See also DeconstructionGame.
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!!The following have their own pages:
[[index]]
* ''DeconstructedTrope/TheDCU''
[[/index]]
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* ''VideoGame/BattleTech2018'' deconstructs RightfulKingReturns. Kamea claims that her return to power after her uncle's coup d'etat will ''look'' like the trope in retrospect, but ultimately her successes rest on her being a better strategist, politician and spin doctor, as well as even more ruthless but less cartoonishly evil, than her uncle and not any inherent righteousness in her cause.
** The game also examines the related trope of WrittenByTheWinners in an unusual way: [[spoiler:Victoria Espinosa]] is very aware of this trope even as the "history" is being played out. They know that the difference between a tragic martyr who did ugly-but-necessary things to set their nation on the path to prosperity and an irredeemable monster is nothing more than who wins. This drives them to [[spoiler:SuicideByCop when said uncle realizes he's cooked and throws in the towel, as Victoria can't live with the things she's done if they were AllForNothing]].
* ''VideoGame/TheBattleCats'': Angelic Sleipnir's description humorously deconstructs VertebrateWithExtraLimbs. He's the eight-legged god-horse of Norse myth... but he has to spend most of his paycheck on footwear, so he's poor and has to spend his weekends staying in and gardening.
* ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezGunslinger'': The game is mostly a playful Reconstruction of the SpaghettiWestern, but the final duel is a straight deconstruction of the ShowdownAtHighNoon. It is not romantic, or glorious, or a fitting ending to a long stern chase, but a short, messy, brutal affair that leaves spectators horrified and disgusted and the winner unfulfilled and saddened.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' mercilessly deconstructs TimeTravel, specifically the TimeTravel used in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', by asking a simple question: "If you make it so a certain event never happened, what happens to the world, and the people in it, that came to being ''because'' of that event?"
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'' deconstructed EnhanceButton. The processing power the ArtificialIntelligence CABAL requires in general and for this operation in particular comes from [[spoiler:human brains]] and the resulting picture looks exactly like one would expect: grainy, except in the parts made up which are very smooth and Oxanna also does not know who the woman on it is, only she's a mutant.
** Also, the sequel ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'' deconstructs the concept of using giant mecha in combat; the GDI phases walkers like the Titan out of service because they are way too expensive and, on top of that, extremely vulnerable to some bloke running up and slapping a demo charge on the walker's legs.
* ''VideoGame/CondemnedCriminalOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/Condemned2Bloodshot'' does a good job deconstructing the ViceCity setting of most crime games. By placing it in a SurvivalHorror context, it shows just how terrifying the concept of a rotting, crime-filled metropolis with a [[PoliceAreUseless demoralized and incompetent police force]] could be in real life.
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is not kind to golden age. Neither the Dragons nor Gwyn could let go of their "perfect eras" and did everything in their power to keep it the way it was. The result? [[spoiler:In the case of the dragons? A gigantic war that almost completely annihilated their kind. In the case of Gwyn? [[TheEndoftheWorldasWeKnowIt well...]]]]
* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' shows that [[DungeonCrawling going into a confined, dark space full of highly-aggressive, inhuman monsters with limited supplies]] takes a massive toll both physically and [[SanityMeter mentally]] on even the hardiest soldiers. It also shows exactly what type of people would sign up for such a quest: broken, desperate, and occasionally insane people.
* ''VideoGame/{{Deponia}}'' deconstructs the KleptomaniacHero as an aspect of Rufus's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered personality]]; his tendency to take whatever isn't nailed down to further his own schemes is a major part of why he's generally disliked, not to mention that [[spoiler:he gets thrown in jail at one point for, you know, ''theft'']].
* While ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' was always a darker version of {{Mon}}s (despite [[OlderThanTheyThink preceding]] Franchise/{{Pokemon}} by several years), ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' took it to ''Shadow Star'' levels of brutality by showing exactly what kind of world would result in people gaining control of extremely powerful creatures that would follow any order.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Disciples}}'' series deconstructs GodOfEvil by showing what exactly could make a god evil in the first place. Neither of the two evil gods started out evil. They were even two of the ''[[BewareTheNiceOnes nicest]]'' gods before their fall. Their villainy is entirely due to the callous actions of the other supposedly good gods.
* After completing the first loop of ''VideoGame/DonPachi'', it's revealed that the events of the game have thus far been a deconstruction of the OneManArmy present in many shmup {{Excuse Plot}}s. [[spoiler:The player character, as part of his training, has been fighting against his own army, with his comrades willingly giving up their lives in order to help him become the ultimate SuperSoldier. And when you start the second loop, the player character has been doing this same training for ''the past seven years.'' Only when he's pretty much slaughtered the entirety of his allied forces is he finally admitted into the elite [=DonPachi=] Squadron.]]
** Its second-degree sequel ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi dai ou jou]]'' is a deconstruction of {{Robot Girl}}s. Set in a future crawling with Element Dolls, robot girls used as little more than slaves (of both the standard variety and...not-so-standard variety), the protagonist embarks on a mission against the forces of Hibachi with the assistance of one of three dolls. Depending on which doll you use, the ending has her [[spoiler:choking the protagonist to death and going back in time to cause shit in DOJ's sequel ''[=DoDonPachi=] [=DaiFukkatsu=]'', falling for him despite him not reciprocating her feelings, or becoming so protective of the pilot that she has to be forcibly removed from the ship. Regardless of which doll, it's clear that your doll has gone batshit insane]].
*** Finally, in ''[=DaiFukkatsu=]'', the enemy is a series of giant robot girls, manipulated by [[spoiler:Colonel Longhena]] into destroying humanity.
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'' deconstructs one major fantasy concept: The WizardingSchool is more of a prison and re-education camp than a school, as it seems to be the only way to avoid devolving the world into a bunch of mage-controlled city states. It also deconstructs the FantasticCasteSystem, showing exactly how Dwarven society, with its exclusion of the casteless from the labor pool, near complete lack of social mobility and strong conservative values, actually functions. Here's how: ''It doesn't.'' The dwarf realms are experiencing major brain-drain as low-caste dwarves are migrating to the surface in droves, and attempts to coerce them into staying by declaring those who set foot on the surface "lost to the Stone" and casteless are just met with shrugs. "GoldDigger" is a preferred career among casteless women, but due to how caste is inherited this has led to a population explosion among the casteless, who by tradition are forbidden to participate in the workforce and forced to turn to crime to survive. Meanwhile, the noble caste are more than willing to backstab each other and RulesLawyer their precious honor code into a pretzel if it means hanging on to their waning power one more day, while their civilization both metaphorically and literally crumbles around them.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestBuilders'' thoroughly deconstructs the TheChosenOne and ButThouMust tropes its parent series embraces so often:
** The game is set in a world where the hero of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' had been groomed all his life to go on a quest to defeat [[BigBad the Dragonlord]]. [[spoiler:He ended up taking the Dragonlord's DealWithTheDevil just to have ''some'' agency over his own life and see what would happen. The game is set in the resulting [[MultipleEndings Bad End]] BadFuture.]]
** [[PlayerCharacter The Builder]] is repeatedly told [[ArcWords they are not a hero]]. They aren't supposed to defeat evil, simply help get civilization back on its feet so humanity can carry on until one arrives. [[spoiler:They eventually make the goddess Rubiss admit she doesn't know ''when'' the Hero will be born - it could be tomorrow, it could be another thousand years, and people will just have to suffer until then. The Builder realizes this makes everything they're accomplished [[AllForNothing a meaningless stopgap]] and decides to ScrewDestiny and fix the source of the problem themselves. They're [[TheUnchosenOne not a hero]], but they can choose to be heroic.]]
* ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'' deconstructs the ElaborateUndergroundBase. You ''build'' the base, while the enemies invade.
* The main quest of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' deconstructs VillainExitStageLeft. [[spoiler:When you first defeat the BigBad, Alduin, he just throws a few taunts at you, then leaves. However, this causes many of the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy dragons]] serving under him to see him as a DirtyCoward unfit to rule them. Eventually, due to this act of cowardice, Alduin's [[TheDragon right-hand dragon]] makes a HeelFaceTurn and helps you reach the place where you can kill Alduin for good.]]
