Horror games put their main characters through pretty terrifying ordeals. If the events of the games are scary enough to scare players sitting safely in their homes, then obviously the main characters are probably scared even more, but they keep going despite it all. They are some of the bravest video game heroes.
While most horror game protagonists are brave, some seem exceptionally brave. Maybe it’s the number of times they brave horrible situations, or maybe it’s their willingness to selflessly risk their lives. Whatever the reason, these characters are the bravest horror games have to offer.
10/10 The hunter does not take easy exits
transmitted by blood
The hunter in transmitted by blood is one of the most persistent survivors of horror games. The game begins with the hunter coming to Yarnham in search of a cure for his illness and signing a contract to become a hunter in exchange. Throughout the game, players see the many routes taken by other hunters to abandon their duty, but the hunter never yields to any of them.
Some hunters abuse healing blood and turn into murderous monsters. Others get lost in the obsessive pursuit of eldritch knowledge. The Hunter never gives in to his fears and thus loses the thread of his mission. Instead, they bravely confront the terrifying Elder Gods and deal with the reality of the situation without taking an easier, unhealthier way out.
9/10 Alan Wake is trapped in a nightmare
Alan Wake
Alan Wake is a prolific horror writer like Stephen King, but when he and his wife Alice vacation in Bright Falls, they suddenly find themselves in their own horror story. After Alice goes missing, Alan must battle the members of the town who have been corrupted by a strange dark power.
Alan finally realizes that he was forced to write down all the events currently unfolding and that he has the power to change reality with this writing. To save Alice, he travels to an alternate dimension called The Dark Place and writes a new ending for the story. Alan is brave enough to trap himself in an endless nightmare to save those he loves.
8/10 Isaac Clarke saw terrible things
dead space
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Isaac Clarke is not the typical action hero. He’s a middle-aged systems engineer who started out in dead space just trying to do its job. Isaac didn’t sign up to fight the Necromorphs, nor was he equipped to do so. But Isaac’s bravery doesn’t just come from his willingness to battle space zombies with only a construction tool.
Clarke must continue his mission in dead space even after seeing the people around him die horrible deaths. After overcoming countless enemies and this emotional turmoil, he’s thrown back into the action in Dead space 2, where he is asked to do horrible things, including sticking a needle in his eye. Despite all the chaos and death around him, Clarke remains brave and continues to push forward to defeat the Necromorphs.
7/10 Luigi is scared, but he continues anyway
Luigi’s mansion
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Luigi’s mansion isn’t a terrifying horror game for the player, but it certainly is for Luigi. Everyone’s favorite green-clad plumber shakes in his shoes with every step he takes down the hallway of his haunted mansion. However, he continues to try to save his brother, Mario.
Like Ned Stark from game of thrones said, the only time someone can be brave is when they are scared. It goes without saying that the more someone is afraid, the more opportunities he has to be courageous. Luigi is perpetually afraid in Luigi’s mansionwhich means that every moment he continues to move forward shows his courage.
6/10 Ellie braves the post-apocalypse as a child
The last of us
In The last of us, Ellie is forced to face more hardship and danger at age 14 than most people have to face in their entire lives. She braves the post-apocalyptic wasteland that was once the United States in hopes of helping end the Cordyceps infection, facing infected monsters and violent roving gangs.
Ellie shows her bravery in the Winter chapter when she goes hunting alone to support an injured Joel. She fights off a gang of violent cannibals who kidnap her and kill their leader to escape. Despite all the horrible things Ellie witnesses and is forced to do to survive, she still manages to maintain her optimism.
5/10 Leon S. Kennedy keeps coming back for more
Resident Evil 4
Showing up for his first day on the job at the Raccoon City Police Department, Leon S. Kennedy probably expected to write tickets. He didn’t expect a zombie apocalypse and a huge mutated man in a trench coat stalking him. Leon overcame that fear, and instead of just living his life, he dove in for more.
After his terrifying first outing in Resident Evil 2Leon was back for more in resident Evil 4 and 6. He took on hordes of zombies, hulking mutants, and even Chris Redfield’s giant biceps without backing down. He doesn’t even have huge personal stakes keeping him in action, he just feels like it’s the right thing to do, and that’s pretty brave.
4/10 Claire Redfield is risking her life to help
Resident Evil 2
Most resident Evil characters generally do not choose to become involved in the events of their game. Leon, Jill, and Chris are all sent to the Danger Line due to their jobs. On the other hand, Claire Redfield in Resident Evil 2 chooses to put themselves in dangerous situations to help others.
Claire first becomes involved with the franchise while searching for her missing brother, Chris. Once arriving to find chaos in Raccoon City, she helps a young girl named Sherry escape. Later, Claire joins a humanitarian aid organization to continue trying to help those in need, where she is kidnapped and once again embroiled in dangerous Umbrella-related shenanigans. No matter how many times she is put in danger, Claire continues to risk her life to help people.
3/10 Mio Amakura braves a haunted village
Fatal Frame 2
Most people would avoid a severely haunted village at all costs. Yet, when Mio’s sister Mayu follows a mysterious crimson butterfly, Mio pursues her without hesitation. A variety of terrifying ghosts approach Mio, but she overcomes her fear for Mayu’s sake.
Not only does Mio brave a haunted village at age 15, but she also manages to fight off several hostile spirits who try to trap her there forever. Mio’s fate ultimately depends on what the player chooses for the ending, but regardless of how her story ends, Mio must be very brave to pull through.
2/10 Amanda Ripley resists an unbeatable alien
Alien: Isolation
Amanda Ripley is the daughter of horror film icon Ellen Ripley of Extraterrestrial, and she inherited her mother’s bravery. In Alien: IsolationAmanda goes on a mission to retrieve her mother’s flight recorder only to come face to face with the same Xenomorph her mother has battled for years.
Despite being chased by the same alien that killed her mother, Amanda continues her mission to retrieve the recorder and gain closure. In addition to facing off against an unkillable alien, Amanda also has to deal with deadly androids. Eventually, when she knows this is the only way to kill the alien, she launches herself into the void of space, even knowing that she can be blocked.
1/10 Senua learns to no longer fear death
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Even before the events of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua has a lot to do. Although not specified by the game, Senua lives with a form of mental illness that causes her to experience visual and auditory hallucinations. Senua doesn’t let that slow her down when her lover, Dillion, dies, and she must save her soul from the god Hela.
Senua eventually manages to come to terms with her past trauma, which contributes to her hallucinations, and she defeats Hela in a harrowing depiction of her learning to come to terms with Dillion’s death. Facing outside threats can be scary, but it can be much scarier to do some serious introspection and confront the darker parts of your past.
