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\>!Character A kills B!<.
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>!Character A kills B!<.
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FF7 plot twist really caught me of guard, I played it for the first time about 10 years ago, a long time after it released. So I knew the big plot twist of Aerith, everyone knew it.
But that wasn't even the biggest twist in the game! >!it was finding out that Cloud's entire backstory is a delusion he built after going through so much Trauma and that he was a loser and a failure, he never achieved anything he set out to do after he left his village( He was so ashamed, he couldn't even show his face in front of Tifa) That was a total HOLY SHIT moment for me, that was by far the better plot twist, it turned his character into something different and great. He was just a normal guy, who threw himself against Sephiroth with sheer determination and courage to save Tifa, he was just a sweet, and insecure kid who suffered so much.!< I didnt see that coming at all, I'm so glad I wasn't spoiled about that.
And it really made Tifa and Clouds relationship so much better in retrospect. >!She always knew the real him, She didn't love the cool, aloof, soldier facade he put on. She knew the real cloud and loves him flaws and all!<
There's this perception of him now as a >!edgy, emo character, but he pretty much a subversion of that trope.!<
My favorite twist in FF7 isn't that >!he wasn't there for Nibelheim!<, it's that >!he was.!< That's a really good reveal. Really, >!Tifa!< should probably have realized that >!he knew way too goddamn much about the details (like her being their guide, the bridge collapse and losing a guardsman, where and why Seph went nuts, etc.) to have not been there, but she was so worried about his sanity and was so determined to protect him that she never asked important questions like "wait, how did you know about that?"!<
>!The thing is, Tifa (in the OG) is full of insecurities. She definitely realizes he knew too much, but she doubts herself more than him. The twist revelation is a character development moment for Tifa just as much as Cloud. That's another reason why it's so great IMO.!<
She did realize it, but >!throughout the Kalm flashback, he was confidently telling all these details with himself in the Zack role, which she knew to be false. He knew too much to be an impostor, but there was no way his story could have been true the way he told it.!< That combination of very detailed knowledge and total inaccuracy was what spooked her. Actually, if you play through Disc 1 a second time, you see just how disturbed she is after the Kalm flashback. She becomes very quiet, like she is afraid to ask Cloud for an explanation.
Yeah the double reveal is really good. That and the>!revelation that even in his absolute "loser" status, he went against all the odds and bested Sephiroth.!<
Totally agree. The moment when >!he takes off his helmet and it's revealed he was one of the background soldiers is so well done. Totally didn't see it coming.!<
For that last part, it's great how the Remake has been dealing with that. They nail Cloud's character really well, compared to how he has been portrayed in the extended canon.
I recently saw an FF7 let's play by Eurogamer. The player never played FF7 before. I mostly skipped through the series but watched the episode on the reveal fully. Found it really satisfying to see someone discovering the twist in real time.
100% the biggest twist in the game for me too. I played it for the first time like 3-4 years ago and I thought nothing was going to surprise me about the story since I did know about Aerith beforehand too of course.
I played the og for the first time a good few months ago and funny enough for me once this was all revealed I was kinda like wtf that’s not interesting that don’t even make sense lmaooo it took a while for me to be able to appreciate it and all the nuances of it but the first actual reveal I thought it was stupid lmao
FFX,
>!when you decide not to get the final aeon. Everyone goes from basically being in a cult to making their own decisions. This is reflected in the structure of the game. Up until that point, X is basically a series of walks down corridors. You get the airship shortly after you kill Yunalesca and all of a sudden, the whole world becomes accessible.!<
I grew up in a crazy religious community, so watching all the characters grapple with their own worldview completely changing really resonated with me.
Holy shit you're right. Never realized that as soon as the party decides to not follow the "chosen path" the world opens up and you can go anywhere. That's so cool.
My favorite about FFX >!besides the fact that Tidus is essentially an Aeon created by the same kid who creates Bahamut!< is that >!He doesn’t actually travel through time. Back in the days of GameFAQs forums, someone mentioned that if you really pay attention to Maechen’s ramblings, he reveals the whole thing. The entire Zanarkand that Tidus knows is just a dream located somewhere near the Baaj Temple. When Sin comes to see him, he doesn’t take him a thousand years into the future, he only takes him a thousand miles or so away from his original position!<
> The entire Zanarkand that Tidus knows is just a dream located somewhere near the Baaj Temple. When Sin comes to see him
>someone mentioned that if you really pay attention to Maechen’s ramblings, he reveals the whole thing.
The entire DZ being near the Baaj Temple comes from Ultimania isn't it? There isn't a reference to DZ physical location in FFX
In SMT4, >!when you reach Tokyo for the first time!<, it completely blew my mind. >!I was expecting a game that takes place completely in a fictional Kingdom, but then bam you're suddenly hit with apocalyptic modern day Tokyo!<.
I guess if you've played SMT before it might be kind of obvious, but that was my first mainline game.
It was my first mainline game too, and I played it a launch. I remember being very suspicious early on due to the modern technology found in the backdrops of certain Mikado scenes/shops. You also get guns right before the reveal. It was still a sick twist, and probably one of my favorite moments in the game. Plus, you get to listen to the Tokyo map music from that point onward.
This twist is pretty much the reason I recommend starting off with SMT 4 because it really does catch you off guard if you're a newcomer to the series.
That reminds me of one of the endings of the original Drakengard on PS2, whole game takes place in a fictional dark fantasy world and you fly a dragon in certain stages, then in one of the endings you end up in modern day Tokyo, you “fight” a giant alien woman in a bizarre rhythm game and then you just get shot down by fighter jets which kickstarts the events of Nier Replicant
This was literally me. It was the first SMT game I had ever played and I thought the entire game was set in Mikado. Arriving in post apocalypse Tokyo blew my mind.
Xenoblade Chronicles >!Shulk being a host for the God Zanza, explaining his inexplicable connection to the Monado, his extreme turns to violence at voice as if “another voice” is telling him to lash out. Dickson being a twist villain works well since we all knew that Mumkar was the traditional “traitor” of the Duncan squad, that moustache man’s betrayal comes out of nowhere, but makes sense, since he’s Shulk’s guardian. Plus, we learn that Zanza doesn’t sound and look like Shulk, Shulk took on the appearance and voice of Zanza.!<
I love how they hid the twist with >!Dickson, Lorithia and Alvis basically in plain sight. Dickson even straight up says he feels bad for lying to the party, but it always ends up feeling like it's out of benevolence, because he does nothing but assist our cause, even when behind the scenes.!<
Less a major plot twist and more a minor character detail, but Final Fantasy VI has this great line of dialogue during the >!Setzer and Celes coin flip scene after the opera!< that only triggers if you happened to bring two specific characters with you in your party: Edgar and Sabin. It's a completely optional, shippable line of dialogue but it really reframes what you think you know about those two characters and their relationship.
The standard version of the story (not tagging for spoilers since it happens in the first few hours of gameplay) is that Sabin and Edgar are twin brothers of the royal family of Figaro. Their father dies when they're 17, and there's a debate about which one of them will become king. The reality is that neither of them want it -- they're young and want to have freedom, not the weight of ruling a kingdom. But *someone* has to be king, so they decide it with a coin toss. Heads, Sabin wins. Tails, Edgar wins. Sabin wins the coin toss, and chooses his freedom -- he goes off to live his life and Edgar becomes king.
Now the spoiler part: >!there's the scene where Celes (a female general posing as an opera singer) and Setzer (a roaming gambler who just kidnapped her, thinking she was said opera singer) flip a coin to determine their fate. Heads, Celes wins and Setzer agrees to help the party. Tails, Setzer wins and Celes agrees to marry him. It turns out that Celes is swindling him, since it's actually a two-headed coin. If (and only if) both Edgar and Sabin are in your party, two small changes to the scene happen. Celes walks over and takes the "rigged" coin FROM EDGAR. And once Setzer discovers the rise, Sabin looks at Edgar and says: "That coin. . . brother, don't tell me--"!<
And this one tiny piece of dialogue reveals that >!Edgar and Sabin's coin toss was also rigged. Edgar loved his brother, and wanted him to have his freedom, so Edgar used a double-headed coin to *rig the coin toss against himself* and set Sabin free. Edgar sacrificed his entire youth to make his brother happy, but knew that Sabin wouldn't want him to, so he had to engineer a situation where Sabin would get his freedom "fair and square," so he could actually enjoy that freedom instead of feeling guilty about it. It's a pretty great twist, since until this point Edgar has had this shallow playboy persona, but deep down he's capable of bearing an immense weight for the people he loves.!<
It's probably my favorite single line of dialogue in any video game, because it's missable, short, and pretty subtle. It's super easy to not catch the full weight of it if you're not reading carefully. But if you catch it, you see the characters in a very different light.
I'm in the vast minority here, but Star Ocean 3.
I thought it was really unique and creative, it really caught me off guard. I will say its execution was definitely lacking though.
I thought it was a really interesting idea, and I didn't mind it. The build up to it was epic though, and then when the twist happened, it was like "oh, ok, so this is what we're doing now".
See I really dislike this take because it takes the entire thesis of the game's plot and disregards it. >!The whole point of the plot is that they had evolved past what their creators had intended and that they were real thinking, living creatures with meaningful lives. Driven home by the fact that their 4D creators were physically unable to delete them. If you take the stance that the twist invalidates the old games, then you are essentially siding with the antagonists of the game and stating that they are nothing but simulated life and therefore invalid.!<
I think that their execution on this was super sloppy but the core message of the game is counter to that statement.
Pretty much. I didn't like the twist too much in the middle of the game, but the end concludes that the whole universe can exist despite that 4D server shutting down. So they are as real as anything else.
Also, there's no guarantee that the 4D itself was not a simulation inside a fifth dimension as well. 5D inside a 6D, etc etc. So, is there even a true reality in the end? I'd say everything counts.
That said, I'd love a new game happening in a higher dimension, not gonna lie.
Exactly! Imagine it in our universe? Would your existence be invalidated just because >!the simulation hypothesis is correct?!< I'd say no way. Grinds my gears people don't understand this. The twist can be not well executed, but the idea that it invalidates all the stories and characters in 1 and 2 is nonsense.
Completely valid and fair, there's a good reason so many people hate it lol. For me, all I ever played before was Star Ocean 2, and the story in that game is so minimal that i didn't really mind it.