* ''VideoGame/FableII'' shows how normal people would eventually react to the existence of {{Evil Hero}}es. Turns out the citizens of Albion did not care for Heroes being able to just casually take on evil quests from the Heroes' Guild without taking consideration of the people they were supposed to protect. All that talk of the old Guildmaster giving Heroes freedom to choose? Apparently that freedom isn't extended to normal people. Once guns were invented they quickly armed themselves and attacked the Guild, destroying it and killing everyone inside.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}} and VideoGame/Fallout2'' both deconstruct the IdiotHero trope to a hilarious degree. By creating your character with an intelligence of 3 (out of 10) or lower, you are locked out of approximately 90% of the quests in the game, because almost nobody has the patience to try and figure out what you want to tell them, and absolutely nobody in an apocalyptic setting will trust you with critical objectives that affect their lives. That said, you ''do'' get to have some pretty funny dialogues as a bit of compensation.
* Too many deconstructions to list here, but [[ButForMeItWasTuesday a particularly important one]] is the motivation for the antagonist in the ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' DLC, ''Lonesome Road''. For the Courier, it was an ordinary package like any they'd normally deliver. [[spoiler:For Ulysses, it was the package that detonated the nukes stored beneath the Divide, destroying the place he saw as his home, teaching him the power of a single person to reshape the world and sparking off a dangerous obsession.]] The dialog options also allow you to play out this trope entirely when speaking with [[spoiler:Ulysses]].
** This also deconstructs the DarkAndTroubledPast by showing you most of what it is, and how [[ButForMeItWasTuesday such a dark and destructive past]] [[CreateYourOwnVillain affects others and can shape the world]].
* ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' deconstructs HardOnSoftScience with [[BigBad the Institute]]. Being a cabal of {{Mad Scientist}}s descended from the Falloutverse version of [=M.I.T.=], they have a complete lack of any manner of social scientific endeavors, instead basing their society around the creation of {{Artificial Human}}s and other hard sciences. The deconstruction comes into play in that while the Institute has plenty of answers of "Can we?", their lack of social sciences leads them to time and again choose the wrong answer to "''Should'' we?". This has resulted in the Institute suffering through over a century's worth of terrible relations with the Commonwealth, to the point where they're generally seen as the local boogeyman instead of the force of good and progress they view themselves as.
** HiddenElfVillage is also deconstructed with the Institute. Their initial attempt to pretend that "nobody's home" was impossible to keep up since they still require resources from the Commonwealth. This has resulted in them instead ruling over [=Post-War=] New England through TheConspiracy, and their foreign relations have only gone downhill since then.
* ''VideoGame/FarCry2'' deconstructs badass with the player character. The enemies attack you on sight, no one bothers to check if you're an enemy or not... solution? You kill everything on sight, becoming just like them and racking up hundreds of kills, and by doing that, become the epitome of badassitude with enemies running from you in fear if your reputation is high enough. Of course, this reputation doesn't just affect enemies, it affects friendly people as well, which you need for malaria medicine...
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'' is [[NintendoHard infamously difficult]] because it deconstructs the liberation plot. Namely, what would happen if the prince in exile tried to retake his throne with his RagtagBunchOfMisfits? Leif starts with no money and almost no support, so his army resorts to theft and kidnapping. Most of the game is spent running from bigger armies, and even after Leif retakes his castle, he doesn't have the resources or troops to hold it, and has to be bailed out by his much better prepared cousin Seliph.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' deconstructs AttentionWhore through Serra, who not only annoys her friends and prospect love interests with her demands for attention and vassalage, but [[spoiler:acts this way because she was badly neglected and abused in the Elimine convent where she was raised]], so her behavior is somewhat less about her being conceited and more about [[spoiler:[[IJustWantToBeLoved a massive cry]] [[PleaseDontLeaveMe for help]] [[StepfordSmiler hidden behind her facade]].]] But her own behavior actually ends up pushing almost everyone away (specially [[SugarAndIceGuy Erk]] and [[TeamDad Oswin]]), who aren't able to see her HiddenDepths until ''much'' later.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' deconstructs TheAce with Ephraim. For the first part of the story, it seems he can get through anything. However, when he gets back to Renais, Seth tells him that the citizens are not cheering for his return. [[spoiler:They're only happy because Orson's reign of terror is over.]] Ephraim takes this as the sign that his Leeroy Jenkins tendencies haven't been great for his people and begins to mature from then on.
** Not to mention, Ephraim's seeming perfection is the reason why Innes and [[spoiler:Lyon]] show quite the degree of inferiority complexes and covert/not-so-covert envy. In the first case, Ephraim only sees it as normal FriendlyRivalry, but Innes takes it more seriously to the point of [[spoiler:telling Eirika that he'll only propose to her after defeating Ephraim]]; in the latter, it's massively PlayedForDrama since [[spoiler:Ephraim adores Lyon and never ever sees him as inferior, so is struck ''hard'' (read: he's driven to tears) when he learns about Lyon's psychological troubles and how a part of them can be linked to seeing himself as inferior to Ephraim]].
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' has some deconstructions:
** ThePerfectionist: Cordelia. Her perfectionist nature make her quite disliked by the rest of the Ylisse Pegasus Knights [[{{Jerkass}} for seemingly looking down upon the others]], even though she only becomes that way [[WellDoneSonGuy because she seeks her seniors' approval]]. And then her A support with Avatar reveals [[spoiler:that despite their teasing, the other pegasus knights [[OneeSama really did admire her]], to the point that [[HeroicSacrifice they were willing to give up their lives for her.]] Being called a genius reminds her of their sacrifice, which is why she dislikes being called one]]. And not to mention, her "perfect" and "genius" [[spoiler:post-mortem]] fame will cause her daughter Severa to have quite the inferiority complex...
** Severa and Cordelia deconstruct CallingTheOldManOut and AngerBornOfWorry. [[spoiler:In the BadFuture, Severa didn't take kindly how her mother held an UndyingLoyalty to Prince Chrom, the guy whom she once held an UnrequitedLove for. At some point, she was both so upset at what she saw as a borderline betrayal to her dad and so scared about Cordelia possibly dying in the war, that she yelled at her mother for it.]] The result? [[spoiler:Cordelia went out to fight, died in battle and never returned home, [[PartingWordsRegret and Severa was totally traumatized for that.]] When Severa returns to the past with her friends and she's recruited by the Shepherds, she again questions Cordelia and her thoughts on Chrom... but this time it's more of a desperate facade, as she's very aware that this Cordelia isn't the same mother she lost (TimeyWimeyBall and all) and doesn't want to emotionally connect to her only to probably lose her again.]]
** [[spoiler:King Gangrel of Plegia]] is revealed to be a deconstruction of TheCaligula. How so? [[spoiler:His cruel and tyrannical actions quickly turn around to bite him in the ass. After Chrom's sister Emmeryn commits a HeroicSuicide, his own army starts defecting en masse, and the next chapter you fight a group of Plegian soldiers who honestly do not want anything to do with this war Gangrel started ''and'' were traumatized by Emmeryn's death. By the time the Shepherds confront Gangrel, all but a small group of loyalists have abandoned him, and Emmeryn has become a folk heroine among the people of Plegia.]] Not to mention, [[spoiler:Gangrel ''can'' be [[HeelFaceTurn recruited into your army]] in the first [[SocializationBonus SpotPass]] chapter; his supports also reveal that he did ''not'' start as a madman but as a mixture of SelfMadeMan who wanted to unite the continent against Valm, but fell into MotiveDecay after he went mad with power and well... ended up as the WarForFunAndProfit motivated madman the group met and fought. And damn, [[TheAtoner he now regrets having been such an asshole]]. (Not to mention, [[ReformedButRejected Chrom still can't forgive him]], and his potential best friend/girlfriend the Avatar does NOT trust him either at first.) His actions after being recruited ultimately do nothing to improve his reputation or redeem him in the eyes of everyone else and, unless he is romanced by the female Avatar, he spends the rest of his life hated and alone]].
