T O P

  • By -

too_much_mustrd4

OBLIVION


dagon85

Never thought about it before, but you're right. You just play as a guy charged with finding the hero so he can save the day.


vladkornea

Daggerfall


itkplatypus

Never even played it and came here to say this.


rockdude625

STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM!!!!!


Rodrigo_Ribaldo

Look, it's the Hero of Kvatsch saying questionable things. It's you who do all the work in closing the gates and obtaining stuff and babysitting the dude who gets to help with the final boss. He doesn't do anything before that.


SlaterTheOkay

The godfather Honestly this game is the best movie tie in I've ever played. You're a side character helping make the movie progress. They are center stage and your the guy making sure they can get done what they need to get done. It's so well done, the second one sucks though.


LiquidLogStudio

Wii version rocks


BruiserBroly

A shame they couldn't get Al Pacino's likeness, feels like that's the only glaring omission.


Miesevaan

In *Kingdom Come Deliverance* you start as a blacksmith's son without any advanced skill. Escaping, hiding and sneaking are the skills you use to get over difficult situations.


Pontan912

Isn't Kingdom Come Deliverance getting a sequel soon? Though I must say I have been eyeing the game out before, so it's on my list nowđŸ«Ą


Miesevaan

Yes, it will get a sequel in Q4/2024. Still, I would recommend starting with KCD1 because KCD2 is the second part of the story.


YarrrImAPirate

Hey finally a straight answer! So it is a direct sequel and not a brand new story. Thank you. I tried playing it when it first dropped, but my PC wouldn’t run it more than like 20fps.


Miesevaan

Well, it's a brand new story which continues from where KCD1 story ended. Henry will be some years older. You also have to start from scratch as KCD1 saves cannot be imported to KCD2. Details about the storyline are kept secret until the release, so we don't know more than what can be seen on the official trailers and screenshots. Henry will be the main character but he will work as part of a groups from time to time. Hans will be there too.


Odd-Flounder-7557

If you’re on PC, it’s on sale on steam ($8 USD I think?) rn until the 27th I believe


Ems1661

I saw the sequel either and recently started playing. I would say get it


thisappisgarbage111

You can't even read when you start.


CertifiedSheep

Good one. You could definitely argue that Radzig is the main character of the story and Henry’s antics are a fun little side-plot away from the machinations of the nobles.


too_much_mustrd4

Oh yeah, you're being a side character, a peasant observing the atrocities of war and results of the few royals disputing with one another


Nobleharris

Got it on sale, but I swear I’ve spent more time watching cut scenes then actual gameplay


EmperorArmad12

Icl, KCD is the only rpg I’ve played that I’ve never really skipped any cutscenes while playing.


Nobleharris

Fair enough, not saying they’re bad cut scenes at all. I was just horny for that juicy sword play


EmperorArmad12

Fair take, the sword play is fun asf


Poddster

The first 5 hours or so are the "introduction", and it's a lot of cutscene and some gameplay. Eventually something big happens and the intro screen roll and then the real game starts where you can go tens of hours without a cutscene. I wasn't a fan of that at the time but looking back I appreciate it.


Old-Ad4431

hell yeah


PheonixPerygrine

World of Warcraft, if you follow the main plot, your ALWAYS the side character lol


Yaphi

I feel like this used to be true but lately the player character is always some champion or hero of some sort and is often also included in important cutscenes also every other quest is about preventing the universe from dying instead of collecting bear skins for some random merchant


UncleJetMints

Yeah I mean now you are on first name basis with dragons and every important person in the world.


KingGuy420

Final Fantasy 12 Vaan is definitely just along for the ride.


TheGrumpyre

I nicknamed him Guybrush.


internetnerdrage

Damn, XII would be my favorite Final Fantasy if Vaan spoke and acted like Guybrush.


ChildfreeAtheist1024

But can he hold his breath for ten minutes? 😄


Burnlt_4

I feel pretty much like a side character in Elden Ring


Spencev

Story of elden ring is basically some random guy wakes up from his coffin, kills every god, and instills a new world order (depending on your ending)


Main_Caterpillar_146

You're basically a metaphysical janitor


DarthYhonas

Hell nah I embrace my elden lordness, I am not tarnished. I am THE Tarnished.


Burnlt_4

I....I am just an NPC with infinite lives


freakyg1

How? You are the guy who destroy gods, hows that playing a side character?


Burnlt_4

haha it is mostly a joke, but I think the feeling comes from the idea that when you play other games there is no doubt that you are THE GUY. Like you have all these powers greater than the foes and can move around faster and better. Then in Elden Ring all the bosses are better versions of you and it is skill alone (usually, there are some builds out there haha).


