Humans are humans. That is to say we aren’t perfect. We make mistakes especially writers. Admittedly I do all the time. Not just grammatically, but maybe some incorrect details slip in here every once in a while. Thank goodness for editors, am I right? The same goes for video games. There are game stories that I hold near and dear to my heart like Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts II, and Metal Gear Solid 3 just to name a few. Coincidentally these three games are some of the most convoluted in the industry, which is to say there is plot holes aplenty. Writing is hard especially when you’re writing for a video game and have no control over gameplay mechanics. There are a lot of gears turning.
Something in the script may make sense, but doesn’t come across correctly when you’re actually playing the game. For example, let’s say you’re playing a video game as a god. How can that god perish by something as insignificant as a wolf? It’s pretty obvious what I’m referring to, but I’ll get more into it later. Some of my examples are indeed plot holes and some of them are more like game conceits. Whatever the case they’re upsetting from a narrative perspective. It doesn’t make me like these games any less. Sometimes a good plot hole is fun to laugh about. You know, like the entirety of Heavy Rain. I’m teasing too many of these entries so let’s just get on with it.
25 Alice In Robot Land
There’s a lot to like about Detroit: Become Human, like the number of choices, the graphics, and more. That said it’s full of plot holes, which is standard for a David Cage game. The most egregious of which is toward the end, when you find out Alice was a robot all along, which I feel like defeats the purpose of the game. So many questions pop up because of this. Why doesn’t Alice know? Where is her LED? Why do they make child robots in the first place? It’s a miasma of headaches.
24 The Chosen Son
In Fallout 4 you’re trying to retrieve your son from people who took him. Here’s the thing though. Eventually, you find out the Institution just wanted a human untainted by the pollution of the world. Uh, wouldn’t that qualify everyone sleeping in Vault 111? I guess I can see them thinking it would be easier to confuse a child into their thinking, but still. The more the merrier right? Either they messed up, or I missed something that would explain this situation better.
23 Kratos’ Kryptonite
I kind of already made fun of this in my God of War memes article. This can apply to other games as well. It’s one where the gameplay mechanics get in the way of the narrative.
Beware the wolves, boy!
That is to say, why can Kratos go toe to toe with a god, not perish, but then fall by a lowly creature such as a wolf, or those creepy ghost zombie things? It makes no sense, but in the grand hierarchy of this article, it’s one I’m okay with ignoring.
22 Oh Brother
Uncharted is one of my favorite PlayStation exclusives. With the third game, I thought I was done until I saw how gorgeous Uncharted 4 looked. There’s one problem I have with it that makes it hard to enjoy though. I hate when stories introduce a long-lost family member. Sam’s backstory doesn’t make any sense when you look back at the games prior to this. It breaks continuity. Why was he never mentioned? It rubbed me the wrong way completely.
21 The Phantom Plot
Poking holes in a game about kids turning into psychic thieves that control monsters seems like a fool’s errand. It’s all totally unbelievable, but there’s one instance in Persona 5 that stands above all other logic puzzles. I’m referring to Akira faking his own demise. Based on the rules we learned up to that point it shouldn’t have been possible, which is to say Akechi should have seen right through it. I was shocked at first and then I got to thinking. It’s such a lazy explanation.
20 Not My Big Boss
So it turns out you weren’t the original Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid V. The real deal escaped for some separate mission while you were operated on to look like him. You, and other personnel, were hypnotized and filled with false memories.
Kept you waiting, huh?
I get that this series is filled with some crazy stuff that is poorly explained, but what the heck? I’m just some soldier pretending to be Big Boss? That deflated everything I did in the game. How can that even be possible? Then again how is a fire whale possible?
19 Delicious Metal Meat
We’ve seen post-apocalyptic wastelands overgrown with vegetation before, but none filled with robotic animals. Horizon Zero Dawn is so cool! Here’s the thing though. One, why do these robots graze like they are real? Two, why do humans hunt them like they are real? The lore says these creatures absorb organic material to then make more robots, or something, but that feels so convoluted. And humans can’t eat them so they just harvest them for parts. What do they eat? What’s metal money good for if no one has food? The backstory seems like an afterthought.
18 Scream Like You Mean It
Here’s a small thing that bugged me in Resident Evil 7, which is a point that could be argued in a lot of games. Why does Ethan not react to anything? That is to say, why doesn’t he react normally? Seeing your girlfriend turn into a psychopath, fighting real monsters, and having your arm get chopped off should raise some alarms, but it really doesn’t. Like my God of War complaint, it’s not so much a plot hole as it is just bothersome. I don’t need him screaming at the top of his lungs, but come on.
17 Zombie Travelers
Destiny has a lot of problems between both big box games, its DLC, lack of meaningful content, and the list continues. Personally, the confusing lore is what I find most disturbing. Let’s look at the very start of the game wherein your Ghost revives your character.
It came from the Moon.
How long were you unconscious for? It’s alluded to a “long time”, but what does that mean? Was I a decayed body? Is the Traveler so powerful as to reverse hollowed bones? It gets worse the more you think about it.