** There's also a deconstruction of CartwrightCurse and CannotTalkToWomen in regards to Lon'qu. [[spoiler:His first friend was a young girl his age, Ke'ri, who was killed by bandits while he couldn't do anything to save her. As a result, he started to believe he suffered from this trope, to the point [[CannotTalkToWomen where he developed gynophobia]], in that he does '''not''' loathe women or believe they're weak -- but is deeply afraid of approaching them in fear [[TheLostLenore that they'll get killed because of him]]. Pretty much the only women he can talk to without much drama are the lady he reaches [[RelationshipValues an S-level support aka marriage]] and the prospect daughters he may have with her.]]
** Sumia's archetypically {{moe}} traits include her [[CuteClumsyGirl tripping around]], plucking flower petals for fortune telling, reading novels, and being super cute and dorky. If one looks at them closely, they're proof of '''severe''' [[HeroicSelfDeprecation self-esteem problems.]] A good part of Sumia's supports have her acting ''extremely'' awkward towards her friends and potential love interests (like the infamous [[NeverLiveItDown "pie baking" support with Chrom]], or her causing trouble to Gaius and Frederick [[UnwantedAssistance while trying to help them]]), and not to mention it's believed that her very low pools of potential boyfriends and female friends come from Sumia believing herself to be TheLoad and thus not approaching more people (and especially men) since she feels she's undeserving of either friendship or romantic love.
** The C-support with Vaike deconstructs Nowi's GenkiGirl trait, but from another perspective. What happens when [[WhoWantsToLiveforever somebody has near eternal life]]? Nowi, being [[OurDragonsAreDifferent a manakete]] and already at least a millennia old, chooses to spend her days happy rather than depressed by the fact that she will outlive all of her friends: she's very aware that this '''will''' happen no matter what and is frequently saddened by that (and shows it, so she doesn't qualify as a StepfordSmiler), but she ultimately decides not to waste her time crying for too long.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' also has its share of trope deconstructions and analysis:
** Silas's supports with a Female Avatar deconstruct LoveAtFirstSight. [[spoiler:He acknowledges the absurdity of the concept, which is why it takes until S-rank for him to accept that it ''was'' the case for him for the Avatar, and even then with embarrassment.]]
** [[spoiler:King Garon]] deconstructs MarryThemAll. [[spoiler:He never could [[ReallyGetsAround sever ties with a woman he'd once liked]], and he ended up with a [[HeroicBastard vast extended family of children]] from many different women. However, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder the ladies's infighting for his favor]] didn't result in a very happy home life, and while he ''tried'' to be a good father to all of his children, many of his mistresses actually murdered one another and/or one another's kids for political gain. The whole situation more-or-less only sorted itself out once most of his women were dead, and the surviving kids (his sole legitimate son Xander; Xander's half-siblings Camilla, Leo and Elise, plus "adopted" kid the Avatar) banded together). The whole thing [[{{Jerkass}} left him the bitter tyrant]] he is at the start of the story... or, rather, [[DeadAllAlong it provided a convenient cover]] for [[DeadPersonImpersonation his much-crueler doppelganger]] to [[AbusiveParents neglect and abuse the remaining princes and princesses]] for its own ends. The real Garon ''was'' a very bitter tyrant at the end of his life, but the audience never gets to learn whether he would've gone THAT far.]]
** Charlotte, the {{stripperiffic}} GirlyBruiser, is quite the deconstruction of TheFakeCutie and GoldDigger. In her past, whenever she tried to be herself with men, her TheLadette traits [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon scared them away]]; in her supports she explains to several of her suitors and some of her female friends that she pretends to be a pure-hearted girl not just to [[GoldDigger fleece men out of their money]], but because [[StepfordSmiler she's]] [[TheCynic damn bitter]] after said experiences. If a rich guy ''does'' show romantic interest in her, Charlotte is ''scared'' because she isn't sure if she actually likes the guy back or just wants his power and money.
** Princess Azura painfully deconstructs MysteriousWaif. She certainly fits the archetype, being a solemn princess with mysterious powers and a close relationship to the protagonist... But the only reason she has such a detached and aloof exterior is because of her [[BrokenBird issues]], which cause her to have a hard time opening up to people. However, this often intimidates some members of the army (like Keaton, who first freaks out at her apparent emotionlessness) and causes others to view her with suspicion (like Saizo, who cannot trust her easily until ''at least'' their B support), [[ViciousCycle making it even harder for her to bond with them]]. And for worse? [[spoiler:her mysterious powers ''[[CastFromLifespan are slowly killing her]]'', but [[ChronicHeroSyndrome she's so determined to help the Avatar's cause and save the world]] that she ''can't'' bring herself to stop using them, leading to her death in two of the three paths of the game.]]
** The ''Conquest'' route deconstructs a PacifistRun. The Avatar tries to prevent as many deaths as possible when fighting to the point that enemy forces are only injured when battling. He / she is told by various people over the course of the game that this is a bad viewpoint to have when fighting a war and it is shown repeatedly that avoiding all deaths in a war is impossible. Also, while the members of the Avatar's army respect this decision and abide by his / her desire to reduce bloodshed, Iago, Hans and Garon do not.
** Nyx deconstructs ACupAngst and OlderThanTheyLook: she looks like a young teenager [[spoiler:because of a curse coming from her DarkAndTroubledPast as a CreepyChild]], so she ''hates'' being stuck in a body that doesn't fit with her mental age and seriously believes that [[IJustWantToBeLoved she'll never be able to have a loving husband and children]]. Several of her potential boyfriends will have to reassure her that [[JustTheWayYouAre they love her despite this]].
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEchoesShadowsOfValentia'' deconstructs ReallyRoyaltyReveal and RightfulKingReturns through Berkut, showing an oft-glossed over side effect of the "rightful heir to the throne is raised in secrecy, then returns to claim their birthright" plotline embodied by Alm. Since nobody knows that Rudolf has a trueborn son, Berkut spends his entire life believing he is destined to rule Rigel and his entire sense of self-worth comes to revolve around this fact. When Alm comes out of nowhere and takes what Berkut had every reason to believe was rightfully his, a combination of his own insecurities and Rudolf's lack of a coherent plan to help him cope leads him to complete insanity and causes him to form a DealWithTheDevil to kill Alm and take what he believes he's owed, to the point he even sacrifices his own fiancée to Duma for power.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'':
** Edelgard repeatedly justifies her many morally questionable actions by IDidWhatIHadToDo, believing that she ''has'' to go the route she has chosen. This becomes a FatalFlaw as she becomes unwilling to compromise and refuses to accept that there might be other solutions.
** Dimtiri is the archetypical lord who went through a tragedy, saw his family and friends murdered, and has to retake his kingdom from a Red Emperor. But unlike Marth, Eirika/Ephraim, Seliph, or other series' protagonists, the experience deeply traumatizes him and leads to either a bitter, bloody death or living the rest of his life as TheAtoner with the trauma never fully resolving itself.
** Claude deconstructs the HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood. Because of Claude's parents refusing to intervene when he was mocked, bullied and nearly ''assassinated'' for [[spoiler: being biracial]], in an attempt to toughen him up and teach him to fight his own battles, Claude develops serious trust issues and a love of scheming that puts people ill at ease around him and makes it extremely difficult for him to form intimate emotional bonds with other people out of fear they will reject him or try to harm him if they know the truth. He also tends to downplay his parent's mistreatment of him, such as casually describing being dragged behind a horse when he misbehaved as a boy and changing the subject when Hilda is horrified by this, so he covers up uncomfortable moments with dark jokes. His guardedness and self-reliance become a FatalFlaw in some routes, as his HeroicNeutral stance during the war mean he is unable to rally the Leicester Alliance to form a strong enough army to hold off the Empire's forces.
