Summary
Players can be quick to make enemies and grow tohate Non-Playable Characters in gamesbecause they have done or said something annoying or destructive. But what do players look like through the eyes of the NPCs when players invade their lives? How many NPCs despise the protagonist due to terrible actions, unlikable personalities, or a petty feud? What are the most offensive insults, heinous crimes, and mild inconveniences that drive NPCs so crazy that they swear they will never forgive players?
Gamers may attest that some angsty NPCs are coded to have it out for the protagonist, especially in the unfriendly universes of Rockstar Games or the gut-wrenching horror shows inDark Soulsgames. Yet it is not just the most unreasonable,angriest video game characterswho can hold a grudge; even the kindest, understanding, and lovable NPCs can be betrayed so deeply that they simply cannot forgive and forget. Undoubtedly, some in-game crimes are so heinous that no one can argue players should ever be forgiven. Right or wrong, these NPCs will never forgive players.
Nothing strikes fear into a gamer’s heart like being forced to turn off their game without saving. It’s even worse when players finally reload and are greeted by amysterious, scary, furious mole called Mr. Resetti, such as in the originalAnimal CrossingDS series. Mr. Resetti appears outside players’ homes inAnimal Crossingwhen they turn off their game and forget to save, trapping the player in an unskippable lecture, where he screams threats, forces players to apologize and calls themselves names, and even tricks players into thinking he has deleted their entire file. What makes Resetti even more menacing is the pickaxe that he wields and waves aggressively while yelling, always seeming seconds away from committing murder.
The injustice is that players either often resort to switching off their consoles due to a frozen screen or dead batteries, or by accidentally hitting the wrong button. No player actually wants to delete their precious progress unless something terrible has happened to their avatar, so Resetti’s terrifying rampage feels like kicking players when they are down. Thankfully, inAnimal Crossing: New Horizon, the auto-save feature forced Mr. Resetti into early retirement from his day job tormenting players so he could run the Rescue Service. Scarred players will always be walking on eggshells around this character, asResetti still rants angrily about the past at the Rooster Café. It seems neither he nor the players can ever forgive and forget.
The life of an outlaw isn’t about winning popularity contests, as protagonist Arthur knows from his encounters with countless NPCs turned enemies inRed Dead Redemption 2. Players are ranked by how moral and honorable their actions are throughout the game, with crimes like robbery and murder lowering Arthur’s honor. Many consequences come from low honor, including earning a bounty andgoing to jail for in-game crimes, but it also shapes how NPCs treat Arthur. Unsurprisingly, greeting NPCs aggressively by running them over, insulting them, or drawing a weapon will elicit hostile responses, but sometimes even Arthur’s presence is threatening enough to spook NPCs.
Players with low honor who have committed killing sprees (especially killing innocents) may have a harrowing encounter with a widow who curses Arthur for murdering her husband and leaving her in poverty to care for her children. Guilty players can attempt to placate the widow with money, but the heartless move will offend the grieving widows, who swear they will never forgive Arthur. Of course, players can’t always be blamed for being violent, unfriendly, or even downright rude to most NPCs, as the few who do seem friendly often have an ulterior motive and use a false, kind exterior to trick Arthur, includingcreepy older antagonists in the gamelike the predator, Sonny, or thieving pig farmer, Bray Aberdeen.
However, even when Arthur has high honor, many NPCs will be hostile on sight regardless, almost in anticipation of the bad things he could do. Arthur must have contaminated the water supply in a past life, as few NPCs in this Wild West will ever forgive him for perceived slights, guilty or not.
The only thing better than one bestie to go on adventures with inBaldur’s Gate 3is a whole party of beloved friends who are loyal to players till the end. Unless, of course, players choose countless options to betray, deceive, sacrifice, and commit acts of evil upon their party, which provoke companions to retaliate or leave with little chance of forgiveness.Each companion has an individual ‘Approval Rating’measuring whether a character morally agrees with the player’s actions and beliefs.
