History DeconstructedTrope / VideoGames

** Not to mention, Ephraim's seeming perfection is the reason why Innes and [[spoiler:Lyon]] show quite the degree of inferiority complexes and covert/not-so-covert envy. In the first case, Ephraim only sees it as normal FriendlyRivalry, but Innes takes it more seriously to the point of [[spoiler:telling Eirika that he'll only propose to her after defeating Ephraim]]; in the latter, it's massively PlayedForDrama since [[spoiler:Ephraim adores Lyon and never ever sees him as inferior, so is struck ''hard'' (read: [[CryCute he's driven to tears]]) when he learns about Lyon's psychological troubles and how a part of them can be linked to seeing himself as inferior to Ephraim]].

* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' gives us [[spoiler:Oersted]], a massive deconstruction of the KnightInShiningArmor. You see, he really ''is'' a valiant, brave and chivalrous knight to the very end, always seeking to help everyone around him and following his moral code: "As long as there is one person believes in you, you can't give up". [[spoiler:Said last person ''kills herself'' after Oerstred sacrificed literally EVERYTHING to save her, right after being betrayed by his best friend and finding out that everything he believed in was a lie. Despite acting as TheHero through the whole game, in the end everyone who ever cared for him is either dead or now hates him due to a scheme by said best friend.]] It really shouldn't go without saying [[spoiler:that [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds he snaps...]] but in his own twisted vision, he's just helping humanity to "see the folly of their selfishness". And, once defeated, he finally realizes the mistakes on his own ways and openly admits being wrong. Noble to the very end]].

* ''VideoGame/BattleTech2018' harshly deconstructs RightfulKingReturns. Kamea claims that her return to power after her uncle's coup d'etat will ''look'' like the trope in retrospect, but ultimately her successes rest on her being a better strategist, politician and spin doctor, as well as even more ruthless but less cartoonishly evil, than her uncle and not any inherent righteousness in her cause.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' takes a hatchet to the idea of TheNeedsOfTheMany being anything less than morally repugnant. Shepherd Artorias and his Abbey rule the world with this as their absolute philosophy, and it's thoroughly demonstrated that [[VillainWithGoodPublicity no matter what people think]], follow this code makes Artorias an inherently abhorrent person, murdering his own family for a ritual, consigning whole villages to die of starvation because relief supplies are an economic loss, and sacrificing his own exorcists, all without a second thought because it furthered the welfare of "the many". Sure, [[ByronicHero Velvet]] is no saint, but at least her endgame isn't [[spoiler:the elimination of all free will in the name of an efficient society]].

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is not kind to GoldenAge. Neither the Dragons nor Gwyn could let go of their "perfect eras" and did everything in their power to keep it the way it was. The result? [[spoiler:In the case of the dragons? A gigantic war that almost completely anihilated their kind. In the case of Gwyn? [[TheEndoftheWorldasWeKnowIt well...]]]]
* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' shows that [[DungeonCrawling going into a confined, dark space full of highly-aggressive, inhuman monsters with limited supplies]] takes a massive toll both physically and [[SanityMeter mentally]] on even the hardiest soldiers.
** It also shows exactly what type of people would sign up for such a quest: broken, desperate, and occasionally insane people.

* While ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' was always a darker version of {{Mons}} (despite [[OlderThanTheyThink preceding]] Franchise/{{Pokemon}} by several years), ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' took it to ''Shadow Star'' levels of brutality by showing exactly what kind of world would result in people gaining control of extremely powerful creatures that would follow any order.

** Its second-degree sequel ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi dai ou jou]]'' is a deconstruction of {{Robot Girl}}s. Set in a future crawling with Element Dolls, robot girls used as little more than slaves (of both the standard variety and...not-so-standard variety), the protagonist embarks on a mission against the forces of Hibachi with the assistance of one of three dolls. Depending on which doll you use, the ending has her [[spoiler:choking the protagonist to death and going back in time to cause shit in DOJ's sequel ''[=DoDonPachi=] [=DaiFukkatsu=]'', falling for him despite him not reciprocating her feelings, or becoming so protective of the pilot that she has to be forcibly removed from the ship. Regardless of which doll, it's clear that your doll has gone batshit insane.]]

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'' deconstructs one major fantasy concept: The WizardingSchool is more of a prison and re-education camp than a school, as it seems to be the only way to avoid devolving the world into a bunch of mage-controlled city states.
** It also deconstructs the FantasticCasteSystem, showing exactly how Dwarven society, with its exclusion of the casteless from the labor pool, near complete lack of social mobility and strong conservative values, actually functions. Here's how: ''It doesn't.'' The dwarf realms are experiencing major brain-drain as low-caste dwarves are migrating to the surface in droves, and attempts to coerce them into staying by declaring those who set foot on the surface "lost to the Stone" and casteless are just met with shrugs. "GoldDigger" is a preferred career among casteless women, but due to how caste is inherited this has led to a population explosion among the casteless, who by tradition are forbidden to participate in the workforce and forced to turn to crime to survive. Meanwhile, the noble caste are more than willing to backstab each other and RulesLawyer their precious honor code into a pretzel if it means hanging on to their waning power one more day, while their civilization both metaphorically and literally crumbles around them.

** The game is set in a world where the hero of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' had been groomed all his life to go on a quest to defeat [[BigBad the Dragonlord]]. [[spoiler:He ended up taking the Dragonlord's DealWithTheDevil just to have ''some'' agency over his own life and see what would happen. The game is set in the resulting BadEnd BadFuture.]]

* The main quest of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' deconstructs VillainExitStageLeft. [[spoiler:When you first defeat the BigBad, Alduin, he just throws a few taunts at you, then leaves. However, this causes many of the [[ProudWarriorRace dragons]] serving under him to see him as a DirtyCoward unfit to rule them. Eventually, due to this act of cowardice, Alduin's [[TheDragon right-hand dragon]] makes a HeelFaceTurn and helps you reach the place where you can kill Alduin for good.]]

*** And if you want the dialog options allow you to play out this trope entirely when speaking with [[spoiler:Ulysses.]]

* ''VideoGame/FarCry2'' deconstructs badass with the player character. The enemies attack you on sight, no one bothers to check if you're enemy or not...solution? You kill everything on sight, becoming just like them and racking up hundreds of kills, and by doing that, become the epitome of badassitude with enemies running from you in fear if your reputation is high enough. Of course, this reputation doesn't just affect enemies, it affects friendly people as well, which you need for malaria medicine...

* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem: Blazing Blade]]'' deconstructs AttentionWhore through Serra, who not only annoys her friends and prospect love interests with her demands for attention and vassalage, but [[spoiler:acts this way because she was badly neglected and abused in the Elimine convent where she was raised]], so her behavior is somewhat less about her being conceited and more about [[spoiler:[[IJustWantToBeLoved a massive cry]] [[PleaseDontLeaveMe for help]] [[StepfordSmiler hidden behind her facade]].]] But her own behavior actually ends up pushing almost everyone away (specially [[SugarAndIceGuy Erk]] and [[TeamDad Oswin]]), who aren't able to see her HiddenDepths until ''much'' later.

** Not to mention, Ephraim's seeming perfection is the reason why Innes and [[spoiler:Lyon]] show quite the degree of inferiority complexes and covert/not-so-covert envy. In the first case, Ephraim only sees it as normal FriendlyRivalry, but Innes takes it more seriously to the point of [[spoiler:telling Eirika that he'll only propose to her after defeating Ephraim]]; in the latter, it's massively PlayedForDrama since [[spoiler:Ephraim adores Lyon and never ever sees him as inferior, so is struck ''hard'' (read: [[CryCute he's driven to tears]]) when he learns about Lyon's psychological troubles and how a part of them can be linked to seeing himself as inferior to Ephraim.]]

** ThePerfectionist: Cordelia. Her perfectionist nature make her quite disliked by the rest of the Ylisse Pegasus Knights [[{{Jerkass}} for seemingly looking down upon the others]], even though she only becomes that way [[WellDoneSonGuy because she seeks her seniors' approval]]. And then her A support with Avatar reveals [[spoiler:that despite their teasing, the other pegasus knights [[OneeSama really did admire her]], to the point that [[HeroicSacrifice they were willing to give up their lives for her.]] Being called a genius reminds her of their sacrifice, which is why she dislikes being called one.]] And not to mention, her "perfect" and "genius" [[spoiler:post-mortem]] fame will cause her daughter Severa to have quite the inferiority complex...

** [[spoiler:King Gangrel of Plegia]] is revealed to be a deconstruction of TheCaligula. How so? [[spoiler:His cruel and tyrannical actions quickly turn around to bite him in the ass. After Chrom's sister Emmeryn commits a HeroicSuicide, his own army starts defecting en masse, and the next chapter you fight a group of Plegian soldiers who honestly do not want anything to do with this war Gangrel started ''and'' were traumatized by Emmeryn's death. By the time the Shepherds confront Gangrel, all but a small group of loyalists have abandoned him, and Emmeryn has become a folk heroine among the people of Plegia.]] Not to mention, [[spoiler:Gangrel ''can'' be [[HeelFaceTurn recruited into your army]] in the first [[SocializationBonus SpotPass]] chapter; his supports also reveal that he did ''not'' start as a madman but as a mixture of SelfMadeMan who wanted to unite the continent against Valm, but fell into MotiveDecay after he went mad with power and well... ended up as the WarForFunAndProfit motivated madman the group met and fought. And damn, [[TheAtoner he now regrets having been such an asshole]]. (Not to mention, [[ReformedButRejected Chrom still can't forgive him]], and his potential best friend/girlfriend the Avatar does NOT trust him either at first.) His actions after being recruited ultimately do nothing to improve his reputation or redeem him in the eyes of everyone else and, unless he is romanced by the female Avatar, he spends the rest of his life hated and alone.]]