** The Crest system is a brutal deconstruction of the BirthmarkOfDestiny and the social dysfunction that would entail if they were more mainstream than expected from a fictional setting, the people with them have a lot responsibility placed on them, and an entire nobility culture was built around them. Crests are usually taken as a sign of [[HeroicLineage being a descendant of one of the Four Saints or Ten Elites]] (who were said to have been gifted Crests by the continent's patron Goddess) and most of those descendants are nobles, but not only is lineage not a guarantee for inheritance, commoners have just as much of a chance of getting them too. This leads to situations such as commoners trying to marry Crest-bearing nobles in the hopes of increasing their own social status, non-Crest-bearing nobles marrying into families with Crests, and nobles adopting Crest-bearing commoners. Children of noble lineage born without Crests can [[ParentalFavoritism lose their inheritance to a younger sibling with a Crest]], leading to [[CainAndAbel violent internal power struggles]]. Noble children born with Crests also have high expectations placed on them and are frequently subject to loveless arranged marriages for producing more Crests or political advantages for their House. There is also at least one Crest (the Crest of the Beast) that ''nobody'' wants due to the storied past of its first human bearer, and so their descendants have experienced persecution and self-loathing in one known case. Meanwhile, the Crests of the Four Apostles were lost to history due to the Apostles going into exile after a horribly botched ritual to resurrect the Goddess, with the intent of making the Crests all but disappear to prevent the ritual from being performed again, and no public records of their history besides Rhea [[spoiler:(being Seiros herself)]] and becoming ShroudedInMyth. However, the Apostles' descendants were ''very'' dedicated to making sure that their Crests are as rare as possible to ridiculous extremes (such as the implication that Noa's descendants in House Nuvelle resorted to RoyalInbreeding to keep her Crest out of circulation while preserving her bloodline), making themselves relatively isolated from the rest of Fódlan and experiencing all sorts of hardships regardless of social status, which sometimes left them with no outside allies if threatened (and this was a factor in the near-extinction of House Nuvelle). [[spoiler:In two known cases in recent times, the desire of a certain cult to get more power out of Crests led them to perform lethal experiments on children to give them two Crests (something conventionally considered impossible), and those who survived the experiments without being crippled or driven insane have a shortened lifespan of varying length. Also, the part about Crests originally being gifted by the Goddess is a historical revision made by Seiros and the Church to cover up the fact that they were stolen by humans, ingesting the blood of [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Children of the Goddess]] like her family. Only the Crests of Seiros, the Saints and the Four Apostles were actually gifts made to combat Nemesis (nothing has been said about the Crest of Ernest); the rest were obtained by Nemesis and the Ten Elites (the latter getting a HistoricalHeroUpgrade) after killing Sothis and the other Children of the Goddess in a massacre.]]
* The ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' series deconstructs IncompetenceInc in the most horrific ways possible. The generally incompetent (and possibly morally bankrupt) owners of the in-universe [[SuckECheeses pizza franchise]] are not only willing to cut corners on costs whenever possible (Meaning equipment tends to malfunction or not work at all), but don't even bother doing background checks on their employees (Which results in a {{serial killer}} murdering ''several'' children) and have a general negligence of safety for their employees and customers (They refuse to claim responsibility for the deaths of night guards caused by their own animatronic mascots, and a child is horribly maimed in a DeadlyPrank due in part to no one even bothering to stop it). Not surprisingly, the restaurant is closed down after the events of the first game due to just how poorly run it is.
* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', [[spoiler:Baldur]] was blessed with the ability to FeelNoPain and invulnerability to all threats - physical and magical. But because of this, he cannot feel the most mundane stimuli such as pain, temperature, taste or pleasure. This lack of sense drives him insane, as well as destroying any level of empathy he possessed. He even flat out said he would rather die than to not feel anything.
* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'':
** Odin deconstructs EvenEvilHasLovedOnes. He ''does'', on some level, genuinely love his family, but he expresses it in the most possessive, toxic, and controlling way possible because of his villainy, and is seemingly caught in a loop of abusing his loved ones, regretting it, but then [[NeverMyFault instantly blaming outside factors and never reflecting on how he hurt them]]. To put it in perspective, despite being the one to murder Thor, he seems to have a moment of remorse and tries to apologize as his son is dying, but phrases it as an abuser would ([[WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou "I didn't want this"]]), and immediately retaliates without hesitation against Thrúd when she attacks him for killing her father right in front of her. He also seems to be fond of his two companion ravens, Huginn and Muninn, as he's genuinely upset when Freya and Atreus incapacitate one and kill the other, but this just serves to highlight how much he's dehumanized his family when the ravens matter more to him than they do. Overall, the only person Odin seems to have ever legitimately cared about was Thor's mother, Fjörgyn, who is long dead by the time of the story.
** SelfFulfillingProphecy is ''brutally'' deconstructed when the Norns reveal that '''''all''''' prophecies are self-fulfilling and that there's no such thing as fate or destiny, only the wisdom to predict what people will do and the consequences of refusing to change their ways when given warnings.
*** Zeus was always doomed to be killed by his son, Kratos, because in his paranoia and fear, he treated Kratos like shit until he finally snapped.
*** Kratos was fated to destroy Olympus and despite all his efforts to ScrewDestiny, that's precisely what he wound up doing because he refused to let go of his rage and stop blaming the gods for all his problems until it was far too late. To be fair, they ''did'' cause a lot of his problems, but even then, it's clear that none of the original trilogy would've happened if it wasn't for Kratos's poor life choices. The bright side is that the Norns' revelation ultimately prompts Kratos to truly screw destiny simply by becoming a better person, averting the prophecy of his death and putting him on the path to fulfilling a new one where he becomes a truly beloved protector deity.
*** Baldur died a meaningless death because Freya, whose greatest flaw is her selfishness, "[[BlessedWithSuck blessed]]" him with invulnerability, giving him SenseLossSadness in the process, and refused to take it back because she feared his predicted death, which resulted in him going insane and antagonizing Kratos and Atreus, giving Kratos no choice but to kill him and giving Baldur the meaningless death the Norns predicted because Kratos didn't ''want'' to get involved-- only being provoked when Baldur threatened to kill Atreus-- and the whole damn thing could've been avoided had Freya dropped the overprotectiveness.
*** Odin's attempts to prevent Ragnarök or at least control the outcome gives the heroes a reason to fight him. It begs the question; if Odin didn't know about the prophecy, would Ragnarök have still happened? The answer, it seems, is no, it wouldn't have. Ragnarök is just the logical, easily inferred endpoint of Odin's selfishness, cruelty, refusal to change, and obsession with controlling things that can't be controlled; the destruction of Asgard and everything he cares about because his abuse drives away his loved ones and causes the Nine Realms to rise up against him.
*** Odin's ultimate motivation is a self-fulfilling prophecy in and of itself. His existence as part of what created the Nine Realms has him unsure if he is BarredFromTheAfterlife or if he even has one, and for all of his knowledge and foresight, he can't find a concrete answer. He is ''relentless'' in his pursuit of the answer to this mystery, culminating in him killing Brok, [[DeaderThanDead which in turn result in his soul being destroyed by Sindri]]. Ultimately, it was never a question if Odin had an afterlife-- his own LaserGuidedKarma ensured he'd never have the chance to see it in the first place.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' deconstructs the {{Villain Protagonist}}s that have frequently featured in the ''GTA'' games.
** Michael is this character after he's already won. Having "beaten the game," so to speak, he's decided to get out of the game, enter WitnessProtection, settle down, and raise a family using his earnings, but he finds "normal" life to be boring. It's implied that him pissing off a drug lord is only part of the reason why he returned to a life of crime, since it's [[ChronicVillainy the only thing he really enjoys and knows how to do]]. The phrase "getting back in the game" is even used to describe it.
** [[AxCrazy Trevor]], meanwhile, deconstructs the VideoGameCrueltyPotential inherent in many open-world games through liberal application of YouBastard, showing exactly what sort of person would run around causing death, destruction, and mayhem [[ItAmusedMe for his own amusement]]. He is violent to the point of genuine psychopathy, one scene strongly implies that he raped Floyd, and TheStinger implies that he's schizophrenic on top of it. It's not for nothing that he's the only one who takes part in the returned Rampage missions.
