A good plot twist is a powerful narrative tool; it can invoke awe and a fulfilling sense of realisation. Unfortunately most plot twists are predictable or completely ludicrous! No, no! A good twist has to answer questions in a logical manner and give reason to future events or enrich a character's personal story.
Here's a an example of a good plot twist, one that most people will know.
"Luke, I am your father!" exclaimed Darth Vader. It came out of nowhere seemingly, but it does answer some questions. Mainly, why Luke; an Orphan boy on some far reaches of the galaxy planet, possessed the powers of a Jedi!
Obi Wan telling Luke that his father was dead as were all the other Jedi was a ruse to protect Luke from being discovered by Vader, whom Obi Wan knew would try and convert Luke to follow him in the dark side.
The twist also makes for an interesting villain and hero relationship, and allows the writers to up the stakes in Return of the Jedi. No longer was this just about Galactic conquest, but also a battle for Vader's salvation.
So, without further ado here are my top Five Games with Plot Twists that worked!
NUMBER 5:
Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - Shepherd's Betrayal!
The terrorist Makarov is an international threat, finally General Shepherd manages to get a US soldier undercover into Makarov's organisation, but it all goes horribly wrong when Makarov clocks the soldier is not russian and shoots you down after a massive attack at Moscow airport. The Russians see it as an American sponsored act of terrorism and so launch an all out attack on the Eastern seaboard of the USA.
It's world war 3 and the special taskforce 141 need to apprehend Makarov as soon as they can, so that they can implicate him as the mastermind behind the terrorist attack and stop the war. Unfortunately what they didn't know until it's too late, is that the decorated General Shepherd had actually been working in secret with Makarov to start the war in the first place!
And poor Roach and Ghost are shot and incinerated in a move to wrap up loose ends, when they find evidence of Shepherd's involvement on Makarov's computer.
What it answers: The cause of the war between the USA and Russia and how Makarov knew private Allen was an undercover American.
What it changes: With only a few soldiers in taskforce 141 knowing the truth of Shepherd's betrayal, it's up to them to stop the war, catch Makarov and eliminate Shepherd as revenge for Roach and Ghost.
It ups the stakes as well and sets up the plot for the final chapter of the Modern Warfare series which sees Soap and Price, as wanted men, hunt down Makarov.
NUMBER 4
Red Dead Redemption: The end of John Marston
Mr Marston is a former outlaw bandit, after being apprehended, two lawmen offer him a deal he can't refuse: track down and eliminate his former outlaw buddy Dutch and his past offenses will be written off and he can rejoin life with his wife and child.
It's a no brainer for John and he sets off diligently to confront Dutch where he is shot down...
What entails next is John's journey to repay his debt to the friendly locals that help him and to accrue enough support to take down Dutch, once and for all. It's a long journey that entails many hardships and John is a thoroughly likable protagonist.
So it's quite a shame that in the end he is betrayed by the lawmen that promised him his freedom.
John comes up good in getting rid of Dutch and his outlaw gang and initially the lawmen Ross and Fordham give John his freedom. We get to live out the simple life, wrangling cattle, tending the farm and chasing off poachers but instead of enjoying some credits under the starry sky, John's farmhouse is attacked by soldiers and lawmen!
John fends off the assault long enough to buy his family tie to flee. We step outside to confront Ross who is leading the assault and we get one last show down to kill as many soldiers as we can... then John is shot to pieces and dies in a pool of his own blood.
We don't win, we don't walk away with our health low and our heads held high. That character we journeyed with, bonded with and rooted for had just been double crossed and murdered. It's a real downer, but poignant.
What it answers: That the lawman Ross's dislike of John dug deeper than what we thought and why we don't see the credits after being reunited with your family.
What it changes: With John dead the player assumes the role of his son Jack and can enact their revenge against the retired Ross. It's your choice to do so and has a real sense of weight to it.
It also gives a great humbleness to John's journey and lets the player appreciate sacrifice and honor.
NUMBER 3
Star Wars Knights of the old Republic: You are Darth Revan
What an amazing game, Star Wars or no Star Wars. This is BioWare's magnum opus in my book. A pinnacle of western RPG gaming Knights of the old Republic is one of those games you can just play time and time again, it's so good.
Like most western RPG's you get to make your character and choose their responses and actions. To be good or evil is entirely up to you.
After being attacked by the Sith and forced to go into hiding, you and your close ally Carth hatch a plan to rescue the Jedi Bastila, who has amazing healing powers. Bastila also informs the player that they have the Force and takes you to Jedi enclave on Dantooine where you're trained in the ways of the Jedi. All the while you experience visions of the Sith Lord Darth Revan and their apprentice Darth Malak. Turns out these two are after an object called the Star Forge that will allow them create an endless army.