** Dimtiri is the archetyical lord who went through a tragedy, saw his family and friends murdered, and has to retake his kingdom from a Red Emperor. But unlike Marth, Eirika/Ephraim, Seliph, or other series' protagonists, the experience deeply traumatizes him and leads to either a bitter, bloody death or living the rest of his life as TheAtoner with the trauma never fully resolving itself.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned'', meanwhile, deconstructed the mystique of the [[BadassBiker "outlaw" biker gang]]. The lifestyle of the Lost Motorcycle Club is shown as being filled with [[HellBentForLeather slick leather jackets]], [[CoolBike tricked-out hogs]], kick-ass fights, [[TrueCompanions camaraderie]], and badass mannerisms, just like in the movies... yet it's also a gang no different from [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas the Ballas or the Grove Street Families]], and with it comes backstabbing, death, and eventually [[spoiler:the total destruction of the Lost as an organization due to a brutal gang war]]. The deconstruction is completed in ''GTA V'', where we see that [[spoiler:Johnny, the protagonist of ''The Lost and Damned'', has [[BadassDecay become a strung-out meth addict]] who [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome gets killed minutes after his introduction]] -- the logical conclusion of his downward spiral at the end of ''The Lost and Damned''.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Grandia 1}}'' shows what would ''really'' happen if [[KidHero an 8-year-old girl was taken on an epic adventure where she has to constantly fight monsters and walk enormous distances]]: [[spoiler:the physical strain of adventuring proves to be too much for her young body to handle, and she becomes very sick, forcing the heroes to waste a one-of-a-kind teleporter to send her back home.]]

** The Komato are a deconstruction of the ProudWarriorRace. What do you think will happen when they eventually succeed [[spoiler:(or at least are tricked into believing that they succeeded)]] in destroying their sworn enemy and no longer have a reason to fight? [[spoiler:General Tor suspects that they'll eventually turn on each other.]]
* The pros and cons of ThouShallNotKill and PayEvilUntoEvil are explored in both ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' and ''VideoGame/Injustice2''. One of the bigger reasons why Superman and Batman have come to blows over the years is the argument of when and where is breaking the no-kill rule beneficial and nobody finding a middle ground... or backing down. Both sides even jab {{Armor Piercing Question}}s at each other about the policies they adhere to post-Metropolis.
** Batman ardently sticks to not killing, aware that if he does so in the name of justice, he's no better than the criminals he just killed, but couldn't fix the Joker's KarmaHoudini problem, which backfired horribly when the MonsterClown caused Superman's StartOfDarkness in the first game by tricking him into killing his own wife and nuking Metropolis. Superman frequently chides him for not killing those who deserve to die for the greater good even when he desires to do so.
** Likewise, Superman no longer believes in the no-kill rule and thinks only PayEvilUntoEvil matters post-Metropolis, especially with villains like the Joker or Brainiac, but Batman still believes that it's an easy path to JumpOffTheSlipperySlope, [[BewareTheSuperman something which brought out the worst]] in Superman. In Brainiac's case, while Superman wants to kill the Coluan in revenge for blowing up Krypton, Batman warns they need to keep Brainiac alive if they hope to restore all of the cities.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' deconstructs TheChosenOne harshly. The legend of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Hero of Time]] results in the people of Hyrule believing that he will return should the time come that Hyrule is in danger again. When Ganondorf returns they continue to believe this and Ganondorf remains unopposed [[spoiler:until the Gods take matters into their own hands leaving Hyrule in ruins.]] This particular version of Link also has to '''[[TheUnchosenOne earn]]''' his title as the successor of the legendary hero rather that just getting it.

* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' gives us [[spoiler:Oersted]], a massive deconstruction of the KnightInShiningArmor. You see, he really ''is'' a valiant, brave and chivalrous knight to the very end, always seeking to help everyone around him and following his moral code: "As long as there is one person believes in you, you can't give up". [[spoiler:Said last person ''kills herself'' after Oerstred sacrificed literally EVERYTHING to save her, right after being betrayed by his best friend and finding out that everything he believed in was a lie. Despite acting as TheHero through the whole game, in the end everyone who ever cared for him is either dead or now hates him due to a scheme by said best friend.]] It really shouldn't go without saying [[spoiler:that [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds he snaps...]] but in his own twisted vision, he's just helping humanity to "see the folly of their selfishness". And, once defeated, he finally realizes the mistakes on his own ways and openly admits being wrong. Noble to the very end.]]

** In an interesting subversion, Urdnot Wrex (one of the first named krogan we meet) not only starts out as [[GeniusBruiser much more mellow]] than his brethren but goes on to [[{{Reconstruction}} reconstruct]] the ProudWarriorRaceGuys culture of his kind almost singlehandedly, much to the annoyance of more two-dimensional Krogan.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' is known for its deconstruction of WhiteAndGreyMorality and RousseauWasRight in the first two games by showing the tragedy that ensues from such an event.
** When you factor in Zero's origin as [[spoiler:the last creation of Dr. Wily]] the series is also a deconstruction of JokerImmunity, ThouShallNotKill, and probably a few other related tropes as well. Because [[spoiler:Dr. Wily was ''not'' executed after ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'', or killed in the next game because of Mega Man's ThreeLawsCompliant nature, he lived on to build Zero]], the latter being the ''cause'' of the wars in from the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series all the way to his own. Then we have Dr. Weil, the main villain of the Zero series, who was also not killed when captured in the Zero series back story, and came back to wreak havoc.

** At a more meta level, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' deconstructs a lot of the tropes of video gaming itself.
** Arguably the whole franchise is a deconstrucion of the badass trope, when you consider how much the heroes suffer to get to where they are.

* ActionRPG ''VideoGame/MetalWalker'' deconstructs the empty overworld found in many [=RPGs=]. Besides your character and a select few [=NPCs=] with {{Mons}}, no one is outside, even in towns--because [[KillerRobot killer robots]] populate the landscape, even right outside buildings. Since you yourself are attacked very frequently, you can imagine why defenseless humans don't go out...
* Iva's Story in ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon Orta'' deconstructs the LittlestCancerPatient. In a CrapsackWorld where EverythingIsTryingToKillYou, predominantly run by a fairly corrupt Empire, there's just no place for a person, even a '''child''', who is terminally ill and needs looking after, so Iva is still conscripted into the Imperial Army. When he learns the truth about his condition from a letter left by his father in his final packet of medicine, he willfully goes on a SuicideMission to put an end to a dangerous monster threat.

** Ms. Kashiwagi, the Investigation Team's second homeroom teacher, deconstructs SenseiChan; rather than see her immaturity and behavior as endearing, her students view her as nothing more than a pathetic AttentionWhore.
*** She also deconstructs HotForStudent as her ChristmasCake status has left her so bitter and desperate for attention from males that she is willing to settle for anyone.

** Sae Nijima was PromotedToParent for her younger sister Makoto after the untimely death of their father. While Sae genuinely cares for Makoto, the pressures of managing her line of work and caring for Makoto has caused her to become jaded, bitter and cynical. She despises her father for dying and leaving his children to deal with the fallout and she is secretly terrified that either she or Makoto will die a similar death like their father in a fruitless pursuit of justice. In the main story, in a fit of anger, Sae told Makoto that she saw Makoto as a burden and later on, reveals that she was jealous of Makoto's idealistic views and how carefree Makoto's life is as a high schooler. Meanwhile, Makoto only wants to [[WellDoneSonGuy make Sae proud]] and wishes to have the relationship they had prior to their father's death.

* In ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'', Chris Redfield was PromotedToParent for his sister Claire after their parents died in a freak accident when she was fourteen. Chris was given new responsibilities suddenly and he became overprotective over her, training her in firearms and combat skills from a young age and apparently often bossed her around. Even though Claire loved her brother, she still harbored some bitterness over his parenting as an adult.

* E-102 Gamma's storyline in ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Sonic Adventure]]'' was an unexpected deconstruction of Eggman's robotic {{mook}}s...or more specifically, the fact that [[UnwillingRoboticisation Eggman's robots are powered by animals]]. (Well, technically, Gamma was an EliteMook, but whatever.) After seeing Amy's flicky in the Egg Carrier's prison chamber, his power source's memories and emotions began to conflict with his programming, eventually leading to his seeking out and destroying the other E-100 models (and himself) to free the animals inside.

