unforseen long-term consequences. |
| 349 | ** The idea that a disparate group of people can actually be tightly bonded in ways none of them realise. |
| 350 | * ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': |
| 351 | ** If ''Literature/HarryPotter'' is about how very intense, primal parental love is beautiful and can quite literally save the world, this game has exact opposite theme. This is about how parental love is so intense that it can drive people to do crazy, destructive things and how OutlivingOnesOffspring is one of the worst things that can happen to someone. Joel is still reeling from his daughter Sarah's death twenty later and jumps at [[ReplacementGoldfish the opportunity to take that love and put it onto Ellie]]. When he finds out that Ellie, who's immune to the virus that caused the zombie outbreak, is going to die in the surgery to get the virus out of her brain, [[spoiler: rips her off the operating table and slaughters everyone in the operating room]]. He knows that she would want to cure the virus but he does it anyway. He [[spoiler: damns the world of a chance to cure the virus]] all because he can't bear to lose another daughter. |
| 352 | ** Partnership. Almost every named character has or had some sort of partner or companion. |
| 353 | ** Selfishness. There's rare exceptions but the motivations of almost all the characters have some degree of selfishness to them. |
| 354 | ** [[TheApocalypseBringsOutTheBestInPeople The apocalypse]] ''[[SubvertedTrope does not]]'' [[TheApocalypseBringsOutTheBestInPeople bring out the best in people]]. Only those who are willing to stoop to any low and do literally anything it takes to stay alive - including killing innocent people - are capable of being the "[[VillainProtagonist last of us]]" to survive. |
| 355 | * ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'': Revenge will not give you closure or satisfaction. More likely, it will make you lose what is actually important to you. |
| 356 | * ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' is interesting in that the theme - ThePowerOfFriendship - is almost entirely told through gameplay, e.g. committing traitorous acts such as running away from your team will draw a tank or hunter to you, getting you and probably everybody else killed. |
| 357 | * ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'': |
| 358 | ** TakeAThirdOption. There's always one somewhere. |
| 359 | ** The developers of the first game in the series described its core motif as "What is evil? Perhaps it is only a perspective." This theme has coloured every game in the series to a greater or lesser extent, with its extensive use of GreyAndGrayMorality. |
| 360 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'': No one person, no matter what they've done in the past, no matter what they've done with their lives, is completely beyond love and redemption. Any life can be given meaning so long as you're willing to reach out to them. Having the compassion to help anyone with anything, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Also nobody does something without motive or purpose, we all have our own reasons for the choices we make. |
| 361 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'': People working together despite their differences in background or views to overcome even the most impossible odds. Power, and how and when to use it. Also continues on with Sky's themes of redemption and compassion. |
| 362 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': A true hero needs power to make a difference, wisdom to make good choices, and courage to face adversity. |
| 363 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': Who you truly are on the inside. |
| 364 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'': The nature of dreams and of existence. |
| 365 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': Time changes everything, from your worldview to your relationships with others. |
| 366 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'': Dealing with despair by being honest about yourself and your feelings. |
| 367 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'': Harmony vs Imbalance. ''Oracle of Seasons'' in particular deals with the discord caused by climate shifts, and ''Ages'' explores the manner in which past shapes present. |
| 368 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': Nothing lasts forever, and how much growth matters in the face of that impermanence. |
| 369 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': Power corrupts if used for selfish gain. Only those who can use power for the benefit of others deserve to have it. |
| 370 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': [[{{Determinator}} The many lengths someone will reach to save a beloved one]]. |
| 371 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'': Must a leader sacrifice one land to save their own? |
| 372 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': Fulfilling one's duty, and knowing when you need to do so on your own terms.[[note]]Link has no problem dedicating his life to his duty as a knight, but comes off as unfeeling as a result of all the pressure. Revali can barely put his duty over his pride while Urbosa, Mipha, and Daruk accept their fate and duty with open arms. Zelda struggles to fulfill her duties as princess and the one who must bind Ganon. King Rhoam's downfall is that he couldn't see past his arrogance and stubbornness to let Zelda help Hyrule in a way that didn't fit exactly into his expectations.[[/note]] |
| 373 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': The continuum of time finds a way to keep itself in check, but what does it take? In what ways do falsehoods appear to be true? |
| 374 | * ''VideoGame/LibraryOfRuina'': |
| 375 | ** The unforeseen consequences of RevengeBeforeReason. |
| 376 | ** Exactly what does it take to be in control of your emotions instead of them in control of you? |
| 377 | * ''VideoGame/{{LittleBigPlanet}}'': In general, Show the world something amazing with what you can imagine. |
| 378 | ** Little Big Planet: Travel around the world and lend a helping hand in anyway. |
| 379 | ** Little Big Planet 2: Overcoming our flaws (such as self-absorption and ego) and confronting the negative force that keeps us down. |
| 380 | ** Little Big Planet Vita: Reuniting with an old friend. |
| 381 | ** Little Big Planet 3: Do not mettle with forces beyond your understanding. |
| 382 | ** Little Big Planet Karting: Going against those who would steal from others. |
| 383 | * ''VideoGame/{{LISA}}'': A ViciousCycle of abusive relationships, and a CycleOfRevenge over the course of generations until [[ScrewDestiny one of them is able to finally break the cycle]]. |
| 384 | ** ''VideoGame/LISAThePointless'': Futility and attempts to find meaning in a meaningless world. |
| 385 | ** ''VideoGame/LISATheHopeful'': How friends can shape a man for good or for ill. |
| 386 | * ''VideoGame/LittleTailBronx'': |
| 387 | ** ''VideoGame/SolatoroboRedTheHunter'': Confronting the mistakes and tragedy of the past so you can march onwards to a better future. |
| 388 | ** ''Fuga: Melodies of Steel'' series: WarIsHell and hard decisions must be taken to persevere through it. Trust in your comrades and make good use of everything at your disposal. |
| 389 | *** ''VideoGame/FugaMelodiesOfSteel'': How far will one go to save those they care about? Can peace truly only be attained through sacrifice? |
| 390 | *** ''VideoGame/FugaMelodiesOfSteel2'': [[RevengeIsNotJustice The desire for vengeance is inherently self-destructive]], and those fully consumed by it [[HeWhoFightsMonsters may become just as bad as the very people who wronged them]]. |
| 391 | * ''VideoGame/LiveALive'': Can anyone, even the seemingly nicest person you know, become evil if they have enough hatred inside them? What does the concept of 'humanity' embody? |
| 392 | * ''VideoGame/LobotomyCorporation'': |
| 393 | ** The process of learning from and eventually overcoming one's personal demons. |
| 394 | ** At what point does one cross over from WellIntentionedExtremist to NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist when it comes to the methods used to achieve their goals? |
| 395 | * ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'': Love always finds a way. |
| 396 | * ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'': Mystery is important, there is no magic in knowing everything. |
| 397 | ** ''VideoGame/DreamfallTheLongestJourney'': Faith -- having it, losing it, and regaining it. |
| 398 | ** ''VideoGame/DreamfallChapters'': Stages of life, finding your true place in life. |
| 399 | * ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'': Is being immortal really as great as it sounds? |
| 400 | * ''Lunar: Silver Star Story'': |
| 401 | ** You can do anything if you have people you care about. |
| 402 | ** The Fate of the World. |
| 403 | * ''VideoGame/MadFather'': How bad parenting negatively affect children. |
| 404 | * ''VideoGame/MadWorld'': |
| 405 | ** HumansAreBastards, and this isn't about to change any time soon. All you can really do is stiffen your spine and keep going. |
| 406 | ** ''VideoGame/AnarchyReigns'': When, if ever, is it right to take the law into your own hands? |
| 407 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Mafia}}'' series of game each have their own theme and considering [[CrapsackWorld the world the series take place in]], they are dark. The main one of the series, however, is that one can never truly escape from the Mafia once involved or lead a peaceful life even if you are no longer a member. |
| 408 | ** ''City of Lost Heaven'': How one can be roped into a life of crime and once involved deeply can never [[TearJerker truly escape]]. [[spoiler: the protagonist learn this in the [[TheHeroDies worst way possible]]]] |
| 409 | ** ''VideoGame/MafiaII'': How one must be willing to give up and lose everything to have a chance to succeed in the mafia. |
| 410 | ** ''VideoGame/MafiaIII'': Crime can pay, but one must be [[PragmaticVillainy smart]]. |
| 411 | * ''VideoGame/{{Manhunt}}'': How much violence are you willing to inflict on others in exchange for your freedom? |
| 412 | * ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'': Free will and destiny. Are you in control of your actions or are you a puppet for those who see you as useful to their own ends? Can you change it? |
| 413 | * ''Franchise/MassEffect'': |
| 414 | ** Can a single person change the fate of the galaxy? |
| 415 | ** Also the fact that sometimes, no matter how hard you try or how well you think you're doing, you can never get a flawless victory. Sacrifices must be made, and you can't save everyone. [[AWorldHalfFull Despite this]], [[HopeSpringsEternal things can always get better.]] |
| 416 | ** And actions that you take, no matter how small or insignificant, can come back to haunt (or help) you later. We are the summation of our choices. |
| 417 | ** Centrally, the story of all three games seems to have a great deal to do with the emergence of AI and the way the inevitable conflict with organics will be played out or resolved. This itself can be tied into the greater theme of parenthood and creators-verus-creations. We dare you to find a single main character in the game who doesn't have some sort of family issue. If you actually do, they'll probably instead have issues with their mentors, trainers, employees/employers, oldest friends, or someone else who could be said to have created or been created by them. |
