RPG Tropes that Feel Like Home: Being the Hero

The world today is scary, tiresome, and often depressing. And frankly, I've lived through entirely too many once-in-a-lifetime events in my lifetime already, especially in the last 25 years. It's hard not to fall into defeatist attitudes when we're constantly being bombarded with tragedy from every direction: natural disasters, politics, financial crisis, disease, violence. It can be all-consuming and often leaves me feeling hopeless.

And when I can't be the hero in my own world, I like to escape and look towards the heroes in my favorite games. It's inspiring to see a bunch of regular joes risk everything to save the world.

FINAL FANTASY VI

Celes finds hope again in the World of Ruin

This is a game I come back to regularly. It was the first game I ever played where the heroes lost and the world was actually destroyed. One of the most pivotal moments in the game follows Celes after Kefka rises to power and brings the planet to ruin. She's lost on an uninhabited island, she thinks she's the only survivor of Kefka's actions, and she's lost the will to continue.

It isn't until after her attempted suicide that hope returns. She finds an injured seagull on the beach wearing Locke's bandana around its neck. It's in this moment that she's inspired to not only find Locke, but her other companions. As you travel the world to reunite the group, collect summons, and level up in preparation to take down Kefka once and for all, you can't help but feel a little bit of that inspiration yourself; that maybe all things aren't lost and that we can make a difference!

GRANDIA II

Ryudo and friends standing up against Valmar

It's without a doubt that this is one of the most influential games of my childhood. Grandia II not only taught me that there's strength in kindness, but that there's also value in questioning everything around me.

Ryudo is a very interesting main character and his growth throughout the game is one of the best character arcs I've seen. When we first meet him, he isn't nice. He's cynical and quick to judge anyone who dares to look at him. He seems to not care about anyone but himself and he has no interest in making the world a better place. He's simply trying to get by as a mercenary, taking jobs that no one else would dare to do.

He unwillingly takes a job with the church, and it's on this journey that he meets his companions—a songstress of the church, a mysterious and somewhat demonic being, a lost prince, a beast man, and a robot. It's this wildly different group of people that softens him over time. They learn to trust one another as they share their stories and help one another overcome their pasts.

There's something special about watching Ryudo step into the role of unlikely hero with his companions right behind him; seeing them fight against something they once thought they were fighting for. His story taught me a lot about the kind of person I wanted to be. There's always room to learn, to grow, and to change your course of action when things aren't what you once thought they were.

HORIZON ZERO DAWN

Aloy on her way to winning The Proving

From the start of the game, we see Aloy as an inquisitive and determined child. Living on the outskirts of civilization as an outcast, she struggles with her feelings of both wanting to belong and being resentful towards those who abandoned her. She knows nothing about where she came from, and her journey starts with her looking for answers.

As it turns out, the answers only lead to more questions and Aloy's journey takes us on an adventure of self-discovery. Her world is turned upside-down as she uncovers more secrets of the past, and she willingly puts herself in danger to save those around her. Despite everything she had been through growing up, she still shows benevloence towards those who left her behind. It's inspiring to see someone lead with empathy in a world of chaos. That level of compassion isn't something we often see in other video games, and it's definitely not something we see regularly in the real world.

Aloy serves as a reminder that there is strength in compassion. Everyone around you is fighting their own personal battles. But if we set aside our differences, we can accomplish great things together.