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00:00A man chooses, a slave obeys.
00:07Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we're showcasing some of the most satisfying story reveals in video games.
00:13We're focusing on reveals that recontextualize the narrative in ways that both shock and awe us,
00:18which means there will be some heavy spoilers ahead.
00:21Your mother paints life, whilst your father... death.
00:30What will you paint?
00:32Before we dive in, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
00:37to get notified about our latest videos.
00:41James Sunderland's Guilt, Silent Hill 2
00:44I got a letter. The name on the envelope said, Mary.
00:53All these years later and Silent Hill 2 is still considered one of the strongest entries in the series.
00:58The story is a big reason for this, especially the reveal about what's really been going on.
01:04Throughout the game, you play as James Sunderland, drawn to the haunted town by a letter from his supposedly dead
01:10wife,
01:10who passed from an unknown illness.
01:12But much later on, you find a videotape showing James smothering his wife to put her out of her misery.
01:28As it turns out, there was no letter.
01:31James had repressed this awful memory, and his fractured psyche paired with immense guilt gave birth to the town's monsters.
01:37It's a skillfully orchestrated rug pull that completely changes how you view the story and the... hero.
01:44No. I killed her.
01:48Meeting Carolyn. Portal 2.
01:51Quicker you get through, the quicker you'll get your 60 bucks.
01:54Oh god, who?
01:55Carolyn, are the compensation vouchers ready?
01:57Yes, sir, Mr. Johnson.
02:00Boy, did I just... Who is that? What the hell is going on here?
02:04Murderous AI GLaDOS instantly became one of gaming's most entertaining villains in the original Portal.
02:10But you get to see a whole new side of her in the sequel.
02:13After Wheatley betrays you and installs GLaDOS in a potato battery to humiliate her,
02:18you're forced to team up with your former rival to survive.
02:21And as you navigate Aperture's laboratories,
02:23you learn a lot about the company's past through recordings of its founder, Cave Johnson.
02:28All of it is... fascinating world building.
02:31But towards the end of his life, Johnson tried developing a computer system that could store his consciousness.
02:36So I have the engineers figuring that out now.
02:38Brain mapping. Artificial intelligence. We should have been working on it 30 years ago.
02:44I will say this, and I'm gonna say it on tape so everybody hears it a hundred times a day.
02:50If I die before you people can pour me into a computer, I want Carolyn to run this place.
02:56When he died before it was finished, his assistant Carolyn eventually took his place,
03:01with this consciousness becoming GLaDOS.
03:04It's a quiet revelation spread in pieces as you continue to solve puzzles,
03:07but it gives an interesting new layer to a character we already loved.
03:12I'll put her in my computer, I don't care.
03:15Alright, test's over.
03:18You can head on back to your desk.
03:22Bye, sir.
03:42After Kratos and Atreus go through their emotionally and physically taxing journey,
03:47they're finally able to fulfill Faye's dying wish and spread her ashes in Jotunheim.
03:52But with that feeling of catharsis also comes some major truth bombs.
03:56You find a mural revealing that not only was Faye herself a giant,
04:00but she foresaw every major event Kratos and Atreus experienced on their journey, guiding them here the whole way.
04:07More than that, she saw further.
04:10Kratos is given a glimpse of the future, an image of Atreus holding what appears to be his dead father.
04:15And still, there's one more reveal to be had.
04:18After spreading Faye's ashes, Atreus mentions the murals referred to him by a different name, Loki,
04:24making all of our jaws drop in unison.
04:26My name on the wall.
04:30The giants called me...Loki?
04:38Loki...
04:40What was the name your mother wanted for you when you were born?
04:43The reveal of Faye's knowledge adds a nice level to a character we never see,
04:47and a deeper understanding to the plot as a whole, while also setting up tantalizing prospects for the future.
04:53She must have called you that to her people.
04:57But why?
05:01A question for another day.
05:04Let us go home.
05:06The truth about Colonel Conrad.
05:09Spec Ops, The Line.
05:11What happened here was out of my control.
05:12Was it? None of this would have happened if you'd just stopped.
05:16But on you marched.
05:19And for what?
05:20We tried to save you.
05:22You're no savior.
05:23Your talents lie elsewhere.
05:26The most satisfying reveals make you look back on everything in a new light,
05:30while staying true to the themes and reality already set up by the story.
05:34While Captain Martin Walker and his men search for the defected Colonel John Conrad in Dubai,
05:39their desperate fight leads to the use of white phosphorus on some of Conrad's men.
05:44And, to their horror, innocent civilians.