| 418 | ** The risks of cultures and societies achieving things they haven't earned are presented multiple times throughout the series, and are central to the choices at the end of all three games. |
| 419 | ** No matter how impossible it may seem, a ThirdOption can be there when you need it most. |
| 420 | ** [[TheChainsOfCommanding Being the person in charge is not always fun or glamourous,]] [[HopelessWar especially in this case.]] |
| 421 | * ''Franchise/MegaMan'': |
| 422 | ** Is it possible to change what you were designed to be? The series itself started when [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Dr. Light's assistant robot Rock volunteered to become Mega Man in order to help save the world from Dr. Wily]]. [[VideoGame/MegaManX X]] was the first robot ever created with true free will and ''chose'' to fight for peace, and Zero's original programming would've facilitated him destroying everything Dr. Light stood for-- including X-- and yet [[AntiAntiChrist he became X's closest friend and ally bar none]]. The theme continues so on and so forth with characters like [[VideoGame/MegaManZX Vent, Aile, Grey and Ashe]] questioning the original destinies they were bestowed. |
| 423 | ** The franchise has a lot about the relationship and strain between humans and robots as the latter become more and more advanced. Most protagonists seek a peaceful union between man and machine, but their ultimate goal is constantly tested to the point where they're left wondering whether it's even possible to begin with-- both the [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic original Mega Man]] and his successor VideoGame/MegaManX spend their respective sub-series wondering if the constant warring between good and evil forces will ever stop, and the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series is focused squarely on how humans and Reploids are divided even when in the same boat, the latter now being subject to full-on oppression and genocide. |
| 424 | * ''VideoGame/MetalGear'': |
| 425 | ** There are several themes interwoven throughout the series: |
| 426 | *** WarIsHell. While some might thrive better than others, war should never be seen as something to strive for. War only brings pain and suffering, and no one leaves it unscathed. |
| 427 | *** [[DarkAndTroubledPast The traumas of your past]] will haunt you for the rest of your life. |
| 428 | *** [[UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} Though you are influenced by your situation, it's your choices that determine who you are]]. |
| 429 | *** There is a large difference between reality and fiction. |
| 430 | *** What does it mean to have control over information? Can you truly trust the words and beliefs of those around you, or is what they're telling you [[UnreliableNarrator unreliable and built on their own preconceptions and biases]], or influenced by someone with ill intentions? |
| 431 | *** [[HumansAreFlawed There are very few truly evil people in the world.]] People are complex with many shades of grey morality, even those who seem to be pure good or evil. No one ever truly knows the wants and desires of each person, and there will always be things about them that one might never understand. |
| 432 | ** On another note, the games also have themes that are often summed up in a single word: |
| 433 | *** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'': "GENE" -- How biology affects our potential and our choices. Are our destinies hard-coded into us by our genetic sources? |
| 434 | *** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'': "MEME" -- How information, transmitted or censored, affects people and societies. Does free will exist, or are we just the culmination of the data we've absorbed? |
| 435 | *** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'': "SCENE" -- How geopolitics arbitrarily affects relationships. Friends and enemies are established simply because governments say they are. |
| 436 | *** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'': "SENSE" -- How a person views the world, how others interpret that person's view of the world, and what happens when that person dies and their views and wants continue to influence others. |
| 437 | *** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'': "PEACE" -- The idea of perfect peace in the world, how far some will go to achieve it, if peace is possible at all, and, if it is, how long it can last before new conflict arises. |
| 438 | *** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV'': "RACE" -- The constant competition between others and how it affects the world at large, and how language affects a person's mental growth and development; "REVENGE" -- How loss can drive people to retalliate violently, and the destructive cycle that results from it. |
| 439 | *** ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'': "REVENGE" -- The cost of pursuing a vendetta. How many people will you hurt along the way as collateral damage? How much are you willing to sacrifice to hunt down every one of your enemies? |
| 440 | *** These themes tend to crop up a lot in the game that they describe, although they are often referenced in other games. To the extent that mission packs for the multiplayer of ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots MGS4]]'' were named the "GENE", "MEME", and "SCENE" expansions, and all included elements from ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid MGS1]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty MGS2]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater MGS3]]'' respectively. |
| 441 | * ''VideoGame/MetroLastLight'': forgiveness and redemption, in relation to the canonical ending of [[VideoGame/Metro2033 the previous game]] |
| 442 | * ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': |
| 443 | ** The series overall: Isolation and self-reliance. Facing the unknown. |
| 444 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'': Artificiality, as noted by the generally "corrupted" nature of the game compared to previous installments, how the game itself takes place in more restrictive, artificial environments, and how the main threat of the game is an organism that imitates the appearance and traits of its prey. There's also ADAM, which Samus assumes is only a mere navigation computer until TheReveal around the climax of the game. |
| 445 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'': The physical and psychological costs of pursuing [[TheCorruption power.]] |
| 446 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'': Family and parenthood. |
| 447 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'': Dread itself in the face of overwhelming power. |
| 448 | * ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'': Exploration, creativity, resourcefulness, and survival. |
| 449 | * ''VideoGame/{{Misao}}'': [[TheChainOfHarm How the abused will eventually become the abuser]]. |
| 450 | * ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'': The perennial fight between man and the wildlife. |
| 451 | * ''VideoGame/MoonRemixRPGAdventure'': Love and its many different forms, and escapism. |
| 452 | * ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': How the world is worth fighting, killing and dying for. |
| 453 | * ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'': Is it worth it to chase some form of closure? |
| 454 | * ''VideoGame/NeedyStreamerOverload'': How far someone can go in order to achieve fame and approval on social media? |
| 455 | * ''[[VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2 Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer]]'': Love, Faith, and Religion. |
| 456 | * ''VideoGame/NieR'': Futility and the true meaning of a sacrifice. |
| 457 | * ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'': |
| 458 | ** Futility and finding new purpose in spite of it. |
| 459 | ** What does it mean to be [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman human]]? |
| 460 | ** The cycles of abuse, exploitation and revenge that we keep perpetuating, how [[HistoryRepeats history repeats]]. |
| 461 | * ''VideoGame/NightInTheWoods'': |
| 462 | ** Change is inevitable, in all things. And if you don't accept it, you'll achieve nothing but suffering. So when things inevitably end, it's important that you accept it and value that they existed to begin with. |
| 463 | ** God expresses themself in various forms. You may not always understand, but they're looking out for you. |
| 464 | ** Where and how do we find meaning when it feels like everything sucks? |
| 465 | * ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'': Violence and revenge both have consequences and are more than "just a game". |
| 466 | * ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'': Killing others for no reason is wrong and shouldn't be glorified. |
| 467 | * ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroesIII'': Time changes people, sometimes for the worse. |
| 468 | * ''VideoGame/NoOneHasToDie'': If you had the power to decide who lives and who dies, [[SadisticChoice who would you save]]? |
| 469 | * ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'': Each character has a recurring theme throughout their individual stories. |
| 470 | ** Ophilia: The pain and loneliness of loss and [[GoMadFromTheIsolation how it can taint a person without others to help them]]. |
| 471 | ** Cyrus: [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow At what point does the gift of knowledge become a danger?]] |
| 472 | ** Tressa: [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules People being measured, not by their wealth or power, but by their character.]] |
| 473 | ** Olberic: What motivates people and gives them purpose? [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife What happens when one loses that purpose?]] |
| 474 | ** Primrose: HumansAreBastards. Will revenge heal your scars and [[VengeanceFeelsEmpty make you happy?]] |
| 475 | ** Alfyn: Living life and being the kind of person you can be proud of. |
| 476 | ** Therion: Betrayal is painful and how people who lose the ability to trust are weaker for it. |
| 477 | ** H'aanit: Respecting and celebrating life, stories, and the people we share them with. |
| 478 | * ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'': |
| 479 | ** Holding on to hope in the face of nihilism and despair. [[spoiler:The Moonshade Order are a cult of broken-down nihilists (with a few exceptions) who want to summon Vide so he can bring about the endless night and end their own suffering. Of course, the main heroes remain steadfast and remain hopeful in the face of despair, which causes at least one of the Moonshade Order's members to decide to keep living because of Partitio's hope and optimism.]] |
| 480 | ** The rich and powerful will subjugate the poor and exploit them for profit, whether it be monetary or not. The underground gladiatorial arena in Montwise has poor people fighting to the death for the amusement of the rich men in the stands who make bets on the gladiators, the town of Sai is in a war between the poor refugees looking for a new home and the richer local royalty, and in the town of Clockbank, everyone including the children are being taxed by the Roque company. Many of the bosses are wealthy men of high status who hate, take advantage of or outright KillThePoor, with La'mani, Giff and Mugen respectively doing just that. |