** Franklin takes Carl Johnson's journey to become a successful crook. Unlike CJ, his newfound wealth only serves to alienate him from his neighborhood to the point where the end of the game only Lamar can be considered his friend as everyone else ignores or hates him. The gangbanging aspect is also downplayed, being an unsuccessful endeavor by Lamar as the Families and Ballas aren't really at odds with one another except them like in the original. Working for people on his own volition also is of little help as Devin and Haines treats him as what he is really is: a disposable tool lucky enough to be alive.
** Furthermore, unlike past games, ''V'' makes no excuses for the fact that its three protagonists are all morally bankrupt. Once they've settled their debt to Madrazo, their only motivation for their continued crime spree is pure greed and self-interest... solving the problem of GameplayAndStorySegregation by demonstrating just who would casually run people over and steal cars without a shred of guilt.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned'', meanwhile, deconstructed the mystique of the [[BadassBiker "outlaw" biker gang]]. The lifestyle of the Lost Motorcycle Club is shown as being filled with [[HellBentForLeather slick leather jackets]], [[CoolBike tricked-out hogs]], kick-ass fights, [[TrueCompanions camaraderie]], and badass mannerisms, just like in the movies... yet it's also a gang no different from [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas the Ballas or the Grove Street Families]], and with it comes backstabbing, death, and eventually [[spoiler:the total destruction of the Lost as an organization due to a brutal gang war]]. The deconstruction is completed in ''GTA V'', where we see that [[spoiler:Johnny, the protagonist of ''The Lost and Damned'', has [[BadassDecay become a strung-out meth addict]] who [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome gets killed minutes after his introduction]] -- the logical conclusion of his downward spiral at the end of ''The Lost and Damned'']].
* ''VideoGame/{{Grandia 1}}'' shows what would ''really'' happen if [[KidHero an 8-year-old girl was taken on an epic adventure where she has to constantly fight monsters and walk enormous distances]]: [[spoiler:the physical strain of adventuring proves to be too much for her young body to handle, and she becomes very sick, forcing the heroes to waste a one-of-a-kind teleporter to send her back home]].
* ''[[Franchise/GundamExpandedUniverse Gundam Senki 0081]]'' deconstructs the young vs the old generation. If you are playing as the Federation, the male lead is at a rather old age for Gundam leads (32 years old! That is just screaming for a death wish) while all of the cast on the Federation side are pretty much adults. The Zeonic side consists of young adults who attempt to cause trouble, for a series that usually favors the younger side. The older generation defeats the younger generation in battle.
* ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' manages to deconstruct the OneManArmy trope... [[spoiler:By making the protagonist slowly go insane from all of the slaughter, while the few enemies she tries to talk to refuse to listen to her and label her as a mass murderer.]] [[PacifistRun Though it's completely possible to avoid killing anyone at all.]]
** The game also deconstructs the PacifistRun. [[spoiler:If you want the best ending where both Dan and Iji live, Iji will ''still'' have blood on her hands via [[TechnicalPacifist indirect kills]], whether it's using the [[AttackReflector Resonance Reflector to deflect enemy shots back at them]], setting a trapmine to foil Asha's hostage plan with Dan (which results in the unavoidable death of a Komato soldier), or allowing Ansaksie to kill Iosa to prevent her from coming back later to kill Iji after the FinalBoss battle. Iji may not be going on a murder spree, but strict pacifism in the middle of a warzone isn't going to help her, either.]]
** The Komato are a deconstruction of the {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}}. What do you think will happen when they eventually succeed [[spoiler:(or at least are tricked into believing that they succeeded)]] in destroying their sworn enemy and no longer have a reason to fight? [[spoiler:General Tor suspects that they'll eventually turn on each other.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}'' deconstructs the glorious D-Day style liberation in a hideous situation as it becomes obvious that with a corrupt military brass whom sold out your forces twice, that going in after recovering from a devastating attack on your planet and how putting down the leader will not make things better at all.
* While the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series as a whole has largely played ThePowerOfFriendship straight, ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' has a rather brutal deconstruction near the end of the game. Sora is a firm believer in the trope, as he always believes that together people can do anything, and regularly attributes his power to his friends and connections with them, but Xigbar points out that he attributes ''too'' much of his strength to his friends, and during the climax, he's [[VillainHasAPoint proven right]]; when [[spoiler:the other Guardians of Light are ensnared by a Heartless swarm and apparently killed]], Sora [[HeroicBSOD breaks down]] ''[[HeroicBSOD hard]]'', declaring that since all his strength came from his friends, he's worthless on his own.
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' deconstructs several video-game RPG tropes such as how the main character seems to gain power by slaughtering others and how upon meeting you, the other members of your party become entirely dependent on your continued existence. It also deconstructs the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe itself, including notions of good and evil and ideas about The Force.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', done in contrast to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime its previous game]], takes apart ComingOfAgeStory. A lot of the [=NPCs=] that Link, who was once [[PlotRelevantAgeUp aged up into a young man]], encounters are dealing with very adult issues and most, children ''and'' adults, don't know how to cope or deal with it. A father grieves for the loss of his son who is presumed missing and dead, while a child mourns for the death of his parent. A man laments that he will never know his unborn children after failing to rescue them; meanwhile a child is about to lose her father to an illness. A man refuses to show his face to his fiancée because he broke a promise while said fiancée fears he had abandoned her because he no longer loves her. Several guards are torn between doing their duty or flee for their lives. Soldiers obey orders for a war that has long ended. A woman is forced to grow up too soon after the death of her father who must run the family business that's being threatened by a rival company.
*** It also deconstructs the UnstoppableMailman. Said mailman is such a ScheduleFanatic that he ''can't'' stop, no matter how desperately he wants to. Even as the moon is falling and the apocalypse is at hand, the mailman continues to deliver mail because "escape from the moon" is not written in his schedule. He only manages to leave Clocktown when his boss orders him to.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' deconstructs TheChosenOne harshly. The legend of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Hero of Time]] results in the people of Hyrule believing that he will return should the time come that Hyrule is in danger again. When Ganondorf returns they continue to believe this and Ganondorf remains unopposed [[spoiler:until the Gods take matters into their own hands leaving Hyrule in ruins]]. This particular version of Link also has to '''[[TheUnchosenOne earn]]''' his title as the successor of the legendary hero rather that just getting it.
*** It also takes apart typical post-apocalyptic AfterTheEnd stories. The game's bright and upbeat art style and music shows that life moves on. Centuries later, an old civilization will be forgotten and unmourned. A ResetButton on everything can be both a good and bad thing.
*** This Link's fighting style is a slight deconstruction of InstantExpert, involving a lot of wild swinging and exploiting openings that usually works out. Most Links are master swordsmen, but this Link is an islander kid who comes of age the same day his adventure starts, and has only ever hobby-sparred with Orca, who mostly taught him defensive fighting. Every other Link would have at least the excuse of having to fend off wildlife in the woods, but Outset island was pretty idyllic until the adventure begins.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' deconstructs LadyLand through the Gerudo. Due to culture and tradition, the Gerudo's city was entirely cut off from men. However, this posed problems for the Gerudo interacting with men, especially when they want to find a man to marry. They even need classes to educate themselves how to talk and woo men. Several Gerudo that Link encountered across Hyrule are shown to be awkward when trying to speak with him. At least one actively flew into a panic when speaking with Link, whispering to herself to remember the lessons she learned.
* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' gives us [[spoiler:Oersted]], a massive deconstruction of the KnightInShiningArmor. You see, he really ''is'' a valiant, brave and chivalrous knight to the very end, always seeking to help everyone around him and following his moral code: "As long as there is one person believes in you, you can't give up". [[spoiler:Said last person ''kills herself'' after Oersted sacrificed literally EVERYTHING to save her, right after being betrayed by his best friend and finding out that everything he believed in was a lie. Despite acting as TheHero through the whole game, in the end everyone who ever cared for him is either dead or now hates him due to a scheme by said best friend.]] It really shouldn't go without saying [[spoiler:that [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds he snaps...]] but in his own twisted vision, he's just helping humanity to "see the folly of their selfishness". And, once defeated, he finally realizes the mistakes on his own ways and openly admits being wrong. Noble to the very end]].