** Evil Ryu is a deconstruction of the same trope, but from a different approach. Ryu himself is a NiceGuy who only wants to be the better martial artist, but within him there's an horrifyingly powerful aura known as the "Satsui no Hado", which can potentially corrupt his whole mind and heart to make him a mindless killing machine. Evil Ryu is the incarnation of that SuperpoweredEvilSide, starting in the Alpha games as a cockier version of him and evolving in Super SFIV into a nightmarish and purely evil being; therefore, SFIV!Ryu is shown to be ''deeply'' distressed at the prospect of giving into this massive power that will be his perdition. [[spoiler:When it '''almost''' happens in the ''Ties That Bind'' movie, he's driven to a short but very intense HeroicBSOD.]]

* The ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' deconstructs the KidHero archetype that most JRPG games play straight. Most playable characters tend to skew as teenagers, most of the adults are very competent at their jobs in comparison. Thanks to their inexperience and lack of authority, the kids lose far more than they win and need to be frequently bailed out by their adult counterparts. Unless the younger characters have received specialized combat training which frequently is depicted as traumatizing or are flat out used to harsher living conditions, (just ask [[ChildSoldier Renne]], [[EmptyShell Joshua]], or [[DeathSeeker Kevin]]), they won't be able to catch up with the adults, no matter how many special powers and abilities they may have compared to years of experience. Ultimately this results in a case of TheBadGuyWins more often than not, leaving the protagonists to scrape by with personal victories at best while only making a dent in the villains' plans.
* ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'' deconstructs BigBrotherInstinct. Josh's character traits of "complex, thoughtful, loving", especially in regards [[BigBrotherInstinct to his sisters]], actually bring out the worst in him. Losing his sisters caused him to [[spoiler: be driven to madness and fixated on getting revenge on his friends who caused the prank. Josh's "prank" was far more traumatizing on his friends and after stopping his medications, he quickly loses the rest of his sanity.]]

* ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'', while in homage to lots of things, has a particularly interesting Deconstruction of TrappedInTVLand, Joe doesn't demonstrate it, but [[spoiler:Captain Blue certainly does, the game shows that he got caught up in his fantasy in Movie Land, showing he went insane because he couldn't visit his wife or daughter, and eventually tried to destroy everything]], it shows that being TrappedInTVLand sucks, and isn't really something to take lightly.
* StiffUpperLip in ''VideoGame/WeHappyFew'' is taken to the logical extreme where ''everyone'' in Wellington Wells is forced to maintain a cheerful facade in the face of disaster. They do not take kindly to anything that is sad or troubling, especially if it reminds them of [[NoodleIncident A Very Bad Thing]], and they will brutally attack and/or murder anyone who isn't on Joy. They are so dependent on taking their Joy and remaining blissfully ignorant than face the fact [[spoiler: there is a major food crisis and people are starving to death.]]

** Situation: [[spoiler:Principal Enfield tells the party that he has a ritual that will keep the [[ArtifactOfDoom Gatekeeper Statue]] bound to the party. Doing this prevents it from summoning its demonic master and taking over the world... but will also destroy the party's futures, since they'll have to devote everything to their club and each other, using their bonds to keep the thing at bay until such time as they must pass the statue on to someone else. It's the only way.]]
** Deconstruction: [[spoiler:Alicia, the party leader, simply won't do it. As she and the party point out, they've only got Enfield's word that this is the only way to stop the thing. He's ''tried'' to destroy it and failed... but the party is much stronger than he has ever been. He's just one guy, after all, while the Tactics Club is a multi-man party that's already proven themselves against both every other club in the school and against the statue's own cult. Further, it's not going to ''solve'' the problem, just kick it down the road; Alicia would rather take the bet they can actually fix it, now, than risk it breaking free later when they're weaker. The party simply beats the statue and its demon master to death- singlehandedly preventing Armageddon, and tossing Enfield's BarrierMaiden plan out on its ass.]]

* ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'' deconstructs {{tsundere}}s with Kylier by giving a realistic reason to her constant bitchiness towards Yggdra instead of a simple LoveTriangle. [[spoiler:She resents Fantasinia and its royal family as a whole for their FantasticRacism towards her people, displaying a little FantasticRacism herself.]]
*** Not to mention the deconstruction of the resistance, how in spite of Yggdra being not vilified, her weapon has caused more pain and suffering to the empire than what the empire does. And the SadisticChoice(s) she must make.

* In ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'', Josh's character traits of "complex, thoughtful, loving", especially in regards [[BigBrotherInstinct to his sisters]], actually bring out the worst in him. Losing his sisters caused him to [[spoiler: be driven to madness and fixated on getting revenge on his friends who caused the prank. Josh's "prank" was far more traumatizing on his friends and after stopping his medications, he quickly loses the rest of his sanity.]]

* The HopeBringer is deconstructed and reconstructed in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. For 1000 years, the summoners acted as bringers of hope by going on pilgrimages to obtain the Final Summoning capable of defeating Sin. Each time this happens, there is a period of time with Sin absent that the people of Spira hopes will last forever called a Calm. The Church of Yevon's teachings also provide hope to Spira by claiming that if they atone for the sins of the past, Sin will never return. [[spoiler:Except it's all a huge lie. The teachings of Yevon and the Final Summoning are total hogwash meant to give false hope. The Final Summoning is even more insidious because it is the means of Sin's rebirth, making the sacrifices of the summoners and their guardians (who ''become'' the new incarnations of Sin) [[SenselessSacrifice utterly senseless]]. Each Calm was essentially nothing but a HopeSpot. The whole system has trapped Spira in what Auron describes as a "spiral of death".]] Hope Bringer is then reconstructed when Yuna and her companions learn of the spoilered bit above and refuse to go along with it, preferring to risk everything to find a ''real'' solution without false hope. It's at this point that the story becomes less cynical and more idealistic.

* E-102 Gamma's storyline in ''[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic Adventure]]'' was an unexpected deconstruction of Eggman's robotic {{mook}}s...or more specifically, the fact that [[UnwillingRoboticisation Eggman's robots are powered by animals]]. (Well, technically, Gamma was an EliteMook, but whatever.) After seeing Amy's flicky in the Egg Carrier's prison chamber, his power source's memories and emotions began to conflict with his programming, eventually leading to his seeking out and destroying the other E-100 models (and himself) to free the animals inside.

* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' explores what would happen if [[spoiler:the NotLoveInterest in a DatingSim VN was just as in love with the protagonist as the other girls can be, ''and'' possessed MediumAwareness to know that no matter what, the game will never allow them to be together.]] [[SurpriseCreepy The results aren't pretty.]]

* AllLovingHero is semi-deconstructed in stages across all three routes in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' as being impossibly idealistic yet not necessarily a bad thing... but only if you can keep your sense of perspective. A handful of other tropes are touched upon in this - such as TheDulcineaEffect - but are generally props for the main point that there is something basically ''wrong'' with [[MartyrWithoutACause Shirou]].

* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIV'' deconstructs the idea of TheChosenOne with Chaz. Being informed that he's one of the Protectors of the Seal, destined to defend Algo from the forces of evil, he [[RefusalOfTheCall outright rejects it]], saying that mindlessly following the orders of an uncaring, distant god would make them no different than the story's villains.