| 481 | * ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'': No matter how hard you pray, the gods won't do everything for you. Each individual StoryArc has its own central theme as well: |
| 482 | ** Eastern Nippon: Love conquers fear and death. |
| 483 | ** Western Nippon: Sometimes the greater good requires the sacrifice of the best people. |
| 484 | ** Kamui: Your duty isn't always what you think it is. |
| 485 | * ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'': Accepting past trauma and moving on from it. |
| 486 | ** [[spoiler:Hikikomori Route: Self-destruction via denial.]] |
| 487 | * ''VideoGame/OpusEchoOfStarsong'': |
| 488 | ** Finding yourself, are you truly trying to be yourself or are you simply trying to follow others? |
| 489 | ** Don't be afraid to love yourself. |
| 490 | ** Finding closure following trauma, its important to find closure to what ails you, but don't let it become an obsession. |
| 491 | * ''VideoGame/OuterWilds'': Death is inevitable, but the future will always be shaped by those who came before. |
| 492 | * ''VideoGame/TheOuterWorlds'': |
| 493 | ** At what point does a completely free market actually enslave people? |
| 494 | ** How far will you go to destroy an inherently exploitative and broken system? How far will you go to maintain it? |
| 495 | ** The consequences and problems that arise from allowing scientific facts and information to be disregarded or worse just for profit. |
| 496 | * ''VideoGame/ParappaTheRapper'': |
| 497 | ** ''Parappa the Rapper'': Always believe in yourself and [[{{Determinator}} never give up when things seem tough.]] |
| 498 | ** ''Um Jammer Lammy'': [[MiseryBuildsCharacter Getting stronger through hard times]] and believing in yourself will let you do anything. |
| 499 | ** ''Parappa the Rapper 2'': Take what you love into moderation and [[BeYourself be who you are instead of being someone you are not.]] |
| 500 | * ''VideoGame/{{Parkasaurus}}'': Animal welfare. Many of the campaign missions require the player to fix zoos that have been mistreating their dinosaurs. |
| 501 | * ''VideoGame/PeretEmHeruForThePrisoners'': The divide between ancient and modern attitudes towards justice and retribution. |
| 502 | * ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'': |
| 503 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona1'': You can't run from yourself. Doubles as the core theme to the ''Persona'' series as a whole. Another theme is ThePowerOfFriendship is worth living for and no matter how hard life can get, your friends always have your back and they will support you. |
| 504 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona2'': |
| 505 | *** How rumors affect reality. Personal responsibility for making the world what it is and what we want it to be, and the consequences of failing to take responsibility. |
| 506 | *** Eternal Punishment specifically: Acceptance that life may not go your way or how you planned and that adulthood is somewhat terrifying, but you can still make the best of what you got and that there are good things about adulthood,..."just a few". |
| 507 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona3'': |
| 508 | *** No matter what, hope for the future. Nothing is ever truly hopeless. |
| 509 | *** Remember that you will die one day ([[ArcWords Memento Mori]]), but do not long for death and instead live your life to the fullest. |
| 510 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona4'': |
| 511 | *** The whole truth is not easy to find. This isn't just because the world doesn't run on BlackAndWhiteMorality, but also because [[ConfirmationBias people see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe]]. Confronting this fact and pursuing the truth is always hard, but it's always worth it. |
| 512 | *** Make memories with your friends while you have the time. Most likely, you'll drift apart in your own pursuits and dreams after enough time has passed. But you'll cherish the good memories you made with them forever. |
| 513 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona5'': |
| 514 | *** Comfortable social order isn't worth the suffering caused by corrupt authority figures who exploit and abuse the people under them for their own gain. Sometimes it's better to rebel than to quietly accept how things are. |
| 515 | *** Justice and the law. What the former means as a personal or societal ideal and whether the latter means anything when the ones responsible for upholding the law so easily break it with little to no consequence. |
| 516 | *** The more mundane manifestations of ThePowerOfFriendship. It doesn't always take the form of shiny superpowers. Sometimes it's just something as simple as having someone by your side when the world seems against you, but it's no less powerful or valuable. This is highlighted in the [[LevelUpAtIntimacy5 Confidant system]], where Joker receives services or learns skills from various people in exchange for helping them with something. As Joker helps people with their problems, they're inspired to repay the kindness by providing more aid to Joker. |
| 517 | *** From ''[[UpdatedRerelease The Royal]]'': the ideal and the real. The conflict between the ideal life we would like to lead and the limitations of reality, and whether it's possible to reach some sort of compromise between the two. Also, accept pain and hardship in your life, as alongside joy and success, all experiences, good and bad, are necessary for growth and change. |
| 518 | *** From ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'': What does it mean to have a heart? What it means is to better understand everything that defines human as a being with a heart. Also do not let your decisions be chosen for the sake of your inability to decide on your own. The choice that was decided for you could cause you to get into deep trouble. |
| 519 | * ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' - Teamwork. Alone we are weak. Together we can do anything. |
| 520 | * ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' - Memory, reincarnation, and betrayal. The Watcher remembers their and others' past lives... except the great betrayal that made them what they are and bound them to the BigBad. Late in the game, the topic of divinity and why mortals need gods also comes to the forefront. Also, that trying to move forward by forgetting the past doesn't solve anything, but at the same time clinging to the past at the expense of the future is no better. |
| 521 | * ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' - YouCantFightFate. The Nameless One may save and redeem his companions, civilizations and his enemies, but in the end he simply can't save himself. |
| 522 | ** Most themes in the game (including whether it errs on the side of ScrewDestiny or YouCantFightFate) depends on how you play it and personal interpretation of the ending. However, one of the larger ones, one that links in with the ArcWords ("What can change the nature of a man?") is that of Change. What changes, what doesn't, and whether anything can't. |
| 523 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': |
| 524 | ** If you are part of, or leading, a team, see your partners as TrueCompanions and draw strength from one another, rather than as a means to an end. Pokémon are not tools of war or profit. It boils down to interspecies cooperation (both between humans and Pokémon, and between different species of Pokémon), and that playing to everyone's strengths can win you battles you can't on your own, and get you to places you can't reach on your own (literally, in the case of [=HMs=]/Field Moves). Summed up perfectly by the theme song of the first season of the anime: "You teach me and I'll teach you." |
| 525 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' - The consequences of using science to manipulate nature. |
| 526 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' - Traditions and values of old. Another major thread appears through the Sprout Tower sage's lesson, the ambitions of Team Rocket, the true answer to the trial in the Dragon's Den, Karen's words before the FinalBoss battle, and [[TheRival Silver's]] CharacterDevelopment: the truly strong are those who do not pursue strength. |
| 527 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' - The importance of balance in life, as emphasized through the environment. |
| 528 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' - Is it worth to strip humanity of the characteristics that make them essentially human for the sake of a better world? |
| 529 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' - What is the truth, and what is ideal? And where in between the two should we aim for? |
| 530 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' - Beauty, and the cost of it. |
| 531 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' - The role of family, and its influence on identity and one's potential. |
| 532 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' - Is fame and recognition worth pursuing or flaunting, no matter the price? Also, legacies, both those we inherit and those we pass down across generations. |
| 533 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'': The development of trust and how it can cause civilization to move forward. |
| 534 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' - The impact of the past and the potential of the future; moving forward from conflict and trauma through reflection, reinvention, and finding new meaning for oneself. The concept of treasure, in reference to a person's values and in the idea of treasure-hunting as self-discovery, is also a reoccurring one. |
| 535 | * ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' [=/=] ''VideoGame/Portal2'': If HumansAreFlawed, why do we expect our [[AIIsACrapshoot self-aware creations to be any different]]? |
| 536 | * ''VideoGame/{{Postal}}'', the first one that is, is about [[GoingPostal how much a man can destroy]] after suffering with enough turmoil in his mind caused by mental illnesses and the stress of modern life. |
| 537 | ** ''VideoGame/Postal2'' is about a man who feels unfit in his current life in modern day America and either learns to live with it and dodge his problems, or [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential brute force his way through things]]. |
| 538 | ** ''VideoGame/PostalIII'' is about the same as the second game, but more so about showing how much chaos one is willing to do in order to solve one problem. Hence why the town it takes place in is called ''[[MeaningfulName Catharsis]]''. |
| 539 | ** ''Paradise Lost'', the expansion pack to ''Postal 2'', is about the Postal Dude having to go back and face the consequences of his [[NukeEm actions]] in order to retrieve someone he loves dear, [[CanineCompanion his dog Champ]]. He also fights and moves on from his past and makes inner peace within himself by the end of it. |
| 540 | * ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia'' (at least the ''Sands of Time'' sub-series): Every action has consequences. You can't evade them forever. |
