History VideoGameCrueltyPotential / RolePlayingGame

* In the Card Battle game ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Duel Carnival'', you can challenge a lot of folks from the anime who don't normally duel, like Yuma's kindly grandmother, Nelson's mom, and all manner of young children. Most of them are incredibly easy and have [[VendorTrash cards that most duelists wouldn't be caught dead with]], and you may feel like a big rat after pounding them with direct attacks. Even worse, Haruto. Yuma's storyline ''requires'' you to duel him (although he's actually got an okay deck) but if you're a fan of the anime, you won't like yourself is you manage to win by a CurbStompBattle (And he still likes you for "playing with him" after you do).

* ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'' offers lots of cruelty options, especially to the talented mystic. One particularly glorious possibility involves charming a wolf or bear, then walking to the nearest town, entering an occupied house, and releasing your control over the wild animal (but not before leaving the house and Magelocking the doors and windows). Other fun activities include using Force Walls and Walls of Fire to trap and burn the clothes off passersby and tricking {{NPC}}s into picking up and equipping armor that deals continual poison damage.

*** All non-plot-important {{NPC}}s can be killed, making it possible to go on killing sprees of hundreds of individual characters. Plot-important characters can only be temporarily knocked unconscious.
*** But why just kill people yourself when you can get them to kill each other? The ''Frenzy'' effect causes the target to go berserk and attack the nearest person. Because it doesn't count as an attack, you can use it in the presence of guards without committing a crime. Riots are ''fun''. You can start a Guard vs. Townsperson brawl that can result in every non-essential {{NPC}} in the town being ruthlessly slaughtered by ''the very guards that are supposed to defend them.''

*** Poisoned Apples (which you get in the Assassins Guild quests) are a good source of fun. If you see an {{NPC}} sit down and eat, just put one on his plate. Ten seconds after they eat it and their lifeless, limp body will be hanging from the chair.

*** Why wait for the guards to do the dirty work when you can hire an ''armed'' mercenary who's inside the same city who is more than capable of killing {{NPC}}s?

*** In VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver and its [[VideoGame/PokemonHeartGoldAndSoulSilver remakes]], a random {{NPC}} in Cianwood City says that your rival scared him into giving away a rare Pokémon. He then gives you another, a Shuckle, to keep safe. You're free to do whatever you want with his Pokémon, use it in battle, breed it, even release it. To add to it, if you talk to him again later in the game, he'll say that he thinks it's OK for him to have his Pokémon again, but if you don't give it back, he'll tell you that what you're doing is basically stealing, making you no better than your rival. However, [[SubvertedTrope he will let you keep it if it has high friendship/happiness]].

* In ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'', the game allows, and sometimes even encourages, you to do things to the various {{NPC}}s in towns and villages, such as stealing from them, beating them up, kicking them in the face, or forcibly conscripting them into your army. This is all ''menu-based'', meaning the game ''is basically suggesting to kick people for no good reason''. And let's not get into [[spoiler:the Demon path,]] which basically calls you a wuss for all that.

** The Genocide Route as a whole counts, but Papyrus's fight is a particularly stark example. There is absolutely no reason to kill him. In fact, the only way to do so is to deliberately ignore his offer of mercy, and attack him after he's already spared you. Made even worse by the fact that no matter what you've done so far, [[FriendToAllLivingThings he will never try to hurt you himself.]]

** One of the cruellest things you can do on a Neutral route is to befriend Undyne (which can only be done if you've been completely pacifist until that point) [[BrokenPedestal and then kill someone.]] She does ''not'' take it well.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' features a sequence where you can save Cid by catching fish. Fail the fishing minigame, and he dies. However, many players fail the minigame on purpose - partly because of this trope, partly because it's an annoying minigame, and partly because Cid's death is generally considered to be one of the most tragic moments in the game.