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' makes it a point to deconstruct the PlanetOfHats ''and'' the ProudWarriorRaceGuy in the form of the krogan, who are universally bad-tempered, violent, brutal, and selfish... and have exactly the interspecies relations this should earn them. They got themselves slapped with a nice, unpleasant DepopulationBomb for being an entire species of {{jerkass}}es.
** In an interesting subversion, Urdnot Wrex (one of the first named krogan we meet) not only starts out as [[GeniusBruiser much more mellow]] than his brethren but goes on to [[{{Reconstruction}} reconstruct]] the Proud Warrior Race culture of his kind almost singlehandedly, much to the annoyance of more two-dimensional Krogan.
** In a similar fashion, the batarians get their comeuppance in the third game, with the survivors becoming much more sympathetic and a possible War Asset against the Reapers.
** The geth came off as the typical evil robot mooks in the first game (along with the setting assuming any true AI is gonna turn on their creators by default), but the second and third games deconstruct the idea entirely.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' is known for its deconstruction of WhiteAndGreyMorality and RousseauWasRight in the first two games by showing the tragedy that ensues from such an event. When you factor in Zero's origin as [[spoiler:the last creation of Dr. Wily]] the series is also a deconstruction of JokerImmunity, ThouShaltNotKill, and probably a few other related tropes as well. Because [[spoiler:Dr. Wily was ''not'' executed after ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'', or killed in the next game because of Mega Man's ThreeLawsCompliant nature, he lived on to build Zero]], the latter being the ''cause'' of the wars in the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series all the way to his own. Then we have Dr. Weil, the main villain of the Zero series, who was also not killed when captured in the Zero series back story, and came back to wreak havoc.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' has several deconstructions of various cliches and tropes. For example it shows just how much of a tragedy the FakeDefector would be in real life, what would happen to a {{Tykebomb}} when they reached adulthood (one is a bitter man almost incapable of making emotional attachments, another spent a good portion of his adulthood being controlled and manipulated), just how mentally unstable or fairly screwed up a real life QuirkyMinibossSquad would probably be (FOX-HOUND, Dead Cell, Cobra Unit) and just how disturbing and yet fairly tragic a real life cloning plot would actually be.
** At a more meta level, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' deconstructs a lot of the tropes of video gaming itself.
** Arguably the whole franchise is a deconstruction of the badass trope, when you consider how much the heroes suffer to get to where they are.
** ''Metal Gear'' is based on AmericaSavesTheDay media but is significantly more political than most of it, pointing out how the lone American hero would be a byproduct of hideous intragovernmental corruption and backstabbing, imperialist foreign policy, and craven attempts to secure access to money, nuclear weapons or soft power. Even when Solid Snake is able to save the day on behalf of the Americans, it is ''never'' because the American top brass have sent him out for a decent set of reasons, and the consequences of usually end up making the world a whole lot worse later on. The franchise also loves talking about some fairly obscure real-life events in which America exploited its people or committed acts of bizarre cruelty, such as Code-Talker's explanation in ''Metal Gear Solid V'' of the way the Navajo people were exploited to mine resources for the nuclear bomb, and the terrible health consequences they suffered as a result.
* ActionRPG ''VideoGame/MetalWalker'' deconstructs the empty overworld found in many [=RPGs=]. Besides your character and a select few [=NPCs=] with {{Mon}}s, no one is outside, even in towns--because [[KillerRobot killer robots]] populate the landscape, even right outside buildings. Since you yourself are attacked very frequently, you can imagine why defenseless humans don't go out...
* Iva's Story in ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon Orta'' deconstructs the LittlestCancerPatient. In a CrapsackWorld with EverythingTryingToKillYou, predominantly run by a fairly corrupt Empire, there's just no place for a person, even a '''child''', who is terminally ill and needs looking after, so Iva is still conscripted into the Imperial Army. When he learns the truth about his condition from a letter left by his father in his final packet of medicine, he willfully goes on a SuicideMission to put an end to a dangerous monster threat.
* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' has ''many'' deconstructions, usually resolved by completing a social link:
** Yosuke deconstructs the StepfordSmiler and/or SadClown tropes, as his Shadow calls him on the fact he's basically just bored and aimless and so he's throwing himself into anything that seems interesting for the hell of having something to do. His social link ultimately culminates in him realizing that he doesn't ''need'' to be special as long as he has friends that believe him to be special.
** Chie deconstructs the {{Tomboy}} trope, as it's made clear from encountering her Shadow that she is quite uncomfortable with her lack of femininity. She also mildly deconstructs the BigEater trope, as she mentions that her ravenous appetite is one of the things she finds unfeminine about herself and is thusly ashamed of. Her social link involves finding out what kind of person she wants to be regardless of how feminine it makes her, and how to realize her goal of wanting to protect people, whether they see her as feminine or not.
** Yukiko deconstructs the YamatoNadeshiko trope, as it's noted she feels powerless and weak, as well as not truly wanting to accept her expected inheritance. Her social link eventually has her realize that she ''wants'' her expected inheritance, rather than trying to run from it, because everyone around her wants her to be happy, and she wants the same for them.
** Kanji deconstructs the RealMenWearPink trope, as his personal storyline is all about how his "un-macho" interests have led to ridicule and rejection from others, especially women, and how he doubts himself as a result of that. His social link has him coming to terms with the fact that he likes something that's considered "girly" and how that's not something to be ashamed of.
** Rise deconstructs the IdolSinger and {{Kawaiiko}} tropes, having originally gone into the music business because of a love of singing and a desire to make friends, only to grow fearful of the idea that people only see her for her idol persona. Her social link has her realizing that the idol personality she feared was masking her true self was actually inspiring people, and that she can be Rise and Risette.
** Naoto deconstructs the KidDetective (nobody takes her seriously due to her age, so she has to fight to be recognized) and {{Bifauxnen}} (she only dresses like and pretends to be a guy because it's the only way she can get around the chauvinism of the Japanese police system) tropes. Her social link has her realizing that she loves being a detective and solving mysteries, and always has, and that if society says she's too young or not a man and can't do that, she'll have to convince them otherwise.
** Exclusive to the anime, but Yu deconstructs IJustWantToHaveFriends. His fight against Shadow Mitsuo foreshadows this aspect of his personality where he undergoes an existential crisis over the idea of the case being solved and his friends abandoning him. His fight against Izanami solidified this where he almost willingly succumbed to the fog so that he could be in a reality where he remain with his friends.
** Mitsuo Kubo deconstructs AttentionWhore and/or IJustWantToBeSpecial. He repeatedly tries to take responsibility for the murders to get attention, and even goes so far as to commit an ''actual'' murder to this end. This ends up landing him in a mental hospital.
** Ms. Kashiwagi, the Investigation Team's second homeroom teacher, deconstructs SenseiChan; rather than see her immaturity and behavior as endearing, her students view her as nothing more than a pathetic AttentionWhore. She also deconstructs [[TeacherStudentRomance Hot for Student]] as her OldMaid status has left her so bitter and desperate for attention from males that she is willing to settle for anyone.
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'':
** Sae Nijima's PromotionToParent for her younger sister Makoto after the untimely death of their father. While Sae genuinely cares for Makoto, the pressures of managing her line of work and caring for Makoto has caused her to become jaded, bitter and cynical. She despises her father for dying and leaving his children to deal with the fallout and she is secretly terrified that either she or Makoto will die a similar death like their father in a fruitless pursuit of justice. In the main story, in a fit of anger, Sae told Makoto that she saw Makoto as a burden and later on, reveals that she was jealous of Makoto's idealistic views and how carefree Makoto's life is as a high schooler. Meanwhile, Makoto only wants to [[WellDoneSonGuy make Sae proud]] and wishes to have the relationship they had prior to their father's death.