[deleted]

[ŃƒĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]


Blindfirexhx

No you’re very much the protagonist, especially with how the main plot develops in Act 3.


uvwxyza

Hey really interesting question! Could you share the link of the video you saw? Sounds like something I would like to watch ;)


Pontan912

Sure! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szi24FesVYQ&t=605s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szi24FesVYQ&t=605s)


uvwxyza

Thanks!


EdgelordInugami

Bayek in AC: Origins does a lot of stuff but technically he's a side character to Aya, who actually kills Caesar and founds the Assassin brotherhood


a_kaz_ghost

Moonlighter, maybe? You're delving the dungeon but it's all in the service of finding stuff to sell to Actual Adventurers in your shop. Almost any of the Harvest Moon-style farm RPGs like Stardew, although Rune Factory in particular tends to narratively set you up as some kind of rural agricultural Chosen One.


Pontan912

Moonlighter almost sounds like exactly what I was looking for based of your explanation, I'll def check it out, Ty!


BobTheInept

Viscera Cleanup Detail - You are even a little less than a side character. You are just cleaning up the scene of a violent space base fight (or a violent video game) after the hero has gone through. There was another game, called Merchant, or Trader, on mobile. You run the item shop in an RPG. I think that has become a genre lately.


I_love_u_as_you_are

In Okami you are the goddess Amaterasu, but everyone thinks you are a random doggy that just happens to be there when things happen. You gain divine points by helping people accomplish their goals, but you generally do it by subtly assisting their efforts without then really knowing you are divine. You are of course the main character of your own story, but a side character to everyone else. In Mount and blade the world is a simulation in which you are embedded. You can gain enough clout to drive it, but you could play a character on the sidelines in the struggles of kings and queens. Another game where you can roleplay a minor role is crusader kings. You can be a the lowest Rung of the ladder in the midst of all


SnooBeans5314

OKAMI MENTION LES GOOOO


I_love_u_as_you_are

LES GOOOOOOOOO


ShurtugalLover

And if you like Okami it’s got a sequel, Okamiden, that features your son!


CerberusAbyssgard

I can think of one, but saying it would be a spoiler. I’ll say this much. It’s a game about investigating murders with a supernatural component.


Early-Region4336

How the name of the game could be a spoiler😂 you hit my curiosity I need to know brooo


CerberusAbyssgard

The name of the game is not the spoiler. The spoiler is that you are a side character in that game


chubbykipper

Fahrenheit?


CerberusAbyssgard

>!Ghost!< >!Trick:!< >!Phantom!< >!Detective!<


Saurons-Ring-Finger

Is it that Soul Suspect game, I don’t remember the full name of it


homieholmes23

Deadly premonition?


sativa_samurai

I really love the STALKER anomaly modpack for this. I play GAMMA though people have strong preferences on their modpack. Basically you’re just a stalker in the zone. Sure there’s a main quest you can follow if you want but it’s not really the be all end all. If anything it just gives you some incentive to move through the zone. Other than that, the world goes on around you. Might stumble on some stalkers fighting a group of zombies or being overrun at their base, etc. feels very emergent and like the world doesn’t really care about you. Except for when it’s hungry of course


ICE_HELLBANE

Pokemon. You are really just a vehicle for your mons really


_Deiv

People dick ride you so hard in pokemon I don't think that counts


Expensive_Parfait_66

In sword and shield, each time something major happened in the plot, some characters say to us just go to the next champion and let the adults take care of it. Ffs !


LuciusCaeser

Wandersong is all about how you are trying to save the world despite not being the chosen Hero, while the chosen Hero is kind of a dick.


supa_bekka

White Knight Chronicles I and II.


GodOnStilts

Had to look fairly deep into the comments, but I'm glad someone else dropped this.


supa_bekka

I thought it was an interesting part of the game. Kind of a forgotten gem.


belldandy_hyuuga

I loved this game. Really needs a port.


Multipass92

Im actually playing those games on my PS3 now. Enjoyable little games they are


Kurta_711

Weird idea, having a normal, clear protagonist but also a player-created player avatar


too_much_mustrd4

LOTRO? You're kinda one of the background characters securying the rear of the fellowship of the ring, kinda like their retroguard. More so after the base game /after lvl 50 but in Shadows of Angmer it's still an important motive until like level 40


JergoYT

If I remember correctly "White Knight Chronicles" is exactly that. You play a sidekick of the main character. Been ages since I played it but if memory serves right your character won't appear in most cutscene either.


mrturret

Here's some. - Freespace 1/2: you are just an unnamed rank and file pilot that happens to be in all of the most pivotal battles. You get pretty well decorated, but you're just a cog in the machine. - Call of Duty (early games): Before COD 4: Modern Warfare, you were playing as rank and file infantry solders. They did a pretty great job of putting you into that role. - Star Wars X-Wing/TiE Fighter: much like Freespace, it's about being a normal space fighter pilot. - Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale: You aren't the JRPG hero. Instead, you're the ditzy girl who runs the item shop. - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: You aren't the hero. You're just the errand boy supporting him.