Approval can drop heavily by hundreds of points for petty or subjective reasons, such as insensitive breakups or recruiting new companions who are at odds with the party, or for bigger betrayals. Characters will be distraught and violent if a player’s actions go against their core values, like Karlach, Wyll, or Gale if the Druid or Emerald Grove is decimated.
Depending on alliances, companions will react favorably or disgustedly to players betraying their other friends, from trading Shadowheart for Viconia’s support to murdering Alfira. However, almost all companions are appalled by themost heinous player decisions inBaldurs Gate 3, such as accepting the murder God Bhaal’s offer or attempting to sacrifice a companion, causing some to violently turn on the player immediately or eventually leave the party, unable to live with evil. There are endless methods for alienating or double-crossing companions inBaldur’s Gate 3, but the bloodier path to evil is typically a fail-safe way to shatter friendships unforgivably.
In survival games, players often need to make hard, selfish choices to preserve their lives, from killing defenseless animals for food to betraying friends and innocents, and Telltale’sThe Walking Deadseries is no exception. Throughout four seasons of gameplay, players were forced to makeincredibly hard, impactful choices inThe Walking Dead, including executing liabilities, abandoning friends, and suffering betrayals for trusting the wrong people. Among them all, stealing food from a seemingly unguarded car in Season 1 seems the least heinous option, especially to keep loved ones alive.
However, both players and characters suspected that by taking the food for themselves, they were cutting off a lifeline for the people who owned the car. Even if the protagonist Lee and his adopted daughter Clementine decide not to partake in stealing, their party still takes the supplies. Yet no one could predict the revenge arc this car plot point would evoke.
The owner of the car, named “The Stranger,” is the unlikely villain of the season. As a result of the theft, The Stranger’s wife and children die, leading him to stalk Lee and his group for revenge. By talking to Clementine through her walkie-talkie, The Stranger learns all of Lee’s terrible choices during the game and lures Clementine into being captured. When Lee finds them, The Stranger condemns Lee for endangering Clementine and inadvertently killing his family. Driven insane with grief, The Stranger carries around his wife’s severed head in a bag, planning to kill Lee and raise Clementine.
Luckily, Clementine attacks The Stranger, providing an opportunity for Lee to finally kill him. Although players will undoubtedly have been wracked with guilt over many choices throughout the series, this is one NPC who (if Lee hadn’t killed him) would never forgive the player for their actions.
Toby Fox’s 2015 pixelated masterpieceUndertalefirmly encourages choosing peace over violence in exchange for wholesome, sweet character interactions. Players accustomed to shoot-em-ups may blindly blast through fights, destroying monsters in their path, but unlike in pro-violence video games,characters inUndertalewill rebuke and guilt-trip players into being peaceful.
Even aggressive “monsters” like Undyne soften if offered kindness, and gentle Toriel, silly Papyrus and punny jokester Sans become the player’s beloved friends. Guilt is a powerful tool, as players become hugely remorseful for tiny crimes like disappointing Toriel or forgetting to bring the Snowman his souvenir.
This foreshadows the trauma caused if players commit the multiple murders needed for theGenocide route, a playthrough in which players must kill everyone in the game, including all adored companions. The Genocide route is punishing, as it robs players of all positive, joyful character interactions. After killing everyone in the ruins, NPCs will hide from Frisk in other levels, and bosses that confront Frisk speak with fear or hatred, although some kindhearted characters still beg for peace.
The Genocide route concludes with evil Chara offering to destroy the world and erase the Genocide save file. Players might breathe a sigh of relief that the guilt spiral is over, but the game itself and every character will remember what Frisk has done. If players restart, the game will accuse players of returning to the world they destroyed, triggering a Soulless Pacifist route with ominous endings. The only way to truly make the game forget player’s in-game atrocities is to re-install the game, but guilty players may still suspect unforgiving NPCs are forever giving them the side eye.