*** It continues the tradition by letting you date nine girls at once, four of whom are party members (plus one more in the ''[[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'' version). What makes it really cruel is how you get to this point. You act like a charming, gentle hero, who comes in to rescue them from the worst things in their lives and let them be free from people who are making their existances miserable, only to reveal yourself to be just as much of a dick as the people who hurt them. Two of the worst are the formerly-suicidal girl who you help through her debilitating social anxiety and the girl whose father tried to force her into an abusive arranged marriage, but they're all pretty horrific. [[spoiler:This time, though, you do ''not'' get away with it scot-free...]]

*** As with other ''Pokémon'' games, ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' allows you to revive fossils. Unfortunately, Dr. [[MeaningfulName Cara Liss]] is a paleontologist in the Victorian vein, and the fossils she revives at your request are nightmarish mish-mashes of two species, three out of four of which have an existance comprised primarily of pain and suffering purely from the BodyHorror that is their very being. Just obtaining a [[GameBreaker Dracovish]], for instance, counts as horrific cruelty, given that it involves creating something that ''can't swim but can only breathe water''. Ultimately subverted considering that you're not the one who revives them and that they seem to be able to stay outside the Poké Ball without any problem...and possibly the only reason they can live is because they have a trainer to take care of them. On a side note, the anime further subverts this as Dracovish is shown to be able to both swim and breathe outside water.

*** As with other pokemon games, ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' allows you to revive fossils. Unfortunately, Dr. [[MeaningfulName Cara Liss]] is a paleontologist in the Victorian vein, and the fossils she revives at your request are nightmarish mish-mashes of two species, three out of four of which have an existance comprised primarily of pain and suffering purely from the BodyHorror that is their very being. Just obtaining a [[GameBreaker Dracovish]], for instance, counts as horrific cruelty, given that it involves creating something that ''can't swim but can only breathe water''. Ultimately Subverted considering that you're not the one who revive them and that they seem to be able to stay outside the Poké Ball without any problem...and possibly the only reason they can live is because they have a trainer to take care of them. On a side note, the anime further Subvert this as Dracovish is shown to be able to both swim and breathe outside water.

*** There’s a spot in the sea floor level where you can stun Alomamola with a fruit long enough for a Frillish to carry it away presumably to eat it.

** Generation 1
*** In ''VideoGame/PokemonSnap'', you can use Pokémon Food and Pester Balls to stun and/or drive Pokémon out of their hiding spots, just so you can take their picture. Taken to an extreme in Rainbow Cloud, where, in order to get a good shot of Mew, you need to nail it with dozens upon dozens of Pester Balls in a row, so that it stays stunned long enough for you to get a nice close-up picture.

*** As with other pokemon games, ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' allows you to revive fossils. Unfortunately, Dr. [[MeaningfulName Cara Liss]] is a paleontologist in the Victorian vein, and the fossils she revives at your request are nightmarish mish-mashes of two species, three out of four of which have an existance comprised primarily of pain and suffering purely from the BodyHorror that is their very being. Just obtaining a [[GameBreaker Dracovish]], for instance, counts as horrific cruelty, given that it involves creating something that ''can't swim but can only breathe water''. Ultimately Subverted considering that you're not the one who revive them and that they seem to be able to stay outside the Poké Ball without any problem...and possibly the only reason they can live is because they have a trainer to take care of them. On a side note, the anime further Subvert this as Dracovish is shown to be able to both swim and breath outside water.
*** ''VideoGame/NewPokemonSnap''
*** The mechanic of hitting Pokémon with fruit to annoy and stun them returns.
*** There’s a spot in the sea floor level where you can stun Alomamola with a fruit long enough for a Frillish to carry it away presumably to eat it.
*** You can throw fruit to a Squirtle and a Wingull will knock it into a whirlpool.
*** Several times exist where you can lure bird Pokémon into zooming in to scoop up Magikarp or Finneon.
*** Bonk Trubbish at the lab and it’ll use poison gas on the Eevee in front of it.
*** You can splash water on Sudowoodo in the same level and it really doesn’t like that.
*** Bonk Pancham or Bulbasaur in the forest level to make Drampa mad.
*** You can lure a couple of different Pokémon into punching other Pokémon and then the punched Pokémon will retaliate against the puncher.

