Cool temporarily playable characters in games

[Deleted member 1570]

You only played as Kafei in one sidequest in Majora's Mask, but it was interesting playing as someone other than Link in a Zelda game. His story and motivation also made him compelling enough that he could have just as easily acted as the game's protagonist imo.

Shep Seere from Heartbeat is a tanooki and a traveling merchant. Despite tanookis' reputation as pranksters and her mischievous appearance, she's actually a pretty cool person and just wants to make an honest living.

Technically the majority of party members in Heartbeat are temporary, but she only fights alongside you during a couple of battles in the main story. Post-game you can have her (and everyone else) in your party as much as you want. At that point, you can just buy stuff from her whenever and wherever you feel like.

 

[Temtastic Muns]

Spoiler

From Metal Gear Solid 3

I don't know his name but It was weird and unexpected.

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It was a fun little bit. Shame they axed it for the HD Collections.

 

[Goldenroad]

I'm playing Spiderman (PS4) right now and I just got to a part last night where there was a horrible event at city hall where I was no longer playing as Peter. That was pretty wild. From a narrative perspective that was a great moment.

 

[Temtastic Muns]

Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations:

Spoiler: AATT

Playing as Edgeworth in the final case for a brief moment. Refreshing as there is no one to say what to do, apart from Miles thoughts.

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I was just thinking of this. Definitely made an already epic case even better.

 

[Razorrin]

After destroying your party over and over I was so damn excited to finally get to be her. One day she'll make it into Dissidia

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At the very least, Beatrix is in Dissidia: Opera Omnia! She was even a global Exclusive character on release! And she got very very good when she finally showed up in JP, she's very awesome!

And also, her theme has an Amazing metal cover in Dissidia: NT, and it's one of the songs that got me to buy the whole soundtrack!

I kinda hope she shows up in Dissidia as well, she'd Bea good fit!

Anyway, I got a different character, and I think it may be a cop out, since they aren't technically player controlled...



...but the moment you see Golbez on screen in battle, using his sorcerous power alongside FuSoYa to defeat the real antagonist of FFIV, it chokes me up. It's amazing, ESPECIALLY in the 2D releases, where he gets a battle sprite that looks just like a playable character's!

Plus it's good to get to the end of the final dungeon after the big reveal earlier, and have a villain you've spent the whole game thwarting Atoning for all of their crimes in the final fight.

Twin Meteor was even so iconic of a finishing move, that in future games like Dissidia and the Mobile titles that feature him, he uses it alongside his Shadow Dragon as his canon most powerful ability!

All in All, I'd say Golbez does a pretty good job of being a memorable temp, even if they only appear in a battle cutscene!

 

[Yossarian]

Mona Sax in Max Payne 2.

Playing from her perspective was pretty cool, especially because you didn't know it was coming and replaying a section you already played as Max. So first you were protected by her, now it's your time to do the protecting. She has some moves that are different from Max, but all the awesomeness. They should bring her back.

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THANK YOU

Easily one of my favourite characters. She needs a spin-off. There was a great mod for MP2 where she took centre stage: Mona the Assassin.

 

[BossAttack]

Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

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I came for this.

 

[Sankara]

Mona Sax in Max Payne 2

 

[Man Called Aerodynamics]

Joker in ME2.

 

[Z-Beat]

The times in Kingdom Hearts 2 where you get to play as Mickey and kick some ass anime style.

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Was gonna pick this one. Even cooler when you don't know it's possible and you get caught off-guard by 'continue' being replaced with 'I'll never give up!' in the death screen

 

[SofNascimento]

THANK YOU

Easily one of my favourite characters. She needs a spin-off. There was a great mod for MP2 where she took centre stage: Mona the Assassin.

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I remember that mod, very cool. I wonder if they had more time Remedy would have used her more in the game.

 

[Deleted member 49319]

I came here to Ctrl+F "Ashley" and got surprised.

 

[Hambulance]

In Stormblood when you get to fight as

Spoiler

Y'shtola!

I was already a Miqo'te White Mage at that point so she was kinda similar, but still awesome!

 

[EricTheGamerman]

Spoiler: Just In Case

Being able to officially play as the Master Hand at the World of Light in Smash Ultimate was one of the coolest rewards ever for playing through a game. It's not perfect, but I'm ecstatic we finally got the opportunity to do that... Now if we could just get an independent mode on the Mob Smash menu for that section so I didn't ever have to go back into World of Light...

 

[Neoleo2143]

Spoiler: XC2

In chapter 8, you have the option to play as Jin and he has a stupidly busted combat art that he uses in boss fights.