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* ''[[Franchise/GundamExpandedUniverse Gundam Senki 0081]]'' deconstructs the young vs the old generation. If you are playing as the Federation, the male lead is at a rather old age for Gundam leads (32 years old! That is just screaming for a death wish) while all of the cast on the Federation side are pretty much adults. The Zeonic side consists of young adults who attempt to cause trouble, for a series that usually favors the younger side. The older generation defeats the younger generation in battle.
* After completing the first loop of ''VideoGame/DonPachi'', it's revealed that the events of the game have thus far been a deconstruction of the OneManArmy present in many shmup {{Excuse Plot}}s. [[spoiler:The player character, as part of his training, has been fighting against his own army, with his comrades willingly giving up their lives in order to help him become the ultimate SuperSoldier. And when you start the second loop, the player character has been doing this same training for ''the past seven years.'' Only when he's pretty much slaughtered the entirety of his allied forces is he finally admitted into the elite [=DonPachi=] Squadron.]]
** Its second-degree sequel ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi dai ou jou]]'' is a deconstruction of {{Robot Girl}}s. Set in a future crawling with Element Dolls, robot girls used as little more than slaves (of both the standard variety and...not-so-standard variety), the protagonist embarks on a mission against the forces of Hibachi with the assistance of one of three dolls. Depending on which doll you use, the ending has her [[spoiler:choking the protagonist to death and going back in time to cause shit in DOJ's sequel ''[=DoDonPachi=] [=DaiFukkatsu=]'', falling for him despite him not reciprocating her feelings, or becoming so protective of the pilot that she has to be forcibly removed from the ship. Regardless of which doll, it's clear that your doll has gone batshit insane.]]
*** Finally, in ''[=DaiFukkatsu=]'', the enemy is a series of giant robot girls, manipulated by [[spoiler:Colonel Longhena]] into destroying humanity.
* Each of the romantic routes in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' features a deconstruction, depending on the girl you pick for Hisao. Not all of them are intentional, but it still counts due to the effects on each relationships:
** Rin: [[spoiler:{{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Feels dissonant with the rest of the world, and falls into depression due to nobody being able to understand her or her art. Becomes self-destructive and compulsive in an attempt to keep up with her art and gain inspiration. One of her Bad Endings implies that she's liable to ''kill herself'' due to these emotional problems. Hisao tries to be the CloudcuckoolandersMinder but it ''seriously'' affects his own mental stability.]]
** Emi: [[spoiler:PluckyGirl: Tries to deal with her issues as much as she can, but this means she can't bring herself to get close to others.]]
** Lilly: [[spoiler:TheStoic: Represses her emotions to the point of utterly neglecting them, and it's not easy to know what she needs and wants.]]
** Hanako: [[spoiler:DeclarationOfProtection: Eventually gets fed up with Hisao and Lilly coddling her, and the more you try to protect her, the more resentful she is.]]
** Shizune: [[spoiler:SpiritedCompetitor: Is so competitive that she drives away almost all of her friends except for Hisao and Misha. And in her Bad Ending she breaks up with Hisao since she thinks she's driving him and Misha away too.]]
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'' deconstructed EnhanceButton. The processing power the ArtificialIntelligence CABAL requires in general and for this operation in particular comes from [[spoiler:human brains]] and the resulting picture looks exactly like one would expect: grainy, except in the parts made up which are very smooth and Oxanna also does not know who the woman on it is, only she's a mutant.
** Also, the sequel ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'' deconstructs the concept of using giant mecha in combat; the GDI phases walkers like the Titan out of service because they are way too expensive and, on top of that, extremely vulnerable to some bloke running up and slapping a demo charge on the walker's legs.
* ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'':
** [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc The first game]] initially deconstructs DeclarationOfProtection and TheDulcineaEffect: [[spoiler:Sayaka Maizono recognized whiffs of these tropes in her childhood classmate Makoto Naegi and exploited them to her benefit -- planning to first worm her way into his affections and make him swear to help her, so she would be able to kill another student and ''pin the blame on Makoto himself''. She would've possibly gotten away with this, had the guy whom she wanted to murder not ''killed her in self-defense''.]]
** As the later games explore [[spoiler:Sayaka]]'s reason for her actions in the first game, [[spoiler:she]] turns out to be a deconstruction of other tropes: [[spoiler:IJustWantToBeLoved and AttentionWhore]]. [[spoiler:Her desire for attention has a rather sad background, as she was raised by a single father who also was very {{workaholic}} and left her alone all the time. Young Sayaka spent several hours on her own in front of the TV and fell in love with the IdolSinger way of life, thinking that if she became one of these she would be given the affection and love she lacked; thus she worked hard, became a part of an idol group, and was so good at it that she became the Ultimate Pop Sensation, loved and admired by everyone in Japan. Then Monokuma exploited Sayaka's massive terror at the idea of being left behind and discarded, showing her a video of what would happen if she didn't leave Hope's Peak: that her group would be disbanded and she'd be totally abandoned by her fans... which ultimately made her snap hard enough to plan killing someone and use Makoto as a scapegoat -- and finished when she actually TRIED to kill someone [[TheCanKickedHim and ended up dead for it.]] All because Sayaka felt that, if she lost her fans's love and support, she would be literally '''worth NOTHING'''.]]
** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' deconstructs ReluctantFanserviceGirl with Mikan Tsumiki. A ShrinkingViolet who has the misfortune of landing in inexplicably revealing positions whenever she trips. Embarrassing herself in front of everyone else. [[spoiler:As it turns out however, she actually does this ''on purpose''. Being so afraid of being ignored that she willingly makes a spectacle of herself in order to get attention from others. Not to mention it is strongly implied in Mikan's backstory that she was sexually abused.]]
** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'':
*** Shuichi's backstory deconstructs AssholeVictim. [[spoiler: After exposing the culprit of a murder case, he found out that the man who was killed was an irredeemable piece of scum who had wronged his killer.]] As a result, he gained a fear of trying to expose the truth.
*** Maki is a Deconstruction of the ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend, as her attempts to protect Kaito only make everything worse. [[spoiler: In Chapter Five, when Kokichi kidnaps Kaito and holds him hostage in the hangar, Maki steals an electrohammer to break in and takes a crossbow and poison from her lab with the intent to save Kaito. She finds Kokichi and ruthlessly interrogates him about being a Remnant of Despair, but Kokichi has no idea what she's talking about. Given he's a chronic liar, [[CryingWolf she doesn't believe him ]]and tries to kill him, only for Kaito to take the shot. Then when it turns out Kaito drank the antidote she brought, not Kokichi, everything Maki did becomes completely moot because he dies of a fatal illness he'd been hiding the entire time. ''Then'' Tsumugi reveals in the final chapter that Maki's feelings for Kaito were implanted in her during the brainwashing process to boost the show's ratings.]] Maki does NOT take this well.
** Kokichi, Miu and Maki all deconstruct TheFriendNobodyLikes, as being treated with suspicion and annoyance with their classmates [[ViciousCycle causes them to act out more, further distancing themselves from them, making bonding impossible and the characters unable to improve their behaviour without the possibility of making friends on the cards.]] [[spoiler: Maki is the only one of the three to survive the game because of Kaito and Shuichi's efforts to befriend her after she is outed as the Ultimate Assassin and she slowly learns to trust in them. By contrast, Miu has NoSocialSkills and after Kaede's death, none of her classmates are willing to look past her vulgar persona to see the HiddenHeartOfGold beneath except for Ki-bo, a robot, and possibly Shuichi if you do Miu's freetime events. Because of this, when Miu sees the outside world is in desperate need of help, it's an easy decision for her to try and kill Kaito so she can escape the Killing Game and go help them, since everyone inside the game hates her anyway and she has nobody to talk her out of it. For Kokichi, his lies push everyone away so nobody trusts him even when his intentions are good or when he's telling the truth. When the cast turn their backs on him after the fourth trial, Kokichi is consumed with guilt over Gonta and Miu's deaths and decides ThenLetMeBeEvil since everyone is all too willing to believe he is the Mastermind. As a result, he ends up DyingAlone and never learns the truth of the Killing Game.]]
** ''VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'' viciously deconstructs the touching minigame found on handheld games like Criminal Girls or the countless fanservice games found on the Vita. Rather than prodding the girl to arouse her in the limited time, you are tasked with preventing the hands from groping Komaru before she is sexually harassed into obedience by Kotoko. In addition, Kotoko herself was a victim of molestation, which makes this situation more repugnant.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Disciples}}'' series deconstructs GodOfEvil by showing what exactly could make a god evil in the first place. Neither of the two evil gods started out evil. They were even two of the ''[[BewareTheNiceOnes nicest]]'' gods before their fall. Their villainy is entirely due to the callous actions of the other supposedly good gods.
* The main quest of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' deconstructs VillainExitStageLeft. [[spoiler:When you first defeat the BigBad, Alduin, he just throws a few taunts at you, then leaves. However, this causes many of the [[ProudWarriorRace dragons]] serving under him to see him as a DirtyCoward unfit to rule them. Eventually, due to this act of cowardice, Alduin's [[TheDragon right-hand dragon]] makes a HeelFaceTurn and helps you reach the place where you can kill Alduin for good.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'' is a massive deconstruction of video game tropes, specifically tropes that involve narrative in video games. Even attempts to break the game are deconstructed in a humorous light.
* ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'' deconstructs a couple of tropes:
** Kud's route deconstructs {{Funny Foreigner}}s and other characters whose entire appeal is that they're [[ButNotTooForeign not too foreign]] by having her feel extremely isolated by the fact that, in her true home, she's still treated as though she isn't ''really'' Japanese and that all her attempts to be so are hilarious.
** At another point, it uses Riki, who is narcoleptic, to deconstruct the {{sleepyhead}} trope and show how randomly falling asleep and being unable to control it can ''seriously'' limit one's options, with Riki trying to help out on a farm [[spoiler:to provide for Rin after they run away]], losing a whole day's work due to falling asleep, and being driven to tears over the fact that he could only ever become an office worker in life since his narcolepsy would prevent him from being able to put an honest day's work in for anything else.
* ''VideoGame/{{Deponia}}'' deconstructs the KleptomaniacHero as an aspect of Rufus's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered personality]]; his tendency to take whatever isn't nailed down to further his own schemes is a major part of why he's generally disliked, not to mention that [[spoiler:he gets thrown in jail at one point for, you know, ''theft.'']]
* The HopeBringer is deconstructed and reconstructed in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. For 1000 years, the summoners acted as bringers of hope by going on pilgrimages to obtain the Final Summoning capable of defeating Sin. Each time this happens, there is a period of time with Sin absent that the people of Spira hopes will last forever called a Calm. The Church of Yevon's teachings also provide hope to Spira by claiming that if they atone for the sins of the past, Sin will never return. [[spoiler:Except it's all a huge lie. The teachings of Yevon and the Final Summoning are total hogwash meant to give false hope. The Final Summoning is even more insidious because it is the means of Sin's rebirth, making the sacrifices of the summoners and their guardians (who ''become'' the new incarnations of Sin) [[SenselessSacrifice utterly senseless]]. Each Calm was essentially nothing but a HopeSpot. The whole system has trapped Spira in what Auron describes as a "spiral of death".]] Hope Bringer is then reconstructed when Yuna and her companions learn of the spoilered bit above and refuse to go along with it, preferring to risk everything to find a ''real'' solution without false hope. It's at this point that the story becomes less cynical and more idealistic.

* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' gives us [[spoiler:Oersted]], a massive deconstruction of the KnightInShiningArmor. You see, he really ''is'' a valiant, brave and chivalrous knight to the very end, always seeking to help everyone around him and following his moral code: "As long as there is one person believes in you, you can't give up". [[spoiler:Said last person ''kills herself'' after Oerstred sacrificed literally EVERYTHING to save her, right after being betrayed by his best friend and finding out that everything he believed in was a lie. Despite acting as TheHero through the whole game, in the end everyone who ever cared for him is either dead or now hates him due to a scheme by said best friend.]] It really shouldn't go without saying [[spoiler:that [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds he snaps...]] but in his own twisted vision, he's just helping humanity to "see the folly of their selfishness". And, once defeated, he finally realizes the mistakes on his own ways and openly admits being wrong. Noble to the very end.]]
* ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'' deconstructs the ElaborateUndergroundBase. You ''build'' the base, while the enemies invade.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', done in contrast to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime its previous game]], takes apart ComingOfAgeStory. A lot of the [=NPCs=] that Link, who was once [[PlotRelevantAgeUp aged up into a young man]], encounters are dealing with very adult issues and most, children ''and'' adults, don't know how to cope or deal with it. A father grieves for the loss of his son who is presumed missing and dead, while a child mourns for the death of his parent. A man laments that he will never know his unborn children after failing to rescue them; meanwhile a child is about to lose her father to an illness. A man refuses to show his face to his fiancée because he broke a promise while said fiancée fears he had abandoned her because he no longer loves her. Several guards are torn between doing their duty or flee for their lives. Soldiers obey orders for a war that has long ended. A woman is forced to grow up too soon after the death of her father who must run the family business that's being threatened by a rival company.
*** It also deconstructs the UnstoppableMailman. Said mailman is such a ScheduleFanatic that he ''can't'' stop, no matter how desperately he wants to. Even as the moon is falling and the apocalypse is at hand, the mailman continues to deliver mail because "escape from the moon" is not written in his schedule. He only manages to leave Clocktown when his boss has to order him to.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' deconstructs TheChosenOne harshly. The legend of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Hero of Time]] results in the people of Hyrule believing that he will return should the time come that Hyrule is in danger again. When Ganondorf returns they continue to believe this and Ganondorf remains unopposed [[spoiler:until the Gods take matters into their own hands leaving Hyrule in ruins.]] This particular version of Link also has to '''[[TheUnchosenOne earn]]''' his title as the successor of the legendary hero rather that just getting it.
*** It also takes apart typical post-apocalyptic AfterTheEnd stories. The game's bright and upbeat art style and music shows that life moves on. Centuries later, an old civilization will be forgotten and unmourned. A ResetButton on everything can be both a good and bad thing.
*** This Link's fighting style is a slight deconstruction of InstantExpert, involving a lot of wild swinging and exploiting openings that usually works out. Most Links are master swordsmen, but this Link is an islander kid who comes of age the same day his adventure starts, and has only ever hobby-sparred with Orca, who mostly taught him defensive fighting. Every other Link would have at least the excuse of having to fend off wildlife in the woods, but Outset island was pretty idyllic until the adventure begins.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' deconstructs LadyLand through the Gerudo. Due to culture and tradition, the Gerudo's city was entirely cut off from men. However, this posed problems for the Gerudo interacting with men, especially when they want to find a man to marry. They even need classes to educate themselves how to talk and woo men. Several Gerudo that Link encountered across Hyrule are shown to be awkward when trying to speak with him. At least one actively flew into a panic when speaking with Link, whispering to herself to remember the lessons she learned.
* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' has ''many'' deconstructions, usually resolved by completing a social link:
** Yosuke deconstructs the StepfordSmiler and/or SadClown tropes, as his Shadow calls him on the fact he's basically just bored and aimless and so he's throwing himself into anything that seems interesting for the hell of having something to do. His social link ultimately culminates in him realizing that he doesn't ''need'' to be special as long as he has friends that believe him to be special.
** Chie deconstructs the {{tomboy}} trope, as it's made clear from encountering her Shadow that she is quite uncomfortable with her lack of femininity. She also mildly deconstructs the BigEater trope, as she mentions that her ravenous appetite is one of the things she finds unfeminine about herself and is thusly ashamed of. Her social link involves finding out what kind of person she wants to be regardless of how feminine it makes her, and how to realize her goal of wanting to protect people, whether they see her as feminine or not.
** Yukiko deconstructs the YamatoNadeshiko trope, as it's noted she feels powerless and weak, as well as not truly wanting to accept her expected inheritance. Her social link eventually has her realize that she ''wants'' her expected inheritance, rather than trying to run from it, because everyone around her wants her to be happy, and she wants the same for them.
** Kanji deconstructs the RealMenWearPink trope, as his personal storyline is all about how his "un-macho" interests have led to ridicule and rejection from others, especially women, and how he doubts himself as a result of that. His social link has him coming to terms with the fact that he likes something that's considered "girly" and how that's not something to be ashamed of.
** Rise deconstructs the IdolSinger and {{Kawaiiko}} tropes, having originally gone into the music business because of a love of singing and a desire to make friends, only to grow fearful of the idea that people only see her for her idol persona. Her social link has her realizing that the idol personality she feared was masking her true self was actually inspiring people, and that she can be Rise and Risette.
** Naoto deconstructs the KidDetective (nobody takes her seriously due to her age, so she has to fight to be recognized) and {{Bifauxnen}} (she only dresses like and pretends to be a guy because it's the only way she can get around the chauvinism of the Japanese police system) tropes. Her social link has her realizing that she loves being a detective and solving mysteries, and always has, and that if society says she's too young or not a man and can't do that, she'll have to convince them otherwise.
** Exclusive to the anime, but Yu deconstructs IJustWantToHaveFriends. His fight against Shadow Mitsuo foreshadows this aspect of his personality where he undergoes an existential crisis over the idea of the case being solved and his friends abandoning him. His fight against Izanami solidified this where he almost willingly succumbed to the fog so that he could be in a reality where he remain with his friends.
** Mitsuo Kubo deconstructs AttentionWhore and/or IJustWantToBeSpecial. He repeatedly tries to take responsibility for the murders to get attention, and even goes so far as to commit an ''actual'' murder to this end. This ends up landing him in a mental hospital.
** Ms. Kashiwagi, the Investigation Team's second homeroom teacher, deconstructs SenseiChan; rather than see her immaturity and behavior as endearing, her students view her as nothing more than a pathetic AttentionWhore.
*** She also deconstructs HotForStudent as her ChristmasCake status has left her so bitter and desperate for attention from males that she is willing to settle for anyone.
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is not kind to GoldenAge. Neither the Dragons nor Gwyn could let go of their "perfect eras" and did everything in their power to keep it the way it was. The result? [[spoiler:In the case of the dragons? A gigantic war that almost completely anihilated their kind. In the case of Gwyn? [[TheEndoftheWorldasWeKnowIt well...]]]]





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* The ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' deconstructs the KidHero archetype that most JRPG games play straight. Most playable characters tend to skew as teenagers, most of the adults are very competent at their jobs in comparison. Thanks to their inexperience and lack of authority, the kids lose far more than they win and need to be frequently bailed out by their adult counterparts. Unless the younger characters have received specialized combat training which frequently is depicted as traumatizing or are flat out used to harsher living conditions, (just ask [[ChildSoldier Renne]], [[EmptyShell Joshua]], or [[DeathSeeker Kevin]]), they won't be able to catch up with the adults, no matter how many special powers and abilities they may have compared to years of experience. Ultimately this results in a case of TheBadGuyWins more often than not, leaving the protagonists to scrape by with personal victories at best while only making a dent in the villains' plans.



* In ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'', Josh's character traits of "complex, thoughtful, loving", especially in regards [[BigBrotherInstinct to his sisters]], actually bring out the worst in him. Losing his sisters caused him to [[spoiler: be driven to madness and fixated on getting revenge on his friends who caused the prank. Josh's "prank" was far more traumatizing on his friends and after stopping his medications, he quickly loses the rest of his sanity.]]