* ''VideoGame/Persona4'':
** The game allows you to [[TheCasanova cheat with all six datable girls at the same time]]. And get away with it. Completely.
** In ''[[UpdatedRerelease Golden]]'', however, there is Valentine's Day. [[spoiler:All of your girlfriends will invite you out. You can only spend time with one (or reject them all). However, your four party member girlfriends still give you chocolate, but it's very obvious that they can tell something's up.]]
** You can still get away with it on Valentine's, [[spoiler:if you only date ''one'' of the original date options, and then Golden's new addition Marie. Marie's Valentine's scene takes place at a different time to the others, so you don't have to turn anyone down and you still get away with it.]] For added fun, [[spoiler:max Margaret's Social Link and she'll kiss you.]]
** You can also wait until the last possible day to save the kidnapping victims. Your party members will ''not be happy''. Do it to Yukiko, for instance, and Chie will become extremely worried about her. The worst is the last victim, who is generally described as VideoGameCaringPotential incarnate. Wait until the last day to save her, then tell a party member that you don't feel like going into the TV to save her. They are ''horrified'' and ask you what the hell is wrong with you. This is especially damning because it's counterproductive - party members will have much less time free to Social Link with you if someone is still in the TV, which makes maxing their Links harder, which can prevent you from getting their Ultimate and Tier 3 Personae later on, as well as locking you out of some amazing Personae for yourself. The only reason to do this is to be a jackass.
** [[spoiler:You can kill Nametame. Doing so gets you the BadEnding, but you can totally murder an innocent man in cold blood.]] You can also spare him... [[spoiler:then betray him and everyone else by siding with the killer, getting you an even worse ending and causing Nametame to be jailed for crimes he never committed.]]
* The above is true in ''VideoGame/Persona3'' as well, but if anything it's even worse: not only can you date all five eligible females at approximately the same time, [[CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption you *have to* if you want to max out all the social links.]] (''Persona 4'' allows you to advance social links with female characters via platonic friendship, 3 doesn't.) There's one scene that [[WhatTheHellHero calls the player on it,]] but there are no actual negative consequences so long as one is careful about timing meetups with the various girls.
** A non-romantic example is the social link of a small child whose family is breaking apart. After one of her parents hits her, the player is provided with the option to tell her that everything was all her fault (possibly the most sadistic example in ''Persona 3'').
** ''Persona 3'' also includes an aversion, in that, if you act like a total dick to your Social Link members, you can get punished by "reversing" a Social Link, preventing it from advancing (though this isn't permanent.) If you're too cruel to them, you can also break the link permanently.
** ''VideoGame/Persona4 Golden'' also adds a new ending. Once you discover who the killer is, you have the option to [[spoiler:protect him and destroy the last piece of evidence linking him to the crime. To put it into perspective- The true murderer [[KarmaHoudini gets away completely scot-free]], an innocent man gets sent to prison, two women's murders remain forever unsolved, and everything that investigation team has suffered and endured together over the past year has been rendered [[AllForNothing completely and utterly pointless]], because of you.]]
** ''VideoGame/Persona2'''s initial protagonist, Tatsuya Suou, is canonically kind of an asshole. Play the game right, and he becomes a nicer person for his experiences. That said, you can also play it wrong. Want to slap your kindest party member while she's having a trauma-induced panic attack? You can do that. Want to cheat on two of the dateable party members with the third? Yeah, you can do that too. Want to [[spoiler:''kill the headmaster of your school'']]? Totally allowable. Most of the cruel options will instantly lock you out of some of the best Personae in the game, but those last two have no in-game consequences at all. [[spoiler:Killing the headmaster does tweak the plot slightly, but not seriously, and it can be argued that he was dead anyway and the other option would have resurrected him. That said, you still confirm his death.]]
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'':
** It continues the tradition by letting you date nine girls at once, four of whom are party members (plus one more in the ''[[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'' version). What makes it really cruel is how you get to this point. You act like a charming, gentle hero, who comes in to rescue them from the worst things in their lives and let them be free from people who are making their existances miserable, only to reveal yourself to be just as much of a dick as the people who hurt them. Two of the worst are the formerly-suicidal girl who you help through her debilitating social anxiety and the girl whose father tried to force her into an abusive arranged marriage, but they're all pretty horrific. [[spoiler:This time, though, you do ''not'' get away with it scot-free...]]
** Yuuki Mishama's Confidant always ranks up, regardless of your choices. You also have a ''lot'' more {{Jerkass}} or snarky dialogue choices in his interactions, and you can choose them without punishment. He's TheFriendNobodyLikes to the Phantom Thieves, so it makes sense.