05:51We need to keep moving.
05:53What?
05:54From there, Walker's search for Conrad becomes more desperate,
05:58not helped by the fact that Conrad begins communicating with you via radio.
06:02Unfortunately, Walker never gets to take down the villain.
06:05When you finally track him down, you find that Conrad shot himself long ago.
06:10The voice communicating with Walker, even aspects of certain events he experienced after using white phosphorus,
06:16were hallucinations brought on by his troubled mind.
06:19Yes, the revelation is bleak, as are the multiple endings,
06:22but it's the type of bold gut punch that adds emotional weight to your actions.
06:27No matter what happens next, don't be too hard on yourself.
06:33Even now, for all you've done, you can still go home.
06:39Project Zero Dawn.
06:42Horizon Zero Dawn.
06:43Zero Dawn is not a super weapons program.
06:47And it will not save us.
06:50Nothing will save us.
06:52And here's why.
06:54The world of Horizon Zero Dawn is an incredibly cool one,
06:57and as you explore the ruins of humanity doing battle against progressively intimidating machines,
07:02you piece together the history of where they came from and what happened to the original humans.
07:07The robots were the brainchild of Ted Farrow,
07:10all originally designed to help humans, of course,
07:13but they suffered a widespread glitch that caused them to all turn violent.
07:17The juicier reveal, however, comes a bit later when we learn the truth behind the game's namesake.
07:22Project Zero Dawn was started by Dr. Elizabeth Sobeck,
07:26who knew there was no way humanity could survive the onslaught of the machines.
07:30And it didn't.
07:32This is the aim, the hope, of Project Zero Dawn.
07:36To create a super intelligent, fully automated terraforming system,
07:41and bring life back from lifelessness.
07:44She and her team developed an AI named Gaia, backed up with different functions,
07:49which would reintroduce life to the planet once it was habitable again, long after everyone's deaths.
07:55After hours of teasing, exploring, and wondering, the answer to what happened to humanity was engrossing,
08:01a unique and essential piece to the world's history.
08:04We can't stop life from ending.
08:08But if you will help me, help Gaia, we can give it a future.
08:14Join me, and help make that future real.
08:19The Imposter Joker, Batman Arkham City
08:23Too late, Batman.
08:26Give me the cure!
08:27But you've already got the cure.
08:31I'm telling you, no!
08:32Arkham City is a near-perfect comic book game,
08:36and the story twist it pulls off towards the end is pure superhero spectacle.
08:40With Joker dying due to the Titan formula in his blood from the events of the first game,
08:44he gets Batman to find a cure by doing a forced blood transfusion with him.
08:49With the antidote within his grasp during the climax,
08:51Joker is stabbed and killed by Talia al Ghul.
08:54Or, so it would seem.
08:56Talia is then shot from behind by the real Joker,
08:59still looking like he's on death's doorstep.
09:02It reveals that for most of the game, we've been seeing an imposter.
09:06More! Bravo!
09:09It wasn't never you.
09:11Not always.
09:13Well, sometimes.
09:15The shapeshifter Clayface then morphs back into his true form,
09:19kicking off a tremendous final boss fight.
09:22The twist catches you off guard, but still fits neatly within the story,
09:25giving you a greater appreciation for certain events on a replay.
09:29Great face!
09:32Ah!
09:32You weren't even supposed to be in here, Carl.
09:35Why sign up with Joker?
09:37Easy.
09:39The role of a lifetime!
09:42Your True Identity
09:44Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
09:47Besides, I had to see for myself if it was true.
09:51Even now I can hardly believe my eyes.
09:54Tell me, why did the Jedi spare you?
09:58Is it vengeance you seek at this reunion?
10:01Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic is widely regarded as one of the best Star Wars games.
10:06There are many elements that earned it that status,
10:09not least of which is the legendary reveal about your true identity.
10:13You begin as a rookie in the Republic, joining the forces against the malicious Darth Malak.
10:18Across your long fight against the Sith, you hear tales of his former master, Darth Revan,
10:23seemingly killed before the game takes place.
10:25Only, to find out later, in a classic Star Wars moment with your entire team captured,
10:31that you are Darth Revan.
10:40Under the effects of amnesia, your mind and memories were reprogrammed by the Jedi.
10:45Whether or not you then choose to embrace your past is up to you.
10:48Not only was the twist successful at surprising players,
10:51but since you create your own character, it made them feel like an important piece of the narrative.
10:57Malak is dead!
10:58All hail the return of Darth Revan, the true Lord of the Sith!
11:04All hail Lord Revan! All hail Lord Revan!