 

[Dogenzaka]

Playing as Alphinaud, Hien, and Y'shtola in the Stormblood patch quests leading up to Shadowbringers was pretty sweet!

 

[ItIsOkBro]

you get to fuck shit up as Professor X for moment in X-men Legends

 

[capitalCORN]

 

[DrFunk]

Many of the best examples have already been mentioned, so I'm struggling to think of more.

I liked that bit in VA-11 HALL-A where you temporarily take control of Alma and you get to see Jill's sprite when they switch places. It was nice seeing Jill actually let her hair down for a while so to speak, before returning to her bartending duties.

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This is a great example. Seeing Jill actually *relax* and be herself was great. Also the music was good too.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Real talk, for all the Solid Snake in MGS2 mentions, there DEFINITELY should have been a Pliskin moment in the Plant chapter.

I honestly think that is the coolest and best role Snake has ever had. I love him in normal military fatigues, too. #pliskinisbestsnake

(But yeah Tanker chapter is technically this, in a way, and the best part of the game for sure)

 

[darkNemisiScloud]

Laguna ff8

 

[Ænima]

Haruka in Yakuza 5. I liked her cuz she turned a street brawler into a dance dance revolution. Shes not just a diferent character, she changed everething about how the game plays and works, but im glad it was just temporary. :P

 

[Ryuhza]

Oh yeah, at the end of Killzone: Shadow Fall, you get to play as Echo in the very last mission, which is far more stealth-oriented than the rest of the game, and has a few unique mechanics. To my memory, it was better than most of the rest of the game. There were other stealth sections in the game, but this is the only one that seemed to have the level and player abilities designed around it.

 

[sph3re]

Spoiler: Smash Ultimate

Master Hand being playable at the end of World of Light was the culmination of my entire gaming career. I've always loved these games and been creeped out by the hands, so getting to be the hero with it was great.

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It's this one, for sure

Growing up with this series, this was the hypest fucking moment and I'm legitimately upset that there isn't a mode where I can do this all the time

 

[Deleted member 17402]

Seymour in FFX for the Sin spawn fight.

 

[Papertoonz]

Getting to play as Riku during the final of Boss of KH2 is a really cool moment

 

[mntorankusu]

Real talk, for all the Solid Snake in MGS2 mentions, there DEFINITELY should have been a Pliskin moment in the Plant chapter.

I honestly think that is the coolest and best role Snake has ever had. I love him in normal military fatigues, too. #pliskinisbestsnake

(But yeah Tanker chapter is technically this, in a way, and the best part of the game for sure)

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There needed to be a third chapter in MGS2 where you play as Pliskin during the events of the Plant chapter. I was dying to be able to play Snake's fight against the ninja, which they mention but you never get to see. They could have done so much with it.

 

[YourFriendLevi]

Joker in ME2 was cool because you got to see how a regular joe handled a situation that Shepard would have just blazed through. It took away the power fantasy to create a moment of tension. Also, Joker quips never get old.

They did a callback to it in Mass Effect Andromeda with your twin and I liked it there, too.

 

[Wood Man]

Playing through the villains perspective in Suikoden III. Yuber is pretty freakin' cool

 

[Zip]

Haven't seen it mentioned:

Fou-Lu in Breath of Fire 4.

Spoiler

He's so much stronger than your main party for much of the game, soloing monsters and bosses that would wipe you, and just when you feel like maybe he might become nice(ish) the bad guys are dumb enough to hit him in the face with a hex cannon blast powered by the death of the girl that had been nice to him. It only pisses him off, and that's where you both lose what control you had had.

Honorable mention to Teepo in Breath of Fire 3 for being part of the fun bro group early on.

 

[VideogameVices]

Spoiler: The Last of Us

ellie

Fuck me. Intense AF. I need to replay it soon.

 

[Escaflow]

Ciri in Witcher 3 and Ada Wong in RE2 Remake

Hmm maybe Seifer in FF8 at the beginning

 

[CloudCircus]

General Leo in FF6. He is just so badass. He has the Aegis Shield, which is mind blowing to see at that stage in the game, and a slick moveset, plus a cool haircut to boot. I really wanted to play as him for the rest of the game. A spin-off starting General Leo would be interesting.

 

[PSqueak]

Goro Akechi being playable in Persona 5 is entirely justified for his fucking hilarious All out Attack finisher dance.

 

[Syril]

Miranda is the protagonist's mother, and she is the best character in the game. When she's in the party Grandia 3 is a jaunty adventure with surprisingly good writing and an overall fun time. That lasts about five to six hours until she leaves the party along with the other good character, never to be seen again, to have a presumably much more interesting adventure that they really should have made a Grandia game about. After she leaves, the next stretch of plot is a downward spiral of characters being dumb and not having personalities, culminating in the worst "love conquers all" speech I've ever seen.

