From Pac-Man to Mario and Lara Croft to Ellie Williams, characters are known and celebrated, becoming something that often outlives the original game they came from. They have become mascots, had movies made of them, and expanded into books, fan films, and other media pieces to flesh out the characters and their adventures.
However, great characters mean that there must be some great writing. Video games continue to develop, and as a result, it's led to more complex characters. Whether they're a plucky protagonist or a grand villain, here are some of the most well-written characters in video games.
10 Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption 2)
Arthur Morgan is the gunslinging protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2, a prequel that takes place years before Red Dead Redemption.
The game chronicles the downfall of the Wild West and Arthur himself as he embarks on a tragic character arc that sees him trying to reclaim what dregs of redemption he can, even when his world and the people he loves start to break apart around him. Despite being a career criminal, you grow to love and understand him, even with his flaws.
9 Ellie Williams (The Last Of Us)
In The Last Of Us, Ellie is far from the stereotypical companion who comes across as more of a liability than a character. Through some great AI and the fact she studies and interacts with the world around her, we realize just how different Ellie is from the average kid from our non-apocalyptic world.
She still makes mistakes, has a fierce character, and is presented as a flawed, interesting, and ultimately traumatized human being who is trying to survive psychologically as well as physically in a dangerous world.
8 Vaas (Far Cry 3)
From the protagonists to the villain, there are almost always two sides to a good story. Far Cry 3 definitely took advice when it came to their villain as Vaas, much like Ellie, made their first impression on audiences through a trailer with their famously quoted question.
A fantastic villain, he goes from a frenzied madman into an eerily dark mirror of what the protagonist could become if they are further corrupted in their fight against him. It's this subtle transformation that adds so much depth to Vaas without needing to ham fist a needlessly tragic backstory, but by just having him be a captivating and sometimes hilarious character.
7 Clementine (The Walking Dead)
Clementine from The Walking Dead gets a treatment that is rare for videogame characters, having an extensive arc that is well-written and changes the character over the years.
In each season, we get to see Clementine transform first from a little girl to a fierce survivor and then into something almost unrecognizable. Through some incredible dialogue and attention to detail, the writers craft a brilliant character arc of how Clementine grows up to be a teenager in a world that is constantly trying to kill her.
6 Kratos (God Of War)
It's hard to believe that Kratos would have been considered one of the best-written characters in games. His story is interesting, and he is definitely a contender for one of the most powerful characters, but the writing, especially in the later games of the God of War trilogy, was sometimes lacking.
The reboot God of War and its follow-up God of War: Ragnarök completely changes that, turning Kratos into a father who must learn to forgive himself for the past, deal with his traumas, and protect his second chance of having a family. He becomes a wise warrior with some absolutely beautifully written dialogue.
5 Kreia (Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic: The Sith Lords)
When making a game that's part of a franchise as large as Star Wars, it is a high compliment when one of your characters isn't just the best written in the game but one of the best written of the entire franchise.
Kreia is a..."Sith" (it's complicated) who has a unique way of seeing the world, with a captivating ideology that has been studied for years. Throughout the game, she acts as a mentor figure trying to impose her ideological views on the protagonist about utility, survivability, and what it means to use the Force. But she only grows more interesting when we discover she doesn't actually want to use the Force but to destroy it as she realizes that it has a will of its own and will continue to send the galaxy into anarchy by forcefully balancing the light and dark between Jedi and Sith. It's a stunning take on Star Wars that has players combing through her dialogue to study her again and again.
4 Hannah/Eve (Her Story)
Yes, it is odd that there are two people here, but if you played Her Story, you would know why. When starting the game, you meet Hannah, who is seen as a regular British woman who has just lost her husband.
It's only through digging you find out her sordid past, her connection with a "twin" that could also be a split personality, and the intriguing way they move through life. Through dialogue alone in the same room on different days, she quickly becomes a great character to study, as if she were the protagonist of one of the literary greats, she's written that well.
3 Joshua Graham (Fallout: New Vegas)
Joshua Graham of Fallout: New Vegas is so well written that he turns people religious. Yes, that is a true statement. Known as The Burned Man, he sought retribution with God after being left for dead by Caesar's Legion.
He is now the philosophical leader of a tribe in the Zion National Park, now known as Zion Canyon. He has one of the most well-written dialogue trees in gaming, where you can spend hours just listening to him speak, what he's learned from his experiences, and how he's changed both philosophically and physically since his near-death.
2 Niko Bellic (Grand Theft Auto 4)
The Serbian of Liberty City, Niko Bellic made his debut in Grand Theft Auto 4, perhaps the darkest and most realistic title in the series. Much like the grey of Liberty City, Niko's story was one with many ups and downs as he tried to navigate the criminal underworld of a city that would much rather spit him back out.
From his haunting monologues about his time in the war to his futile quest for revenge, Niko also has impeccable and very emotional dialogue, able to be funny, charismatic, deep, menacing, and ultimately well-rounded.
1 Jason Brody (Far Cry 3)
It may seem unfair to have two characters from the same game on this list, but Far Cry 3 is just that good. Jason Brody is the spoiled rich kid who spends his parent's money on thrill-seeking adventures, ultimately ending up with him and his friends captured by Vaas on the Rook Islands.
After the death of his brother, Jason has to try and rescue his remaining friends, and we see his deteriorating mental state as he turns into a manic and menacing survivor who almost feels more at home fighting for his life than, well, at home. It's a brilliant and dark character arc that helps make the game just that much more memorable.