10 Video Games Where You Play As The Villain
1. Bowser - Super Mario Odyssey
Mario has a weird habit of inviting his nemeses to all kinds of events; football, tennis, golf and, of course, karting so in a way playing as Bowser is somewhat normalised. Even outside of this, King Koopa has playable roles in some of the various Mario RPGs.
In terms of the main games though? Bowser only made his playable debut relatively recently in 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey.
The gimmick for this 3D Mario adventure was the use of Cappy; a sentient hat that could be thrown on others to possess and play as them, from self-aware tanks to of course the iconic Goomba.
In the most bombastic conclusion to a Mario game ever, the plumber battles Bowser on the inside of the Moon. As the cavern begins to collapse, Mario saves himself, Peach and his enemy the only way he can think of: by taking control of his greatest adversary. Without a doubt the most fulfilling power trip in the Mario series, smashing through walls to escape the final stage as Bowser feels awesome and is an appropriate conclusion to the rest of the game.
Strange how right it felt for the closing moments of a Mario game to end with us playing as his greatest foe.
We just wish we could take Bowser round a tour of New Donk City and live out our Godzilla dreams with him.