| 541 | * ''VideoGame/{{Produce}}'': [[DealWithTheDevil Faustian bargains]] will lead you and your companions to ruin. |
| 542 | * ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'': |
| 543 | ** The little ([[DarkAndTroubledPast or not so little]]) things that happen early in life stay with us forever. |
| 544 | ** People are complicated, and deep down we're all children. |
| 545 | * ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2'': Post-traumatic stress disorder and how good people can be [[ShellShockedVeteran utterly broken]] by it. The game also continues the first's themes of trauma and its effects, with emphasis on feeling isolated by it and what the process of unpacking it and healing from it can look like with a little help; and ends by summing up another related theme of understanding ourselves and others when we're not at our best, learning how to take or offer the opportunity to forgive and grow. |
| 546 | * Creator/QuanticDream: |
| 547 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Fahrenheit}}'': Guilt, murder, and redemption (basically all the words written behind Lucas on the cover art). |
| 548 | ** ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'': How far are you willing to go for someone else's sake? |
| 549 | ** ''VideoGame/BeyondTwoSouls'': Death and growing up, especially growing up in stressful situations. |
| 550 | ** ''VideoGame/DetroitBecomeHuman'': What exactly does it mean to be "human"? Where do you draw the line between "machine" and "man"? In a world where technology becomes more complex and sophisticated with every passing second, how long will it take before that line ceases to exist? |
| 551 | * The Quintet Trilogy of ''VideoGame/SoulBlazer'', ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'', and ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'' carry their own themes, but they all have one in common: Is it ok to leave the world as it is? Or is progress always needed to avoid stagnancy? |
| 552 | * ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria'': Is a HeroicSacrifice truly for the best, or just an obligation? |
| 553 | * ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' |
| 554 | ** ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002'': Seeking revenge on those who've wronged you can cause serious consequences. But it's not too late to atone when you finally see the damage. |
| 555 | ** ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando'': The conflict between a distributor and a manufacturer that can arise over things such as a defect in a certain product. |
| 556 | ** ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal'': Fighting your own battles rather than taking the DirtyCoward's way out. |
| 557 | ** ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked'': The folly of sucking up to fame and fortune at the cost of your own integrity, and how doing the right thing for the sake of it is what it truly means to be someone worthy of respect. |
| 558 | ** ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankSizeMatters'': Small, insignificant and negligible forces that many take for granted rising up to be heard. |
| 559 | ** ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction'': Going too far in trying to find answers to something, even something as personal as your own heritage, can not only uncover some things better kept secret, but the obsession itself can even risk changing who you are and straining the relationships you have with the people you care about. |
| 560 | ** ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime'': The many mistakes of the past can't be changed or forgotten, but even something as painful as loss needs to be let go of in order to move on to a better future. |
| 561 | ** ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016'': Don't idealize your heroes too much, you could set yourself up for disappointment if you do. Even then, they can still show you why you admired them in the first place. |
| 562 | ** ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'': How cooperative teamwork can create miracles even when things are seemingly broken. |
| 563 | * ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' and ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'': |
| 564 | ** When and how do your misdeeds catch up to you? |
| 565 | ** How long can you personally hold on to your old way of life against the march of time in a rapidly changing world? |
| 566 | ** What is the price of staying in a bad situation for far too long out of misplaced loyalty? |
| 567 | ** Where is the line between settling scores and self-destructive revenge? |
| 568 | ** The choice to be kind in a cruel world, and to fight for justice in an unjust world--and whether it matters in the end. |
| 569 | * ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction'': |
| 570 | ** Scope; the necessity to understand all sides of the story and the full truth before one can make the correct decision, and the danger of jumping to conclusions. However, you must acquire the necessary knowledge without also losing sight of what is truly important. |
| 571 | -->"How far back must we stand before we can see everything ahead? And...does that mean we must lose sight of what was closest to begin with?" |
| 572 | ** This is strongly represented by the MultipleEndings; [[spoiler:if you get the normal ending, your scope stays in place, and does not expand. In the GoldenEnding, your scope explodes, as you realize the story was ScienceFiction all along, not {{Fantasy}}.]] |
| 573 | ** ''VideoGame/IMissTheSunrise'' is the inverse of this; whereas ''The Reconstruction'''s scope went from small to big, here the focus is on big to small. |
| 574 | * ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': For the series as a whole, corruption of, abuse and exploitation by, and disillusionment with structures and people who present themselves as benevolent and trustworthy, from governments and law enforcement to corporations to cults and beyond; and the way one copes with living in a world where that kind of corruption and uncertainty abounds, whether it’s trying to reap some of the benefits or become a bigger fish, fighting injustice and trying to protect others as an antithesis to it all, or simply trying to live an honest but vulnerable life for oneself. |
| 575 | ** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'', ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'' and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'' share similar themes of family and the various forms that estrangement from, longing for, and devotion to it take. |
| 576 | ** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'': The things we can do when desperate and determined. Sheer determination can win out against overwhelming odds against us. |
| 577 | ** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' brings up one at the beginning with Chris's opening monologue: When we've been fighting a seemingly neverending uphill battle, is there a point to continuing? Sometimes, we need to be reminded of what we're fighting for and why. |
| 578 | * ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends:'' In the end, is there any difference between magic and technology? |
| 579 | * Quite unusually for an over-the-top, uber-silly action game, ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara 3'' has a fairly downbeat one, seeming to be about how all the fun times and glory days are either over and done with or coming to an end. Instances include Mitsunari's total anguish over the death of UsefulNotes/ToyotomiHideyoshi, Motochika constantly muttering "those days are long gone", Oichi degenerating into a [[PsychopathicManChild Psychopathic Woman Child]], Yoshihiro still fighting despite knowing his generation's practically over, the lack of well-known characters from previous games due to plot purposes... oh, and being set at the very tail-end of the UsefulNotes/SengokuJidai is a fair indicator. Still, considering the plotline about [[UsefulNotes/AkechiMitsuhide Tenkai]] attempting to resurrect DemonKingNobunaga [[spoiler:and succeeding]], maybe it is telling us that it's better to move on. |
| 580 | * ''VideoGame/RogueGalaxy'': Do heroes want to save people just because it's right, or because of their own personal desires and scarred pasts? |
| 581 | * ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'': The difference between an adult and a child's mentality, the difference between fairy tales and reality (and how the two combine), and the different forms of love. |
| 582 | * ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' series as a whole: Power can be lost as easily as it can be gained. What do you do with power? Do you enjoy its benefits and keep good PR or do you flaunt it and remind the world why you have it? |
| 583 | ** ''VideoGame/SaintsRow1'': Father-son relationships. In every gang's storyline, there is some intergenerational tension going on (especially compared to the sequel, where only the Ronin arc features it), starting with Julius and the Playa of the 3rd Street Saints: it's no coincidence that Julius keeps calling him "son", while the cutscene [[BranchAndBottleneckPlotStructure capping off the three main gang arcs]] is one big WellDoneSonGuy moment. On the Carnales side, we have Hector Lopez living in his father Alejandro's shadow (and failing to live up to it, as Orijuela snidely points out in their very first scene), while simultaneously trying to [[PromotionToParent be a father figure]] to the ineffectual Angelo. Among the Vice Kings, Benjamin King displays tough love for Warren Williams, but the latter is too eager to be a real banger (like King!) to appreciate it; when Williams actually turns on King, he instantly disowns him. Finally, among the Rollerz, we have Joseph Price being completely subservient to his uncle William Sharp. Hector-Angelo, Sharp-Price, and Julius-Playa dynamics show distinct parallels in that the father figure being taken away prompts a self-destructive RoaringRampageOfRevenge in each case; and if you take the second game into account, Playa calling Julius out on straying from the JustAGangster mentality mirrors the clash between Julius' {{foil}}, King, and Williams. It is also interesting to observe, that in all three gang storylines, a woman drives a wedge of varying size between the father figure and the "son": Luz of Los Carnales is just an enterprising GoldDigger, Tanya of the VK is a manipulative rank-climber, and Lin for the Rollerz (by way of Price's BestFriend Donnie) is an undercover agent working to undermine the gang. We may even go as far as to include the fifth major faction in the game, the Stilwater Police, here, via Chief Munroe and [[spoiler:Troy]], given how the latter succeeds the former in the sequel after briefly getting caught between two opposed father figures. |