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy4'' allows you to steal stuff from villages. Considering three out of four (four out of five? There's also NoLegs.) of your party are crazy thieves, this isn't surprising... except you can steal from the first village while you have only one character, the one who doesn't steal stuff.

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy4'' allows you to steal stuff from villages. Considering three out of four (four out of five? There' also the crazy cat.) of your party are crazy thieves, this isn't surprising... except you can steal from the first village while you have only one character, the one who doesn't steal stuff.

* In VideoGame/{{Caravaneer}}, you can attack friendly caravans and side with various immoral or corrupt factions. The sequel lets you do that plus enslave the people you encounter.

*** The mechanic of hitting Pokémon with fruit to annoy and stun them returns.
*** There’s a spot in the sea floor level where you can stun Alomamola with a fruit long enough for a Frillish to carry it away presumably to eat it.
*** You can throw fruit to a Squirtle and a Wingull will knock it into a whirlpool.
*** Several times exist where you can lure bird Pokémon into zooming in to scoop up Magikarp or Finneon.
*** Bonk Trubbish at the lab and it’ll use poison gas on the Eevee in front of it.
*** You can splash water on Sudowoodo in the same level and it really doesn’t like that.
*** Bonk Pancham or Bulbasaur in the forest level to make Drampa mad.
*** You can lure a couple of different Pokémon into punching other Pokémon and then the punched Pokémon will retaliate against the puncher.

** As an added bonus, with a few exceptions, this doesn't actually hinder things -- it makes for a particularly hilarious form of Gameplay and Story Segregation.

** It continues the tradition by letting you date nine girls at once, four of whom are party members. What makes it really cruel is how you get to this point. You act like a charming, gentle hero, who comes in to rescue them from the worst things in their lives and let them be free from people who are making their existances miserable, only to reveal yourself to be just as much of a dick as the people who hurt them. Two of the worst are the formerly-suicidal girl who you help through her debilitating social anxiety and the girl whose father tried to force her into an abusive arranged marriage, but they're all pretty horrific. [[spoiler:This time, though, you do ''not'' get away with it scot-free...]]

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': There is only one enemy in the game that will not attack you on sight: A [[TechnicalPacifist Garif]] hunter, who is walking around on the plains near his hometown, hunting animals for food. You have to kill him to [[OneHundredPercentCompletion fill out your bestiary.]] Multiple times. He also stands no chance against your party of mighty godslayers.

** In the Dead Dunes, occasionally you come across tiny little lizards off the beaten paths, who are absolutely no threat to you whatsoever... that you can kill by attacking. With every one killed, they either drop a Lizard Tail (for side-quests), or unappraised items (which when appraised, are good sources for gil and some rare consumable items). If you kill enough lizards, [[AchievementSystem you get an achievement]].

* The underrated tactical superhero RPG ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' practically LIVES by this trope. Every building, vehicle, tree, NPC, etc. is damageable & destroyable. This is somewhat balanced by the fact that you lose experience (or "prestige") if you cause too much damage and certain levels require you to protect specific landmarks, but that doesn't make whittling down an apartment building to near-death, then punching a civillian into it from two blocks away, therefore causing the entire thing to collapse any less hilarious.

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', should one of your dream eater allies get KO'd (And you usually have to ''try'' to get this to happen, since they're generally MadeOfIron), a timer will start ticking down, and if it expires before you revive it, [[FinalDeath the dream eater will fade away]], and leave behind a dream piece. The dream pieces left behind in this fashion can be ones that aren't currently available through other means, meaning you can potentially create some new types of dream eaters much earlier then normal by repeatedly sacrificing other ones (Namely, the ones generated by AR cards, which are easily replaced).

