Video Game Protagonists That Are The Least Likable

A lot of video games out there are recognized for what they bring to the table in terms of having a solid protagonist putting in all the work. Some real examples of such titles are Doom Eternal and Red Dead Redemption 2, sporting some of the best central characters ever, but there are games out there that have the polar opposite, actually. 

I decided to dedicate this piece to titles like those, where the protagonist is a glaring pain in the butt rather than someone you look forward to for more interactions. Clearly, a lot of better work could’ve gone into their design, but that’s not how things turned out.

You Don’t Want To Have These Protagonists Speaking 

Make sure to post a comment down below if you’ve had an encounter with an annoying protagonist yourself as well. 

1. Major Sergey From Atomic Heart 

Starting off the list is Atomic Heart’s protagonist, and to be honest, it’s unclear to me whether this is bad translation or just simply bad writing. The character’s voice lines are so out of place, that it’s hard to get past the 10-minute mark playing what is otherwise a decent first-person shooter, definitely. Sergey needs to lighten up; his permanent cutthroat attitude isn’t doing a lot for him.

But yes, from what I hear and see, the Russian dubbing is super nice, and that’s where Atomic Heart really shines. If you’re a native speaker, make sure you change the audio setting right from the get-go. Apart from this qualm, the title’s fairly high-quality, and has sold millions of copies over the course of its release to become a commercial success for developer Mundfish.

eXputer reviewed Atomic Heart and rated it 4/5, with author Huzaifah Durrani remarking, 

While the narrative leaves a lot to be desired, Atomic Heart is nonetheless a great FPS set in a beautifully realized Soviet setting.”

2. Frey From Forspoken 

Next up, there’s our extremely beloved heroine (not so much) from Forspoken who really failed to capture the essence of a girl in her early 20s, trying to get with the times. Instead, the game’s dialogue makes it literally unplayable, not to mention some of the other problems with the title that stand out like a sore thumb.

She can be unnecessarily miserable at times, hating having to do what she has to, with some of her voice lines being the sheer definition of cringe. So it’s not like the game’s lackluster sales were without due reason. Have a go at the following video and you be the judge yourself. 

eXputer reviewed Forspoken, rating it 3/5, with author Usama Mehmood remarking, 

If you can bear through Frey and Cuff’s childish banter, you may just find yourself enjoying Forspoken, even if it’s another cookie-cutter open-world RPG with the same style and approach that’s been done for years now.” 

3. The Male Protagonist From Need For Speed: Unbound

Need for Speed Unbound lets you create your own character as far as the appearance and gender goes, but the voiceovers are pre-determined for both the male and female characters. I haven’t gone over the latter yet, but what I can tell you about the former is: The voice acting really really gets it difficult making sense of the campaign at times. 

The reactions are not real, the Gen Z English isn’t doing a lot for the quality, and the overall dialogue feels lackluster. If you can somehow brave through that part, however, Need for Speed Unbound is an enjoyable racer, earning 4/5 in eXputer’s review, with the verdict coming across as the following:

Whether it’s drifting through the tight streets in your Porsche or battling through a wave of racers in a high-stakes race battle with your Nissan GTR, Need For Speed Unbound hardly misses any opportunity to impress you.” 

4. Abby From The Last Of Us Part 2 

Let’s face it: Naughty Dog tries to make players like Abby, but no, sir, that’s not happening. She’s a total menace, full of hate, and just oriented in the wrong way where the developers want to make Ellie look like the bad guy at the end of it. Oh, and Abby’s likeness toward annoying everyone doesn’t help either. 

This is the same character who tracked a man for years across a country to slowly torture him in front of his begging adopted daughter for her own pleasure,” says one u/Real-Variation-8681.

The fact that so many people intentionally got Abby killed really says a lot
byu/euutn inTheLastOfUs2

5. Dante From DmC: Devil May Cry 

Finally, we’ve got this particular iteration of who is otherwise one of the slickest characters in gaming history that just falls flat on its face compared to his original version. The younger version of Dante from DmC: Devil May Cry just isn’t up to par, with seriously awful dialogues, and a personality that’s simply lame. Had we not been shown the actual, ultra-badass Dante from the rest of the Devil May Cry games, this one might have had a slim chance of making it up there.