10 Biggest Video Game Villain Cliches (And Why We Love Them)

We've all played countless games with a villain bait-and-switch, where it's revealed that the seemingly primary antagonist actually isn't, with the real big bad hiding in the shadows or emerging from out of nowhere.

Extra points if they're the "main" villain's long-suffering, decidedly smarter underling.

Mass Effect reveals that antagonist Saren is actually under the mind control of his ship Sovereign, which is in fact a Reaper, while Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped confirms that Dr. Neo Cortex's villainous antics were really commanded by Uka Uka all along, and Kid Icarus: Uprising sees the player defeat Medusa only for her to actually be a mere distraction from the real villain, Hades.

Though these rug-pulls can certainly flop without the right execution, if they're genuinely surprising while also making some semblance of sense, they can force players to view the entire game - hell, perhaps even the entire series - through a distinctly different lens.