| 584 | ** ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'': [[{{Pride}} Arrogance]] and [[CycleOfRevenge cycles of violence]]. All conflicts in the game are instigated by the arrogance of the four Stilwater gang leaders: the Brotherhood arc is kicked off by [[PlayerCharacter the Boss]]' SmallNameBigEgo-fueled rejection of Maero's rather reasonable[[note]]assuming that you, like most players, tackle this arc early on[[/note]] business offer, coupled with Maero's own alpha male stubbornness; of the Ronin leadership, both Kazuo and Jyunichi are so proud of their GoodOldWays from back in Japan, they refuse to adapt and consequently ''really'' screw things up with the Saints (and Ultor); the General of the Samedi, meanwhile, has the InsufferableGenius kind of arrogance, in that he firmly believes that he is better than everyone else and therefore can do no wrong, [[TheSociopath regardless of the human cost involved]]. All three conflicts are then exacerbated by the eye-for-an-eye escalation of violence, with each next reprisal grander and more vicious than the last, until, in the end, the Saints are the only ones left standing -- not thanks to any kind of superiority over everyone else, but simply by outlasting them all. In fact, the only enemy who is [[AintTooProudToBeg decidedly NOT arrogant]] or vindictive is Dane Vogel of the [[MegaCorp Ultor Corporation]], which makes him the perfect final boss for this game, being pretty much the [[{{Foil}} polar opposite]] of the Boss. |
| 585 | ** ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'': Why groups are formed and the gradual change of them in time. At the beginning, Johnny complains how The Saints went from classic gangbangers to [[VillainWithGoodPublicity criminals who are also celebrities]], whether the Boss debates on whether it is a good thing or not. The three criminals groups that make up the Syndicate are known to gradually change, whether through the backstory or during the events of the gang. After Phillipe Loren gets killed, Killbane violently takes over The Syndicate from the [=DeWynter=] sisters, Loren's original choice as successors. The Syndicate gradually goes from a multi-national criminal syndicate to a violent gang willing to destroy a city for a petty revenge with Violet and Matt defecting to prevent being collateral damage and in the former's case, even side with the Saints, thus causing them to lose their original purpose. Meanwhile, the Saints still exploit their popularity and in the end, can decide either to go back to become more violent gangbangers who take over a city, or realize that the original purpose of the rebuilt 3rd Street Saints has not diminished just because they are famous and embrace their newfound fame. |
| 586 | * ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice:'' Freedom, Loyalty, and Redemption |
| 587 | ** Sometimes, we have to balance freedom to choose with loyalty and obedience to a lord or code, even if it means turning one's back on one or the other in a conflicting scenario. |
| 588 | ** Who or what is worth killing for? |
| 589 | ** Is there redemption even when we have trodden a dark path almost to the brink of the abyss? |
| 590 | * ''VideoGame/SenranKagura:'' A major theme in the Senran Kagura series is the duality between the characters, how they're not so different from one another, that there really isn't absolute good or evil, and there's no need for a divide. A good example of this can be found in Asuka and Homura. They had contrasting personalities and fighting philosophies, but they complimented each other so well they became best friends and rivals. |
| 591 | * ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'': Differing opinions will splinter groups, and taking any (or no) side will leave someone unhappy. |
| 592 | ** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'': The conflict between the Old Ways and the modern world. |
| 593 | ** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'': What do you do when the ones in power are insane? |
| 594 | ** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' has two: |
| 595 | *** If you were given the chance to make the world over, how would you do it? |
| 596 | *** How much are you willing to sacrifice for what you believe is the right cause? |
| 597 | ** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'': The thin line between man and monster. |
| 598 | ** ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'': If the person you used to be isn't what you are now, is it still "you"? |
| 599 | ** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'': If you want to change the world, you're going to need to work hard, and not everyone will be happy with the results. There's no easy way around this fact. |
| 600 | ** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'': To continue from the previous entry: Work together to change the world that everyone will like, don't just force your ideal world on everyone. |
| 601 | ** ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon'' : Blindly following tradition, at the risk of complacence '''vs''' rebelling against unjust rules and stirring up chaos. Also, luck. |
| 602 | ** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV'': Does the world truly need a single, omnipotent leader? |
| 603 | * ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri:'' Even on other worlds, humanity is still human... but can it become something more? |
| 604 | * All of the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' games have one (with the possible exception of ''Origins''). |
| 605 | ** ''VideoGame/SilentHill1'': Religious fervor, family devotion, and how the two conflict. |
| 606 | ** ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'': Sexual frustration, guilt, and insanity. |
| 607 | ** ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'': Teenage fears, responsibilities, and salvation. |
| 608 | ** ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'': {{Hikikomori}}. |
| 609 | ** ''VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming'': The same as the first one, except more prominent. |
| 610 | ** ''VideoGame/SilentHillShatteredMemories'': Parental fears and psychological issues. |
| 611 | ** ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour'': Guilt, crime, and pedophilia. |
| 612 | * ''VideoGame/SimCity'': What it takes to run a city efficiently ([[VideoGameCrueltyPotential ...or inefficiently]]). |
| 613 | * ''VideoGame/TheSims'': |
| 614 | ** Even [[SliceOfLife everyday life]] can be exciting! |
| 615 | ** Life goes on. |
| 616 | * ''VideoGame/SINoALICE'': How far are you willing to go if it means getting what you want? |
| 617 | * ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'': How love and friendship affects and changes people; the lengths to which people will go for their ideals or love for others. |
| 618 | * ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}} Imaginators'': Creativity should take its time. |
| 619 | * ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'': [[GreenEyedMonster Envy]] gets one nowhere. All the {{Big Bad}}s in the series have been driven by jealousy or a desire to rise above the rest, primarily out of bitterness towards the Cooper Clan's legacy. By contrast, Sly and the gang follow HonorAmongThieves without compromise, and accept each other as friends and partners despite their differences. |
| 620 | * ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': Keep moving forward no matter how tough things get. |
| 621 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'': Technology is not inherently evil as long as mankind does not misuse it. The Bad Future shows us a portrait of a world overrun completely by technology but Good Futures illustrate technology and nature co-existing in harmony, making for a better Little Planet. |
| 622 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'': |
| 623 | *** [[RashomonStyle How different perspectives on a situation contrast and converge with one another.]] |
| 624 | *** Letting go of your anger, fears and inhibitions and opening your heart to new experiences and possibilities. Tails and Amy learn to become more confident and independent, Gamma rebels against his creator, Knuckles comes to better value his role as the Master Emerald's guardian, Big risks his life to rescue his friend Froggy, and at the end Sonic [[spoiler:uses the faith of his friends to sate Perfect Chaos' anger, rather than simply bury it like it was before.]] |
| 625 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'': |
| 626 | *** The legacy of the past and its perversion by the present. Both GUN and Dr. Eggman exploit Gerald Robotnik's creations for self-serving means, and Maria's final plea to Shadow is twisted from a call for hope and protection to a call for revenge and destruction. |
| 627 | *** Falsehoods and artificiality themselves seem to also be major themes, as shown by GUN accusing Sonic of Shadow's crimes, Tails creating a fake Chaos Emerald to foil Eggman's plans, and Gerald's artificial Space Colony ARK taking inspiration from the echidna culture seen in the previous game. It's also questioned whether Shadow is truly who he believes himself to be. |
| 628 | *** Do people truly have the capacity to be good, or will they never get past their innate selfishness and hate? Is it possible that we can all work together to learn from the mistakes of the past and make a better world for everyone? |
| 629 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'': The real supah power of TEAMWORK! |
| 630 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'': The personal cost of war, as emphasized by the conflict of Emerl's original nature as a destructive superweapon clashing with his growth into a fully developed individual. Sonic and friends also encourage and raise Emerl to become his own self, whereas Eggman only finds him useful as a tool for his own desires. |
| 631 | ** ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'': How one's past circumstances define their present choices. |
| 632 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicRush'': You can't always do things by yourself. Blaze's reluctance to accept Sonic's help causes her [[LetsYouAndHimFight to force him into fighting her]], after which she finally welcomes his help. |
| 633 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'': Do TheNeedsOfTheMany ''really'' outweigh the the needs of the few? Since Elise is used as [[BarrierMaiden a living seal for Iblis]] the world is safe from destruction, but she obviously suffers from it and has to force herself not to cry so as to not release the god through her tears. After being confronted about it by Amy, Silver wonders whether or not it's right to kill Sonic to save the future and later on in the story [[spoiler: Silver is reluctant to seal Iblis inside of Blaze thus sending her into another dimension and out of his life]] even though doing so will keep the world safe. At the end of the game, [[spoiler: when Elise has to blow out the Iblis Flame to stop it from ever existing, she is hesitant to do so since that will erase the meeting between her and Sonic. She even cries, "I don't care what happens to the world!" She has to choose between keeping the first friend she ever made and everyone else.]] |
| 634 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed:'' The dichotomy between night and day. |
| 635 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight'': WhoWantsToLiveForever |
| 636 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicColors'': The importance of protecting life, color and freedom from forces that wish to exploit it. |
| 637 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'': Take the best of the past and look forward to the future. |
| 638 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'': Don't rush into things without thinking through first. |
