Summary
Fans of Bethesda Softworks are accustomed to seeing immersive and vast open worlds along with complex role-playing elements in their games.Despite criticisms aimed at its recent titles, franchises likeFallout, Elder Scrolls,andWolfensteinshow fans why Bethesda is one of the biggest companies in gaming today. The success of its previous titles has meant that Bethesda isnow hoping to release new games at a quicker rate than before.
Some of the most acclaimed games developed or published by the studio use compelling character arcs to keep the player engaged throughout the game. The studio is also notable for its creative use of character deaths as a useful tool to influence important plot points, and to provide emotional stakes in a story where the player is deeply immersed. In fact, when a key character is written off in a way that makes sense, and that drives the plot forward, it resonates with the players so much that they empathize with the protagonist even more. In fact, in some cases, these deaths are a turning point in the narrative that ends up defining the game, or even the franchise that they are a part of.
Martin Septim is one of the most memorable characters fromThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, and an illegitimate son of one of themost important emperorsinThe Elder Scrollsfranchise. Not knowing that he was a secret heir to the long-ruling Septim dynasty, Martin lived as a humble priest of the God Arkay in the city of Kvatch. His heritage was revealed to him by the main character ofOblivion, the Hero of Kvatch, during Tamriel’s invasion by the Daedric forces of Mehrunes Dagon.
In a climactic final battle, Martin made the ultimate sacrifice. He shattered the Amulet of Kings to become the avatar of Akatosh, taking the form of a giant dragon to destroy Mehrunes Dagon and banish him to Oblivion, but sustained a mortal wound in the process. His heroic death saved Tamriel, and Martin is considered the last and greatest Septim. He was a selfless priest that will forever be remembered for his noble sacrifice.
Empress Jessamine of Dunwall was the lover of the main protagonist ofDishonored,Corvo Attano. The two of them had a child together, Emily, who would later become the main character of the second game, along with her father. The Empress was revered by her subjects and maintained order in her kingdom with elegance and authority.
Tragically, a shocking coup at the beginning of the first game led to her sudden death, and the kidnapping of her child. Corvo, having witnessed this firsthand, swore vengeance upon her killers, and embarked upon a quest to uncover a sinister conspiracy and restore Emily to the throne. The Empress’s tragic death sparked the events that defined theDishonoredseries, and her memory is forever etched into Dunwall’s dark history. Arecent leak suggests thatDishonored 3could be on the horizon, and it would be exciting for fans to see the Empress’s legacy live on in this amazing universe created by Arkane Studios.
In the year 2077, the main protagonist (called the Sole Survivor) inFallout 4escapes with their spouse and son Shaun into a nuclear vault upon imminent nuclear attack. They are tricked into entering cryogenic pods to be frozen alive. A hundred and fifty years later, the main character is awoken, and is horrified to see their spouse killed by some mysterious figures. Powerless and helpless to do anything, they can only watch as their son Shaun is abducted, and they are refrozen again to be awoken sixty years later.
The rest of the game is spent trying to locate Shaun, and to avenge their spouse’s death. The cold-blooded murder of a loved one in a strange, time-distorted, nuclear-waste environment is a deeply traumatic life event for the Sole Survivor, and it serves as the driving narrative force that propels the main storyline ofFallout 4. With thepopularity of the TV series bringing old fans back to the games, and also lots of new players, this plotline will strongly resonate with a lot of people.
In the events that immediately precededThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, High King Torryg was the Jarl of Solitude and the High King of Skyrim until his death at the hands of Ulfric Stormcloak. His death, and the capture of Ulfric, precipitated the reappearance of Alduin, and heavily escalated the events that led to the conflicts inSkyrim.
Torryg was challenged by Ulfric Stormcloak over the leadership of Skyrim. Torryg was honor-bound to accept the challenge, but was unprepared to face Ulfric, due to his training in the use of the Thu’um with The Greybeards. His death polarized onlookers and citizens in Skyrim; some believed it was murder while others did not. It effectively hastened the civil war that is one of the main conflicts driving the plotlines inSkyrim. All in all, it is one of the most impactful character deaths in the game, and at the end of the primary quest line, he can be seen in Sovngarde, where the main character can briefly speak to him. Hopefully, the nextElder Scrollsgame will contain a few references to Torryg for fans with an eye for detail,considering how large the game’s map is reported to be.
In the post-apocalyptic wasteland ofFallout 3,the journey of the main character (called the Lone Wanderer) begins with the disappearance of their father, James. As one of the few remaining survivors of Vault 101, their father played a critical role in the shelter’s operations. However, James abandons the vault’s safety without explanation, leaving the Lone Wanderer to leave too, and unravel the mystery behind his departure.
The Lone Wanderer discovers that James was the former resident scientist of Vault 101 and had dedicated his life to Project Purity - a mission to provide clean water to the entire Capital Wasteland. In a heartbreaking climax, the protagonist is briefly reunited with their father, only to witness James sacrifice himself to reinitiate Project Purity. The story of the protagonist and his father is one of the saddest in all of Bethesda’s games, and it is a haunting tale of reunion and separation. There aren’t many Bethesda games like this one, with a world so dark and depressing. It is not surprising thatFallout 3is considered one of the greatest videogames of all time, and fans of Bethesdawould love to see a remaster.