--->'''Warden:''' We don't have time for this. Let's go.\\

--->'''Leliana:''' I don't know if I can trust you, if I can trust the things you've said to me. What am I to you?\\

--->'''[[spoiler:Alistair]]:''' You know, I must not have heard that right. I could have sworn you just ''ordered my death''. What happened to you? Can you hear yourself? I'm going to be thrown on the pyre along with Duncan and all the others, am I? Nothing I did counts for anything?\\

** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' continues the tradition; the game's GreyAndGrayMorality means that there are compelling arguments for and against a lot of the things you can do, but there is ''no'' justification for some of them:

*** The Inquisitor's judgments can display shades of this, particularly in the case of players with the human noble background who can confiscate all of [[spoiler: Mistress Poulin's]] earnings to enrich their own family's wealth. They can also sentence Movran the Under to gibbeting for [[DisproportionateRetribution throwing a goat at Skyhold]]. *** Also of note, Sera can be abruptly dumped and fired from the Inquisition with a single dialogue choice long after the Inquisitor has started pursuing a romance with her.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'':
** One of the very first things you encounter in the Korcari Wilds is a wounded soldier trying to make his way back to Ostagar. You can help him, of course, but why would you do that if he's as good as dead? Even better...
--->'''Warden:''' We don't have time for this. Let's go.
--->'''Alistair:''' "We don't have time?" What, you have an urgent meeting somewhere?
--->'''Warden:''' He's already dead. See? ''(Slits soldier's throat)''
--->'''Alistair:''' Does the word "insane" mean anything to you?
** During the Redcliffe arc, you can kill Connor (a child) instead of going into his dream and freeing him from the demon possessing him. If you're a mage and want to be even cruler, you can enter Connor's dream -- possibly killing his mother to do so -- and instead let the demon off scot-free for a reward. What do you get in return? Either additional magic, RelationshipValues, or [[OptionalSexualEncounter sex]]. ''You can sell a child's soul for sex with a [[HornyDevils demon]]''.
** You can convince the werewolves to slaughter a clan of Dalish elves. When confronted about this you can give a number of reasons, like "Werewolves make for a better army"" or "You guys started it". Or you can simply say "[[ForTheEvulz So? This way sounds like more fun]]."
** Insulting or messing with your companions, like calling Morrigan a heartless shrew whenever you feel like it or mocking Alistair while he is grieving. There is an insane amount of options, and this can get really messed up if you are in a romance with them. You can dump someone whenever you want, sometimes by adding a stinging remark like "I'm just sick of you." or "Morrigan was better in bed." You can also reject someone after they confess their feelings for you in many cruel ways. Leliana's romance arc in particular allows you to cheat on her and then deny it. When she confronts you, you can be understanding and apologetic... or just brush her off, bluntly tell her you don't care, ''laugh in her face'', or straight up insult her.
--->'''Leliana:''' I don't know if I can trust you, if I can trust the things you've said to me. What am I to you?
--->'''Warden:''' That girl that tags along and is useful sometimes?
** At the Landsmeet, [[spoiler:if you choose to spare Loghain, you can then allow Anora to have Alistair (your companion since Ostagar and possible friend or even love interest) executed. Condemning a man who loves you to public, humiliating death?]] That's a level of soul-crushing personal evil worthy of ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''. The [[ManipulativeBastard Practical Incarnation]] would be proud.
--->'''[[spoiler:Alistair]]:''' You know, I must not have heard that right. I could have sworn you just ''ordered my death''. What happened to you? Can you hear yourself? I'm going to be thrown on the pyre along with Duncan and all the others, am I? Nothing I did counts for anything?
--->'''Warden:''' Be a man, [[spoiler:Alistair.]] For once.
** One of the worst things you can do is during the City Elf origin. Vaughn Kendalls interrupts your wedding and kidnaps all the women claiming DroitDuSeigneur. By the time you reach him, one of the women has been killed and your cousin has been raped by Vaughn (and possibly his lackeys). He offers to bribe you with twenty sovereigns in exchange for you allowing him to keep the women (read:allow him and his men to rape them for the rest of the night). You can accept, but you can't even use it right away. By the time you ''can'' use it, you'll probably have more than that anyway. So you just let your cousin be repeatedly raped and can't even claim an early start on fiances to justify it.
** On a much lighter and more humorous note, the ''Feastday Gifts'' DLC gives you a bunch of items available for purchase at one vendor that grant a massive boost to reputation with the character they're intended for and also can be used by that character for some sort of minor boost. Except for Morrigan's, which is a VoodooDoll of Alistair. What does it do? If Alistair and Morrigan are in the party, you can have Morrigan use it to inflict a random Injury to Alistair.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' continues the tradition; the game's GreyAndGrayMorality means that there are compelling arguments for and against a lot of the things you can do, but there is ''no'' justification for some of them:
** One of your companions, Fenris, is an escaped slave on the run from his [[BloodMagic blood mage]] master. When his master inevitably catches up with him, you can help Fenris fight him off... or you can ''hand him over,'' saying you don't need him any more, leaving Fenris so gutted by your betrayal that he leaves with the slaver without a fight. [[SkewedPriorities For a whole five sovereigns]]. It's even worse if you're romancing Fenris and Danarius makes note of his former slave's "skills"; the betrayal is so much worse when you know what Danarius is going to do to him.
** Forcing ''one'' companion into slavery wasn't enough for you? If you have high enough friendship (or rivalry) with Isabela, [[ChangedMyMindKid she'll make her way back to Kirkwall, head through a burning city under siege and a crapton of Qunari soldiers, and beat up the Arishok's guards to personally hand the relic over to save Hawke, her friends, and all of Kirkwall]]. The Arishok then demands that the thief be handed over along with the relic, to face punishment--and Hawke can comply. Even the ''Arishok'' seems briefly taken aback.
** If you're the sort who enjoys stomping people's hearts into bloody pulp, romance Anders. Listen sorrowfully as Anders pours his heart out to you, all his fears and terrors about losing control and hurting you. Sleep with him. Enjoy his declaration of love, and how the templars will never tear you apart. Then dump him, citing his performance, or lack thereof, as the reason. Alternatively, keep him, and then execute him at the end of the game. It's up to you.
** On top of that, you can sell out ''another'' young mage to a demon. Except ''this'' one has rare powers that let him [[YourMindMakesItReal kill people from the Fade]].