| 639 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicForces'': Teamwork and friendship, as well as facing fears. |
| 640 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'': Moving on, whether that means traveling someplace to protect oneself or finding a new passion at the expense of old friendships. Legacies outlive people. |
| 641 | * ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'': Each game brings up "Tales of Souls" and what is inside each character's soul that makes up the whole story. |
| 642 | ** ''Soul Edge'': Duty. Each character is tasked with seeking out the titular sword, either through memories of their loved ones, to gain power so they can overcome a challenge, or to destroy a great evil. |
| 643 | ** ''Soulcalibur'': Companionship. Both the main heroes and villains form a group and even side characters such as Seong Mi-na were with someone during that time. |
| 644 | ** ''Soulcalibur II'': Corruption. The shards of Soul Edge have affected the world in some way that is slowly creating malfested. |
| 645 | ** ''Soulcalibur III'': Atonement. Many characters are trying to make up for a mistake, even the character who managed to resurrect Nightmare is doing this to fix what he feels is a curse he suffers from due to his foolishness. |
| 646 | ** ''Soulcalibur IV'': Revelation. This is where people are starting to realize that Soulcalibur is just as bad as Soul Edge if left unchecked and are finding ways to stop both swords at any cost. |
| 647 | ** ''Soulcalibur V'': Generations. The battle between Soulcalibur and Soul Edge continues on, even with the next future generation of youth. |
| 648 | ** ''Soulcalibur VI'': Discovery. New information has led to a better understanding of the second game in the series to the point where things might go in a completely different direction than what was originally known. |
| 649 | * ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': [[WarIsHell The horrors of war]], the absurdity of treating war as an escapist fantasy and trivializing it through entertainment, and how arrogant and impulsive actions lead to human suffering. |
| 650 | * ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'': |
| 651 | ** The power of music and how it can change lives. |
| 652 | ** Every villain in the series refuses to let go of what happened to them, and brings suffering as a result. [[spoiler: DJ Octavio drags his people down to perpetuate a war that ended a century ago]], [[spoiler:Commander Tartar attempts to commit genocide out of its longing for humanity and hatred for their successors]], and [[spoiler:Mr. Grizz refuses to admit he's the LastOfHisKind, and would gladly kill all life on Earth to bring mammals back.]] |
| 653 | ** The heroes tend to be the ones shedding the hatred of the past. [[spoiler: Agent 3 and the Squid Sisters end up breaking the indoctrination of a good many Octolings, leading to many of them defecting and rejoining Inkling society after a century.]] |
| 654 | ** The ones who most refused to let the past go were [[spoiler:humans. Exploring Alterna, it's shown that the last humans had a fondness for ancient art (such as the Moai statues littered about). Ultimately, however, the Alternans wanting to return to the world outside would seal their fate.]] |
| 655 | ** ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'': Chaos. |
| 656 | * ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'': |
| 657 | ** The destructive quest [[GoneHorriblyRight for perfection]]. |
| 658 | ** [[OrderVersusChaos Collectivism vs individualism]] - shown of by both the Protoss (Khala and Dark Templar) and the Zerg (Overmind/Kerigan and [[VideoGame/HeartOfTheSwarm primal]]) |
| 659 | * ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'': |
| 660 | ** ''[[VideoGame/StarcraftIIWingsOfLiberty Wings of Liberty]]'': A man is what he chooses to be. |
| 661 | ** ''[[VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm Heart of the Swarm]]'': Evolving and changing. |
| 662 | ** ''[[VideoGame/StarCraftIILegacyOfTheVoid Legacy of the Void]]'': Strength lies in unity, divided we fall apart. |
| 663 | * ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': "You were deceived." |
| 664 | ** Jedi Knight: A {{Reconstruction}} of some central themes of ''Franchise/StarWars'': that after the hero and companions endure a massive BreakTheCutie (or BreakTheHaughty if playing Dark Side), ThePowerOfFriendship can defeat the BigBad. |
| 665 | ** Jedi Consular: Cooperation vs control. The Consular tends to emphasize working together and most of Chapters Two and Three involves gathering allies for the Republic. In contrast, the enemies they face use things like mind control and possession to acquire supporters. |
| 666 | ** Republic Trooper: At what point does GoodIsNotSoft and PayEvilUntoEvil become HeWhoFightsMonsters? |
| 667 | ** Smuggler: [[WarForFunAndProfit Fun and Profit.]] How free are you really if you just live to indulge [[TheHedonist hedonistic]] desires, and how vulnerable does this leave you to manipulation or deception? Also, individualism vs altruism: do exceptional individuals have a moral obligation to help the little guy around them, or are they well within their right to be in it just for themselves? |
| 668 | ** Sith Warrior: Power. What is true power? Manipulation and deception, brute strength, or gathering strong allies? The Sith Warrior acts as TheBrute to a Darth and later becomes TheDragon to the [[spoiler:Sith Emperor himself]], and encounter various characters and storylines with different ideas of what true power is, and how the Sith Warrior responds to each says something about their stance. |
| 669 | ** Sith Inquisitor: Freedom. The Inquisitor was once a slave who found their freedom through becoming a Sith. Numerous decisions the Inquisitor faces have to do with freeing or imprisoning/enslaving others and the player can emphasize in conversation the aspect of the Sith Code that states the Force guarantees freedom. |
| 670 | ** Imperial Agent: Deception, Betrayal, and Loyalty. The Imperial Agent is a "professional liar" who uses infiltration, subterfuge, brainwashing, possibly seduction, and other underhanded methods to gain information and resources for the Empire, only to be betrayed by their masters, and navigates a myriad of conspiracies, {{Batman Gambit}}s and {{Xanatos Gambit}}s that forces them to question their loyalties. |
| 671 | ** Bounty Hunter: Honor. Is it possible to fight honorably? Or are bounty hunters just [[PsychoForHire psychos for hire]], or attack dogs for evil masters? Notably, the Bounty Hunter encounters many characters (buyers and fellow warriors) with different stances on the above, and the Bounty Hunter can choose fight honorably or not. |
| 672 | * ''VideoGame/StarFox'': Trust your family, your equipment, your allies, your instincts. You can't win alone. |
| 673 | * ''Franchise/StreetFighter'': True strength can be found by fighting for others, not for yourself. |
| 674 | * ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'': [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight If the system is corrupted, burn it down]]. |
| 675 | * ''VideoGame/{{SUPERHOT}}'': For the series as a whole, the various ways authority figures induce obedience through deception, manipulation and force. |
| 676 | ** ''SUPERHOT'': The dangers of addiction, how it can destroy your life and relationships. |
| 677 | ** ''Mind Control Delete'': The dangers of {{Greed}}, how it hurts you and others while never leaving you satisfied. |
| 678 | * ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': Going against great odds for a loved one. |
| 679 | ** ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'': Overcoming one's personal fears via courage. |
| 680 | ** ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'': ThePowerOfLove, any and all love. All the bosses represent some form of perverted love, and all the characters showing genuine love end up redeemed. Almost every NPC talks about or shows some form of love, whether it be romantic love, friendship, familial, even love for the environment. |
| 681 | ** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': A family can be formed even after going through tragic losses. Also, someday we grow up to become something we might expect ourselves to become. |
| 682 | ** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'': Take time to know the rest of the world, as your adventures could end up being more memorable. |
| 683 | ** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosWonder'': Expect the unexpected |
| 684 | * ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'': The crossing between different heroes, villains, and worlds are now a reality in the palm of a hand that masters creation. |
| 685 | ** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl: The Subspace Emissary'': People from different lands needing each other (even if it's necessary to settle, or at least pause, their differences) to face a threat that is affecting ''all of them'' alike. |
| 686 | ** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate: World of Light'': There is always hope for victory in the face of certain defeat. |
| 687 | * ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'': Peace and victory is built on the blood and bones of the fallen. |
| 688 | * ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'': |
| 689 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'': [[RousseauWasRight There is no such thing as "pure evil."]] Even the most vile of villains have a reason behind what they do. |
| 690 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'': It's never too late to atone for one's sins. Every life has value, and everyone deserves the right to live happily. Also, [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne placing all of your hopes on a single person to save the world]] is going to ''mess them up''. |
| 691 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'': ThePowerOfLove, and what it can drive people to do when the love isn't reciprocated. |
| 692 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'': Don't let prophecy or fatalism decide your actions. Your family, your nation, or the circumstances of your birth don't define who you are; only you can do that. |
| 693 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'': Making your own choices. It's better to choose what you want to do or what you feel is right, rather than resign yourself to what others expect of you or what you think you have to do. |
| 694 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'': It is better to work together to forge a better future for everyone instead of mindlessly devoting yourself to a single cause. |
| 695 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'': Revenge is pointless; there are greater causes worth fighting for. Humanity does not need to be "saved" from itself. Also, treating other people as tools is monstrous. |
| 696 | * ''VideoGame/TheTalosPrinciple'': The plot behind the puzzles is a discussion of what it means to be human, and whether it's possible to program a machine that can qualify as human in some sense. The expansion continues this, with focus on how the deeds of individuals reflect their value. |
| 697 | * ''VideoGame/TeamICOSeries'': Companionship. |
