Story-heavy RPG with the best villain twists

After M. Night Shyamalan's movies became popular, everyone started to appreciate a good twist. He certainly didn't invent the idea of ​​twists in movies, but Shyamalan certainly made the idea trend. There are plenty of twists and turns in video games too, and not just in the horror genre.

RPGs can have incredible villain twists ranging from an ally being evil all the time to a villain changing. It should also be mentioned that twists are not always good just because they are shocking. Let's take a look at these surprising revelations and decide if they were justified or not.

Shaun

Baby came back

Fallout 4 begins with players witnessing bombs falling before entering a shelter and freezing themselves. In between the cryogenic period, the main character's baby, Shaun, is kidnapped and their partner is killed. The focus of the game is to find Shaun in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Boston, and when players find him, it's a surprise.

Shaun is a fully grown adult and a leader within The Institute, one of the most talked about factions in this area, known for being relentless. Players must decide if they want to help Shaun because he is their child, even though he helps do terrible things.

Airy

Hey, listen!

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy has four main party members, Tiz, Agnes, Ringabel, and Edea, as well as an elf companion named Airy who occasionally gives advice. The plot revolves around the party's awakening crystals, and when the last one is revived, the party finds themselves back at the beginning of their journey, stuck in a time loop.

That alone is a surprise, but then it's eventually revealed that Airy is hiding his true form, which has been behind it all, gathering crystallized energy with every loop. She's such an innocuous character that it's really out of left field.

Magus

From misunderstood to good

Chrono Trigger is a time-traveling RPG that takes the hero Crono back to the Middle Ages for his first big time-traveling adventure. This is where one of the game's biggest villains is introduced, the Magus.

With cold blue/purple hair and a giant scythe, he was Sephiroth before Sephiroth. Much later, players will learn about Magus' past and why he did what he did. Eventually, he can be recruited into the party or killed, which is the worst route to take since he has many amazing powers to use in battle and is on a genuine path to redemption.

Riku

Smaller heart

Riku is one of Sora's closest friends in Kingdom Heartstogether with Kairi, who all play on an island, dreaming of great adventures. When their dream comes true, a darkness draws all three to magical lands, all based on Disney movies. On his journey, Sora spots Riku a few times, but it seems he has gone to the dark side to help Maleficent and the Heartless steal the hearts of normal people, including Kairis.

In one of the final dungeons, it is revealed that the main villain is Ansem, who trapped his soul in Riku and controlled him the entire time as he gathered power. Exposed to darkness for too long, the rest of Kingdom Hearts the series is a redemption arc for Riku to prove that he is good inside and that the darkness cannot win.

Rella Melancoryphus Cygnus

A religious betrayal

Metaphor: ReFantazio's begins with the hero Will assembling a group to try and stop a soldier, Louis, who is believed to be the one who cursed the unnamed prince. Through various plot twists, everything eventually comes to a boil about two-thirds of the way through.

Rella, a beloved church speaker and sister of a party member, Junah, was the one who cursed the prince. It was set up by the leader of the church, Sanctifex Forden, who wanted to frame Louis and get him out of the picture, but his plans backfired. Rella is a small stopgap who regrets what she did and dies from being encased in ice.

Claus

The Darth Vader effect

Mother 3 begins wholesomely in a house in the country where two young children, Lucas and Claus, live with their mother, father and grandfather. After a terrible fire and several other events, Lucas loses Claus, his mother dies and his father has disappeared.

It may be obvious to RPG fans used to masked villains being someone important, but in the final battle, the masked villain seen throughout the game is revealed to be a brainwashed Claus. Unfortunately, he's too far gone and dies in the process, but at least Lucas gets to reunite with his dad during the campaign, so it's not a total loss.

Tohru Adachi

Jinkies!

Personas 4 is ultimately a mystery game where a group of local teenagers in Japan stumble upon a mysterious television world, which they believe is connected to a series of murders around town. The silent protagonist, Yu, lives with his uncle, Ryotaro, who is a detective, and his daughter, Nanako. Ryotaro's partner is Tohru, who is portrayed as a dull detective seemingly unfit for the job.

This is a bit of a Keyser Soze act, since Tohru is actually the mastermind behind it all. Like Airy's transformation in Bravely Default: Flying FairyTohru's involvement was quite a shock Personas 4and his explanation is unreasonable to say the least.

Joran

The Masked Rider

Early in Xenoblade Chronicles 3Joran, one of the heroes' best friends, dies during battle. This hero, Noah, sends him off in a farewell ceremony along with other fallen soldiers. Fast-forwarding a bit, the game's main villain group is called Moebius, where each villain is called a consul, and they wear custom-made red armor with masks.

One of the bigger pranksters in the group, who is an early thorn, is Consul J, who is later revealed to be a reprogrammed Joran. He's far from a main villain, but regardless of where he ranks, this worm reveal is a huge shock to Noah, who can't accept his friend's betrayal.

Lord Zokket

A corrupt mentor

Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood is another RPG misadventure for Mario and his brother, which takes them to a new land. Together, they help a young girl, Connie, try to save a large tree that will have the power and reunite all the islands in a region.

The one who pulled them apart is Lord Zokket, a masked villain with a mysterious past. In what appears to be the final battle, Lord Zokket is revealed to be Connie's former master, Cozette, who was manipulated by the real villain, Reclusa. Thanks to Cozette's actions, Reclusa is able to be revived, but Mario and Luigi put an end to their misery in the end, and overall it turns out pretty well.

Cuff/Susurrus

Who saw that coming?

Forbidden is a divisive action RPG about a young woman from New York City, Frey, who is transported to a fantasy land like in an isekai anime. When she arrives in the land, it is manipulated by a council of high witches called the Tantas, and with a magical bracelet in her hand, called the Cuff, Frey is able to go after these witches one by one and absorb their power.

Cuff, throughout the game, tries to be helpful and is presented to be a bit of a monster. All of this finally changes when Cuff has absorbed enough energy from Tantas to escape his bracelet prison and become the demon known as Susurrus. In a bizarre twist of fate, Frey must then work with Tantas to stop Cuff/Susurrus from wreaking further havoc.