One of the most important aspects of narrative-based games is the characters in it. And when it comes to characters, there is perhaps nothing more crucial than making the protagonist likable to the general audience. While some companies have been able to perfect this ingredient in their games, many others have failed.
When designing a protagonist, it is not necessary for them to be a knight in shining armor. On the contrary, the general public tends to gravitate towards anti-heroes who usually harbor dark secrets or characteristics because such characters are typically more realistic. The world can't be simply divided into black and white which is why the traditional "hero" who can do no wrong is something that most companies avoid creating - except perhaps maybe Halo's Master Chief.
This is why making an appealing protagonist requires a great deal of nuance and finesse. And it's one of the reasons why you don't see memorable characters like Assassin's Creed's Ezio Auditore, God of War's Kratos, The Witcher's Geralt, and Uncharted's Nathan Drake pop up every second day. To skip this dilemma entirely, some games like Far Cry 5, Doom, Half-Life, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim opt for mute protagonists where you either shape your protagonist yourself via branching narratives or run around as a killing machine in a linear storyline. It's relatively easier to hold the player responsible for their actions than to give them a pre-configured character who they might not like.
As such, we would like to know: Who's your favorite video game protagonist and why? Let us know in the comments section below!
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