| 698 | ** ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}'': The importance of showing compassion to others. |
| 699 | ** ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'': The dangers of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. |
| 700 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLastGuardian'': The relationship between man and beast. |
| 701 | * ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'': The conflict between [[BigScrewedUpFamily succeeding generations]]. |
| 702 | ** ''VideoGame/Tekken8'': |
| 703 | *** The sins of your past do not determine your future. |
| 704 | *** Breaking the cycle of hatred. [[spoiler:By confronting the devil within himself, Jin acknowledged how his destructive path of hatred against his Devil Gene and the Mishimas was. Following this, Jin strives not to end up like his father and grandfather. He confronts Kazuya to protect what's precious to him rather than destroy him, and after defeating Kazuya, Jin simply spares him rather than repeat the act of throwing his body into a ravine like how Heihachi and Kazuya did to one another]]. |
| 705 | * ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'': The need to exercise power wisely and responsibly. |
| 706 | * ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'': |
| 707 | ** [[RefusalOfTheCall You can only run from your responsibilities for so long]]. |
| 708 | ** At some point, all causes, movements and systems ''will'' fall prey to corruption. The greatest danger any of them face is always, ''always'' from within. |
| 709 | * ''VideoGame/ThisIsThePolice'': The self-serving nature of power, the result of trying to please multiple parties ends up with the most vulnerable paying the price, and the difficulty in being a normal joe in a corrupt system. |
| 710 | * ''VideoGame/ThomasWasAlone'': |
| 711 | ** The importance of teamwork and making connections with others to solve problems and make things better for yourself and others. |
| 712 | ** ''Benjamin's Flight'': The dangers of hubris and overconfidence. |
| 713 | * ''VideoGame/ThreadsOfFate'' (aka Dewprism): Destiny and Goals, and acting against one's fate. |
| 714 | * ''VideoGame/TheTuringTest'': How different is human mind from a machine? |
| 715 | * ''VideoGame/TokyoXanadu'' is filled to the brim with them, typically about one a chapter: |
| 716 | ** Chapter 1: How far are you willing to go for those you care about, even when you're very likely in over your head? |
| 717 | ** Chapter 2: Jealousy and how it destroys friendships and ourselves |
| 718 | ** Chapter 3: You can't hide away from the world. Sometimes you have to be a part of it whether you like it or not. |
| 719 | ** Chapter 4: Even if you have good intentions, fighting alone isn't always the answer. Accept help when it's offered. |
| 720 | ** Chapter 5: Pushing others away, even cause you think it will keep them safe, can only bring about your own downfall. |
| 721 | ** Chapter 6: How we got to where we are now may be good or bad, but in the end, what we do with it now is what matters. [[note]] Rion is appalled at the amount of devastation the Angel Greed that saved her life has caused and the people who got hurt, enough to wish she had never survived to begin with. However, with help from the party and her SPiKA companions, she continues to fulfill her dream as an idol who encourages and uplifts others. [[/note]] |
| 722 | ** Chapter 7: Being united for a common cause and accepting even the seemingly unlikeliest form of help. |
| 723 | ** Final Chapter: When believing a lie for so long, even when made fully aware of it, are you truly ready to let it go? |
| 724 | ** True End: When given a chance to make an extraordinary change, are you willing to go to the most extreme lengths to do so, even if it meant facing the greatest challenge you've ever encountered? |
| 725 | ** In the end, the overall theme of the game is accepting things we resist. Asuka resists attachment to others given her dangerous line of work, Yuuki would rather sit at home and live his life on the computer, Shio pushes that he'll handle BLAZE alone when appalled at their actions, Garou initially refuses the XRC's help due to their relative inexperience, and [[spoiler: Kou starts to break down as Shiori begins to dematerialize after the final battle, showing he's not yet ready to let the lie go as he thought]]. |
| 726 | * ''VideoGame/ToothAndTail'': [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized Revolution eats her children]] and scarcity is manufactured for profit. The SapientEatSapient world is inherently unstable and society is set up by the Civilized to make the only alternative (vegetarianism) undesirable, and all the factions simply want to make themselves the beneficiaries of what meat is left rather than change the system. In the process, their 'revolution' only makes things oh-so-much worse. |
| 727 | * ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': |
| 728 | ** [[BothSidesHaveAPoint Everything can be seen from multiple perspectives.]] The same place can be a heaven or a hell to different people. The same person can be both good and evil, [[GeniusDitz a genius and an idiot]], a hard worker and a lazy bum, without contradiction, though usually we only ever see one side of them. |
| 729 | --->'''Akyuu, ''Manga/ForbiddenScrollery ch48'':''' "When they're kids, everyone [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity thinks there's only one truth]]. They think that, just like when they used to ask questions to their parents or teachers, every problem has a definite answer buried somewhere, waiting for them to find it. But, the idea that the world is finite is [[PsychologicalProjection simply a delusion of us humans]]. Once you get older, you'll realize that the world is infinite. [...] [[GreyAndGrayMorality If the world is made up of the infinite, then there are infinite truths as well.]]" |
| 730 | ** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono_no_aware The past is beautiful and should be mourned]], but [[RomanticismVersusEnlightenment the future brings many possibilities and should not be feared]]. It's bad to change too quickly, but also to change too slowly. |
| 731 | * ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}}'': Running a country is ''not'' easy. |
| 732 | * ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'': Pursuing your dream at any cost. |
| 733 | * ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'': Power |
| 734 | ** The difference between the spirit of the law and its many [[LoopHoleAbuse interpretations]]. |
| 735 | ** How complex perceived ways of evil are when looked at objectively and missing a side of good. |
| 736 | ** Everyone's a player in the game of power, and [[TheChessmaster The Chessmasters]] who are presumed to be absolute are just as much pieces who can be used and manipulated as their own pawns. |
| 737 | ** How peoples' views of a person can change what was once a simple man into a extraordinary being of myth. (at the [[WasOnceAMan cost of them losing their]] HiddenDepths) |
| 738 | ** [[ArcWords Sometimes]] [[TheBadGuyWins evil wins]]. |
| 739 | * ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'': [[VideoGame/UnchartedDrakesFortune Luck]], [[VideoGame/Uncharted2AmongThieves Honor]] (or lack thereof), [[VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception Deception]], [[VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd Greed and endings]], and [[VideoGame/UnchartedTheLostLegacy Legacy]] respectively. The series in general has a recurring theme of "obsession". |
| 740 | * ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': |
| 741 | ** Growing past your own personal biases and learning from them to become a better person. Even if it's easier to resort to violence when dealing with something new and intimidating, it's an unfulfilling cycle, and kindness and mercy will give us the opportunity to learn, grow, change and build bridges with each other. This theme applies to the FantasticRacism towards humans expressed by characters like Undyne, Flowey's "kill or be killed" philosophy, and arguably [[spoiler:''[[YouBastard the player themselves]]'' on a No Mercy run, as they treat ''Undertale'' more like a typical kill-all-the-monsters RPG rather than a unique and special experience, even when it deliberately isn't even fun or friendly anymore.]] |
| 742 | ** In general, the ways in which we can learn from the world around us and allow ourselves time for personal introspection, be it through spending time together, telling stories, reading books, watching anime or expressing [[{{Pun}} humerus]] jokes about skeletons. |
| 743 | ** Your choices matter, and actions have consequences… even if they don't necessarily affect you, so [[WhatYouAreInTheDark what would you do in that case]]? And to go back to the above theme, is [[OneHundredPercentCompletion seeing every possibility in a game just because you can]] ''really'' worth going on such an frustrating endeavor to do so, especially since the road you're on may just lead to nowhere? Don't you have anything better to do, such as looking inwards for the answers you seek instead? |
| 744 | ** What does it truly mean to have [[{{Determinator}} determination]]? ''How'' does one truly have determination? And what even ''is'' determination supposed to be, anyways? |
| 745 | * ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'': The limits and unpredictability of trust, loyalty, and friendship; how [[ButterflyEffect single mistakes or rash decisions]] can change or destroy lives and relationships. |
| 746 | * ''VideoGame/UniversalPaperclips'': The [[AIIsACrapshoot dangers of AI]]. |
| 747 | * ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III'': Don't let thirst for revenge consume you. Don't draw hasty conclusions. [[EnemyMine Know your priorities]]. |
| 748 | * ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': What defines family, and how far are you willing to go to defend your family? |
| 749 | * ''VideoGame/WeHappyFew'': Pretending a problem isn't there may feel good in the moment but won't make it go away. |
| 750 | * ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}} VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant:'' Do you have free will? Does anyone? Does mankind? Or is it all destiny, preordained long ago? |
| 751 | * ''VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs'': Organized crime prospers in a system that favors the rich over everyone else, preying on both desperation of those who have nothing and greed of those who want more. |
| 752 | * ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'': To truly live, you have to reach out to the world. |
| 753 | ** ''VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou'': To reach out to the world, you must be decisive in your actions. |
| 754 | * ''VideoGame/WorldOfHorror'': Even the unlikeliest of people can become apocalypse-ending heroes. |
| 755 | * ''Xeno'' series: |
| 756 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'': Everyone is broken and trying to become whole--often at any cost. |
| 757 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'': Clinging to the past perpetuates suffering; progress comes about by letting go. |
| 758 | ** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': ScrewDestiny. Humanity should the one to decide its own fate. |