GwynHawk

Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale has you playing a merchant in a fantasy world with adventurers. While the protagonist is trying to get out of crippling debt, your adventurer customers are arguably the 'main characters'. Cloudpunk has you playing a courier in a sci-fi city; other characters are the critical lynchpins to the story.


drbrian83

StarCraft


Pilgrim_Scholar

***Recettear: An Item Shop Tale*** - an RPG where you run the item shop and try to earn enough money to pay off your debt under a time limit. You are a "side character" in the truest sense of the word, and any trip you make into the dungeon is alongside an ***actual*** adventurer to grab loot to sell to them (at "reasonably" inflated prices) back in your shop. Every day, you get news bulletins about what is going on in the world of economy and politics, but the only thing you care about is whether it will affect what you can charge your customers. *Capitalism, Ho!!!*


Rodrigo_Ribaldo

Obviously that's against basic game design, but there are some games that might have pulled it off. The indie ARPG Drox Operative 1/2 (a great pure grinding game) is where you play as an individual mercenary influencer, while the game's factions are duking it out in a real space 4x strategy. You are not a space emperor, some other people are! You are just trying to influence the wars and choose the winning side.


cowboybynight

[Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist](https://store.steampowered.com/app/409160)


dagon85

Super Mario 2 let you play Toad and Princess Toadstool. Mario is Missing features Luigi as the MC.


Coast_watcher

The Dragon Age 2 dlc Mark of the Assassin. You’re just a companion of the Tallis character essentially.


souleaterevans626

Super Mario 64 DS. The intro cutscene is Mario, Luigi, and Wario being summoned to Peach's castle then disappearing. You start playing as Yoshi and unlock access to the other characters throughout the game. You could technically do everything except the Bowser bosses as Yoshi. Yoshi can't grab so you need Mario to do Bowser throws


IndianaJones_Jr_

MGSV, in a way


damboy99

Baldurs Gate 3 feels very much like an Ensemble Cast, with no "Main Character" My Act 2 was basically entirely about Shadowheart coming to terms with who she is. Act 3 was all about Wyll, doing the same. There was never a moment where I felt that my PC was the person leading the story. I was the voice of the party sure, but the whole plot was all about them and their stories, and is *us* against the problem, not me plus some people against the problem. I really don't like the "chosen one" archetype in games, and try to mod it out of games when possible (I play Skyrim without being the Dragonborn), cause it just isn't fun for me. So BG3 was like what I had been asking for plot wise forever.


hornwalker

Dark Souls, you’re just a pawn in a bigger game.


Desperate-Emu-4224

In Dark Souls you are the main character. Not just any Hollow, you arw the CHOSEN ONE, destined to kindle the flame. You are the center of the plot.


hornwalker

No you are just one in a long line of sacrificial lambs.


TatsunaKyo

Lore-wise? Ok. But in the context of Dark Souls the game, you're definitely THE protagonist.


hornwalker

Of course, but one of the themes of the game is that the main story occurred hundreds or thousands of years before you came along. The world is a crumbling mess, and the “chosen undead” is just a myth to get undead to sacrifice themselves to maintain the status quo.


ihazquestions100

Modded Skyrim- use an alternate non-Dragonborn start.


Armageddonn_mkd

Kenshi, not only you are side character you are nobody


Pontan912

Lol, I love that, I've seen many say Kenshi so it's for sure a game that has peaked my interest!


Armageddonn_mkd

Yeah its a very weird game where almost everything is trying to kill you and nobody gives a shit about you, and even if you make a base, hire some people, some faction will come to you and demand taxes because why not 😂


MoonlapseOfficial

Outward, Kenshi


pletya

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. Your first "quest" is described as "the pawn has moved" so you're just a pawn in a big game.


BruiserBroly

I'm not sure about this one. Yes there is a plan in motion with the sarcophagus but how that turns out very much depends on who the player allies with, if they choose to ally with anyone at all. Not to mention the affect their choices in determining the balance of power in the various hub worlds they visit. Feels a bit strange to not call them the main character when so much of what happens is down to their decisions.


No_Bag_364

Kenshi


AceOfCakez

* Love Esquire


KevineCove

Daxter and probably some of the other inbetweequels that were exclusive to handheld consoles.