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' has several deconstructions of various cliches and tropes. For example it shows just how much of a tragedy the FakeDefector would be in real life, what would happen to a {{Tykebomb}} when they reached adulthood (one is a bitter man almost incapable of making emotional attachments, another spent a good portion of his adulthood being controlled and manipulated), just how mentally unstable or fairly screwed up a real life QuirkyMinibossSquad would probably be (FOX-HOUND, Dead Cell, Cobra Unit) and just how disturbing and yet fairly tragic a real life CloningBlues plot would actually be.
** At a more meta level, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' deconstructs a lot of the tropes of video gaming itself.
** Arguably the whole franchise is a deconstrucion of the badass trope, when you consider how much the heroes suffer to get to where they are.
** ''Metal Gear'' is based on AmericaSavesTheDay media but is significantly more political than most of it, pointing out how the lone American hero would be a byproduct of hideous intragovernmental corruption and backstabbing, imperialist foreign policy, and craven attempts to secure access to money, nuclear weapons or soft power. Even when Solid Snake is able to save the day on behalf of the Americans, it is ''never'' because the American top brass have sent him out for a decent set of reasons, and the consequences of usually end up making the world a whole lot worse later on. The franchise also loves talking about some [[AluminumChristmasTrees fairly obscure real-life events]] in which America exploited its people or committed acts of bizarre cruelty, such as Code-Talker's explanation in ''Metal Gear Solid V'' of the way the Navajo people were exploited to mine resources for the nuclear bomb, and the terrible health consequences they suffered as a result.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' makes it a point to deconstruct the PlanetOfHats ''and'' the ProudWarriorRaceGuy in the form of the krogan, who are universally bad-tempered, violent, brutal, and selfish... and have exactly the interspecies relations this should earn them. They got themselves slapped with a nice, unpleasant DepopulationBomb for being an entire species of {{jerkass}}es.
** In an interesting subversion, Urdnot Wrex (one of the first named krogan we meet) not only starts out as [[GeniusBruiser much more mellow]] than his brethren but goes on to [[{{Reconstruction}} reconstruct]] the ProudWarriorRaceGuys culture of his kind almost singlehandedly, much to the annoyance of more two-dimensional Krogan.
** In a similar fashion, the batarians get their comeuppance in the third game, with the survivors becoming much more sympathetic and a possible War Asset against the Reapers.
** The geth came off as the typical evil robot mooks in the first game (along with the setting assuming any true AI is gonna turn on their creators by default), but the second and third games deconstruct the idea entirely.
* Amongst many tropes it skewered, ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' deconstructed the standard [[ItsUpToYou RPG trope of your character always being the center of the story]] by turning the story into a personal quest for identity rather than a standard 'save the setting from EvilOverlord X while most people sit by and watch'. Furthermore, The Nameless One leads the outfit because all the joinable [=NPCs=] [[spoiler:are bound to you by the Mark of Torment, interlocking their destinies with your own; they]] could not leave you even if they wanted.
* E-102 Gamma's storyline in ''[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic Adventure]]'' was an unexpected deconstruction of Eggman's robotic {{mook}}s...or more specifically, the fact that [[UnwillingRoboticisation Eggman's robots are powered by animals]]. (Well, technically, Gamma was an EliteMook, but whatever.) After seeing Amy's flicky in the Egg Carrier's prison chamber, his power source's memories and emotions began to conflict with his programming, eventually leading to his seeking out and destroying the other E-100 models (and himself) to free the animals inside.
* AllLovingHero is semi-deconstructed in stages across all three routes in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' as being impossibly idealistic yet not necessarily a bad thing... but only if you can keep your sense of perspective. A handful of other tropes are touched upon in this - such as TheDulcineaEffect - but are generally props for the main point that there is something basically ''wrong'' with [[MartyrWithoutACause Shirou.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}'' deconstructs the glorious D-Day style liberation in a hideous situation as it becomes obvious that with a corrupt military brass whom sold out your forces twice, that going in after recovering from a devastating attack on your planet and how putting down the leader will not make things better at all.
* Deconstruction, along with subversion, is a prominent focus in the plots of the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' games.
** For example, ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' starts out as a ClicheStorm, but it quickly begins deconstructing tropes. The most ripped-apart trope being TheChosenOne; it shows what a shitty life a person would have if they were expected to save the world, and the psychological effects such a title and life would have on them. In this case, ''both'' of the chosen's become [[StepfordSmiler stepford smilers]], with [[ThePollyanna Colette]] always covering up her problems because she doesn't want to worry people, and [[HandsomeLech Zelos]] covers up his [[SadClown suicidal tendencies]] [[ObfuscatingStupidity with his apparent stupidity.]]
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' takes a hatchet to the idea of TheNeedsOfTheMany being anything less than morally repugnant. Shepherd Artorias and his Abbey rule the world with this as their absolute philosophy, and it's thoroughly demonstrated that [[VillainWithGoodPublicity no matter what people think]], follow this code makes Artorias an inherently abhorrent person, murdering his own family for a ritual, consigning whole villages to die of starvation because relief supplies are an economic loss, and sacrificing his own exorcists, all without a second thought because it furthered the welfare of "the many". Sure, [[ByronicHero Velvet]] is no saint, but at least her endgame isn't [[spoiler:the elimination of all free will in the name of an efficient society]].
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' deconstructs the {{Villain Protagonist}}s that have frequently featured in the ''GTA'' games.
** Michael is this character after he's already won. Having "beaten the game," so to speak, he's decided to get out of the game, enter WitnessProtection, settle down, and raise a family using his earnings, but he finds "normal" life to be boring. It's implied that him pissing off a drug lord is only part of the reason why he returned to a life of crime, since it's [[ChronicVillainy the only thing he really enjoys and knows how to do]]. The phrase "getting back in the game" is even used to describe it.
** [[AxCrazy Trevor]], meanwhile, deconstructs the VideoGameCrueltyPotential inherent in many open-world games through liberal application of YouBastard, showing exactly what sort of person would run around causing death, destruction, and mayhem [[ItAmusedMe for his own amusement]]. He is violent to the point of genuine psychopathy, one scene strongly implies that he [[AnythingThatMoves raped Floyd]], and TheStinger implies that he's schizophrenic on top of it. It's not for nothing that he's the only one who takes part in the returned Rampage missions.
** Franklin takes Carl Johnson's journey to become a successful crook. Unlike CJ, his newfound wealth only serves to alienate him from his neighborhood to the point where the end of the game only Lamar can be considered his friend as everyone else ignores or hates him. The gangbanging aspect is also downplayed, being an unsuccessful endeavor by Lamar as the Families and Ballas aren't really at odds with one another except them like in the original. Working for people on his own volition also is of little help as Devin and Haines treats him as what he is really is: a disposable tool lucky enough to be alive.
** Furthermore, unlike past games, ''V'' makes no excuses for the fact that its three protagonists are all morally bankrupt. Once they've settled their debt to Madrazo, their only motivation for their continued crime spree is pure greed and self-interest... solving the problem of GameplayAndStorySegregation by demonstrating just who would casually run people over and steal cars without a shred of guilt.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned'', meanwhile, deconstructed the mystique of the [[BadassBiker "outlaw" biker gang]]. The lifestyle of the Lost Motorcycle Club is shown as being filled with [[HellBentForLeather slick leather jackets]], [[CoolBike tricked-out hogs]], kick-ass fights, [[TrueCompanions camaraderie]], and badass mannerisms, just like in the movies... yet it's also a gang no different from [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas the Ballas or the Grove Street Families]], and with it comes backstabbing, death, and eventually [[spoiler:the total destruction of the Lost as an organization due to a brutal gang war]]. The deconstruction is completed in ''GTA V'', where we see that [[spoiler:Johnny, the protagonist of ''The Lost and Damned'', has [[BadassDecay become a strung-out meth addict]] who [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome gets killed minutes after his introduction]] -- the logical conclusion of his downward spiral at the end of ''The Lost and Damned''.]]

* Cody from ''VideoGame/FinalFight'''s appearances in Franchise/StreetFighter deconstruct the BloodKnight. He went to jail despite saving Metro City from the notorious Mad Gear gang, even despite his connections with Mayor Mike Haggar. He's apparently lost the will to fight for any meaningful reason, and claims to do it simply because he wants to relieve his intense prisoner boredom.
** Evil Ryu is a deconstruction of the same trope, but from a different approach. Ryu himself is a NiceGuy who only wants to be the better martial artist, but within him there's an horrifyingly powerful aura known as the "Satsui no Hado", which can potentially corrupt his whole mind and heart to make him a mindless killing machine. Evil Ryu is the incarnation of that SuperpoweredEvilSide, starting in the Alpha games as a cockier version of him and evolving in Super SFIV into a nightmarish and purely evil being; therefore, SFIV!Ryu is shown to be ''deeply'' distressed at the prospect of giving into this massive power that will be his perdition. [[spoiler:When it '''almost''' happens in the ''Ties That Bind'' movie, he's driven to a short but very intense HeroicBSOD.]]
* ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'' deconstructs the MayflyDecemberRomance of many characters, most notably the Flame Champion as he gave up his immortality by retracting the True Fire Rune in his body so he can age with his loved one, but the act caused his body to break down and eventually die.
* ActionRPG ''VideoGame/MetalWalker'' deconstructs the empty overworld found in many [=RPGs=]. Besides your character and a select few [=NPCs=] with {{Mons}}, no one is outside, even in towns--because [[KillerRobot killer robots]] populate the landscape, even right outside buildings. Since you yourself are attacked very frequently, you can imagine why defenseless humans don't go out...

* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' is known for its deconstruction of WhiteAndGreyMorality and RousseauWasRight in the first two games by showing the tragedy that ensues from such an event.
** When you factor in Zero's origin as [[spoiler:the last creation of Dr. Wily]] the series is also a deconstruction of JokerImmunity, ThouShallNotKill, and probably a few other related tropes as well. Because [[spoiler:Dr. Wily was ''not'' executed after ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'', or killed in the next game because of Mega Man's ThreeLawsCompliant nature, he lived on to build Zero]], the latter being the ''cause'' of the wars in from the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series all the way to his own. Then we have Dr. Weil, the main villain of the Zero series, who was also not killed when captured in the Zero series back story, and came back to wreak havoc.
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'' deconstructs one major fantasy concept: The WizardingSchool is more of a prison and re-education camp than a school, as it seems to be the only way to avoid devolving the world into a bunch of mage-controlled city states.
** It also deconstructs the FantasticCasteSystem, showing exactly how Dwarven society, with its exclusion of the casteless from the labor pool, near complete lack of social mobility and strong conservative values, actually functions. Here's how: ''It doesn't.'' The dwarf realms are experiencing major brain-drain as low-caste dwarves are migrating to the surface in droves, and attempts to coerce them into staying by declaring those who set foot on the surface "lost to the Stone" and casteless are just met with shrugs. "GoldDigger" is a preferred career among casteless women, but due to how caste is inherited this has led to a population explosion among the casteless, who by tradition are forbidden to participate in the workforce and forced to turn to crime to survive. Meanwhile, the noble caste are more than willing to backstab each other and RulesLawyer their precious honor code into a pretzel if it means hanging on to their waning power one more day, while their civilization both metaphorically and literally crumbles around them.
* ''VideoGame/CondemnedCriminalOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/Condemned2Bloodshot'' does a good job deconstructing the ViceCity setting of most crime games. By placing it in a SurvivalHorror context, it shows just how terrifying the concept of a rotting, crime-filled metropolis with a [[PoliceAreUseless demoralized and incompetent police force]] could be in real life.
* ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'' deconstructs {{tsundere}}s with Kylier by giving a realistic reason to her constant bitchiness towards Yggdra instead of a simple LoveTriangle. [[spoiler:She resents Fantasinia and its royal family as a whole for their FantasticRacism towards her people, displaying a little FantasticRacism herself.]]
*** Not to mention the deconstruction of the resistance, how in spite of Yggdra being not vilified, her weapon has caused more pain and suffering to the empire than what the empire does. And the SadisticChoice(s) she must make.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' mercilessly deconstructs TimeTravel, specifically the TimeTravel used in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', by asking a simple question: "If you make it so a certain event never happened, what happens to the world, and the people in it, that came to being ''because'' of that event?"
* ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'', while in homage to lots of things, has a particularly interesting Deconstruction of TrappedInTVLand, Joe doesn't demonstrate it, but [[spoiler:Captain Blue certainly does, the game shows that he got caught up in his fantasy in Movie Land, showing he went insane because he couldn't visit his wife or daughter, and eventually tried to destroy everything]], it shows that being TrappedInTVLand sucks, and isn't really something to take lightly.

** The game also deconstructs the PacifistRun. [[spoiler: If you want the best ending where both Dan and Iji live, Iji will ''still'' have blood on her hands via [[TechnicalPacifist indirect kills]], whether it's using the [[AttackReflector Resonance Reflector to deflect enemy shots back at them]], setting a trapmine to foil Asha's hostage plan with Dan (which results in the unavoidable death of a Komato soldier), or allowing Ansaksie to kill Iosa to prevent her from coming back later to kill Iji after the FinalBoss battle. Iji may not be going on a murder spree, but strict pacifism in the middle of a warzone isn't going to help her, either.]]
** The Komato are a deconstruction of the ProudWarriorRace. What do you think will happen when they eventually succeed [[spoiler: (or at least are tricked into believing that they succeeded)]] in destroying their sworn enemy and no longer have a reason to fight? [[spoiler: General Tor suspects that they'll eventually turn on each other.]]
* ''VideoGame/FarCry2'' deconstructs badass with the player character. The enemies attack you on sight, no one bothers to check if you're enemy or not...solution? You kill everything on sight, becoming just like them and racking up hundreds of kills, and by doing that, become the epitome of badassitude with enemies running from you in fear if your reputation is high enough. Of course, this reputation doesn't just affect enemies, it affects friendly people as well, which you need for malaria medicine...

