Summary
Whether players are taking down enemies inexpansive open-world mapsor throwing various bits of city infrastructure at them in retro beat-em-ups, action is a staple of most video game genres. Much of the time in action games, especially once the player has made it to the mid or late game, players will begin to feel stronger and more powerful, cleaving through waves of enemies with ease and abandon.
Many games, however, don’t reflect this with their enemies. Hordes oftroublesome enemieswill continue to fling themselves at the character without a care in the world. These games in particular, however, recognize the protagonist as someone with strength and power, having enemies thematically and mechanically react with fear either at the mere sight of the player alone or through their brutal actions during combat.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwas a breakout hit upon its release, combining masterful lightsaber action with soulslike difficulty in an incredibly engaging, tightly focused story. The game was incredibly linear, but that was seen by many as a refreshing change of pace from some of the other prominent games of that year which focused more on open worlds with little substance to fill their large maps. The sequel,Jedi Survivor,was similarly praisedfor meeting the high standard set by this title.
InFallen Order, stormtroopers are given a strange degree of humanity through how they react with fear and dismay at Cal Kestis and his uncanny Jedi abilities. While some stormtroopers charge in with confidence, many beg for mercy or exclaim with fear at the sight of Cal’s lightsaber and force abilities.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimwas a step backward in some ways for theElder Scrollsseries. While the greatattention to side questsremained, the game’s over-simplification of weapon, magic, and skill systems greatly diminished the build diversity that earlier games were known for. One way thatSkyrimmoved forward, however, was the graphical and technical fidelity of the game, which gave way to much more dynamic NPCs.
Enemies, if pushed to their limits during combat, will crouch and begin begging for mercy instead of continuing to fight. This gives the Dragonborn some time to recover if they’re low on health, but keep in mind that enemies, even once fearful of you, can be provoked again.
Sleeping Dogsis an underrated title, all things considered. It had the same humor and charm of the much lovedGrand Theft Autoseries, albeit in smaller doses to accommodate for a very different story tone-wise. The setting feels vast and alive, and while this game does let youplay as a gangster, there’s a very interesting twist in the form of the protagonist being an undercover police officer with a personal stake in the unfolding story.
Leveling up Face XP, one of the three levels players can put experience into, makes the protagonist’s moves more brutal and hard-hitting, which causes enemies to reel back in fear, instinctively aware of the danger they’re facing.
Shadow of Wartakes the inherent mechanics of its predecessor and universally enhances them all, providing players with a deeper nemesis system,better mount mechanics, more satisfying combat, and a slew of open-world locations to navigate and explore. The game’s satisfying and visceral combat only becomes more so when seeing enemies react to Talion’s raw strength and speed, acting as the fearsome Bright Lord.
Brutalizing enemies from stealth will send uruks running in fear, but getting especially brutal finishers on enemies in normal combat or setting off environmental effects such as explosive grog barrels or insect nests has a similar effect, mastering the Bright Lord’s foes through pure fear as they all run in terror
Battle Brothersstands out as a monumentallyengaging open-world roguelike, giving players the freedom to develop their band of mercenaries and forge legendary fighters through contracts and encounters - or die trying. The game’s build system is incredibly expansive and diverse, and a variety of innate traits come with every mercenary - or ‘brother’ as they’re colloquially known, hired by the player. Some of these traits expressly affect morale, having brothers who are braver than most or begin every battle with confidence, or conversely are timider than most, and will lose morale faster in battle.
If a player is successful in battle, cutting through enemies with brutality and sustaining little damage in the meantime, enemy units will dynamically reassess the situation and, if their morale is low enough, they will flee in terror from you and your army of fearsome mercenaries.
