In most video games, you play the hero - you’re the person everyone wants to be acquainted with and are treated with love and adoration. Then there are the games where you’re the out-of-town stranger; you stand out from the crowd, and your differences are made apparent.
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Whether you’re a wandering nomad on a quest for glory, a struggling vagabond in a dangerous world, a particular race or different species entirely, you play as the outcast and are treated as such. Sometimes you will be looked down upon in disgust, and occasionally you will be praised for your differences, but for each instance, the NPCs of these games will let you know that you are the outsider.
10Citizen Sleeper
Inspired by tabletop RPGs,Citizen Sleeperis a fantastic sci-fi role-playing experience where you play as a washed-up android interloper on the lawless Erlin’s Eye space station. All of its inhabitants are outsiders in one way or other -each NPC has an interesting storyto tell and can wildly affect certain narrative threads if you get on their wrong side.
As an artificial being, the citizens of the station all react differently to you. Some will mistrust you and see you as unnatural, while others will be more sympathetic and aid you on your journey. All NPC interactions contribute meaningfully to this rich andpoignantly told Cyberpunk tale.
9Skyrim
InSkyrim, you begin the game as a death-sentenced prisoner with a second chance. You really can make your character whoever you want them to be, and theNPCs will react accordingly.
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Right from the get-go, if you decide to be the anthropomorphic Khajiit or Argonian race, you will suffer a bit of casual Elder Scrolls-tinged bigotry from Skyrim’s more traditional Nordic citizens. The more heroic deeds you accomplish across the lands will grant you recognition in dialogue and praise from the townsfolk, though if you are caught being a naughty Dragonborn and doing things you shouldn’t, the people will react in turn.
8Halo: Combat Evolved
John-117 is probably the most powerful outside being to crash-land on another world. As soon as he leaves his weathered escape pod inHalo: Combat Evolved, he is met with a myriad of Covenant enemies that litter the station’s surface. Grunts will run away in terror, Elites will gleefully charge toward you with wild abandon, and the infectious flood will overwhelm you with terrifying numbers.
It’s not only alien species that will treat you differently. As the last surviving Spartan, humans will look at you in awe and cheer at your arrival, eager for the upper hand. As a towering fellow with superhuman agility and strength, Master Chief is not technically a human - more like a weapon built for war. Even though they are happy to see you, a lot of the marines will jump for joy as if they were handed a walking nuke button.
7Destroy All Humans!
As an Earth-invading alien from an entirely different planet, you play as an outsider that does not have humanity’s best interests at heart in theDestroy All Humans!series. As you may imagine, the people of earth aren’t too happy about Crypto’s arrival.
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With an array of advanced intergalactic weaponry at your disposal, you’ll have the population fleeing from you in terror in no time. There areplenty of devastating weaponson offer, including a gun that shoots anti-grav discs, the ability to summon a destructive meteor shower, and the use of the iconic anal probe - a true classic. The puny humans don’t stand a chance.
6Stray
Strayisan indie platformerin a dystopian neon-lit world where all humans have died out, leaving their robot companions to pick up the pieces. An adorable ginger cat is the protagonist and gets embroiled in unraveling the ancient mystery of the curious cyberpunk city he finds himself in.
As a living-and-breathing feline among an array of lively android characters, your presence does not go unnoticed. You’re likely the first sentient being they’ve come across for centuries, and they will treat you with curiosity and intrigue. The robot inhabitants of the forgotten city are very welcoming to this furry ball of joy, even when exhibiting a variety ofintrusive cat-like behaviors, such as walking all over someone’s keyboard and ruining an intense board game.
5Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
In a time when the open-world genre was as bloated as an orc when meat went back on the menu,Shadow of Mordorrevolutionized the way you could interact with NPCs. You are the only other non-orc in a world full of gruesome Uruks who have a hunger for man flesh. They will shout at you as you run past, attack on site, and generally give you a bad time.
As the game continues, you can make lifelong enemies that keep coming back to fight you. The Nemesis System was fantastic as it allowed you to have unique interactions with specific enemy orc NPCs. All of this is unscripted and is built on a randomly generated set of features, making each playthrough feel unique.
4Horizon: Zero Dawn
Before her heroic deeds during the climactic events of the first game, Aloy wasn’t themost popular huntressinHorizon: Zero Dawn’sdystopian world. Aloy was an outcast of the Nora since birth and has suffered horrible treatment from her tribe since childhood.
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To prove her worth, Aloy trained for many years to compete in the Proving to earn her place. Even after winning easily and being named a “Seeker,” many still turn their nose up at Aloy out in the wild and in the major settlements in the game. It took single-handedly defeating HADES and earning the title of “The Saviour of Meridian” for Aloy to earn the respect she deserves by the time Horizon: Forbidden West rolls around.
3Mafia 3
Lincoln Clay isMafia3’s mixed-race protagonist in the very turbulent time of the 1960s, and the game does not shy away from the horrors of racial abuse. As an ex-patriot, Clay finds himself embroiled in a brutal revenge story involving the mob and must build a criminal empire of his own.
There is bigotry around every corner of New Bordeaux - confederate flags litter the streets, people shout profanity and racial slurs as you walk past, and police are more hostile. The game does a fantastic job of conveying the abuse of the era in a very thought-provoking way.
2Mass Effect
As relative newcomers to the galactic civilization, humans aren’t very highly regarded inMass Effect. Despite accomplishing a great deal in a very short period, many races approach humanity with a high degree of caution.
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As Commander Shepard, you are the first human to join the Spectres - an elite force of special agents who the Citadel Council gives extraordinary power and authority. Needless to say, many characters in the game will express their dislike towards Shepard for his seemingly unwarranted privileges and favoritism exhibited by the council.
1The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher series draws uponthe fantastic novelsof Andrzej Sapkowski and do a brilliant job of portraying prejudice and xenophobia.The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt depicts the frequent amounts of discrimination that Geralt faces from the citizens of the Continent.
Witchers are looked down upon and are seen as unnatural. Wherever you go, you are met with disdain and disgust as people give glaring looks, hateful comments, and spit on the very floor you walk on. You even receive suspicion from those that hire you - it’s only after helping them with their troubles that they see you in a better light and treat you with a modicum of respect.