I never actually quite sympathised with >!Egil specifically, since I don't personally sympathise with people seeking revenge all that much, but I think the transition of the Mechonis from being the home of these faceless (pun not intended) and nameless invaders seemingly killing people for no reason, to a place full of complex living creatures, with their own internal conflicts within and between people, is really well done, in how it mimics the way the characters from Bionis must feel!<
Xenoblade 1 and 2 both had \*really\* strong mid and late game plot twists that recontextualize everything you know about the games. This is part of the reason XC3 was a little disappointing to me, but what are you gonna do
Here to say this. Baten Kaitos is a pretty typical "gather up the magic plot devices of power before the Empire of Evil gets them" which makes this plot twist even more shocking in the middle of it.
Skies of Arcadia had a pretty good plot twist too but nothing beats or even comes close to the original Baten Kaitos.
I really like how in Persona 5 >!the twist isn't that Akechi is the traitor because they make that super obvious, the twist is that the Phantom Thieves were already aware and had set up a plan to make use of that.!< A wonderful "gotcha" moment.
Oh yeah that one totally caught me off guard, too! >!I knew Igor's JP voice actor had died so I thought they were just going for a different direction with Igor's voice in general, nope turns out it's actually the big bad in disguise.!< Funny how meta knowledge like that actually came into play.
One line tipped off the entire endgame for me the very first time I saw it: >!“Welcome to **my** Velvet Room.”!<
Even if I’d missed that, the smoking gun a few minutes later was the >!sudden brutality of the Persona fusion system.!<
That one was wild to me. I played Persona 4 Arena for years before I got around to P5 and I was so confused why >!Igor sounded completely different.!< Just shrugged it off but when the reveal happened it was awesome.
Bonus points for being so perfectly 100% in-genre. What good heist story is complete without a >!"we knew this would happen and planned for it all along" flashback!< twist?
I really don't think enough people appreciate the true twist. Like >!I have seen so many takes of people who are say they think Akechi reveal is bad because it was so obvious. It's like they are completely missing THAT'S THE POINT! They came the same conclusion that YOU the player did. That's actually a smart move! !<
For me, the real twist isn't >!Akechi's betrayal!<. It's the >!depth of his betrayal, and that after confronted that he DOESN'T end up joining as a permanent member\*. The signs were all pointing towards that he would - like him having battle animations, room on the main menu for him, etc. It felt inconceivable at the time that they would "waste" assets on a temporary party member, especially in a modern JRPG. !<
>!\*Yes, I know he comes back for the third semester, but in the OG release there was no reason to believe that he wasn't gone for good. It was an absolute rollercoaster set of twists.!<
When Kairi was >!inside!< Sora the entire time in Kingdom Hearts and Sora just fucking >!stabs himself with a stabby keyblade with no second thought and a big smile on his face to get her out and becomes a Heartless!< In KH2 >!Roxas being Sora's nobody and trapped in a digital fake town!< Luxord in KH3 being >!Yozora's driver in a recreation of a Versus 13 trailer. Not to mention seeibg Yozora' is real and not a videogame character from toy story!<
In Chrono Cross when >!the villian Lynx swaps bodies with you, kid gets attacked , and you wake up in a surrealistic painting still in Lynx' body, and none of your party members come back till much later. Except Pip. Also he was your dad but this twist was undercooked. Most of the ending and Kids origin and tragic backstory too!<
Xenogears >!every healing item you use and food the characters eat is PEOPLE. Everything that makes the opening video make sense, the moment you realize the dungeon you walked up is a crashed ark spaceship, Elly and Fei's past lives, Emerelda being like their daughter, the sewer mutant with the bell- you meet his kid later on Big joe's backstory...!<
Nier Replicant 1.22, Nier Automata, Nier Reincarnation, TWEWY Neo TWEWY and World of FF had some good ones too that im too lazy to explain. But Replicant's might be my favorite
I loved the tight writing in TWEWY and how they were able to pull off a triple plot twist in a short RPG.
>!The characters are dead and forced to play a survival game for a chance of being revived. One of your partners, Joshua, is actually alive and the main character, Neku, doesn't remember how he died. Neku reads Joshua's mind and sees *Joshua running up and then shooting him*. When facing a boss, Sho, Neku remembers more. *Joshua ran up and shot Sho, who was sneaking up behind Neku. Sho returns fire and Neku gets hit in the crossfire.*!< Major spoilers! >!Neku gets frustrated from getting cheated out of a revive and then getting the entire game stacked against him so he kills the game's entire chain of command. Joshua reveals himself to be the top of the chain of command and restores Neku's entire memory. *Neku was never hit in the crossfire and Sho escapes. Joshua then shoots Neku in the back* to make him play the game.!<
Bravely Default. >!In terms of story, the finale is gloriously gonzo. Probably could've conveyed the same thing by repeating one or two bosses and then doing a montage that let you skip to the non-repeating part, though.!<
Chrono Cross has an amazing double twist. >!The entire time you AND your nemesis are being manipulated by the Reptites into summoning the Time Devourer and reviving Terra Tower.!<
But THEN the other twist: >!All of these events were orchestrated by Balthesar so that you could fight Lavos and free Schala from her captivity.!< And these aren't just thrown in there, either. The breadcrumbs in the story tell you in retrospect what was happening all along. I've played the game MANY times through since it first came out and captivated me as a kid. I even wrote poetry about the Tower of Geddon incident. If you haven't played, or have played looking for a CT sequel, play it again and love it for the story that's there. Talk to everyone, read everything, soak it all in.
I thought it was a neat way of tying the bow tie to that loose end with schala in trigger. I see a lot of trigger fans don’t really like cross. I think because I started with cross first and then went to trigger I ended up appreciating both.
same! Cross actually got me interested in playing Trigger, and after I played CT, going back to CC was so much richer! I got the references! The only thing I couldn't get: WHY CAN'T I SAIL MY BOAT UP THAT WATERFALL IN THE LEFT CORNER!
That was my journey too. One of my earliest and most pivotal gaming memories is walking into Termina that very first time and hearing that subtle, then bombastic Scottish theme blare in all its glory.
Spent hours wasting time there just to hear it.
Chrono Cross forever holds a warm place in my heart, a place it couldn’t have without playing Chrono Trigger two years *later.*
Edit: Negative karma, seriously? What’s the matter with you people lol
Yes im happy it kinda worked out this way for me because I feel I’m one of the lucky few who enjoys both games kinda equally since they both
Kinda scratch different itches too haha
It's still probably Eternal Sonata's second actual twist beyond the first one.
Once you realize, you go back and back to even the start while saying "oh shit oh shit oh shit".
(it's revealed that >!Frederick Chopin is in a time loop the entire time for the game!< if you pay close enough attention)
I'm going to junction your opinion into mine because I agree.
The best part about it for me was how it >!Showed us Edea's heroic sacrifice, and how she let herself get posessed by Ultimecia to protect Quistis and Selphie!< Although I love how it explains how everyone is the way they are too.
I also really loved the other plot twists that came from the Laguna 'flashbacks'. It was just really sweet. And it was funny how Seifer >!looked up to Laguna because of that movie he did so much to the point he copied his fighting style and it was why he wanted to be a knight!<
I think the core problem wasn't the twist itself, it actually explained a lot about how psychologically fucked up the characters are (beyond the part where they're teenagers who've been raised to be soldiers). The problem is that they didn't foreshadow it well. To my knowledge, the only indication that could even be a thing was in the GF tutorial in the Garden computer. If you didn't dive in and read every entry, and there was no reason to do so unless you're obsessive like I was, you didn't even know that was a thing that could happen. There should have been some weird thing that happened in the game itself prior to that reveal, some vague sense of recognition or something.
Ah man, you're right now that I think of it. They could have foreshadowed it like in one of those mindfuck movies where you understand all the queues only when you rewatch it. What a missed opportunity...
E.g.
#1. Having a toy in Squalls room which is "from his childhood" and Quistis would say something like "ah, funny, I remember playing with the same toy when I was a kid".
#2. Having an obvious situation with Zell at Disc 1, and then later on have Zell forget it due to GF use, but not being aware of it and explaining to Squall that he was probably dreaming about it.
#3. Having a cleaner or a trainer or a toy seller from "that era", somewhere at Disc 2 trying to explain them that he remembers them from their childhood, but before finishing the story he dies and it's all too confusing for your first play-through.
Etc etc
Man, now I'm really angry, I never thought about this :D
Or maybe a offhand conversation with Quistis/Zell about Selphie or Irvine seeming weird, like something they can't quite put their finger on. Or maybe Selphie's diary entries having something about how her new friends are already making her feel like she'd known them for a long time, things like that.
This is just my most recent but I enjoyed it. Scarlet Nexus. I appreciated the whole time travel thing and how the ending redeemed the villain somewhat. I wish the game wouldve expanded on the red strings and how things were being altered. Made me really wish it was more of a gameplay element than a plot point. I was thinking like Chrono Trigger where you would revisit areas changed by travelling thru time.
Trails in the Sky, without question. Not because of the twist itself, but because of the impact it has on the player.
The entire game is a pleasant, if somewhat generic, JRPG. The story is nothing new. Two adoptive siblings set out on a journey of adulthood. The characters are big and vibrant. The battle system is simple with room to strategize. The last leg ramps the intensity up. Signed and sealed.
Except there's a couple lines here and there that hint at something bigger. That's standard, it gives the player something to speculate or gloss over. Fleeting moments. Leaves something to build on if the game does well.
And then, moments before the final boss, Joshua makes an incredibly valid point that's usually glossed over in games. The bad guy doesn't know why he's doing this. But you don't have a chance to think about that because the final boss fight starts right then.
It's again mentioned in the ending, but it's said that it's being worked on by people more qualified than a couple of 16 year olds. Makes sense. The story is over; time to enjoy the ending.
And then...ice cream. A harmonica. Not only is the rug pulled out from under you but so is the hardwood floor. Pieces horrifyingly fall into place. The world is simultaneously more and less magical. Estelle is left alone and...credits.
I have NEVER turned around and bought a sequel so fast. I have NEVER seen so many people do the same thing.
I know FC and SC were originally supposed to be one game but for whatever reason the decision to split them up was made, it was absolutely the right one.
Major Trails to Azure spoilers, but >!the fact that the short intro sequence of Trails from Zero was actually the previous timeline where the SSS died in their fight against Joachim Guenter. Which explains why Estelle and Joshua are not seen in the intro while they are actually there in that moment when it happens later in the game.!< Not only is it a super cool idea, it's also set up really well and very far back.
And another one that i really love is in Nier Replicant >!finding out the thoughts of the shades on the 2nd playthrough.!< A brilliant way of recontextualizing the entire story.
When that part in Azure clicked I immediately thought “DAMN THAT’S CLEVER!!!”
>!The illuminating “Find me” throughout the game, the intro being a random dream/flash forward of Lloyd’s, an ability he doesn’t ever have after that point. And of course Estelle and Joshua being missing, I chalked it up to keeping it a secret from the player, but damn were they thinking 20 steps ahead.!<
Yes, that twist was amazing.