** HappinessInSlavery is deconstructed through Yusuke. Like many abuse victims, he is aware that Madarame is mistreating him and that he is plagiarizing Yusuke's work but feels that he can neither leave nor confront Madarame about this out of a sense of obligation towards the man who raised him after his mother's death. To cope with this, Yusuke continually rationalizes Madarame's behavior, hindering the Phantom Thieves' attempts to change Madarame's heart. Even after [[spoiler: Madarame's Shadow reveals he indirectly killed Yusuke's mother]], Yusuke continues to have conflicted feelings of love and hate towards his adopted father, who it is eventually revealed ''did'' care for him as a doting father would when he was younger. Yusuke's social link is about trying to reconcile these feelings.
* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIV'' deconstructs the idea of TheChosenOne with Chaz. Being informed that he's one of the Protectors of the Seal, destined to defend Algo from the forces of evil, he [[RefusalOfTheCall outright rejects it]], saying that mindlessly following the orders of an uncaring, distant god would make them no different than the story's villains.
* Amongst many tropes it skewered, ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' deconstructed the standard [[ItsUpToYou RPG trope of your character always being the center of the story]] by turning the story into a personal quest for identity rather than a standard 'save the setting from EvilOverlord X while most people sit by and watch'. Furthermore, The Nameless One leads the outfit because all the joinable [=NPCs=] [[spoiler:are bound to you by the Mark of Torment, interlocking their destinies with your own; they]] could not leave you even if they wanted.
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'':
** The Van der Linde gang is a deconstruction of UndyingLoyalty and FamilyOfChoice. Dutch found and took in many of the members when they were young (Arthur, John, Tilly) or when they were at the lowest point in their lives (Bill, Javier), acting as a ParentalSubstitute for many of them. In turn, the gang are fiercely loyal to him and see each other as a family. However due to Dutch's AmbiguouslyEvil actions, it's uncertain if he saved them out of the goodness of his heart or manipulated them to use them as pawns. Dutch also wanted to control all aspects of the members and didn't like it when anyone questioned him (Hosea, Arthur, John) or if they even showed hints of having loyalty to someone other than him (John towards Abigail and Jack). Despite this, many foolishly continue to follow his every word, even when they all notice Dutch's SanitySlippage and Dutch's schemes get members and innocent people needlessly in danger or killed. This would split the gang into two sides, those who continue to blindly follow Dutch and become hostile to those who don't and those who realize Dutch is too far gone and their attempts to protect the gang from Dutch have ''them'' seen as traitors to the gang. All of this eventually cumulates with the gang imploding on itself, becoming mistrustful and openly aggressive to each other, [[spoiler: some members finally leaving the gang out of fear for their lives]] and Dutch [[spoiler: betraying Arthur and John on separate occasions to die]]. By the end of it, the once great Van der Linde gang is no more.
*** It's best seen what UndyingLoyalty to a person who is undeserving of it regarding Dutch to his adopted sons Arthur and John. This is Arthur's FatalFlaw as he will continue to follow Dutch's lead even if he openly disagrees and disapproves with Dutch's actions and flat out knows better. This loyalty cost Arthur opportunities to leave the gang and live a happier life and [[spoiler: if Arthur had stopped obeying Dutch earlier, it's possible his tuberculosis would not have progressed as far as it did]]. Same with John, who continues to remain in the gang out of some sense of loyalty to the man who raised him even if John knew there were strong implications that Dutch had [[spoiler: abandoned him to either rot or hang in prison]].
** The concept of OneLastJob and escaping to live in peace afterwards. After the botched Blackwater heist that was meant to be the gang's last job, Dutch plans OneLastJob after another [[SunkCostFallacy to replace the take]]. But by doing so, the gang only gets into more trouble and dangerous situations, constantly being on the run and with the authorities closing in on them and the cycle continues. [[JerkAssHasAPoint Micah]] is the one to point out that the gang is simply too large to continue effectively evading the law and for any last job, no matter how big, to provide for two dozen people comfortably and get them all out of the country safely. Some members of the gang eventually realize that they will never see any of the money and that Dutch really doesn't ''want'' to stop being a criminal despite what he says.
* In ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'', Chris Redfield's PromotionToParent for his sister Claire after their parents died in a freak accident when she was fourteen. Chris was given new responsibilities suddenly and he became overprotective over her, training her in firearms and combat skills from a young age and apparently often bossed her around. Even though Claire loved her brother, she still harbored some bitterness over his parenting as an adult.
* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'': Easily the most famous and most influential aspect of the game is how it handles the idea of a BossBattle. The Colossi are unique, glorious creatures, each with their own physical and behavioral quirks, and are great opponents to anyone who challenges them. The problem is that they're not monsters. They're not villains. They're just territorial creatures that would be of no threat to anybody if you would just ''leave them alone''. The tragedy of their deaths is highlighted by "End of the Battle", a sad song that plays whenever a Colossi is killed. When all of the Colossi are defeated, our hero Wander is transformed into a Colossi lookalike attacked by archers, followed by a scene of ControllableHelplessness where, in order to roll the credits, Wander must die. That's right - as [[LaserGuidedKarma punishment for what they've done]], Wander, and by consequence, the player, both function as the game's FinalBoss.
* ''VideoGame/SonicInflationAdventure'' mocks and deconstructs the idea of the SelfInsertFic: When the nameless and faceless protagonist wakes up in the body and universe of Sonic the Hedgehog, he instantly takes the opportunity to indulge in his lecherous desires with the female characters of the franchise, but every time you try to indulge in sexual acts that the typical author of a self-insert fanfiction would do, it always ends horribly. The protagonist's dialogue choices constantly out him as a sex addict who doesn't really care about the girls he fucks beyond their physical appearance, implying that the people who make these kinds of games don't actually care for the characters, they just want to get their dick wet by seeing a woman they find attractive partake in sexual activities. The third game reveals the self-insert to be a depressed loser stuck in a job he hates, and sees the ''Sonic'' franchise as a place of escapism.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** E-102 Gamma's storyline in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' was an unexpected deconstruction of Eggman's robotic {{mooks}}...or more specifically, the fact that [[UnwillingRoboticisation Eggman's robots are powered by animals]]. (Well, technically, Gamma was an {{Elite Mook|s}}, but whatever.) After seeing Amy's flicky in the Egg Carrier's prison chamber, his power source's memories and emotions began to conflict with his programming, eventually leading to his seeking out and destroying the other E-100 models (and himself) to free the animals inside.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'', we see a deconstruction of StatusQuoIsGod: [[spoiler: After years of them sticking by Sonic's side, Tails, Knuckles and Amy realizes there's so much more they can do and see and they just can't do it while sticking by Sonic's side (or constantly guarding the Master Emerald in Knuckles' case). Tails in particular realizes he can't grow stronger as Sonic's sidekick and decides to strike out on his own. Even Eggman changes as he comes to treat the AI Sage as a daughter and, in the GoldenEnding, resurrects her after her HeroicSacrifice]].
* ''Videogame/SoulcaliburVI'' deconstructs BadassNormal...twice ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation at least as far as the story goes]]):
** Seong Mi-na, in any story where magic didn't exist, would be a fearsome warrior lady. Being LockedOutOfTheLoop ends up with her suffering a humiliating defeat by the alchemist [[{{Dominatrix}} Ivy]].
** Newcomer Groh also suffers a CurbstompBattle. Though unlike with Mi-na, he was aware that magic existed. This didn't prevent him from being nearly '''murdered''' by the magically infused [[BlackKnight Nightmare]] due to how freakishly strong the latter is.
* ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'' is a massive deconstruction of video game tropes, specifically tropes that involve narrative in video games. Even attempts to break the game are deconstructed in a humorous light.
* Cody from ''VideoGame/FinalFight'''s appearances in ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' deconstruct the BloodKnight. He went to jail despite saving Metro City from the notorious Mad Gear gang, even despite his connections with Mayor Mike Haggar. He's apparently lost the will to fight for any meaningful reason, and claims to do it simply because he wants to relieve his intense prisoner boredom.
