More often than not, open world games allow players to live their dreams, while offering total freedom. Some games let you be a superhero capable of incredible deeds, while others take you to a peaceful land where you can farm, build and mingle at your leisure. Then a select few games are about getting ultimate power and abusing it all.
We're not talking about physical OP characters here, but rather politicians or political agents who use intimidation or information to get what they want. Surprisingly, or maybe not, very few open-world games give players roles with political power. You're much more likely to be the rebel than the king, with the latter generally reserved for strategy games like Crusader Kings 3 and Tropical. Nevertheless, there are a couple of exceptions.
Fable 3 lets you become an evil king
State tyranny
Fable 3
8/10
- Released
-
October 26, 2010
For his first half, Fable 3 casts you as the noble leader of a revolution, with your goal to take down your tyrannical older brother. Since you can't do this alone, you spend your “campaign track” making all kinds of promises to different political factions, and those declarations are binding. You agree to prioritize the prosperity of the kingdom and the happiness of the people if you win the throne.
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In a really cool twist that most games wouldn't try, Fable 3 crowns you as the new monarch halfway through the story, and you get to rule Albion for the rest of the playthrough. As the king, you need 6.5 million gold coins to save the citizens from extinction; but that goal grows by about 2 million if you decide to be a good and honorable ruler. While morally sound decisions drain the treasury, corrupt choices fill it, giving you a clear financial incentive to break your promises.
Do you want to become the beloved ruler of a bankrupt kingdom? Or the hated dictator of a stable, rich kingdom? Maybe you can have your cake and eat it too, but it's not easy.
The outer worlds let you become the weapon of the board
The tyranny of corporations
The outer worlds exists in a universe of extreme deregulation, where people exist only as assets for corporations. Although not the one in power, the main character starts out as a cog in the machine as they literally pass a test to become colonists; but after their trip to Halcyon doesn't go according to plan, they wake up with a new vision and the opportunity to decide their destiny. Now you decide what kind of “hero” you want to be, so you could very well be the freedom fighter who breaks down the Board's control of Halcyon. Conversely, you can help ensure that the company remains in power.
Cyberpunk 2077 deserves an honorable mention here, as you can also act as a corporate puppet.
Most people will probably side with Phineas against the board, just because it's clearly the most “canonical” direction to take. There is also more content if you go the right way. However, it is much more fun to be a grotesquely evil corporate soldier participating in the starvation and systemic cleansing of Halycon's citizens. The outer worlds presents the board as complete and utter morons who are comically corrupt, and you can be their stooge.
Who is that character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Start
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)
Fallout 4 lets you feed the troops
Military tyranny
This one is a bit complicated.
Fallout 4 does not present any of its factions/routes as the obvious best solution for both the protagonist and the Commonwealth. Due to their history, reputation, power, and resources, the Brotherhood of Steel arguably seems the most likely to bring a sense of order and security to the wasteland. However, the faction follows the mantras of “might is right” and “for the greater good” and achieves its goal through authoritarian control and extensive sacrifice. The Brotherhood attempts to save humanity from the Institute, an act that requires them to surrender control to them.
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A few missions have you essentially acting as a warlord for the Brotherhood, but “Feeding the Troops” gives you the opportunity to abuse your authority in an extremely nasty way. Basically, you need to get crops from farmers, which can be accomplished in a few ways (depending on your build and skills). Besides just buying crops, you can also threaten, cajole, or kill the farmers, the latter three being definitely the most cost-effective ways to approach the situation. Although you need to pay a lot of ceiling to go the good path, the fact that it is an option means that you have to actively decide to be corrupt.
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Tyranny of the President
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Once the alien occurs, you literally become an overpowered politician.
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