16 From Terror To Tombs
My problem with Tomb Raider, the 2013 reboot, is yet another issue that can be tagged onto other games. How can Lara go from a frail captive, incapable of hurting a fly, to a cold-blooded assassin that would give Ezio a run for his money? Sure the game could have focused on purely avoiding enemies until the very end wherein Lara finally snaps. That could have been more believable, but it wouldn’t have been any fun. Sometimes we have to except plot holes in service of having a good time.
15 No Hope County
Far Cry is a cool series, but I didn’t care for Far Cry 5. Here’s my big gripe. How can a cult take over an entire county without the military rolling in to stop them? It’s explained that service is poor around there thus no one knows about it. I call “plot hole” on that! We live in a time where privacy is next to nothing. Everything can be filmed. Even in their neck of the woods, you’re telling me not a single person was able to send for help? Please.
14 Straight To The Face
Rufus, toward the end of Final Fantasy VII, is shown getting blasted by Diamond Weapon. There is a zero percent chance he survived that strike. Yet he returns in the film, Advent Children, in a wheelchair.
A wheelchair he didn’t need and was only pretending to be injured in. So not only is he fine, he has no scratches on his body whatsoever. I know this a game about magic, but way to pull your punches on a meaningful demise Square Enix. At least Aeris stayed down.
13 The Money Knight
Batman Arkham Knight seemingly came out ages ago. What has Rocksteady been working on since? Whatever they’re doing I bet they don’t want to fall into another plot hole like renaming Jason Todd as the Arkham Knight instead of his more recognizable persona, Red Hood. That’s not my issue though. What really bugs me is how Jason got enough money to bankroll a private army let alone hundreds of robot operated vehicles. Oh yeah and he didn’t perish. Jason’s backstory be it this game, or the comics never really clicked with me.
12 Assassin’s Creed Apocalypse
When Assassin’s Creed first started it was all about Desmond Miles reliving his family tree in order to find the Apple of Eden for Abstergo. It all seemed to be building toward a game that took place in the modern era, but that still hasn’t happened yet. In fact, why do these games still exist? At the end of Assassin’s Creed III, there is a bright flash, which is supposed to signify the end of not just Desmond, but the world. Then we got more sequels without Desmond like it never happened.
11 Face Off
Would you like to read a list about twenty-five things that don’t make sense about Kingdom Hearts? I can do it, but maybe later. I’ll start with my “favorite” dilemma. Why does Vanitas and Sora look alike? It’s explained that a piece of Vanitas’ and Ventus’ heart were stored in Sora as a boy.
The spiky hair runs in the family.
Here’s the thing though. As a child, he still looked like Vanitas. It sort of explains why Ventus looks like Roxas, but yeah it’s very convoluted. Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
10 There’s Always A Plot Hole
It turns out you were the villain all along. Don’t you hate when that’s the twist in a video game? I guess in the case of BioShock Infinite wherein we find out Booker is Comstock it is more plausible than other pieces of fiction. In a world of infinite realities, you can make up whatever you want because infinity is basically magic with a “science” guise to it. They look nothing alike though so it just felt like a weird twist just for twist’s sake. Get where I’m coming from?
9 Black Friday Cometh
For those unaware here’s the plot of The Division. An attacking group poisoned paper money right before Black Friday so that they could seemingly end society. Hold up. While that “holiday” is a crazy shopping day, I don’t know how many people still use cash. You kind of have to on occasion, but by and large, we are a plastic society. I don’t see how the disease could spread that wildly. It’s a ludicrous plot that belongs in a Nicolas Cage movie, which I would watch by the way.
8 Fus Ro Duh
In Skyrim you are basically a god, but like Kratos, all manor of men and beast challenge you. It’s the same dumb logic behind every super villain’s team of hired goons. How much are they getting paid to fight against these powerhouses? In the case of Skyrim do people just not know?
It’s Dovakim vs Kratos on this edition of Raw.
If I screamed at the top of my lungs and sent one thug flying through space shouldn’t the rest just drop their weapons and run? Heh, that’s video games for you.
7 Poor Motivations
Did you think my BioShock Infinite example was it for villains turning out to be the hero? Think again because it’s even worse for inFamous. So Cole MacGrath is a delivery boy that gets decimated by this orb, which gives him electric powers. Who gave you that orb to deliver? Yourself. Kessler aka future Cole wanted to motivate his past self to become a beacon of hope to stop an impending doom called The Beast. As with any time travel logic, this gets into that infinite time loop territory. It hurts just thinking about it.
6 The Matrix Within
You know what makes less sense than time travel? Dreams. In The Evil Within 2 you are sent inside a device known as the Mobius, which is essentially a network of linked minds hooked to one central brain, which turns out to be your daughter. She, apparently, created this town inside before all heck broke lose. It’s an awesome game, but the idea doesn’t make much sense. For example, if this is a dream then why can’t you summon infinite ammo and stuff like that? People actually send in data caches. It’s like The Matrix, but dumber.