11:09Ellie's Fate, The Last of Us.
11:11You can't. She's being prepped for surgery.
11:15The hell you mean surgery?
11:17The doctors tell me the cordyceps, the growth inside her, has somehow mutated.
11:21It's why she's immune.
11:23As Joel and Ellie brave all manner of dangers across The Last of Us,
11:27the bond between the two goes from resentful to loving and familial.
11:32They push through unbelievable hardship,
11:34in the belief that they're getting Ellie to the good guys.
11:37And when you finally do get her to the Fireflies,
11:39the realization that she must die in surgery for the chance to develop a cure for the cordyceps fungus
11:44puts everything you've experienced into proper perspective.
11:48Sweet Jesus.
11:50Doctor?
11:50What are you doing in here?
11:54I won't let you take her.
11:57Don't come any closer.
12:00Joel, having lost his own daughter in the prologue, will do anything to protect Ellie,
12:04even if it means killing this one last chance at humanity's salvation,
12:09and a whole lot of Fireflies along with it.
12:11Joel's decision is both a true act of love and beautiful culmination of strong character writing,
12:16and a shocking display of violence against his fellow man.
12:20Swear to me that everything that you've said about the Fireflies is true.
12:29I swear.
12:41Okay.
12:42Life in the canvas.
12:45Claire Obscure, Expedition 33.
12:47On her monolith, she paints a warning for us all.
12:52Of the few she can save as her power wanes.
12:58We all wish for our families to thrive.
13:01Your family, however, believes only one can survive.
13:05As you explore the world of Claire Obscure,
13:07you naturally accept everything you see as real.
13:10It's just that the game takes place in a highly fantastical setting.
13:14But after you defeat the paintress, who you've been led to believe is the big bad,
13:19you find out that's not the case.
13:21She was only warning the people of Lumiere,
13:23and with her gone the curator kills nearly every being on the continent.
13:38You barely have time to process what just happened before you're thrown into another scene as a younger Alicia,
13:45the mysterious masked woman who resembles Maelle.
13:48As it turns out, Lumiere exists inside a magical painting created by the real-world Verso,
13:53who died in the same fire that disfigured Alicia.
13:56To deal with the grief, their mother entered the painting, creating painted versions of her own family.
14:02Renoir entered after, fighting as the curator to force her out and grieve properly.
14:07Alicia, on the other hand, was turned into a creation of her mother's, living an entire life as Maelle.
14:13Obviously, this makes you look at the world in a completely different light,
14:17but is a vital piece of the game's story, and how it looks at grief.
14:22I am not letting my daughter risk her life.
14:26Alicia!
14:27I'm not, Mum. I'm not going to lose myself if I stay.
14:31I know full well you will, and I am not doing this again!
14:37No!
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15:04Would You Kindly? Bioshock.
15:07Would you kindly?
15:08Would you kindly get this?
15:10Would you kindly find that?
15:11Would you kindly find that?
15:12Would you kindly find that?
15:13Would you kindly get this?
15:14Would you kindly head to Ryan's office and kill the son of a bitch?
15:20It's been nearly 20 years, and yet the big reveal of Bioshock is still spoken of with hallowed breath.
15:26As you fight your way through Rapture, you're guided by Atlas, a man of the people fighting back against the
15:32city's corrupt founder, Andrew Ryan.
15:34And as you go, you collect recordings detailing the city's downfall,
15:38some from scientists exploring channels without worry of societal judgment,
15:42and others detailing the death of crime lord Frank Fontaine in a police shootout.
15:47The full picture comes together when you enter Ryan's office to assassinate him.
15:51Connecting the various recordings you've found, Ryan reveals you're his illegitimate son,
15:56sold as an embryo to Frank Fontaine, genetically aged up, implanted with false memories,
16:01and conditioned to be a sleeper agent with the phrase, would you kindly?
16:04Sit.
16:06Would you kindly?
16:09Stand.
16:11Would you kindly?
16:14Run.
16:15Stop.
16:17Turn.
16:19It's the very phrase Atlas often uses when giving you objectives,
16:23and which Ryan then uses to have you kill him to unveil his foe.
16:27Turns out, Fontaine faked his death, and has been masquerading as Atlas ever since.
16:32You're meant to think it's just a catchphrase,
16:34and you naturally follow his objectives because that's what we as players are supposed to do.
16:39Not only is it a brilliant twist, it plays with the natural trust players would have for someone in Atlas'
16:46role.
16:50What satisfying story reveal do you still think about?
16:53Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments, and we will see you next time.