History BackFromTheDead / VideoGames

** Shepard also experiences some SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome issues, inasmuch is possible with this trope. Because this is not a setting where resurrecting the dead has even been heard of outside of mythology, and the fact that the number of people outside of Cerberus who were aware of the Lazarus Project can be counted on one hand, the vast majority of people upon learning that Shepard was alive came to the conclusion that Shepard was FakingTheDead. This created some major problems when combined with Shepard's newfound association with Cerberus, in large part because Cerberus predicted this would happen and took advantage of it.

* The Lucasarts AdventureGame ''VideoGame/TheDig'' features a ruined alien civilization so advanced that they could even bring the dead back to life using 'life crystals', which becomes a central point of the story, as it turns out there's more to the crystals than just resurrection...

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', after receiving the [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement Durandal]], Eliwood accidentally attacks an ice dragon who is revealed to be [[spoiler: Ninian]] who later [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dies in Eliwood's arms.]] In the final chapter [[spoiler: she]] gets resurrected by Athos.

* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'': A staple scenario in the series. After being thrown to the ravine and thought to be dead, Heihachi Mishima turned out to survive, climbed back up, beat the one who did this to him (his son Kazuya), and threw him to the volcano. But Kazuya [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat still manages to come back to life, because some researches retrieved his remains and gave him a new body]]. And finally, the fifth game, Heihachi was thought to be killed after he was nuked... (''Heihachi Mishima is dead'', or so ''Tekken 5'''s prologue states) but he still came back! Even the resident ninja Raven {{lampshade|Hanging}}d this.

* ''Franchise/Kirby'': This usually happens after the FinalBoss returns in [[NintendoHard the True Arena]] being brought back in their Soul forms; while they become stronger, they also return [[SanitySlippage at the cost of their sanity]].

** [[spoiler:Void Termina]] of ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' actually does this [[spoiler:''twice.'' In Soul Melter, he is brought back as [[ChaosIsEvil Void Soul]], now gaining sentience without having to be fueled by ThePowerOfHate from [[SinisterMinister Hyness]]. ''Then,'' he comes back as [[AstralBirth Void]] in [[HarderThanHard Soul Melter EX]] where he can now destroy everything around him because he can before he is finally destroyed by ThePowerofFriendship Kirby managed to show him after being defeated twice.]]

** The game ''begins'' with the player being resurrected by their Ghost, a tiny drone who carries [[RealityWarper the Light]] of the Traveler, a benevolent SufficientlyAdvancedAlien. Nearly every Guardian, it turns out, is resurrected from someone who was alive during the GoldenAge who died during [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Collapse]]. Furthermore, the Ghost can resurrect their Guardian indefinitely as long as their reserves of Light remain intact, to the point that specialized tactics and weapons are needed to truly kill them, usually in the form of draining their reserves of Light or destroying their Ghost.

* Where most dead characters in [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys the series]] come back as HostileAnimatronics, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'' comes back in his own decayed, hollowed out corpse (if he ever truly died at all; Ennard claimed he wouldn't, yet his skin rotted as if he did). Even he's confused on why and how he's still around after the fact.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', a particular character pulls this off. ''Twice.'' '''In one chapter.''' Said character is [[spoiler:[[TheHero Alear]], who [[TheHeroDies died]] TakingTheBullet for their sister, Veyle. The first time, Veyle uses her powers as a Fell Dragon to revive Alear as a corrupted, but even this is merely temporary, and Alear's corrupted body gives out after the battle. However, the twelve emblems unite and use a special power they can only use once ever- a miracle that can only be performed when all twelve are in agreement- [[CameBackStrong to fully revive Alear as the titular Fire Emblem,]] the thirteenth Emblem.]]

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', a particular character pulls this off. ''Twice.'' '''In one chapter.''' Said character is [[spoiler:[[TheHero Alear]], who [[TheHeroDies died]] TakingTheBullet for their sister, Veyle. The first time, Veyle uses her powers as a Fell Dragon to revive Alear as a corrupted, but even this is merely temporary, and Alear's corrupted body gives out after the battle. However, the twelve emblems unite and use a special power they can only use once ever- a miracle that can only be performed when all twelve are in agreement- [[CameBackStrong to revive Alear as the titular Fire Emblem,]] the thirteenth Emblem.]]

* Tezkhra in ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction'', who first appears to be a GodOfEvil, but turns out to be a perfectly nice guy who was killed by an evil creature that stole his name. One endgame sidequest allows you to recover his soul by defeating a BonusBoss, then have a {{Necromancer}} restore his body.

* The Count of Groundsoaking Blood in ''VideoGame/{{Boktai}}'' and a similar counterpart, [=ShadeMan.EXE=], in ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 4'' just refuse to die. Both have been victims to a Pile Driver (which is supposed to utterly wipe all trace of a vampire's existence) at least twice, once in their own game, once in the other (and the Count even gets a third one in the JP-only Boktai 3), and both were blasted into oblivion via [=MegaMan.EXE=]'s Megabuster. It's assumed that even ''that'' didn't kill [=ShadeMan.EXE=], only the utter obliteration of all Dark Chips.

** Even though Link and Zelda are {{legacy character}}s, Ganondorf is basically the same guy in each of the games. He has died at least seven times in various branches of the timeline, but is capable of resurrecting through various means; while in ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' and the ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle]]'' games his resurrection involves some kind of human sacrifice, ''Literature/HyruleHistoria'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' imply that he can resurrect on his own courtesy of [[spoiler:Demise's eternal curse]]. The plot of the ''Oracle'' series revolves around the witches Twinrova attempting to kidnap Zelda in order to sacrifice her to resurrect Ganon, which results in [[spoiler:the witches sacrificing themselves so that Ganon can come back and have you [[BackForTheDead kill him in the final battle]]]], while ''Adventure of Link'' has him show up on the Game Over screen, because the manual explains that he can be resurrected by spreading Link's blood over his ashes. So far, [[spoiler:''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]''[='s=]]] timeline is the only one where he's apparently ''stayed'' dead.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'': A Robot Master whose PersonalityChip isn't destroyed can undergo this or a DisneyDeath depending on how much you damage his or her body without hurting the PersonalityChip.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'':
** In the BossRush stages, you fight the bosses again as you did in the stages the bosses made their lairs in.
** At the beginning if ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'', Zero is resurrected one century after his death in ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' (that is, if you insist so), and the saga begins!

* Bowser, while he rarely truly 'dies' in a game, played this trope straight in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1''. Mario/Luigi drops him into lava, and watches ''his flesh burn and melt off of him'' in an [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath uncharacteristically gruesome]] manner. He appears again later, resurrected as a skeleton by his son, who eventually also completely restores him to a bigger, badder form.
* Occurs in the ending of ''[[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ninja Gaiden II]]'' for the NES. Irene gets killed by stray lighting before the final boss appears. After the fight is over, Ryu regrets not being able to save Irene. The Dragon Sword suddenly turns into a ball of light and enters Irene's body, bringing her back to life.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', ''everyone'' except Mario, Luigi, and Rosalina dies when the universe implodes; and is brought back by the lumas.

* [[VideoGame/GalaxyAngel The Galaxy Angel II trilogy]] pulls this with Roselle Mateus, who was disintegrated when he detonated his Holy Blood's Chrono String engines to take out Will lieutenant Parfait at the end of the second installment. By the latter half of the third, he's back, albeit under Will commander Herea's possession (which is attributed to him having come back without the memories of his deceased sister Bianca). Kazuya himself gets taken out by the possessed Roselle before coming back as well, courtesy of all six Angels utilizing an enhanced combination sequence to thwart the Will's plans of initiating a Big Crunch.