10 Video Games That Punished You For Being A Thief
2. Your Name Is Changed To "THIEF" For The Rest Of The Game - The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening decides to punish players for thievery in the most weirdly polite, hilariously Nintendo way possible.
If you're able to steal an item from the Town Tool Shop in Mabe Village - which involves circling around the shopkeeper until he loses sight of you - a message will pop up reminding you that you got the item for free before asking, "Are you proud of yourself?"
Better still, your character will be renamed to "THIEF" for the rest of the playthrough, ensuring every NPC refers to you by that moniker, serving as a continual reminder of your stealing. Beyond reverting to an earlier save - assuming you even have one - there's no way to avoid the public shaming.
Oh, and if that's not embarrassing enough, if you dare to re-enter the Mabe Village store, the shopkeeper will go full Emperor Palpatine on your ass and murder you with lightning, causing an immediate Game Over.