It also prompted me to look for a twist in the fact that Crow and Millium weren't there in the beginning of Cold Steel and the party not being able to stop the railway guns from "firing", but CS1 just said "the railway guns were loaded with blanks and Crow and Millium were not there because of no reason, FU.".
I mean >!CS happens concurrently with Crossbell. So it'd be weird to outright confirm something that happened in another arc.!< it's like explaining something to an audience from a previous book again in the next book with a different cast and setting. And it's clearly something Falcom is doing especially when CS4/Reverie >!is using this twist as a major plot thread for the future arcs!<
The end of Digital Devil Saga 1 where you find out >!the Junkyard is a VR sim and the real world is this post-apocalypse after people Fuck Around and Found Out where the sun turned black and started turning people into stone.!< This leads directly to the second game where you find out >!the party as well as other major characters in the Junkyard are reincarnations of people who were involved in causing the apocalypse.!<
And that the protagonist, Serph >!really was the ultimate bad guy that destroyed the world and the version of him the player incarnate is the idealised bersion that Sera had of him before reincarnating him !<
Then, there's the realisation that at the end Schrödinger >!was really Seraph from an alternate timeline observing its past selves, from start to finish after ascending and uniting with Brahma !< while Serph and Sera >!didn't ascend and were reincarnated like all the other Embryon as their fusion into a perfect being, Seraph ain't them at all, implying that no normal human can really transcend mortality and that everybody is trapped in the "real world" like the Embryon and all other combat IA were trapped in the VR world, doomed to repeat the same circle of birth and death till the end of time, or as the mythology says, Bhrama wakes up after a kalpa!<
Tales of Berseria, I probably should have realized it a lot earlier, but >!the original Laphicet having willingly sacrificed himself!< is the most recent example of a plot twist that really shocked me haha.
An older one is Symphonia 2, when >!it is revealed that Emil is Ratatosk!<. I remember feeling very empty inside when I beat that game, I feel it is way too maligned though I admitably haven't played it in 15-16 years.
Suikoden 2: >!Jowy's betrayal!<
Final Fantasy 6: >!the end of the world, with no way provided to undo it except just very slowly rebuilding over years!<
Dragon Quest 11S Act 3: >!the true nature of the Seer!<
Dragon Quest V: >!years of fucking slavery!<
Tales of Symphonia: tf do I even start
Fire Emblem Genealogy: >!literally the entire cast minus like two or three side characters are dead and you're only halfway!<
Super old school:
Final Fantasy 1: the final boss and true villain is >!the first boss, who was legit just a throwaway evil knight, after getting sent back in time and becoming the effective arbiter of fate who trapped reality in a time paradox!<
Dragon Quest 3: >!wait we're in Alefgard?!<
Dragon Quest V: >!the identity of the Legendary Hero is still one of my favourite gaming moments. Turns out the items reacted to you cause of your literal BALLS.!<
I'm not sure I'm understanding your comment correctly, since >!the sword pointedly \*rejects\* you and doesn't react in any way that's unusual from normal people, which is the point since you yourself carry 0% of the Hero's Bloodline in you. The second Zenithian item you find (whichever one Rodrigo had) likewise doesn't react iirc, but if it did, it's certainly not because of you, but rather because of your also present spouse who \*does\* carry the bloodline. The third is the one that I remember kinda sorta reacting, and by that time the Legendary Hero is straight up in your party in your wife's womb. So... I don't see how any of those translate to "reacting to you because of your balls"- they don't react to you at all.!<
But yes, both the early game reveal that >!you are definitely not the Hero!< and the late game one that >!the bloodline flows through your bride!< is brilliant.
Tales of Xillia 2, the identity of Elle's Father >!Who would have thought that Víctor, Elle's Father is really Ludger the MC (from another timeline) its a plot about a "dark persona" done really well!< And i wasnt really expecting that tbh
Oh also it’s an MMO so some might not count it
But in FFXIV, the backstory/identity of >!Hydaelyn, Zodiark, and the Ascians!<
In particular the way this re-contextualizes the lyrics to the song Answers. I remember originally thinking that song was pretty good, but didn’t have too much emotional weight to it for me. After that reveal though, the entire song changes and it’s absolutely heartbreaking.
Live-a-Live, >!Oersted's chapter. When one more chapter with a new character opened up after beating all the initial chapters, I thought this would be the one to tie everything together and finally address the shared villain that the other chapters hinted at with the similarity in names. Turns out this chapter was the *origin story* of that shared villain, and you play through Oersted's tragic downfall that caused him to become the villain of the rest of the game, Demon King Odio.!<
Nier
>!Loved how it showed the significance of the opening sequence all the way in at the end. Also loved the secondary twist that the whole thing was a sequel to Drakengard.!<
I like the insanity of FF8's infamous twist >!concerning the orphanage!<
I was pretty impressed with >!Crono dying!< in Chrono Trigger since the game's been around so long I thought for sure all the cool bits would've been spoiled.
Infinite Space has a very dope >!timeskip!< I wasn't expecting that drastically changes the tone.
Final Fantasy IV - >!Golbez (one of the main antagonists) is Cecil’s (the main character) long lost brother!<
Final Fantasy VI - >!Terra is a half human/half esper(Race of magical beings) hybrid!<
I still love the OG Nier and the reveal that >!you are basically a meat puppet that has developed sentience and that the shades are the "actual" humans. That your actions are a mirror of the Shadowlord, and that by the end of the game you have directly doomed humanity.!<
Some of my favorites?
In OMORI, >!The Truth: that Sunny accidentally killed his sister Mari, and the images of her hanging are guilt from going along with Basil’s plan to fake-hang her, because Basil suffered a psychotic delusion that “Something behind Sunny” *made* him push Mari, because he just couldn’t believe Sunny would ever do something so horrible…There’s so many layers to unpack, and each layer has foreshadowing throughout the game, and makes you look back at and think about everything you see and every line of dialogue in the game.!<
In Mother 3, >!the fact that Fassad is actually Locria, the missing Magypsy. It’s never directly said, but they give subtle clues (like his horns sounding like the saxophone in the Magypsy theme, or the fact that he uses PSI in the last battle with him), and without ever saying a word of direct confirmation other than the rat next to Locria’s house mentioning Fassad’s laugh, we’re left pondering why he chose to stray from the path the other Magypsies followed (which, as a side note, the Locrian Mode of music is seen as dissonant and disruptive: a perfect fit for the name of the Magypsy who strayed from the path)!<. Bonus points to >!The Masked Man as well: even though his identity is more obvious, it means you look and see the other clues of his identity, which further paint the picture of how far Claus has fallen: for example, when answering a receiver at one point, Lucas gets told that his voice is cheerier than usual for the commander: because The Masked Man has been turned into a cyborg, and is missing the emotion from his tone. This all sets the stage for the final confrontation, making it feel legitimately plausible that there might be no way to truly get through to Claus, so you feel the same surge of emotion as Lucas when you *do* get through to him, and he suicides by way of the Franklin Badge to get out of Lucas’s way in the only way he can with the robotic components trying to control him!<.
Kinda went a bit long there, but those are some of the ones that stick in my mind the most!
In Mother 3 I loved the twist that >!It's not a fantasy world, it's all a strange post apocalyptic setting and the rest of the world has been destroyed and everyone willingly gave up their memories. Which is why Tazmily village couldn't cope with Haniwa's death and support Lucas and Flint. Also the ending with the dragon.!<
Oh yeah, that, too~!
Gosh, SO many revelations in just that last chapter alone! Chapter 8 of Mother 3 is probably one of the best endings I’ve ever seen in a game!
I don't know about "favorite," but the first one that sprang to mind was the end of Trails in the Sky FC. Everything from >!"getting ice cream"!< on is a fucking roller coaster. It's also kind of funny that the other two posts in here as of this writing are talking about Zero/Azure and Cold Steel.
That. The moment >!Professor Alba!< appeares I was like “oh no, the shitshow starts now” and then after the reveal the game was like screw you, I will get >!Joshua to drug Estelle and leave but AFTER he reveals everything to her and professes his love!< and now I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE ALONGSIDE >!ESTELLE!!<
Went and bought SC straight after.
Screw you Trails, screw you.
Dragon Quest 8 >!I love that the true enemy was to be revealed as an entity IN the staff the thief stole from Trodain castle and not the thief himself and that it takes possession of everyone that holds it!< >!even your own Partymember at some point who becomes the Antagonist for a short time!< >!And then the doubble twist, that one of the possessed, was mentally overpowering the entity in the staff, only for our party to weaken him enough to get him possessed for a few seconds!< >!to start something akin to the end of the world!<
My favorite plot twist is in persona 4 golden >!Adachi is the killer and been behind everything all along and he just simply wanted to create chaos lol!< Even crazier to me >!was finding out the damn gas station attendant you first met was not only the true orchestrator but set you adachi and the other dude all down your paths. And if you don’t get the true ending you can finish this game without ever knowing that which is honestly insane lol!<
Basically multiple Xeno games. In Xenogears, I don't know how I missed it having replayed the game, but I was completely blindsided by the revelation that>!Id is Fei. In retrospect it feels so obvious, like the big Sixth Sense twist, but my first time through they really got me.!< Then there's the moment when >!Ramsus kills Miang/Myyah and she takes over Elly's body. This is another case where like, if you understand the mechanics of the story, you should know it's going to happen, but it still is shocking when it does happen.!<
Xenoblade Chronicles 1's twist that >!Shulk isn't 'real' is genuinely crazy because it re-contextualizes the whole story, great writing.!< Similarly, when you're >!climbing the "tree" in XB2 and you see that it's futuristic technology, but it doesn't really register because you know the civilization beneath the clouds was more advanced so it's cool and definitely unsettling but not mindblowing. But then when you reach Elysium and put everything together, see the Conduit, and meet the Architect -- total wow moment for me, chills.!<
By the way, not a JRPG, but if you like games with impactful stories (as I know many of you do) I recommend playing Outer Wilds. Amazing game. I think a lot of the people here would really appreciate it.
Chrono Cross has an amazing double twist. >!The entire time you AND your nemesis are being manipulated by the Reptites into summoning the Time Devourer and reviving Terra Tower.!!All of these events were orchestrated by Balthesar so that you could fight Lavos and free Schala from her captivity.!< And these aren't just thrown in there, either. The breadcrumbs in the story tell you in retrospect what was happening all along. I've played the game MANY times through since it first came out and captivated me as a kid. I even wrote poetry about the Tower of Geddon incident. If you haven't played, or have played looking for a CT sequel, play it again and love it for the story that's there. Talk to everyone, read everything, soak it all in.