With your newfound Jedi powers you search the galaxy for Revan and Malak, making friends along the way until you finally discover your true identity: your Darth Revan! Malak attempted to kill you and assume the role of master but failed, only severely injuring Revan. Bastila used her Jedi powers to keep Revan alive and brings him to the Jedi enclave where Revan is brain washed to forget their past.
It's a great reveal when Revan's mask comes off to show the character you created! And depending on how you've played you can choose to continue your path of redemption and defeat Malak or kill him and return to your position as the Sith Master!
What it answers: Why the player characters experiences "visions" which are in fact his memories. And also why the task of finding Malak and the Star Forge falls to us, the Jedi are hoping the remnants of your memory will lead them to the Star Forge.
What it changes: How your companions react to you. Depending on the depth of the bonds you have some will turn away from you if you assume the role of the Dark side and there are some special fights that can occur as a result.
It also puts weight on the choices the player character has made and continues to make.
NUMBER 2
Final Fantasy X Yuna intends to sacrifice herself!
The tenth installment in the Final Fantasy series is one of it's best. It has a great story, likable characters and some great world building and lore.
Tidus is swept away from his beloved Zanarkand to the world of Spira, a place that lives in utter fear of Sin: an enormous levitating mystical whale like creature that occasionally pops out the water to destroy anything nearby.
The ignorant peoples of Spira believe that Sin is a punishment for their ancestors laziness, relying on machines to do everything for them. However, anyone who trains to be a summoner can go on a pilgrimage to summon the final Aeon and use it to destroy Sin! But turns out Sin is only destroyed for a short time before returning! And so Summoners routinely train in hopes one of them will finally destroy Sin for good.
Turns out that this is all just lies created by Spira's government that's effectively ruled by a Zombie! The head Maester's refusal to die or to be "sent" by a Summoner means he continues to spout his old rubbish and keep the people of Spira completely in the dark! As it is, Sin will never die as it's actually an Aeon itself that is repeatedly summoned!
The twist comes when Tidus learns when Summoners call the final Aeon, the Aeon actually kills the summoner as well as Sin! So despite protecting Yuna from monsters, saving her from Al Bhed capture and from Seymour's marital demands, she always intended to die at the end!
What it answers: Why everyone acts the way they do around Tidus when he blabs on about what they'll do, once they defeat Sin. Why Yuna treats every interaction as her last and why the Al Bhed kept trying to capture her. (Believing the sacrifice for the Calm to be an ancient barbaric practise).
What it changes: Yuna's fate! Tidus vows to find a way to defeat Sin and stop Yuna from dying. If he didn't learn the truth at the point he does Yuna probably would've ended her pilgrimage and by the time he'd learn the truth he wouldn't have enough time to change everyone's way of thinking. Afterall, it's only because of Tidus' influence that Yuna challenges her fate and the group find a way to defeat Sin once and for all!
NUMBER 1
Bioshock "Would you kindly" mind control!
It was always going to be number one, how could it not? Quite possibly one of the most interesting and clever plot twists I have ever seen in any media. Bioshock is also an amazing game to boot!
When the game starts we see Jack read a note and then everything fades to black, then bang! We're in the middle of the ocean with burning plane wreckage all around us but what's that nearby? A lighthouse? In the middle of the ocean how queer! Yet we all know where it leads; straight into the city of Rapture that was once supposed to be a utopia of science, technology and art but unfortunately descended into madness when all it's denizens became addicted to a substance called Adam.
The player is guided through Rapture by a man named Atlas who is looking for his wife and child who are somewhere in Rapture, or so he tells us.
Most of Rapture is in pretty poor state and in order to escape Atlas directs us around, always beginning an instruction with the phrase, "would you kindly".
Turns out, Atlas isn't who he says he is at all, he's a conman and villain who came to Rapture to exploit the people for profit. He cleverly gets himself into a seat of power and ends up in a bitter battle for Rapture against it's creator Andrew Ryan.
Atlas, or rather Fontaine, secured Ryan's genetically modified bastard son: Jack and had you transferred to the surface out of Ryan's reach. Jack had advanced aging due to his genetic alteration and is eventually summoned back to Rapture via the plane, that Jack actually brought down when he read the trigger phrase "would you kindly" in the note.
Atlas guides you all the way to Ryan's office where your father literally commands you to kill him, using the trigger phrase and allows Atlas to win the war.
Atlas attempts to tie up loose ends but shortly after Ryan's death the doctor Tenenbaum, who worked with Fontaine in the development of Adam, reverse engineers the trigger phase protecting Jack from Fontaine's commands.
What it answers: Why the player can access the Bathysphere that is genetically locked to only work with Andrew Ryan. The player can also use the Vita-chambers for the same reason.
What it changes: Technically gives Jack back his free will. Allows the player to choose to save the Little sisters or continue to exploit them for Adam.
Also challenges perceptions of free will and control!
Well, that's all for today everybody! I hope you liked this article and if you did then would you kindly click +1 and follow... Did it work? No... Bah!
Have a great weekend everybody!
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