** ''VideoGame/NewPokemonSnap''
*** The mechanic of hitting Pokémon with fruit to annoy and stun them returns.

*** Several times exist where you can lure bird Pokémon into zooming in to scoop up Magikarp or Finneon.

*** You can lure a couple of different Pokémon into punching other Pokémon and then the punched Pokémon will retaliate against the puncher.

** Excluding any quest-relevant NPCs, you can freely beat the crap out of any NPC you come across with Olberic or H'aanit's Path Actions. You can even go as far as beating up a pregnant woman.
** Therion can steal from most NPCs as well; you can have him take a memento from a widow or candy from children.

* In the ''Advance'' and ''Complete Collection'' versions of ''VideoGame/Final Fantasy IV'', during Cecil's Trial in the Lunar Ruins, it's possible to be ''very'' cruel during various trials (like letting a kid drown, stealing a Megaelixir left at a grave, killing a soldier transformed into a Goblin despite his pleas...) and you'll get away with it. Hold it right there! There's a catch. You won't get one of the strongest weapons of the game if you do that. So, if your sense of humor is that horrid, forget casting Holy by simply swinging that sword.

* In ''[[VideoGame/TheCaligulaEffect The Caligula Effect: Overdose]]'', you can [[spoiler:join the Ostinato Musicians and helping them defeat the Go-Home Club (the group where you are president that only want to return to their reality)]]. [[spoiler:You can also get close to the Go-Home Club's members and then do the ultimate betrayal at the end of the game, by ultimately siding with Thorn and destroying the world, all the while beating up the people that called you friend...and showing no remorse]]. And to unlock the bonus mode, you have to do it (along with unlocking the Golden Ending).