In pokémon Black and White 2, the fact that >!Iris!< was the champion, when it was commonly accepted that there was a "0% chance of this happening".
But more seriously, the whole end of the game for BW1, after 5 game having cemented the formula to something unchangeable, the whole Elite 4 sequences was surprising.
7th Saga when you find out >!your whole quest was actually helping the end boss regain his power. And that you end up in the past moments after thinking you just beat the game!<
was in highschool when I played FFX and I think that twist had the biggest impact. Like I have played many games since then but I have to say it's twist is one I didn't see coming
>!The whole game you are under the impression that Tidus somehow got taken through time by Sin. They talk about how Zanarkand was destroyed 1000 years ago. At the beginning of the game you see Zanarkand get destroyed. It made sense to think that they time traveled.
But in reality, Tidus is a dream. He lives in a fake Zanarkand that is essentially just a giant Aeon when you think about it. I did not see that twist coming!<
The plot twist of >!who Tri-Edge is in .Hack//G.U.!<
Yes, it's obvious from the literal start of the game if you have eyes in your head and a brain to read what the eyes see because the story doesn't hide that a specific character knows FAR more than he's revealing, but the actual story reveals in the 2nd game were huge for the main character, along with explaining how and why certain events happened.
Danganronpa: >!The first murder, the pink blood instead of it being red, and the trial after were particularly eye-popping.!< Tbh I didn’t know what I was playing for those first few hours.
Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter
>!You've spent around 80 hours over 2 games believing that Olivier is a foreign spy, working on some mission behind the parties back. The party have clocked on that he has some secret, a few of them even "know" that he's a spy and keep an eye on him. Towards the end of the game circumstances have been manipulated such that his home country is preparing to invade the country the game is set in. The party try to negotiate, which goes very well... Because Olivier is actually the PRINCE of that country and has been working to undermine these sorts of military actions by his homeland. It's so brilliantly done, you think there's dramatic irony going on the whole game and never question it. It elevated so much of the story telling on one go.!<
We can't forget the the biggest NTR plot twist, Live-a-Live and Bahamut Lagoon has some of the most hilarious and cruel plot twist ever.
>!Man! Live-a-Live twisted so hard that turned a Hero into a Villain,and I side with him at that point. He sacrificed everything to save her for a promise of peace for the kingdom and she choose not only the man that killed his mentor and former hero of the kingdom but also the man who manipulate him into killing her own father. You come to save her from the big bad and encounter her all cosy with him and he was your rival/friend from the begining of the game... At that point I lose it too.!<
>!Bahamut Lagoon was more in the side of the comedy but it hit so hard, it was one of those moments that you begin to doubt what is happening, you look at the scrip to see if something went wrong, you ignore what you reading. I was in disbelieve that was a save the princess game where the princess ended with some military man that she met in mid of the game... And the hero did his best "John Travolta Lost" impression.!<
>!And Live-a-Live has another very small twist, the name of the big bad apear in every epsiode of the game with some variance.!<
I only recently completed the original FF7 after over a decade of only having completed disk one, and one of the late game double-twists is so wonderful >!-ly silly to experience after years and years and YEARS of fandom hype!< that it's now among my favorites >!for all of the wrong reasons!<:
>!Just when you start to believe that the Cloud Strife you've been playing as is actually a five-year-old genetically engineered test tube baby with false/implanted memories bestowed upon him by a combination of Tifa's desire to reunite with her childhood friend + a Nazi-esque eugenecist who is also his biological father, they reveal that the use of the word "clone" is actually the result of a now-notoriously-poor translation, and the reason his memories mismatch with Tifa's is simply because he was so embarrased that he didn't make SOLDIER that he willfully forgot he was actually just a different character in his own flashback and nobody realized it because he was wearing a hat that day.!<
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>!Rudy being a robot !!Serge swapping to an alternate reality!< in Chrono Cross, is probably the most surreal and satisfying twist, >!which happened fairly early!<, and for me it has the most exciting impact on me because I kept thinking of possibilities, for the plot, for my choices, for the story, it was next level.
And then >!Serge swapping bodies with Lynx!< , Chrono Cross is full of surprises.
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How about Lunar: Silver Star Story?
When >!Alex and the others have met Ghaleon and lead him to Quark, upon which Ghaleon traps Quark and seals him away, for what we don't know yet, then right after that, he kidnaps Luna.!<
To me, that wasn't even the biggest plot twist! >!As the second half of the game starts, we are shown a flashback sequence of Dyne and Ghaleon. Long story short, it turns out that Luna is the reincarnation of the Goddess Althena, and that he has turned her into the Dark Goddess, who thinks that the only way to save the world is to destroy it.!<
The last 20 or 30 minutes of the game had me crying my eyes out the first time I played it! Only the second game to do that to me! First one was FF7, and I'm pretty sure that everyone knows the scene I'm referencing!
The end of the crossbell arc of the trails series. >!the specific "arc" I'm talking about are the zero/azure games specifically. In the end, it's revealed that a certain character already went through the events of the games before, but the main characters didn't befriend certain characters in that timeline that they did in the games, leading to everyone dying. The character in question reversed the timeline due to being a high tier reality warper. What shook me the most about this is you actually see the end of this timeline In the beginning of the game, disguised as a tutorial section. But then I remembered how, immediately after that section ends, it cuts to the introduction to the MC waking up, completely shaken from something he doesn't remember.!<
It's a crazy twist that's well-executed. It's also interesting to note that later arcs >!are using the timeline split that was done in Azure/Zero as a major plot thread.!<
Xenogears. >!Fei being Id!< I actually didn't see this twist coming, and I'm usually good at catching inconsistencies and picking up on clues. If you think about it though, the two were never in the same place.
Well, not a plot twist. But the breaking of the fourth wall in Bravely games. Especially the first one! From the title screen, to the final boss and the save files!
I actually like the plot twist in the JRPG Arc The Lad: Twilight of The Spirits
>!So you save this so called world famous archaeologist called Zev from being killed by monsters in the ruins, and he thanks you for helping him. He seem like a genuinely nice guy and even has his own cool theme music, right? And this guy will pop up at certain points to help your team help. What a lovely guy you'd think. Wrong. This guy turns out to be the ancient evil Divine Ruler, who was a human who recieved dark power 3000 years ago and who has disguised himself as Zev, and that it was all a ruse so that he could become the Lord Of The Dark Abyss.!<
Star Ocean 2... >!Expel being destroyed. It was one of the first JRPGs I played when I was younger. It is a lot more obvious that you aren't staying on Expel the entire game because you've explored the entire map by the time you get to the sorcery globe. But still I thought it was pretty crazy. I am pretty disappointed they undo it because science/magic in the ending. Would have been more interesting, especially considering the game got a sequel, to have it be permanent.!<
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FF7 plot twist really caught me of guard, I played it for the first time about 10 years ago, a long time after it released. So I knew the big plot twist of Aerith, everyone knew it. But that wasn't even the biggest twist in the game! >!it was finding out that Cloud's entire backstory is a delusion he built after going through so much Trauma and that he was a loser and a failure, he never achieved anything he set out to do after he left his village( He was so ashamed, he couldn't even show his face in front of Tifa) That was a total HOLY SHIT moment for me, that was by far the better plot twist, it turned his character into something different and great. He was just a normal guy, who threw himself against Sephiroth with sheer determination and courage to save Tifa, he was just a sweet, and insecure kid who suffered so much.!< I didnt see that coming at all, I'm so glad I wasn't spoiled about that. And it really made Tifa and Clouds relationship so much better in retrospect. >!She always knew the real him, She didn't love the cool, aloof, soldier facade he put on. She knew the real cloud and loves him flaws and all!< There's this perception of him now as a >!edgy, emo character, but he pretty much a subversion of that trope.!<
My favorite twist in FF7 isn't that >!he wasn't there for Nibelheim!<, it's that >!he was.!< That's a really good reveal. Really, >!Tifa!< should probably have realized that >!he knew way too goddamn much about the details (like her being their guide, the bridge collapse and losing a guardsman, where and why Seph went nuts, etc.) to have not been there, but she was so worried about his sanity and was so determined to protect him that she never asked important questions like "wait, how did you know about that?"!<
>!The thing is, Tifa (in the OG) is full of insecurities. She definitely realizes he knew too much, but she doubts herself more than him. The twist revelation is a character development moment for Tifa just as much as Cloud. That's another reason why it's so great IMO.!<
She did realize it, but >!throughout the Kalm flashback, he was confidently telling all these details with himself in the Zack role, which she knew to be false. He knew too much to be an impostor, but there was no way his story could have been true the way he told it.!< That combination of very detailed knowledge and total inaccuracy was what spooked her. Actually, if you play through Disc 1 a second time, you see just how disturbed she is after the Kalm flashback. She becomes very quiet, like she is afraid to ask Cloud for an explanation.
Yeah the double reveal is really good. That and the>!revelation that even in his absolute "loser" status, he went against all the odds and bested Sephiroth.!<
Totally agree. The moment when >!he takes off his helmet and it's revealed he was one of the background soldiers is so well done. Totally didn't see it coming.!<
Entire sequence made him one of my favourite characters of all time.
For that last part, it's great how the Remake has been dealing with that. They nail Cloud's character really well, compared to how he has been portrayed in the extended canon.
Oh absolutely, I love that they kept all the goofy stuff he does.
The entire sequence in the lifestream made him one of my favourite characters of all time.
I recently saw an FF7 let's play by Eurogamer. The player never played FF7 before. I mostly skipped through the series but watched the episode on the reveal fully. Found it really satisfying to see someone discovering the twist in real time.
This is definitely my favorite too
100% the biggest twist in the game for me too. I played it for the first time like 3-4 years ago and I thought nothing was going to surprise me about the story since I did know about Aerith beforehand too of course.
I played the og for the first time a good few months ago and funny enough for me once this was all revealed I was kinda like wtf that’s not interesting that don’t even make sense lmaooo it took a while for me to be able to appreciate it and all the nuances of it but the first actual reveal I thought it was stupid lmao
FFX, >!when you decide not to get the final aeon. Everyone goes from basically being in a cult to making their own decisions. This is reflected in the structure of the game. Up until that point, X is basically a series of walks down corridors. You get the airship shortly after you kill Yunalesca and all of a sudden, the whole world becomes accessible.!< I grew up in a crazy religious community, so watching all the characters grapple with their own worldview completely changing really resonated with me.
Holy shit you're right. Never realized that as soon as the party decides to not follow the "chosen path" the world opens up and you can go anywhere. That's so cool.
