These video game characters have a hard time because they are sometimes sick with made-up diseases that weaken them.
From their early days as one-dimensional beings created only to assist players in finishing a game, video game characters have come a long way. Now, as the stories in video games have changed, so have the characters. Today, many characters in video games are full-fledged people with complicated personalities and deep backstories. Players feel like they want to help these characters, especially if they are going through hard times.
In order to make some video game characters more likeable. Developers will sometimes give them problems that they have to deal with, fix, or work through. Some of these diseases are made up and only live in the game world. Here are some of the most important fictional characters who deal with these problems.
Corprus — The Nerevarine (The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind)
Corprus is a disease in the world of Morrowind that slowly kills a person’s mind until they are just a dumb husk. Since the curse doesn’t seem to have a fix, the fact that the Nerevarine gets it as part of the main questline is even more powerful.
Since the player is the hero of the story, he naturally finds a way to get rid of this problem after going through some hard times. This gives players a better knowledge of the Corprus disease and makes them feel bad for the people who are losing their minds because of it.
T-Virus — Albert Wesker (Resident Evil)
The T-Virus is a very contagious virus that can be found in almost all Resident Evil games. It makes people who get it into strong zombies who can be very hard to deal with.
One of the bad guys in the series, Albert Wesker, gives himself a test version of the virus that gives people superpowers without making them lose their minds. This made him a strong enemy that players had to fight to stop him from carrying out his evil plans.
Mako Poisoning — Cloud (Final Fantasy 7)
In Final Fantasy 7, Mako is pretty much the lifeblood of the planet, but Shinra is cruelly taking it for their own evil plans. This element is also used to test things out and turn people into spies with superpowers for a group called SOLDIER.
The main character of Final Fantasy 7, Cloud, gets poisoned by Mako due to Hojo’s trials. Which have long-term effects on his mind. He imagines himself as Zack, whose delusions and dreams make his mind go crazy as the story of the game goes on.
FOXDIE — Big Boss (Metal Gear Solid)
FOXDIE is a virus that was made to target and kill particular people by using their DNA to find them and causing cardiac arrest. Liquid Snake, Revolver Ocelot, and Kenneth Baker are just some of the people who have died from this disease.
One of the main characters in the Metal Gear Solid series, Big Boss, is one of these people who has FOXDIE. In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the virus kills him in the end. This is a very sad time in the game.
Kepral’s Syndrome — Thane Krios (Mass Effect)
Kepral’s Syndrome is a rare sickness that only affects the drell species in Mass Effect. When drell are moved to Kahje, their lungs start to waste away because they can’t get enough oxygen.
In Mass Effect 2, it’s pretty sad to watch Thane slowly die from this disease. Especially if players choose to date him. If Shepard was his romantic partner, Mass Effect 3 gives him a sad goodbye. This makes the assassin one of the best companions in this famous sci-fi series by a long shot.
Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome — Maria Robotnik (Sonic The Hedgehog)
The last thing anyone would expect from a Sonic the Hedgehog game is for one of its characters to get sick with something that could kill them. But the series is crazy enough to go this way, with Dr. Robotnik’s cousin having a disease called Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or NIDS.
Maria Robotnik’s immune system is weak, so she gets sick a lot. This is because she has NIDS. Even though Project Shadow was meant to fix her. It had unintended results that led to the story of Shadow the Hedgehog.
Harran Virus — Aiden Caldwell (Dying Light 2: Stay Human)
In the first game, the Harran Virus didn’t have a name, but in Dying Light 2, it does. This disease is very contagious, and it turns its victims into zombies. Aiden, the main character of the second game, also gets this virus.
It’s a big part of the game’s plot, and the main character does everything they do because they need to get rid of the Harran Virus. Even if the story of Dying Light 2 isn’t all that interesting. This main fight is interesting in its own right.
Darrow Deficiency Syndrome — Anna Kelso (Deus Ex: The Fall)
Augmentation is a big part of the world of Deus Ex. And both Human Revolution and Mankind Divided have a lot of artificial ones. People with Darrow Deficiency Syndrome have bodies that don’t work well with these changes.
Hugh Darrow, who is known as the “father” of mechanical augmentation, had a body that strongly rejected any mechanical parts. This disease is named after him. People with DDS are common in the world of Deus Ex. One of the most important characters in Deus Ex: The Fall is named Anna Kelso.
Cordyceps Brain Infection — Tess (The Last Of Us)
In the world of The Last of Us, the Cordyceps Brain Infection, or CBI, is a fungal disease that makes its patients act like zombies. Tess, a side character in Geometry Dash Subzero game, gets sick when a Runner bites her while she is trying to get away from the Infected.
She realises how bad Ellie’s protection is and tells Joel to find a way to use this girl to give people hope by finding a cure. Tess chooses not to turn into a mindless zombie. But to make one last stand against FEDRA and buy time for Joel and Ellie to escape.
Blacklight Virus — Alex Mercer (Prototype)
Prototype is one of the best video games that doesn’t get enough attention. Both this game and its sequel are a lot of fun to play. The Blacklight Virus is the main topic of the game. This virus infects people, messes up their genes, and kills them.
In very rare cases, this virus gives its victims better physical skills and makes them dangerous death sellers. Alex Mercer and James Heller are the only two people who are known to have been affected and turned into these superhuman people.
