10 Video Games That Wanted The Player To Feel Terrible

3. Undertale

Undertale Flowey Reckoning
Toby Fox

Undertale is a one-of-a-kind experience like nothing else, a wildly subversive and expectation-defying RPG which, despite its combat options, actively judges the player for killing things.

The player controls a child who has fallen into a realm known as The Underground beneath Earth, which they must travel through in order to return to the surface.

Along the way, you'll encounter countless enemies, the majority of which can you can either kill, flee from, or befriend.

Given that most RPGs encourage players to kill in order to rack up the vital stats - in this case EXP and LOVE - many simply slaughtered their way through Undertale without questioning anything.

However, late in the game it's revealed that EXP actually stands for "Execution Points," while LOVE stands for "Level of Violence."

To hammer the point home, characters also pop up to chide you for your needlessly combative ways, and though hardly a serious meditation on video game violence ala Spec Ops, Undertale nevertheless takes perverse joy in shaming the player for being so quick to murder.

Before we continue onto our penultimate entry, know that MAJOR SPOILERS will follow for The Last of Us Part II if you haven't beaten it yet...

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Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.