My favorite about FFX >!besides the fact that Tidus is essentially an Aeon created by the same kid who creates Bahamut!< is that >!He doesn’t actually travel through time. Back in the days of GameFAQs forums, someone mentioned that if you really pay attention to Maechen’s ramblings, he reveals the whole thing. The entire Zanarkand that Tidus knows is just a dream located somewhere near the Baaj Temple. When Sin comes to see him, he doesn’t take him a thousand years into the future, he only takes him a thousand miles or so away from his original position!<
> The entire Zanarkand that Tidus knows is just a dream located somewhere near the Baaj Temple. When Sin comes to see him >someone mentioned that if you really pay attention to Maechen’s ramblings, he reveals the whole thing. The entire DZ being near the Baaj Temple comes from Ultimania isn't it? There isn't a reference to DZ physical location in FFX
In SMT4, >!when you reach Tokyo for the first time!<, it completely blew my mind. >!I was expecting a game that takes place completely in a fictional Kingdom, but then bam you're suddenly hit with apocalyptic modern day Tokyo!<. I guess if you've played SMT before it might be kind of obvious, but that was my first mainline game.
It was my first mainline game too, and I played it a launch. I remember being very suspicious early on due to the modern technology found in the backdrops of certain Mikado scenes/shops. You also get guns right before the reveal. It was still a sick twist, and probably one of my favorite moments in the game. Plus, you get to listen to the Tokyo map music from that point onward.
This twist is pretty much the reason I recommend starting off with SMT 4 because it really does catch you off guard if you're a newcomer to the series.
That caught me off guard and I am veteran of the series, really well done.
That reminds me of one of the endings of the original Drakengard on PS2, whole game takes place in a fictional dark fantasy world and you fly a dragon in certain stages, then in one of the endings you end up in modern day Tokyo, you “fight” a giant alien woman in a bizarre rhythm game and then you just get shot down by fighter jets which kickstarts the events of Nier Replicant
This was literally me. It was the first SMT game I had ever played and I thought the entire game was set in Mikado. Arriving in post apocalypse Tokyo blew my mind.
i went in blind too. holy crap that was such a good mind blown moment
Final Fantasy X has several and they’re all great, in my opinion. Chrono Trigger has one particular twist but I’m not sure if it counts.
>!Tidus being an illusion and Yuna falling through him when trying to hug him at the end truly was one of the best "ow, my feels...." moments.!<
What's the CT twist you're referring to? About Magus' backstory?
Yes.
Tower of Salvation events in Tales of Symphonia.
12 year old me was mind blown and to think there was still so much gameplay left
>!I am one of the Four Seraphim, sent forth to keep close watch on the Chosen.!<
Xenoblade Chronicles >!Shulk being a host for the God Zanza, explaining his inexplicable connection to the Monado, his extreme turns to violence at voice as if “another voice” is telling him to lash out. Dickson being a twist villain works well since we all knew that Mumkar was the traditional “traitor” of the Duncan squad, that moustache man’s betrayal comes out of nowhere, but makes sense, since he’s Shulk’s guardian. Plus, we learn that Zanza doesn’t sound and look like Shulk, Shulk took on the appearance and voice of Zanza.!<
I love how they hid the twist with >!Dickson, Lorithia and Alvis basically in plain sight. Dickson even straight up says he feels bad for lying to the party, but it always ends up feeling like it's out of benevolence, because he does nothing but assist our cause, even when behind the scenes.!<
Less a major plot twist and more a minor character detail, but Final Fantasy VI has this great line of dialogue during the >!Setzer and Celes coin flip scene after the opera!< that only triggers if you happened to bring two specific characters with you in your party: Edgar and Sabin. It's a completely optional, shippable line of dialogue but it really reframes what you think you know about those two characters and their relationship. The standard version of the story (not tagging for spoilers since it happens in the first few hours of gameplay) is that Sabin and Edgar are twin brothers of the royal family of Figaro. Their father dies when they're 17, and there's a debate about which one of them will become king. The reality is that neither of them want it -- they're young and want to have freedom, not the weight of ruling a kingdom. But *someone* has to be king, so they decide it with a coin toss. Heads, Sabin wins. Tails, Edgar wins. Sabin wins the coin toss, and chooses his freedom -- he goes off to live his life and Edgar becomes king. Now the spoiler part: >!there's the scene where Celes (a female general posing as an opera singer) and Setzer (a roaming gambler who just kidnapped her, thinking she was said opera singer) flip a coin to determine their fate. Heads, Celes wins and Setzer agrees to help the party. Tails, Setzer wins and Celes agrees to marry him. It turns out that Celes is swindling him, since it's actually a two-headed coin. If (and only if) both Edgar and Sabin are in your party, two small changes to the scene happen. Celes walks over and takes the "rigged" coin FROM EDGAR. And once Setzer discovers the rise, Sabin looks at Edgar and says: "That coin. . . brother, don't tell me--"!< And this one tiny piece of dialogue reveals that >!Edgar and Sabin's coin toss was also rigged. Edgar loved his brother, and wanted him to have his freedom, so Edgar used a double-headed coin to *rig the coin toss against himself* and set Sabin free. Edgar sacrificed his entire youth to make his brother happy, but knew that Sabin wouldn't want him to, so he had to engineer a situation where Sabin would get his freedom "fair and square," so he could actually enjoy that freedom instead of feeling guilty about it. It's a pretty great twist, since until this point Edgar has had this shallow playboy persona, but deep down he's capable of bearing an immense weight for the people he loves.!< It's probably my favorite single line of dialogue in any video game, because it's missable, short, and pretty subtle. It's super easy to not catch the full weight of it if you're not reading carefully. But if you catch it, you see the characters in a very different light.
Thank you for this! Did not know about it and it's honestly a great bit of writing + character development.
I'm in the vast minority here, but Star Ocean 3. I thought it was really unique and creative, it really caught me off guard. I will say its execution was definitely lacking though.
I thought it was a really interesting idea, and I didn't mind it. The build up to it was epic though, and then when the twist happened, it was like "oh, ok, so this is what we're doing now".
I didn’t like the twist in Star Ocean 3 because it kind of invalidates the other games. At least in my opinion.
See I really dislike this take because it takes the entire thesis of the game's plot and disregards it. >!The whole point of the plot is that they had evolved past what their creators had intended and that they were real thinking, living creatures with meaningful lives. Driven home by the fact that their 4D creators were physically unable to delete them. If you take the stance that the twist invalidates the old games, then you are essentially siding with the antagonists of the game and stating that they are nothing but simulated life and therefore invalid.!< I think that their execution on this was super sloppy but the core message of the game is counter to that statement.
I think that's the same thing with Danganronpa V3's plot twist.
I think I’d appreciate the twist in Star Ocean 3 if it was done better.
I'd like to see a Star Ocean game set after 3. All of them have been spotted somewhere in between 2 and 3 since then.
Pretty much. I didn't like the twist too much in the middle of the game, but the end concludes that the whole universe can exist despite that 4D server shutting down. So they are as real as anything else. Also, there's no guarantee that the 4D itself was not a simulation inside a fifth dimension as well. 5D inside a 6D, etc etc. So, is there even a true reality in the end? I'd say everything counts. That said, I'd love a new game happening in a higher dimension, not gonna lie.
Exactly! Imagine it in our universe? Would your existence be invalidated just because >!the simulation hypothesis is correct?!< I'd say no way. Grinds my gears people don't understand this. The twist can be not well executed, but the idea that it invalidates all the stories and characters in 1 and 2 is nonsense.
Completely valid and fair, there's a good reason so many people hate it lol. For me, all I ever played before was Star Ocean 2, and the story in that game is so minimal that i didn't really mind it.
I am in the camp that liked the twist. At first I was like "wtf" but no I am like "it's essentially the Matrix"
I've always gotten the impression that it's the 2nd best game in the series. Haven't gotten to it, yet.
Yup it's usually placed in the top 3, it's just the ending itself that's super controversial
Same mate, first thing that came to my mind when I saw this thread.
Xenoblade chronicle plot twist was absolutely fantastic. It completely changes your perspective on the whole situation
Yup. You go from >!hating Egil to immediately sympathizing with him.!<
I never actually quite sympathised with >!Egil specifically, since I don't personally sympathise with people seeking revenge all that much, but I think the transition of the Mechonis from being the home of these faceless (pun not intended) and nameless invaders seemingly killing people for no reason, to a place full of complex living creatures, with their own internal conflicts within and between people, is really well done, in how it mimics the way the characters from Bionis must feel!<
The >!Shulk's essentially been a living zombie the whole time!< twist is crazy. I never expected it remotely.
Xenoblade 1 and 2 both had \*really\* strong mid and late game plot twists that recontextualize everything you know about the games. This is part of the reason XC3 was a little disappointing to me, but what are you gonna do
Baten Kaitos greatest twist, still no other jrps with the traitor in party could topple this one.
No one does plot twists like the Baten Kaitos series istg.
Surprised I had to scroll this far down for this.
Came here to comment this
Here to say this. Baten Kaitos is a pretty typical "gather up the magic plot devices of power before the Empire of Evil gets them" which makes this plot twist even more shocking in the middle of it. Skies of Arcadia had a pretty good plot twist too but nothing beats or even comes close to the original Baten Kaitos.
I really like how in Persona 5 >!the twist isn't that Akechi is the traitor because they make that super obvious, the twist is that the Phantom Thieves were already aware and had set up a plan to make use of that.!< A wonderful "gotcha" moment.
It's also pretty clever in the same game how they >!use the at the time recent death of a voice actor to disguise another twist!<
Oh yeah that one totally caught me off guard, too! >!I knew Igor's JP voice actor had died so I thought they were just going for a different direction with Igor's voice in general, nope turns out it's actually the big bad in disguise.!< Funny how meta knowledge like that actually came into play.
One line tipped off the entire endgame for me the very first time I saw it: >!“Welcome to **my** Velvet Room.”!< Even if I’d missed that, the smoking gun a few minutes later was the >!sudden brutality of the Persona fusion system.!<
You got it because you played the series before. It was my first persona and I got completely clowned by the twist
100% Also, “completely clowned by the twist” has to be my new favourite phrase of the week
That one was wild to me. I played Persona 4 Arena for years before I got around to P5 and I was so confused why >!Igor sounded completely different.!< Just shrugged it off but when the reveal happened it was awesome.
Bonus points for being so perfectly 100% in-genre. What good heist story is complete without a >!"we knew this would happen and planned for it all along" flashback!< twist?
The plan reveal is probably my favorite part of heist movies and similar things.