** Evil Ryu is a deconstruction of the same trope, but from a different approach. Ryu himself is a NiceGuy who only wants to be the better martial artist, but within him there's a horrifyingly powerful aura known as the "Satsui no Hado", which can potentially corrupt his whole mind and heart to make him a mindless killing machine. Evil Ryu is the incarnation of that SuperpoweredEvilSide, starting in the Alpha games as a cockier version of him and evolving in Super SFIV into a nightmarish and purely evil being; therefore, SFIV!Ryu is shown to be ''deeply'' distressed at the prospect of giving into this massive power that will be his perdition. [[spoiler:When it '''almost''' happens in the ''Ties That Bind'' movie, he's driven to a short but very intense HeroicBSOD.]]
* ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'' deconstructs the MayflyDecemberRomance of many characters, most notably the Flame Champion as he gave up his immortality by retracting the True Fire Rune in his body so he can age with his loved one, but the act caused his body to break down and eventually die.
* Deconstruction, along with subversion, is a prominent focus in the plots of the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' games.
** For example, ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' starts out as a ClicheStorm, but it quickly begins deconstructing tropes. The most ripped-apart trope being TheChosenOne; it shows what a shitty life a person would have if they were expected to save the world, and the psychological effects such a title and life would have on them. In this case, ''both'' of the chosen's become [[StepfordSmiler stepford smilers]], with [[ThePollyanna Colette]] always covering up her problems because she doesn't want to worry people, and [[HandsomeLech Zelos]] covers up his [[SadClown suicidal tendencies]] [[ObfuscatingStupidity with his apparent stupidity.]]
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' takes a hatchet to the idea of TheNeedsOfTheMany being anything less than morally repugnant. Shepherd Artorius and his Abbey rule the world with this as their absolute philosophy, and it's thoroughly demonstrated that [[VillainWithGoodPublicity no matter what people think]], following this code makes Artorius an inherently abhorrent person, murdering his own family for a ritual, consigning whole villages to die of starvation because relief supplies are an economic loss, and sacrificing his own exorcists, all without a second thought because it furthered the welfare of "the many". Sure, [[ByronicHero Velvet]] is no saint, but at least her endgame isn't [[spoiler:the elimination of all free will in the name of an efficient society]].
* The ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' deconstructs the KidHero archetype that most JRPG games play straight. Most playable characters tend to skew as teenagers, most of the adults are very competent at their jobs in comparison. Thanks to their inexperience and lack of authority, the kids lose far more than they win and need to be frequently bailed out by their adult counterparts. Unless the younger characters have received specialized combat training which frequently is depicted as traumatizing or are flat out used to harsher living conditions, (just ask [[ChildSoldiers Renne]], [[EmptyShell Joshua]], or [[DeathSeeker Kevin]]), they won't be able to catch up with the adults, no matter how many special powers and abilities they may have compared to years of experience. Ultimately this results in a case of TheBadGuyWins more often than not, leaving the protagonists to scrape by with personal victories at best while only making a dent in the villains' plans.
* ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'' deconstructs BigBrotherInstinct. Josh's character traits of "complex, thoughtful, loving", especially in regards [[BigBrotherInstinct to his sisters]], actually bring out the worst in him. Losing his sisters caused him to [[spoiler: be driven to madness and fixated on getting revenge on his friends who caused the prank. Josh's "prank" was far more traumatizing on his friends and after stopping his medications, he quickly loses the rest of his sanity]].
* ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume'' is a deconstruction of RoaringRampageOfRevenge and PoweredByAForsakenChild. The moment Wylfred, the main character, gets his hands on an item that can give him power to take revenge on the one who killed his father. Thing is, the thing grows in power by eating souls of the dead. This leads to Wyl killing his best friend in one of the first chapters due to not fully understanding how the item works. Oh, and you can only sacrifice souls of those who trust you. While there are ways to get around killing your allies, you're openly encouraged to kill them (and even need to do so to unlock certain routes)! [[spoiler:Also, the person Wyl wants to take revenge on? Not only is it not her fault for why Wyl wants revenge, but she's the only reason he's even alive. Even the best ending has Wylfred's father condemned into that universe's version of Hell because of Wyl's actions.]]
* ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'', while in homage to lots of things, has a particularly interesting Deconstruction of TrappedInTVLand. Joe doesn't demonstrate it, but [[spoiler:Captain Blue certainly does; the game shows that he got caught up in his fantasy in Movie Land, showing he went insane because he couldn't visit his wife or daughter, and eventually tried to destroy everything]]. It shows that being TrappedInTVLand sucks, and isn't really something to take lightly.
* StiffUpperLip in ''VideoGame/WeHappyFew'' is taken to the logical extreme where ''everyone'' in Wellington Wells is forced to maintain a cheerful facade in the face of disaster. They do not take kindly to anything that is sad or troubling, especially if it reminds them of [[NoodleIncident A Very Bad Thing]], and they will brutally attack and/or murder anyone who isn't on Joy. They are so dependent on taking their Joy and remaining blissfully ignorant than face the fact [[spoiler: there is a major food crisis and people are starving to death]].
* ''VideoGame/WintermoorTacticsClub'' gently but ''very'' pointedly deconstructs several ideas with a single plot element, with the most focus on the idea of the BarrierMaiden, but also taking potshots at SadisticChoice, PassingTheTorch, and HeroicSacrifice:
** Situation: [[spoiler:Principal Enfield tells the party that he has a ritual that will keep the [[ArtifactOfDoom Gatekeeper Statue]] bound to the party. Doing this prevents it from summoning its demonic master and taking over the world... but will also destroy the party's futures, since they'll have to devote everything to their club and each other, using their bonds to keep the thing at bay until such time as they must pass the statue on to someone else. It's the only way]].
** Deconstruction: [[spoiler:Alicia, the party leader, simply won't do it. As she and the party point out, they've only got Enfield's word that this is the only way to stop the thing. He's ''tried'' to destroy it and failed... but the party is much stronger than he has ever been. He's just one guy, after all, while the Tactics Club is a multi-man party that's already proven themselves against both every other club in the school and against the statue's own cult. Further, it's not going to ''solve'' the problem, just kick it down the road; Alicia would rather take the bet they can actually fix it, now, than risk it breaking free later when they're weaker. The party simply beats the statue and its demon master to death- singlehandedly preventing Armageddon, and tossing Enfield's BarrierMaiden plan out on its ass]].
* ''VideoGame/XCom'' deconstructs the monster and alien-fighting cartoons popular during the '90s where you had an elite team of heroes able to travel anywhere in the world in order to fight cheesy villains and win despite having inferior technology and numbers. Then look at X-COM, who travel the world in a CoolPlane to fight goofy-looking aliens... and suffer a high fatality rate, have barely enough funding, and have to desperately struggle just to get good enough weapons to fight 3/4 of the things that keep coming down.
** ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' also deconstructs a lot of the tropes that ''VideoGame/XCom'' set up: you can't capture alien weapons easily, because they explode when you kill the alien using them. You can't just do some basic research and ''understand'' how alien tech works, you need to build a solid basis for understanding ''and then'' build on it until you're able to safely replicate the technology. [[VideoGame/XCOM2 The sequel]] also deconstructs the "heroic organization saves the Earth from overwhelming powerful alien invaders" by making it so that the ''second'' it looks like XCOM is a threat, the aliens attack and destroy the organization, letting them take over the world easily.
* ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza}}'': the series deconstructs the entire concept of CivilWar. Most games in the series feature some form internal conflict in the Tojo Clan. In the first games, this is mostly treated as a bog-standard PlotDevice to get the ball rolling but the later games in the series show more and more of how much a decade or more of near constant internecine warfare has weakened the Tojo Clan to the point that when ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' rolls around, the Tojo Clan has been driven from their traditional home territory by less powerful but more cohesive and decisively led groups.
* ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'' deconstructs {{tsundere}}s with Kylier by giving a realistic reason to her constant bitchiness towards Yggdra instead of a simple LoveTriangle. [[spoiler:She resents Fantasinia and its royal family as a whole for their FantasticRacism towards her people, displaying a little FantasticRacism herself.]] Not to mention the deconstruction of the resistance, how in spite of Yggdra being not vilified, her weapon has caused more pain and suffering to the empire than what the empire does. And the SadisticChoice(s) she must make.

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