Video game characters have come a long way from their initial appearance as one-dimensional beings meant solely to help players complete a game, and nothing else. Now, as video game storytelling has evolved, so too have the characters themselves. Today, many video game characters are fully fleshed-out individuals with complex personalities and rich backstories. Players actually feel like rooting for these characters,especially if they’re dealing with certain adversities.
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Sometimes, in a bid to make certain video game characters more sympathetic, developers give them conditions that they have to either deal with, cure, or power through. Not all of these afflictions are necessarily real, with some conditions being completely fictional and existing within the in-game universe. The most notable characters who deal with these fictional conditions are mentioned below.
10Corprus — The Nerevarine (The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind)
Corprus is a disease in the realm of Morrowind that slowly destroys the mind of an infected person and turns them into a mindless husk. The curse seemingly has no cure, which makes it even more impactful that the Nerevarine contracts this disease as part of the game’s main questline.
Of course, since the player is the hero of the tale, he manages to cure himself of this affliction after going through some trials and tribulations. This personal experience with the Corprus disease gives players a greater understanding of this disease, feeling bad for the people who are losing their minds to this condition.
9T-Virus — Albert Wesker (Resident Evil)
The T-Virus is a highly infectious virus that is present in pretty much everyResident Evilgame. It turns any infected victims into powerful zombies who can be quite challenging to deal with.
One of the antagonists of the series, Albert Wesker, deliberately infects himself with a prototype version of the virus thathelped him gain superhuman abilities without losing his mind. This made him a powerful foe that players had to deal with to prevent his villainous plans from being executed.
8Mako Poisoning — Cloud (Final Fantasy 7)
Mako is pretty much the lifeblood of the Planet inFinal Fantasy 7that is being heartlessly extracted by Shinra for their own nefarious purposes. This element is also used for experimentation and turning people into super-powered agents in a force called SOLDIER.
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Cloud, the protagonist ofFinal Fantasy 7, suffers from Mako poisoning due to Hojo’s forced experiments that leave lasting effects on his psyche. He places himself in the role of Zack, with his delusions and hallucinations causing his mind to go haywire as the game’s story progresses.
7FOXDIE — Big Boss (Metal Gear Solid)
FOXDIE is a generically-engineered virus designed to target and kill specific individuals by identifying their DNA and causing cardiac arrest. There are many victims of this disease, including Liquid Snake, Revolver Ocelot, and Kenneth Baker.
Big Boss, one of the main protagonists of theMetal Gear Solidseries, is one such individual who is infected by FOXDIE. The virus ultimately causes his death inMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, with this moment being quite emotional indeed.
6Kepral’s Syndrome — Thane Krios (Mass Effect)
Kepral’s Syndrome is a rare disease that afflicts the drell species inMass Effect, with the exposure to Kahje’s humid climate causing the lungs of the displaced drell to start wasting away as they lose the ability to absorb oxygen.
Watching Thane slowly deal with the effects of this disease inMass Effect 2is pretty heartbreaking, especially if players decided to romance him.Mass Effect 3gives him a tragic farewell if Shepard was his romantic partner, making this assassinone of the best companions in this popular sci-fi series by a country mile.
5Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome — Maria Robotnik (Sonic The Hedgehog)
The last thing anyone would expect from a game inSonic the Hedgehogis a life-threatening disease that affects one of its characters. However, the franchise is crazy enough to go down this route, with Dr. Robotnik’s cousin suffering from a disease called Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or NIDS.
Maria Robotnik has a weak immune system and gets ill pretty often, which is a consequence of NIDS. While Project Shadow was carried out in a bid to cure her, this project had unintended consequences and led tothe events ofShadow the Hedgehog.
4Harran Virus — Aiden Caldwell (Dying Light 2: Stay Human)
The Harran Virus had no name in the first game but is given this moniker inDying Light 2. This highly infectious disease turns its victims into zombies, with the protagonist of the second game, Aiden, being affected by this virus too.
It’s one of the defining aspects of the game’s plot, with the protagonist’s every action being motivated by their need to get rid of the Harran Virus. WhileDying Light 2’s story may not be all that engaging, this central conflict is certainly quite interesting in its own right.
3Darrow Deficiency Syndrome — Anna Kelso (Deus Ex: The Fall)
Augmentation plays a huge role in the world ofDeus Ex, with mechanical augments being quite prevalent in bothHuman RevolutionandMankind Divided. Not everyone’s body is attuned to these changes, with incompatibilities leading to people suffering from Darrow Deficiency Syndrome.
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The disease is named after the father of mechanical augmentation, Hugh Darrow, who himself had a body that violently rejected any mechanical augments. There are many people in theDeus Exuniverse that suffer from DDS, including a major character inDeus Ex: The Fallcalled Anna Kelso.
2Cordyceps Brain Infection — Tess (The Last Of Us)
The Cordyceps Brain Infection, or CBI, is the fungal disease that turns its victims into mindless, zombie-like creatures in the world ofThe Last of Us. Tess, a supporting character in the game, contracts the disease when she gets bit by a Runner while trying to evade the Infected.
She realizes just how serious Ellie’s immunity really is, and gives Joel the task of using this girl to give humanity hope in the form of a cure. Instead of turning into a mindless zombie,Tess decides to make one last stand against FEDRAand buy Joel and Ellie some time for them to escape.
1Blacklight Virus — Alex Mercer (Prototype)
Prototypeis one of the most underrated video games around, with both this title and its sequel being a blast to play through. The game focuses on the Blacklight Virus, which infects people and ruins their genetic makeup, killing them in the process.
In very rare instances, this virus enhances the physical skills of its targets and turns them into volatile dealers of death. The two known people whoturned into these superhuman beings after being infected are Alex Mercer and James Heller.
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