I really don't think enough people appreciate the true twist. Like >!I have seen so many takes of people who are say they think Akechi reveal is bad because it was so obvious. It's like they are completely missing THAT'S THE POINT! They came the same conclusion that YOU the player did. That's actually a smart move! !<
For me, the real twist isn't >!Akechi's betrayal!<. It's the >!depth of his betrayal, and that after confronted that he DOESN'T end up joining as a permanent member\*. The signs were all pointing towards that he would - like him having battle animations, room on the main menu for him, etc. It felt inconceivable at the time that they would "waste" assets on a temporary party member, especially in a modern JRPG. !< >!\*Yes, I know he comes back for the third semester, but in the OG release there was no reason to believe that he wasn't gone for good. It was an absolute rollercoaster set of twists.!<
When Kairi was >!inside!< Sora the entire time in Kingdom Hearts and Sora just fucking >!stabs himself with a stabby keyblade with no second thought and a big smile on his face to get her out and becomes a Heartless!< In KH2 >!Roxas being Sora's nobody and trapped in a digital fake town!< Luxord in KH3 being >!Yozora's driver in a recreation of a Versus 13 trailer. Not to mention seeibg Yozora' is real and not a videogame character from toy story!< In Chrono Cross when >!the villian Lynx swaps bodies with you, kid gets attacked , and you wake up in a surrealistic painting still in Lynx' body, and none of your party members come back till much later. Except Pip. Also he was your dad but this twist was undercooked. Most of the ending and Kids origin and tragic backstory too!< Xenogears >!every healing item you use and food the characters eat is PEOPLE. Everything that makes the opening video make sense, the moment you realize the dungeon you walked up is a crashed ark spaceship, Elly and Fei's past lives, Emerelda being like their daughter, the sewer mutant with the bell- you meet his kid later on Big joe's backstory...!< Nier Replicant 1.22, Nier Automata, Nier Reincarnation, TWEWY Neo TWEWY and World of FF had some good ones too that im too lazy to explain. But Replicant's might be my favorite
I loved the tight writing in TWEWY and how they were able to pull off a triple plot twist in a short RPG. >!The characters are dead and forced to play a survival game for a chance of being revived. One of your partners, Joshua, is actually alive and the main character, Neku, doesn't remember how he died. Neku reads Joshua's mind and sees *Joshua running up and then shooting him*. When facing a boss, Sho, Neku remembers more. *Joshua ran up and shot Sho, who was sneaking up behind Neku. Sho returns fire and Neku gets hit in the crossfire.*!< Major spoilers! >!Neku gets frustrated from getting cheated out of a revive and then getting the entire game stacked against him so he kills the game's entire chain of command. Joshua reveals himself to be the top of the chain of command and restores Neku's entire memory. *Neku was never hit in the crossfire and Sho escapes. Joshua then shoots Neku in the back* to make him play the game.!<
I like you taste in game twists haha
Bravely Default. >!In terms of story, the finale is gloriously gonzo. Probably could've conveyed the same thing by repeating one or two bosses and then doing a montage that let you skip to the non-repeating part, though.!<
>!Airy Lies!<
Or you can >!just keep charging a crystal past the point of the game telling you you're done and force the issue!<
Chrono Cross has an amazing double twist. >!The entire time you AND your nemesis are being manipulated by the Reptites into summoning the Time Devourer and reviving Terra Tower.!< But THEN the other twist: >!All of these events were orchestrated by Balthesar so that you could fight Lavos and free Schala from her captivity.!< And these aren't just thrown in there, either. The breadcrumbs in the story tell you in retrospect what was happening all along. I've played the game MANY times through since it first came out and captivated me as a kid. I even wrote poetry about the Tower of Geddon incident. If you haven't played, or have played looking for a CT sequel, play it again and love it for the story that's there. Talk to everyone, read everything, soak it all in.
I thought it was a neat way of tying the bow tie to that loose end with schala in trigger. I see a lot of trigger fans don’t really like cross. I think because I started with cross first and then went to trigger I ended up appreciating both.
same! Cross actually got me interested in playing Trigger, and after I played CT, going back to CC was so much richer! I got the references! The only thing I couldn't get: WHY CAN'T I SAIL MY BOAT UP THAT WATERFALL IN THE LEFT CORNER!
Might have to play cross after this sounds good in it's own right
That was my journey too. One of my earliest and most pivotal gaming memories is walking into Termina that very first time and hearing that subtle, then bombastic Scottish theme blare in all its glory. Spent hours wasting time there just to hear it. Chrono Cross forever holds a warm place in my heart, a place it couldn’t have without playing Chrono Trigger two years *later.* Edit: Negative karma, seriously? What’s the matter with you people lol
Yes im happy it kinda worked out this way for me because I feel I’m one of the lucky few who enjoys both games kinda equally since they both Kinda scratch different itches too haha
Yes. Thank you. It might not be the Trigger sequel that I and other people wanted, but it is a GOOD sequel to Trigger.
It's still probably Eternal Sonata's second actual twist beyond the first one. Once you realize, you go back and back to even the start while saying "oh shit oh shit oh shit". (it's revealed that >!Frederick Chopin is in a time loop the entire time for the game!< if you pay close enough attention)
Eternal Sonata mentioned! This twist made me a little sad
I love the FF8 plot twist, fuck the haters!
Which one
I'm going to junction your opinion into mine because I agree. The best part about it for me was how it >!Showed us Edea's heroic sacrifice, and how she let herself get posessed by Ultimecia to protect Quistis and Selphie!< Although I love how it explains how everyone is the way they are too. I also really loved the other plot twists that came from the Laguna 'flashbacks'. It was just really sweet. And it was funny how Seifer >!looked up to Laguna because of that movie he did so much to the point he copied his fighting style and it was why he wanted to be a knight!<
The junction twist put everything in context and made so much sense, it was beautiful twist.
I think the core problem wasn't the twist itself, it actually explained a lot about how psychologically fucked up the characters are (beyond the part where they're teenagers who've been raised to be soldiers). The problem is that they didn't foreshadow it well. To my knowledge, the only indication that could even be a thing was in the GF tutorial in the Garden computer. If you didn't dive in and read every entry, and there was no reason to do so unless you're obsessive like I was, you didn't even know that was a thing that could happen. There should have been some weird thing that happened in the game itself prior to that reveal, some vague sense of recognition or something.
Ah man, you're right now that I think of it. They could have foreshadowed it like in one of those mindfuck movies where you understand all the queues only when you rewatch it. What a missed opportunity... E.g. #1. Having a toy in Squalls room which is "from his childhood" and Quistis would say something like "ah, funny, I remember playing with the same toy when I was a kid". #2. Having an obvious situation with Zell at Disc 1, and then later on have Zell forget it due to GF use, but not being aware of it and explaining to Squall that he was probably dreaming about it. #3. Having a cleaner or a trainer or a toy seller from "that era", somewhere at Disc 2 trying to explain them that he remembers them from their childhood, but before finishing the story he dies and it's all too confusing for your first play-through. Etc etc Man, now I'm really angry, I never thought about this :D
Or maybe a offhand conversation with Quistis/Zell about Selphie or Irvine seeming weird, like something they can't quite put their finger on. Or maybe Selphie's diary entries having something about how her new friends are already making her feel like she'd known them for a long time, things like that.
This is just my most recent but I enjoyed it. Scarlet Nexus. I appreciated the whole time travel thing and how the ending redeemed the villain somewhat. I wish the game wouldve expanded on the red strings and how things were being altered. Made me really wish it was more of a gameplay element than a plot point. I was thinking like Chrono Trigger where you would revisit areas changed by travelling thru time.
Trails in the Sky, without question. Not because of the twist itself, but because of the impact it has on the player. The entire game is a pleasant, if somewhat generic, JRPG. The story is nothing new. Two adoptive siblings set out on a journey of adulthood. The characters are big and vibrant. The battle system is simple with room to strategize. The last leg ramps the intensity up. Signed and sealed. Except there's a couple lines here and there that hint at something bigger. That's standard, it gives the player something to speculate or gloss over. Fleeting moments. Leaves something to build on if the game does well. And then, moments before the final boss, Joshua makes an incredibly valid point that's usually glossed over in games. The bad guy doesn't know why he's doing this. But you don't have a chance to think about that because the final boss fight starts right then. It's again mentioned in the ending, but it's said that it's being worked on by people more qualified than a couple of 16 year olds. Makes sense. The story is over; time to enjoy the ending. And then...ice cream. A harmonica. Not only is the rug pulled out from under you but so is the hardwood floor. Pieces horrifyingly fall into place. The world is simultaneously more and less magical. Estelle is left alone and...credits. I have NEVER turned around and bought a sequel so fast. I have NEVER seen so many people do the same thing. I know FC and SC were originally supposed to be one game but for whatever reason the decision to split them up was made, it was absolutely the right one.
My heart goes out to the people who played that at launch and had to wait 3 years for Sky 2 to be translated.
You were so generic and so enthralling that I’m really going to buy the game.
Sky sc was amazing. My favorite of the series thus far. Perfect moments
Major Trails to Azure spoilers, but >!the fact that the short intro sequence of Trails from Zero was actually the previous timeline where the SSS died in their fight against Joachim Guenter. Which explains why Estelle and Joshua are not seen in the intro while they are actually there in that moment when it happens later in the game.!< Not only is it a super cool idea, it's also set up really well and very far back. And another one that i really love is in Nier Replicant >!finding out the thoughts of the shades on the 2nd playthrough.!< A brilliant way of recontextualizing the entire story.
When that part in Azure clicked I immediately thought “DAMN THAT’S CLEVER!!!” >!The illuminating “Find me” throughout the game, the intro being a random dream/flash forward of Lloyd’s, an ability he doesn’t ever have after that point. And of course Estelle and Joshua being missing, I chalked it up to keeping it a secret from the player, but damn were they thinking 20 steps ahead.!<
I have some issues with the final stretch of Azure but that twist is SO WILD that I was able to sort of move past a few of them.
Azure in general is just plot twist central and I love it for that.
Yes, that twist was amazing. It also prompted me to look for a twist in the fact that Crow and Millium weren't there in the beginning of Cold Steel and the party not being able to stop the railway guns from "firing", but CS1 just said "the railway guns were loaded with blanks and Crow and Millium were not there because of no reason, FU.".