 

[Bakercat]

I count it

 

[BrunOz]

Fou-Lu (Breath of Fire IV)

 

[Shan]

General Leo in FF6. He is just so badass. He has the Aegis Shield, which is mind blowing to see at that stage in the game, and a slick moveset, plus a cool haircut to boot. I really wanted to play as him for the rest of the game. A spin-off starting General Leo would be interesting.

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There's a neat romhack out there for FFVI where Leo stays permanently with you, story/dialogue was altered to make up for this too. If you're interested!

 

[Darkspineslayer]

Where my Danganronpa 2 peeps at?

Getting to spend some brief time in the sick mind of Nagito was super memorable.

 

[Gacha Santa Alter]

Spoiler

From Metal Gear Solid 3

I don't know his name but It was weird and unexpected.

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Hah. Probably the most confused a Metal Gear game ever had me, and that's saying something. "Did I put the wrong disc in wait scratch that I DON'T REMEMBER BUYING ANYTHING LIKE THIS"

 

[Bard]

Dunban ofcourse!

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Um? He's normal party member.

 

[CloudCircus]

There's a neat romhack out there for FFVI where Leo stays permanently with you, story/dialogue was altered to make up for this too. If you're interested!

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Sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Snormy]

Raven in Gravity Rush 2. Both bits in main game, not necessarily the DLC so much.

Spoiler: Story

I think the set up is done exceptionally well. Majority of the story in GR2 revolves around Kat finding her friends including Raven and then settling back into her everyday superhero life. Raven is uniquely connected to Kat, other than being the only other shifter around they share a connection that is frequently hunted at and not directly explained. So when Kat begins her ascent up the pillar, Raven feels it and follows. The events up top go poorly and Kat rescues an injured Raven and sends her back home while she finishes some business.

Raven arrives to find the world under attack and stands as it's guardian in Kat's place. Up to this point it is repeatedly hinted that Raven is a stronger shifter. In the previous big fights Raven usually joins and turns the tides as Kat struggles. Here you get to play as her and she is pretty awesome with her unique powers.the fight however is huge, endless. The boss is impossible and for every victory more enemies show up. As the fight goes on more friends join up in a very Avengers Assemble! fashion, they all do their part it is a nice little trip back in time to see people you've fought trying to protect the world together. This was all setup for Kat's return.

When Kat finally comes back her friends are defeated, her city is partially destroyed and Raven has been taken out. Kat rampages and carries on the fight. Against the odds her remaining friends pull out all the tricks and some pay the ultimate price for helping. Unable to truly defeat the boss Kat sacrifices herself to seal it away.

Time skip a little, the city is rebuilding. You control Raven again. Everyone who saw Raven defending the city heralds her as their saviour, she gains the game and recognition Kat desired and worked so hard for throughout the two games. She patrols the city and bumps into many friends all of whom know the truth and feels the loss of Kat though none as deeply as Raven.

 

[品川駅]

The Dark Templars on the first StarCraft.

 

[Deleted member 51539]

For a short period of time, your dog joins your party in Earthbound

 

[Typhon]

The Joker bit in Arkham Origins.

 

[Prof Bathtub]

Pankraz in DQ V somewhat fits into the mold of "overpowered temporary party member" like Leo or Beatrix, but he isn't following commands from his 6-year old son, so I guess he doesn't count as playable.

 

[Trisc]

Spoiler: Danganronpa 2

Playing as Nagito as he solves puzzles in a deathtrap-laden escape room was really cool. The fact that it concludes with him gambling his life in a game of Russian roulette should've been shocking, but at that point you're so familiar with his character's absurd luck, that you're not surprised he makes it out. What's actually surprising is the sheer glee he expresses over risking his life, and the lengths he'll go to to "help" his peers, in his own twisted way. Getting inside his head was a uniquely disturbing move, and the game pulled it off extremely well.

 

[psynergyadept]

Spoiler: Trails of Cold Steel II

In the final chapter of Trails of Cold Steel II, you can buy an item that lets you play as one of the main antagonists, with all of her abilities from her boss fight. It's exactly as cool as it sounds and even though it's non-canon she still has interactions with the rest of the cast. You can also buy items for two other antagonists and two characters from previous games.

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YO WHAT!?!?!?! how am I just finding out about this!?!?!?

 

[Lord Vatek]

YO WHAT!?!?!?! how am I just finding out about this!?!?!?

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Spoiler

Yeah it's an accessory called "Witch's Mirror" that you can equip to any female character.