| 759 | ** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'': Can people from vastly different backgrounds live together in peace? |
| 760 | ** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': [[DespairEventHorizon Despair]] and nihilism only leads to suffering, but the [[CrapsackWorld state of the world]] means that they are inevitable. It's your goal to find a source of hope worth living for, and to be willing to forgive others and yourself for past actions. |
| 761 | ** ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country'': You will meet many people of unique backgrounds throughout your life, and you should cherish the ones who stay by your side while you still can. |
| 762 | ** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'': The [[WarIsHell horrors of war]] and the need to upend a destructive status quo. |
| 763 | * ''VideoGame/LikeADragon''[=/=]''Yakuza'': |
| 764 | ** The Franchise as a whole: To live life honorably and face any challenge or difficulty with dignity. Face any challenge in front of you with all your might and determination, look at that which opposes you in the eye and fight them [[TitleDrop like a dragon]]. |
| 765 | ** Power and position given to those who didn't earn them will only lead to tragedy. |
| 766 | ** What it means to be a man. |
| 767 | ** ''VideoGame/Yakuza1''[=/=]''Kiwami'': Running away from the problems you don't want to face. Many of the main characters, including Kazuma, make choices in an attempt to avoid running into things they don't want to face, but over the course of ten years, it comes back to bite them in ways they couldn't even imagine. For Kazuma, it was taking the blame for a crime Nishiki had committed, realizing that he should have just let life take its course. For Nishiki, instead of facing his problems head on, he's convinced that getting the ten billion yen will solve all of his problems and will allow him to get everything he's always wanted. |
| 768 | ** ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'': Revenge, everyone involved in this plot is doing this for the sake of a personal slight and vendetta that has to be avenged and how it affects everyone. Even the OP for ''VideoGame/YakuzaKiwami2'' centers around it. |
| 769 | ** ''VideoGame/Yakuza3'': Losing something important to the characters involved, wherever it's family, friends or their homes, everyone's got something to lose in this story. |
| 770 | ** ''VideoGame/Yakuza4'': How the past affects the present, a majority of the events that happened in ''Yakuza'' was due to actions done 15 years ago |
| 771 | ** ''VideoGame/Yakuza5'': Dreams. What sacrifices is one willing to make to achieve their dream. But will they discover that there was something more important to them. |
| 772 | ** ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'': Oaths and Promises, how malleable is one's integrity to keep their promises to those around in a time when money and all that it brings can warp a person's view on just what can be sacrificed for it. |
| 773 | ** ''VideoGame/Yakuza6: The Song of Life'': Family and life, what does it means to be a family and a father figure in more ways than one. |
| 774 | |
| 775 | [[AC: Visual Novel]] |
| 776 | * ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': |
| 777 | ** The series as a whole: The truth will always make itself known. |
| 778 | ** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'': There will be people trapped by circumstances beyond their control, and they need someone on their side to defend them and clear their names. |
| 779 | ** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll'': Are amoral actions justifiable by sympathetic intentions? |
| 780 | ** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'': What does it really mean to "defend" someone? |
| 781 | ** ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'': What's better: law based on absolute proof or law based on human evaluation? |
| 782 | ** ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'': When the law is limited or perverted, how can we ensure justice without resorting to simple vigilantism? |
| 783 | ** ''Gyakuten Kenji 2'': |
| 784 | *** ToBeLawfulOrGood. Are the two mutually exclusive? |
| 785 | *** The bond between parent and child. |
| 786 | ** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'': |
| 787 | *** How far can we trust others when the evidence is against them? |
| 788 | *** The dangers of hiding your emotions and how you should confront them. |
| 789 | ** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'': |
| 790 | *** How much are we defined by our heritage and past experiences? |
| 791 | *** Risking everything in pursuit of what you believe in. Every trial except Turnabout Storyteller has the cast putting everything on the line to do what they feel is right. |
| 792 | ** ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' duology is largely about what results from [[PayEvilUntoEvil repaying evil with more evil]] and how seeking revenge on someone who wronged you can cause you to become [[HeWhoFightsMonsters just as bad as them]]. Several episodes in the game explore how murder is still murder, and can have disastrous consequences, no matter how bad a person the victim was. |
| 793 | * ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'': |
| 794 | ** For the Entire Hope's Peak Saga: |
| 795 | *** Hope vs Despair. |
| 796 | *** Talent doesn't makes anyone inherently better than others. |
| 797 | ** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': Explores and challenges the notion that HumansAreBastards. Can hope overcome overwhelming despair? |
| 798 | ** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'': What is worth fighting for? Is it worth it to fight for something in the face of uncertainty? |
| 799 | ** ''VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'': The effects abuse can have on people, especially children, and what they'll do to escape from it. Does ThePowerOfFriendship have a place in a world like this? |
| 800 | ** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': Lies vs Truths. Is a white, cozy lie preferable to the AwfulTruth? Later in the work, this extends into Fiction vs Reality. |
| 801 | * ''VisualNovel/TheDevilOnGString'': In this world, there are only those who use money and those who get used by money. |
| 802 | * ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiBlueSkies'': Dating sim characters living daily lives beyond "saving" love interests. |
| 803 | * ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'': |
| 804 | ** How mentally ill people are impacted by how people try to help them. |
| 805 | ** [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Should you even feel bad for characters in a video game?]] |
| 806 | ** Creative writing's potential impact on readers' emotional states. |
| 807 | * ''VisualNovel/DreamDaddy'': Fatherhood and its difficulties; Being a father is not easy, it's hard work and everything can go downhill unexpectedly, but it's very much worth it. |
| 808 | * ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' has an overriding central theme for the whole plot as well as another central theme for each of the three routes. |
| 809 | ** Plot as a whole: Conquering oneself |
| 810 | ** ''Fate'': oneself as an ideal |
| 811 | ** ''Unlimited Blade Works'': struggling with oneself as an ideal |
| 812 | ** ''Heaven's Feel'': the friction with real and ideal |
| 813 | ** As a whole, the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} has an emphasis on the state of humanity, good and bad, and how it affects their spiritual "mother", [[MotherNature Gaia]]. If humanity is strong, humanity will try to leave their 'cradle' and [[MyBelovedSmother Gaia will go crazy from finding out that her kid is growing independent]]. From then, humanity will have to struggle their utmost effort to be free, even if they have to kill their mother. If humanity is weak, Gaia with continue to baby them forever. However, her enforcers/babysitters are abusive and humanity's dependency would cause them to become no different than farm livestock said babysitters feed on. The "humanity is strong" route is the conception of ''Franchise/FateSeries'', while the "humanity is weak" route is the conception of ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}''. The one who makes the choice is [[DoNotGoGentle humanity themselves]]. |
| 814 | * ''VisualNovel/FleuretBlanc'' Materialism, obsession, and collection; the role of objects in our lives and the meanings we attribute to them. |
| 815 | * ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'': PoorCommunicationKills, Sinners must atone for their sins and not blame someone else for them. |
| 816 | * ''VisualNovel/TheHouseInFataMorgana'': |
| 817 | ** How both prejudice and good intentions can lead humans to do horrifying things to other human beings. |
| 818 | ** The incredible perseverance of the human soul even when facing total and utter despair. |
| 819 | ** Forgiveness, moving on and the distinction between them. |
| 820 | * ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'': |
| 821 | ** Your disability does not define you; It nuances you. |
| 822 | ** People's insecurities are not immediately obvious. |
| 823 | ** For the different routes: |
| 824 | *** Emi: Knowing when you need to, and should, seek help. |
| 825 | *** Rin: How being friends (and lovers) with a [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} complete nutcase]] impacts your mental health. |
| 826 | *** Lilly: [[ThickerThanWater Family versus Love.]] What if your loved one chooses family? |
| 827 | *** Hanako: The way too much coddling can affect someone. |
| 828 | *** Shizune: [[LoveTriangle Love Triangles]] make nobody happy. |
| 829 | * ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'': The challenges of high school romance i.e. making the best out of your choices and stats. |
| 830 | * ''VisualNovel/SayaNoUta'': A toxic, corrupting relationship can change a person to be utterly horrific. |
| 831 | * ''VisualNovel/SongsAndFlowers'': |
| 832 | ** Learning to live with mental illnesses, [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre be a better person]], and not to let your past define you. |
| 833 | ** HumansAreFlawed, but don't be afraid to let them into your life and love them anyway. |
| 834 | * ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'': |
| 835 | ** Because of love, we are able to see things that we could not see before. But because of love, we also see things that shouldn't exist. |
| 836 | ** The difference between ''facts'' and ''truth'' and that truth is, in most cases, entirely subjective. |
| 837 | * ''VisualNovel/VA11HALLA'': Even in a dystopia, most ordinary people remain decent individuals worthy of the time you need to get to know them — and they look after each other. |
| 838 | * ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie'': |
| 839 | ** The power - and danger - of mob rule and groupthink. |
| 840 | ** The conflict between [[ShootTheDog "logic"]] and [[HonorBeforeReason "emotions"]]. |
| 841 | * ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'': Look beyond first impressions and expectations. Everyone has HiddenDepths, good or bad, so one should refrain from judging until they get the facts straight, both simple and complex. |
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