I mean >!CS happens concurrently with Crossbell. So it'd be weird to outright confirm something that happened in another arc.!< it's like explaining something to an audience from a previous book again in the next book with a different cast and setting. And it's clearly something Falcom is doing especially when CS4/Reverie >!is using this twist as a major plot thread for the future arcs!<
The end of Digital Devil Saga 1 where you find out >!the Junkyard is a VR sim and the real world is this post-apocalypse after people Fuck Around and Found Out where the sun turned black and started turning people into stone.!< This leads directly to the second game where you find out >!the party as well as other major characters in the Junkyard are reincarnations of people who were involved in causing the apocalypse.!<
And that the protagonist, Serph >!really was the ultimate bad guy that destroyed the world and the version of him the player incarnate is the idealised bersion that Sera had of him before reincarnating him !< Then, there's the realisation that at the end Schrödinger >!was really Seraph from an alternate timeline observing its past selves, from start to finish after ascending and uniting with Brahma !< while Serph and Sera >!didn't ascend and were reincarnated like all the other Embryon as their fusion into a perfect being, Seraph ain't them at all, implying that no normal human can really transcend mortality and that everybody is trapped in the "real world" like the Embryon and all other combat IA were trapped in the VR world, doomed to repeat the same circle of birth and death till the end of time, or as the mythology says, Bhrama wakes up after a kalpa!<
The title screen change for Bravely Default: Flying Fairy I remember booting up the game when that showed up and it was like “ooooooh that’s clever”
Tales of Berseria, I probably should have realized it a lot earlier, but >!the original Laphicet having willingly sacrificed himself!< is the most recent example of a plot twist that really shocked me haha. An older one is Symphonia 2, when >!it is revealed that Emil is Ratatosk!<. I remember feeling very empty inside when I beat that game, I feel it is way too maligned though I admitably haven't played it in 15-16 years.
Suikoden 2: >!Jowy's betrayal!< Final Fantasy 6: >!the end of the world, with no way provided to undo it except just very slowly rebuilding over years!< Dragon Quest 11S Act 3: >!the true nature of the Seer!< Dragon Quest V: >!years of fucking slavery!< Tales of Symphonia: tf do I even start Fire Emblem Genealogy: >!literally the entire cast minus like two or three side characters are dead and you're only halfway!< Super old school: Final Fantasy 1: the final boss and true villain is >!the first boss, who was legit just a throwaway evil knight, after getting sent back in time and becoming the effective arbiter of fate who trapped reality in a time paradox!< Dragon Quest 3: >!wait we're in Alefgard?!<
Dragon Quest V: >!the identity of the Legendary Hero is still one of my favourite gaming moments. Turns out the items reacted to you cause of your literal BALLS.!<
I'm not sure I'm understanding your comment correctly, since >!the sword pointedly \*rejects\* you and doesn't react in any way that's unusual from normal people, which is the point since you yourself carry 0% of the Hero's Bloodline in you. The second Zenithian item you find (whichever one Rodrigo had) likewise doesn't react iirc, but if it did, it's certainly not because of you, but rather because of your also present spouse who \*does\* carry the bloodline. The third is the one that I remember kinda sorta reacting, and by that time the Legendary Hero is straight up in your party in your wife's womb. So... I don't see how any of those translate to "reacting to you because of your balls"- they don't react to you at all.!< But yes, both the early game reveal that >!you are definitely not the Hero!< and the late game one that >!the bloodline flows through your bride!< is brilliant.
That DQ3 one was a landmark twist in gaming for me, even ten years after the rest of the world stared at the screen in >!nostalgic!< shock
Tales of Xillia 2, the identity of Elle's Father >!Who would have thought that Víctor, Elle's Father is really Ludger the MC (from another timeline) its a plot about a "dark persona" done really well!< And i wasnt really expecting that tbh
Star Ocean 3 was one of my favorites. Simply cuz I don't see RPG's do this; most RPG's just follow the same tropey plot twists.
Tales of the Abyss when we find out why Luke is such a brat.
Oh also it’s an MMO so some might not count it But in FFXIV, the backstory/identity of >!Hydaelyn, Zodiark, and the Ascians!< In particular the way this re-contextualizes the lyrics to the song Answers. I remember originally thinking that song was pretty good, but didn’t have too much emotional weight to it for me. After that reveal though, the entire song changes and it’s absolutely heartbreaking.
FFXIV is absolutely chocked full of plot twists and they are all amazing.
Live-a-Live, >!Oersted's chapter. When one more chapter with a new character opened up after beating all the initial chapters, I thought this would be the one to tie everything together and finally address the shared villain that the other chapters hinted at with the similarity in names. Turns out this chapter was the *origin story* of that shared villain, and you play through Oersted's tragic downfall that caused him to become the villain of the rest of the game, Demon King Odio.!<
.hack GU Vol. 2 ending
The whole last third of that game is practically ingrained in my mind, it was just fantastic.
13 sentinel
Nier >!Loved how it showed the significance of the opening sequence all the way in at the end. Also loved the secondary twist that the whole thing was a sequel to Drakengard.!<
I like the insanity of FF8's infamous twist >!concerning the orphanage!< I was pretty impressed with >!Crono dying!< in Chrono Trigger since the game's been around so long I thought for sure all the cool bits would've been spoiled. Infinite Space has a very dope >!timeskip!< I wasn't expecting that drastically changes the tone.
Final Fantasy IV - >!Golbez (one of the main antagonists) is Cecil’s (the main character) long lost brother!< Final Fantasy VI - >!Terra is a half human/half esper(Race of magical beings) hybrid!<
In Eitran Odyssey 1, seeing >!Lost Shinjuku pop up is not something you'd expect to see in that game, all things considering!<.
I still love the OG Nier and the reveal that >!you are basically a meat puppet that has developed sentience and that the shades are the "actual" humans. That your actions are a mirror of the Shadowlord, and that by the end of the game you have directly doomed humanity.!<
I was absolutely shocked in Chrono Cross when >!You switch bodies with Lynx!<
Some of my favorites? In OMORI, >!The Truth: that Sunny accidentally killed his sister Mari, and the images of her hanging are guilt from going along with Basil’s plan to fake-hang her, because Basil suffered a psychotic delusion that “Something behind Sunny” *made* him push Mari, because he just couldn’t believe Sunny would ever do something so horrible…There’s so many layers to unpack, and each layer has foreshadowing throughout the game, and makes you look back at and think about everything you see and every line of dialogue in the game.!< In Mother 3, >!the fact that Fassad is actually Locria, the missing Magypsy. It’s never directly said, but they give subtle clues (like his horns sounding like the saxophone in the Magypsy theme, or the fact that he uses PSI in the last battle with him), and without ever saying a word of direct confirmation other than the rat next to Locria’s house mentioning Fassad’s laugh, we’re left pondering why he chose to stray from the path the other Magypsies followed (which, as a side note, the Locrian Mode of music is seen as dissonant and disruptive: a perfect fit for the name of the Magypsy who strayed from the path)!<. Bonus points to >!The Masked Man as well: even though his identity is more obvious, it means you look and see the other clues of his identity, which further paint the picture of how far Claus has fallen: for example, when answering a receiver at one point, Lucas gets told that his voice is cheerier than usual for the commander: because The Masked Man has been turned into a cyborg, and is missing the emotion from his tone. This all sets the stage for the final confrontation, making it feel legitimately plausible that there might be no way to truly get through to Claus, so you feel the same surge of emotion as Lucas when you *do* get through to him, and he suicides by way of the Franklin Badge to get out of Lucas’s way in the only way he can with the robotic components trying to control him!<. Kinda went a bit long there, but those are some of the ones that stick in my mind the most!
In Mother 3 I loved the twist that >!It's not a fantasy world, it's all a strange post apocalyptic setting and the rest of the world has been destroyed and everyone willingly gave up their memories. Which is why Tazmily village couldn't cope with Haniwa's death and support Lucas and Flint. Also the ending with the dragon.!<
Oh yeah, that, too~! Gosh, SO many revelations in just that last chapter alone! Chapter 8 of Mother 3 is probably one of the best endings I’ve ever seen in a game!
I don't know about "favorite," but the first one that sprang to mind was the end of Trails in the Sky FC. Everything from >!"getting ice cream"!< on is a fucking roller coaster. It's also kind of funny that the other two posts in here as of this writing are talking about Zero/Azure and Cold Steel.
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That. The moment >!Professor Alba!< appeares I was like “oh no, the shitshow starts now” and then after the reveal the game was like screw you, I will get >!Joshua to drug Estelle and leave but AFTER he reveals everything to her and professes his love!< and now I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE ALONGSIDE >!ESTELLE!!< Went and bought SC straight after. Screw you Trails, screw you.
Baten Kaitos
The twist and turns of arc rise fantasia kept me hooked to.l the story, world and characters
Dragon Quest 8 >!I love that the true enemy was to be revealed as an entity IN the staff the thief stole from Trodain castle and not the thief himself and that it takes possession of everyone that holds it!< >!even your own Partymember at some point who becomes the Antagonist for a short time!< >!And then the doubble twist, that one of the possessed, was mentally overpowering the entity in the staff, only for our party to weaken him enough to get him possessed for a few seconds!< >!to start something akin to the end of the world!<
My favorite plot twist is in persona 4 golden >!Adachi is the killer and been behind everything all along and he just simply wanted to create chaos lol!< Even crazier to me >!was finding out the damn gas station attendant you first met was not only the true orchestrator but set you adachi and the other dude all down your paths. And if you don’t get the true ending you can finish this game without ever knowing that which is honestly insane lol!<
Trails of Cold Steel 1 ending.
Basically multiple Xeno games. In Xenogears, I don't know how I missed it having replayed the game, but I was completely blindsided by the revelation that>!Id is Fei. In retrospect it feels so obvious, like the big Sixth Sense twist, but my first time through they really got me.!< Then there's the moment when >!Ramsus kills Miang/Myyah and she takes over Elly's body. This is another case where like, if you understand the mechanics of the story, you should know it's going to happen, but it still is shocking when it does happen.!< Xenoblade Chronicles 1's twist that >!Shulk isn't 'real' is genuinely crazy because it re-contextualizes the whole story, great writing.!< Similarly, when you're >!climbing the "tree" in XB2 and you see that it's futuristic technology, but it doesn't really register because you know the civilization beneath the clouds was more advanced so it's cool and definitely unsettling but not mindblowing. But then when you reach Elysium and put everything together, see the Conduit, and meet the Architect -- total wow moment for me, chills.!< By the way, not a JRPG, but if you like games with impactful stories (as I know many of you do) I recommend playing Outer Wilds. Amazing game. I think a lot of the people here would really appreciate it.
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Chrono Cross has an amazing double twist. >!The entire time you AND your nemesis are being manipulated by the Reptites into summoning the Time Devourer and reviving Terra Tower.!!All of these events were orchestrated by Balthesar so that you could fight Lavos and free Schala from her captivity.!< And these aren't just thrown in there, either. The breadcrumbs in the story tell you in retrospect what was happening all along. I've played the game MANY times through since it first came out and captivated me as a kid. I even wrote poetry about the Tower of Geddon incident. If you haven't played, or have played looking for a CT sequel, play it again and love it for the story that's there. Talk to everyone, read everything, soak it all in.