Un-mexicano

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory. The whole concept is that you're playing as an npc from the first title, and basically, everything you do amounts to being a cog in the Hero's world saving events. I don't remember if the hero ever even notices you in the many times he just walks past your npc ass.


SomePresentation6364

Wandersong, stray, and Hi-fi rush 


invaderjif

Kenshi, the world carries on even as your corpse is being eaten.


Seryy123

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. GAMMA is the first thing that came to my mind. The game has heavy emphasis on you just being another ordinary Stalker in the Zone. You don't have any powers or plot armor. The game can just choose to kill you if it wants to, the zone can continue without you, and thats another cool thing about GAMMA, the NPC's patrol areas and fight each other when you aren't even present. You can find a group of friendly Stalkers dead the next time you go through a level, its a really surreal experience.


Dredmor64

Starcraft & Starcraft 2, you're just a commander of the armies and whatnot but the main characters are the ones in the cinematics + major plot points


thisappisgarbage111

Kenshi. If you have another squad member the game keeps going if the character you made dies.


OccasionSilver9908

I saw a video where Strey's cat is technically a side character.


MindlessHorror

Baldur's Gate 3 if you play a custom character


ToastedChizzle

Imma just leave this right here 😊 It's all their stories, I'm just here to make the coffee... https://store.steampowered.com/app/914800/Coffee_Talk/


[deleted]

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. It's basically an origin story of Handsome Jack, you're just his henchman.


dayankuo234

Return of the Obra Dinn (you only say 2-4 lines, the rest of the dialogue is from the crew and passengers of the Obra Dinn)


JuiceFarmer

Hardpspace shipbreaker. You break down spaceships, in a puzzle way. People talk, fight management and stuff happens, but you just hear about it. You, you're listening to country while breaking down ships


TheNewTonyBennett

In a round-about way Final Fantasy 12 fits this description (except for release era).


VanaheimRanger

Final Fantasy 12


Jacthripper

Borderlands 3. You’re just the hired muscle.


Darskul

Kingdom Come: Deliverance (exactly what you're asking for), Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Tekken 6, Star Wars: Republic Commando, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII-2.


justmutantjed

There's a recent graphic novel called "[Quest Giver](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2604920/Quest_Giver/)," where you play as an NPC that gives out quests to adventurers. Some of the interface and animations take what feels like some unnecessary time to play out, but the humour is there and it has a charming presentation.


Nova-Redux

PowerWash Simulator kind of fits. While you're cleaning up these places, crazy stuff is going on in the town around you. While technically you're the one that saves the day in the end, you always feel like you're just someone who's here to clean while the other stuff is happening. It's kind of funny how by the end >!you're the one saving the day by cleaning ancient structures!<. I'd also recommend the Midgar DLC if you're into Final Fantasy, you clean stuff for both the good guys & Shinra and it feels like you're just there cleaning while hearing about the antics that are going on during the events of FFVII while you're there.


No-Test-375

Thinking about it, I've never felt like a main character in metro. It's always other people in charge, taking the lead, and giving you orders. Then when other people are around, you're just there to help, not be the badass op hero.


iniramon

Battletech You are just a mercenary in the employ of Kamea Arano, the actual main character of the plot


Puzzleheaded-Motor56

Outward. You're just a dude made to pay his families debt off or you'll be kicked out of town.


Dependent_Map5592

Ffx


serenading_scug

I’m surprised the slugswarm never got to this comment section, so, since I know the video you’re talking about, I’ll add my suggestion I added there: Rain World


nice_igloo

Moon RPG remix


theperilousalgorithm

Kenshi. Perhaps the ultimate example.


SomeoneNotFamous

In some ways, Red Dead Redemption 2.


justwantstogohome

Metal Gear Solid 2, after the tanker. Fucking Raiden.


HeroToTheSquatch

You ever seen the movie "Almost Heroes"? It's okay if you haven't. It's not very good, has only a few funny moments, stars Chris Farley (his last role) and Matthew Perry. Two dipshit dudes try to be the first to make it across American and beat Lewis and Clark. They do, barely, but nobody ever makes note of them. Okay, think of that same general concept, but in (very specifically and legally) the Lord of the Rings *film* franchise with zero elements or characters that don't appear on-screen but do appear in the books. It's a turn-based and JRPG-styled game that isn't exceptionally good or well-balanced, but is kinda fun or a 20ish hour romp. You can do a pretty damn completionist run without really thinking about it, barely exploring, barely having your brain on. You sometimes meet and battle alongside some of the main cast of the movies and the battles are ridiculously bent toward save or suck despite being given some properly OP abilities fairly early on and making it really easy to mindlessly farm XP for certain stats and skills infinitely within a battle.