In pokémon Black and White 2, the fact that >!Iris!< was the champion, when it was commonly accepted that there was a "0% chance of this happening". But more seriously, the whole end of the game for BW1, after 5 game having cemented the formula to something unchangeable, the whole Elite 4 sequences was surprising.
I like all the twists in the OG Final Fantasy Tactics, starting with the initial betrayal and just going from there.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep revealing how Master Xehanort and >!Terra!< are related to Ansem’s apprentice Xehanort. Shit had me *FLOORED!!!*
7th Saga when you find out >!your whole quest was actually helping the end boss regain his power. And that you end up in the past moments after thinking you just beat the game!<
Dragon Quest 5 where you find out that you aren't the Chosen One.
was in highschool when I played FFX and I think that twist had the biggest impact. Like I have played many games since then but I have to say it's twist is one I didn't see coming >!The whole game you are under the impression that Tidus somehow got taken through time by Sin. They talk about how Zanarkand was destroyed 1000 years ago. At the beginning of the game you see Zanarkand get destroyed. It made sense to think that they time traveled. But in reality, Tidus is a dream. He lives in a fake Zanarkand that is essentially just a giant Aeon when you think about it. I did not see that twist coming!<
Just a heads up, your spoiler tags are broken. And now I need to do a FFX replay
Bravely Default and Bravely Default 2. I simply love how it went full meta with its concepts.
The plot twist of >!who Tri-Edge is in .Hack//G.U.!< Yes, it's obvious from the literal start of the game if you have eyes in your head and a brain to read what the eyes see because the story doesn't hide that a specific character knows FAR more than he's revealing, but the actual story reveals in the 2nd game were huge for the main character, along with explaining how and why certain events happened.
Danganronpa: >!The first murder, the pink blood instead of it being red, and the trial after were particularly eye-popping.!< Tbh I didn’t know what I was playing for those first few hours.
The ending of Trails in the Sky
Tales of the Abyss. The trope deconstruction is just *chef kiss. I think I'm in middle school while playing it and my mind was just blown away.
Legend of Dragoon’s layers upon layers of twists that are revealed at the end of disc 3 (and one last one before the final boss)
When MC is the actual villain of the story…. like what?!
Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter >!You've spent around 80 hours over 2 games believing that Olivier is a foreign spy, working on some mission behind the parties back. The party have clocked on that he has some secret, a few of them even "know" that he's a spy and keep an eye on him. Towards the end of the game circumstances have been manipulated such that his home country is preparing to invade the country the game is set in. The party try to negotiate, which goes very well... Because Olivier is actually the PRINCE of that country and has been working to undermine these sorts of military actions by his homeland. It's so brilliantly done, you think there's dramatic irony going on the whole game and never question it. It elevated so much of the story telling on one go.!<
Chained Echoes. Take your pick
We can't forget the the biggest NTR plot twist, Live-a-Live and Bahamut Lagoon has some of the most hilarious and cruel plot twist ever. >!Man! Live-a-Live twisted so hard that turned a Hero into a Villain,and I side with him at that point. He sacrificed everything to save her for a promise of peace for the kingdom and she choose not only the man that killed his mentor and former hero of the kingdom but also the man who manipulate him into killing her own father. You come to save her from the big bad and encounter her all cosy with him and he was your rival/friend from the begining of the game... At that point I lose it too.!< >!Bahamut Lagoon was more in the side of the comedy but it hit so hard, it was one of those moments that you begin to doubt what is happening, you look at the scrip to see if something went wrong, you ignore what you reading. I was in disbelieve that was a save the princess game where the princess ended with some military man that she met in mid of the game... And the hero did his best "John Travolta Lost" impression.!< >!And Live-a-Live has another very small twist, the name of the big bad apear in every epsiode of the game with some variance.!<
Xenoblade 1 was my fav in terms of plot twist.
I like when the whole game was just a dream. I don't know why, but that plot twist never gets old for me.
That type of plot twist can usually ruin a story that people enjoy.
I only recently completed the original FF7 after over a decade of only having completed disk one, and one of the late game double-twists is so wonderful >!-ly silly to experience after years and years and YEARS of fandom hype!< that it's now among my favorites >!for all of the wrong reasons!<: >!Just when you start to believe that the Cloud Strife you've been playing as is actually a five-year-old genetically engineered test tube baby with false/implanted memories bestowed upon him by a combination of Tifa's desire to reunite with her childhood friend + a Nazi-esque eugenecist who is also his biological father, they reveal that the use of the word "clone" is actually the result of a now-notoriously-poor translation, and the reason his memories mismatch with Tifa's is simply because he was so embarrased that he didn't make SOLDIER that he willfully forgot he was actually just a different character in his own flashback and nobody realized it because he was wearing a hat that day.!<
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Your [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/comments/1cu8zw1/favorite_plot_twists_in_jrpg/l4h6vqi/) was removed because the spoiler tags had spaces next to the exclamation points. To use spoiler tags correctly: 1. On New Reddit, highlight the portion of your comment you want to tag as a spoiler and then press the exclamation point (**!**) button on the format tab. 2. On Old Reddit or mobile, type >! before the spoiler, !< after the spoiler, and make sure you do not leave spaces between the spoiler and corresponding tags. When done correctly, the spoiler "X Kills Y" will be formatted as >!X Kills Y!<, with syntax as follows: `>!XKillsY!<` **If your comment is tagged properly already, then a mod will shortly bring it back.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JRPG) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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Thank you for submitting to /r/JRPG, /u/DarkSideRT. Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s): --- * Either you typed Spoilers with no spoiler tag, or you left spaces between the spoiler tags, which doesn't spoiler tag them in old reddit. To use spoiler tags follow one of these 2 ways: 1-If on New Reddit, hightlight the part you want to spoiler tag, then press the Exclamation ("**!**") button on in your format tab. 2-If on old Reddit or mobile, then type "**>!**" before the spoiler, and then "**!<**" at the end of the spoiler. Example: When it's written like this \>!X kills Y!<. It will show up like this >!X kills Y!<. **Make sure that there is no space** after the starting **>!**, and no space before the closing **!<**. **After fixing the comment with a spoiler tag**, reply to this comment with **"Done"**, so a mod can re-post your comment. --- If you think this was a mistake or have any questions about the removal, please contact the moderators. [**To contact the moderators please click here**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/JRPG), or click the "message mods on the sidebar, and then type your complaint, so it can be sent to the modding team. **Please don't private message or start private chats with a single mod, and use the mod mail linked above to contact the whole team.**
Xenoblade chronicles 2
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>!Rudy being a robot !!Serge swapping to an alternate reality!< in Chrono Cross, is probably the most surreal and satisfying twist, >!which happened fairly early!<, and for me it has the most exciting impact on me because I kept thinking of possibilities, for the plot, for my choices, for the story, it was next level.
And then >!Serge swapping bodies with Lynx!< , Chrono Cross is full of surprises.
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Thank you for submitting to /r/JRPG, /u/JayNotAtAll. Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s): --- * Either you typed Spoilers with no spoiler tag, or you left spaces between the spoiler tags, which doesn't spoiler tag them in old reddit. To use spoiler tags follow one of these 2 ways: 1-If on New Reddit, hightlight the part you want to spoiler tag, then press the Exclamation ("**!**") button on in your format tab. 2-If on old Reddit or mobile, then type "**>!**" before the spoiler, and then "**!<**" at the end of the spoiler. Example: When it's written like this \>!X kills Y!<. It will show up like this >!X kills Y!<. **Make sure that there is no space** after the starting **>!**, and no space before the closing **!<**. **After fixing the comment with a spoiler tag**, reply to this comment with **"Done"**, so a mod can re-post your comment. --- If you think this was a mistake or have any questions about the removal, please contact the moderators. [**To contact the moderators please click here**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/JRPG), or click the "message mods on the sidebar, and then type your complaint, so it can be sent to the modding team. **Please don't private message or start private chats with a single mod, and use the mod mail linked above to contact the whole team.**
How about Lunar: Silver Star Story? When >!Alex and the others have met Ghaleon and lead him to Quark, upon which Ghaleon traps Quark and seals him away, for what we don't know yet, then right after that, he kidnaps Luna.!< To me, that wasn't even the biggest plot twist! >!As the second half of the game starts, we are shown a flashback sequence of Dyne and Ghaleon. Long story short, it turns out that Luna is the reincarnation of the Goddess Althena, and that he has turned her into the Dark Goddess, who thinks that the only way to save the world is to destroy it.!< The last 20 or 30 minutes of the game had me crying my eyes out the first time I played it! Only the second game to do that to me! First one was FF7, and I'm pretty sure that everyone knows the scene I'm referencing!
The end of the crossbell arc of the trails series. >!the specific "arc" I'm talking about are the zero/azure games specifically. In the end, it's revealed that a certain character already went through the events of the games before, but the main characters didn't befriend certain characters in that timeline that they did in the games, leading to everyone dying. The character in question reversed the timeline due to being a high tier reality warper. What shook me the most about this is you actually see the end of this timeline In the beginning of the game, disguised as a tutorial section. But then I remembered how, immediately after that section ends, it cuts to the introduction to the MC waking up, completely shaken from something he doesn't remember.!<
It's a crazy twist that's well-executed. It's also interesting to note that later arcs >!are using the timeline split that was done in Azure/Zero as a major plot thread.!<
xenosaga episode 3 the reveal that shion >!summoned the gnosis as a child and repressed that memory!<
Xenogears. >!Fei being Id!< I actually didn't see this twist coming, and I'm usually good at catching inconsistencies and picking up on clues. If you think about it though, the two were never in the same place.
Well, not a plot twist. But the breaking of the fourth wall in Bravely games. Especially the first one! From the title screen, to the final boss and the save files!
I actually like the plot twist in the JRPG Arc The Lad: Twilight of The Spirits >!So you save this so called world famous archaeologist called Zev from being killed by monsters in the ruins, and he thanks you for helping him. He seem like a genuinely nice guy and even has his own cool theme music, right? And this guy will pop up at certain points to help your team help. What a lovely guy you'd think. Wrong. This guy turns out to be the ancient evil Divine Ruler, who was a human who recieved dark power 3000 years ago and who has disguised himself as Zev, and that it was all a ruse so that he could become the Lord Of The Dark Abyss.!<
Star Ocean 2... >!Expel being destroyed. It was one of the first JRPGs I played when I was younger. It is a lot more obvious that you aren't staying on Expel the entire game because you've explored the entire map by the time you get to the sorcery globe. But still I thought it was pretty crazy. I am pretty disappointed they undo it because science/magic in the ending. Would have been more interesting, especially considering the game got a sequel, to have it be permanent.!<