* ''VideoGame/XCom'' deconstructs the monster and alien-fighting cartoons popular during the '90s where you had an elite team of heroes able to travel anywhere in the world in order to fight cheesy villains and win despite having inferior technology and numbers. Then look at X-COM, who travel the world in a CoolPlane to fight goofy-looking aliens... and suffer a high fatality rate, have barely enough funding, and have to desperately struggle just to get good enough weapons to fight 3/4 of the things that keep coming down.
** ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' also deconstructs a lot of the tropes that ''VideoGame/XCom'' set up: you can't capture alien weapons easily, because they explode when you kill the alien using them. You can't just do some basic research and ''understand'' how alien tech works, you need to build a solid basis for understanding ''and then'' build on it until you're able to safely replicate the technology. [[VideoGame/XCOM2 The sequel]] also deconstructs the "heroic organization saves the Earth from overwhelming powerful alien invaders" by making it so that the ''second'' it looks like XCOM is a threat, the aliens attack and destroy the organization, letting them take over the world easily.
* ''[[Franchise/GundamExpandedUniverse Gundam Senki 0081]]'' deconstructs the young vs the old generation. If you are playing as the Federation, the male lead is at a rather old age for Gundam leads (32 years old! That is just screaming for a death wish) while all of the cast on the Federation side are pretty much adults. The Zeonic side consists of young adults who attempt to cause trouble, for a series that usually favors the younger side. The older generation defeats the younger generation in battle.
* After completing the first loop of ''VideoGame/DonPachi'', it's revealed that the events of the game have thus far been a deconstruction of the OneManArmy present in many shmup {{Excuse Plot}}s. [[spoiler:The player character, as part of his training, has been fighting against his own army, with his comrades willingly giving up their lives in order to help him become the ultimate SuperSoldier. And when you start the second loop, the player character has been doing this same training for ''the past seven years.'' Only when he's pretty much slaughtered the entirety of his allied forces is he finally admitted into the elite [=DonPachi=] Squadron.]]
** Its second-degree sequel ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi dai ou jou]]'' is a deconstruction of {{Robot Girl}}s. Set in a future crawling with Element Dolls, robot girls used as little more than slaves (of both the standard variety and...not-so-standard variety), the protagonist embarks on a mission against the forces of Hibachi with the assistance of one of three dolls. Depending on which doll you use, the ending has her [[spoiler:choking the protagonist to death and going back in time to cause shit in DOJ's sequel ''[=DoDonPachi=] [=DaiFukkatsu=]'', falling for him despite him not reciprocating her feelings, or becoming so protective of the pilot that she has to be forcibly removed from the ship. Regardless of which doll, it's clear that your doll has gone batshit insane.]]
*** Finally, in ''[=DaiFukkatsu=]'', the enemy is a series of giant robot girls, manipulated by [[spoiler:Colonel Longhena]] into destroying humanity.
* Each of the romantic routes in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' features a deconstruction, depending on the girl you pick for Hisao. Not all of them are intentional, but it still counts due to the effects on each relationships:
** Rin: [[spoiler:{{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Feels dissonant with the rest of the world, and falls into depression due to nobody being able to understand her or her art. Becomes self-destructive and compulsive in an attempt to keep up with her art and gain inspiration. One of her Bad Endings implies that she's liable to ''kill herself'' due to these emotional problems. Hisao tries to be the CloudcuckoolandersMinder but it ''seriously'' affects his own mental stability.]]
** Emi: [[spoiler:PluckyGirl: Tries to deal with her issues as much as she can, but this means she can't bring herself to get close to others.]]
** Lilly: [[spoiler:TheStoic: Represses her emotions to the point of utterly neglecting them, and it's not easy to know what she needs and wants.]]
** Hanako: [[spoiler:DeclarationOfProtection: Eventually gets fed up with Hisao and Lilly coddling her, and the more you try to protect her, the more resentful she is.]]
** Shizune: [[spoiler:SpiritedCompetitor: Is so competitive that she drives away almost all of her friends except for Hisao and Misha. And in her Bad Ending she breaks up with Hisao since she thinks she's driving him and Misha away too.]]
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'' deconstructed EnhanceButton. The processing power the ArtificialIntelligence CABAL requires in general and for this operation in particular comes from [[spoiler:human brains]] and the resulting picture looks exactly like one would expect: grainy, except in the parts made up which are very smooth and Oxanna also does not know who the woman on it is, only she's a mutant.
** Also, the sequel ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'' deconstructs the concept of using giant mecha in combat; the GDI phases walkers like the Titan out of service because they are way too expensive and, on top of that, extremely vulnerable to some bloke running up and slapping a demo charge on the walker's legs.
* ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'':
** [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc The first game]] initially deconstructs DeclarationOfProtection and TheDulcineaEffect: [[spoiler:Sayaka Maizono recognized whiffs of these tropes in her childhood classmate Makoto Naegi and exploited them to her benefit -- planning to first worm her way into his affections and make him swear to help her, so she would be able to kill another student and ''pin the blame on Makoto himself''. She would've possibly gotten away with this, had the guy whom she wanted to murder not ''killed her in self-defense''.]]
** As the later games explore [[spoiler:Sayaka]]'s reason for her actions in the first game, [[spoiler:she]] turns out to be a deconstruction of other tropes: [[spoiler:IJustWantToBeLoved and AttentionWhore]]. [[spoiler:Her desire for attention has a rather sad background, as she was raised by a single father who also was very {{workaholic}} and left her alone all the time. Young Sayaka spent several hours on her own in front of the TV and fell in love with the IdolSinger way of life, thinking that if she became one of these she would be given the affection and love she lacked; thus she worked hard, became a part of an idol group, and was so good at it that she became the Ultimate Pop Sensation, loved and admired by everyone in Japan. Then Monokuma exploited Sayaka's massive terror at the idea of being left behind and discarded, showing her a video of what would happen if she didn't leave Hope's Peak: that her group would be disbanded and she'd be totally abandoned by her fans... which ultimately made her snap hard enough to plan killing someone and use Makoto as a scapegoat -- and finished when she actually TRIED to kill someone [[TheCanKickedHim and ended up dead for it.]] All because Sayaka felt that, if she lost her fans's love and support, she would be literally '''worth NOTHING'''.]]
** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' deconstructs ReluctantFanserviceGirl with Mikan Tsumiki. A ShrinkingViolet who has the misfortune of landing in inexplicably revealing positions whenever she trips. Embarrassing herself in front of everyone else. [[spoiler:As it turns out however, she actually does this ''on purpose''. Being so afraid of being ignored that she willingly makes a spectacle of herself in order to get attention from others. Not to mention it is strongly implied in Mikan's backstory that she was sexually abused.]]
** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'':
*** Shuichi's backstory deconstructs AssholeVictim. [[spoiler: After exposing the culprit of a murder case, he found out that the man who was killed was an irredeemable piece of scum who had wronged his killer.]] As a result, he gained a fear of trying to expose the truth.
*** Maki is a Deconstruction of the ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend, as her attempts to protect Kaito only make everything worse. [[spoiler: In Chapter Five, when Kokichi kidnaps Kaito and holds him hostage in the hangar, Maki steals an electrohammer to break in and takes a crossbow and poison from her lab with the intent to save Kaito. She finds Kokichi and ruthlessly interrogates him about being a Remnant of Despair, but Kokichi has no idea what she's talking about. Given he's a chronic liar, [[CryingWolf she doesn't believe him ]]and tries to kill him, only for Kaito to take the shot. Then when it turns out Kaito drank the antidote she brought, not Kokichi, everything Maki did becomes completely moot because he dies of a fatal illness he'd been hiding the entire time. ''Then'' Tsumugi reveals in the final chapter that Maki's feelings for Kaito were implanted in her during the brainwashing process to boost the show's ratings.]] Maki does NOT take this well.
** Kokichi, Miu and Maki all deconstruct TheFriendNobodyLikes, as being treated with suspicion and annoyance with their classmates [[ViciousCycle causes them to act out more, further distancing themselves from them, making bonding impossible and the characters unable to improve their behaviour without the possibility of making friends on the cards.]] [[spoiler: Maki is the only one of the three to survive the game because of Kaito and Shuichi's efforts to befriend her after she is outed as the Ultimate Assassin and she slowly learns to trust in them. By contrast, Miu has NoSocialSkills and after Kaede's death, none of her classmates are willing to look past her vulgar persona to see the HiddenHeartOfGold beneath except for Ki-bo, a robot, and possibly Shuichi if you do Miu's freetime events. Because of this, when Miu sees the outside world is in desperate need of help, it's an easy decision for her to try and kill Kaito so she can escape the Killing Game and go help them, since everyone inside the game hates her anyway and she has nobody to talk her out of it. For Kokichi, his lies push everyone away so nobody trusts him even when his intentions are good or when he's telling the truth. When the cast turn their backs on him after the fourth trial, Kokichi is consumed with guilt over Gonta and Miu's deaths and decides ThenLetMeBeEvil since everyone is all too willing to believe he is the Mastermind. As a result, he ends up DyingAlone and never learns the truth of the Killing Game.]]
** ''VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'' viciously deconstructs the touching minigame found on handheld games like Criminal Girls or the countless fanservice games found on the Vita. Rather than prodding the girl to arouse her in the limited time, you are tasked with preventing the hands from groping Komaru before she is sexually harassed into obedience by Kotoko. In addition, Kotoko herself was a victim of molestation, which makes this situation more repugnant.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Disciples}}'' series deconstructs GodOfEvil by showing what exactly could make a god evil in the first place. Neither of the two evil gods started out evil. They were even two of the ''[[BewareTheNiceOnes nicest]]'' gods before their fall. Their villainy is entirely due to the callous actions of the other supposedly good gods.
* The main quest of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' deconstructs VillainExitStageLeft. [[spoiler:When you first defeat the BigBad, Alduin, he just throws a few taunts at you, then leaves. However, this causes many of the [[ProudWarriorRace dragons]] serving under him to see him as a DirtyCoward unfit to rule them. Eventually, due to this act of cowardice, Alduin's [[TheDragon right-hand dragon]] makes a HeelFaceTurn and helps you reach the place where you can kill Alduin for good.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'' is a massive deconstruction of video game tropes, specifically tropes that involve narrative in video games. Even attempts to break the game are deconstructed in a humorous light.
* ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'' deconstructs a couple of tropes:
** Kud's route deconstructs {{Funny Foreigner}}s and other characters whose entire appeal is that they're [[ButNotTooForeign not too foreign]] by having her feel extremely isolated by the fact that, in her true home, she's still treated as though she isn't ''really'' Japanese and that all her attempts to be so are hilarious.
** At another point, it uses Riki, who is narcoleptic, to deconstruct the {{sleepyhead}} trope and show how randomly falling asleep and being unable to control it can ''seriously'' limit one's options, with Riki trying to help out on a farm [[spoiler:to provide for Rin after they run away]], losing a whole day's work due to falling asleep, and being driven to tears over the fact that he could only ever become an office worker in life since his narcolepsy would prevent him from being able to put an honest day's work in for anything else.
* ''VideoGame/{{Deponia}}'' deconstructs the KleptomaniacHero as an aspect of Rufus's [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered personality]]; his tendency to take whatever isn't nailed down to further his own schemes is a major part of why he's generally disliked, not to mention that [[spoiler:he gets thrown in jail at one point for, you know, ''theft.'']]
* The HopeBringer is deconstructed and reconstructed in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. For 1000 years, the summoners acted as bringers of hope by going on pilgrimages to obtain the Final Summoning capable of defeating Sin. Each time this happens, there is a period of time with Sin absent that the people of Spira hopes will last forever called a Calm. The Church of Yevon's teachings also provide hope to Spira by claiming that if they atone for the sins of the past, Sin will never return. [[spoiler:Except it's all a huge lie. The teachings of Yevon and the Final Summoning are total hogwash meant to give false hope. The Final Summoning is even more insidious because it is the means of Sin's rebirth, making the sacrifices of the summoners and their guardians (who ''become'' the new incarnations of Sin) [[SenselessSacrifice utterly senseless]]. Each Calm was essentially nothing but a HopeSpot. The whole system has trapped Spira in what Auron describes as a "spiral of death".]] Hope Bringer is then reconstructed when Yuna and her companions learn of the spoilered bit above and refuse to go along with it, preferring to risk everything to find a ''real'' solution without false hope. It's at this point that the story becomes less cynical and more idealistic.
* ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume'' is a deconstruction of RoaringRampageOfRevenge and PoweredByAForsakenChild. The moment Wylfred, the main character, gets his hands on an item that can give him power to take revenge on the one who killed his father. Thing is, the thing grows in power by eating souls of the dead. This leads to Wyl killing his best friend in one of the first chapters due to not fully understanding how the item works. Oh, and you can only sacrifice souls of those who trust you. While there are ways to get around killing your allies, you're openly encouraged to kill them (and even need to do so to unlock certain routes)! [[spoiler:Also, the person Wyl wants to take revenge on? Not only is it not her fault for why Wyl wants revenge, but she's the only reason he's even alive. Even the best ending has Wylfred's father condemned into that universe's version of Hell because of Wyl's actions.]]
* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' gives us [[spoiler:Oersted]], a massive deconstruction of the KnightInShiningArmor. You see, he really ''is'' a valiant, brave and chivalrous knight to the very end, always seeking to help everyone around him and following his moral code: "As long as there is one person believes in you, you can't give up". [[spoiler:Said last person ''kills herself'' after Oerstred sacrificed literally EVERYTHING to save her, right after being betrayed by his best friend and finding out that everything he believed in was a lie. Despite acting as TheHero through the whole game, in the end everyone who ever cared for him is either dead or now hates him due to a scheme by said best friend.]] It really shouldn't go without saying [[spoiler:that [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds he snaps...]] but in his own twisted vision, he's just helping humanity to "see the folly of their selfishness". And, once defeated, he finally realizes the mistakes on his own ways and openly admits being wrong. Noble to the very end.]]
* ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'' deconstructs the ElaborateUndergroundBase. You ''build'' the base, while the enemies invade.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', done in contrast to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime its previous game]], takes apart ComingOfAgeStory. A lot of the [=NPCs=] that Link, who was once [[PlotRelevantAgeUp aged up into a young man]], encounters are dealing with very adult issues and most, children ''and'' adults, don't know how to cope or deal with it. A father grieves for the loss of his son who is presumed missing and dead, while a child mourns for the death of his parent. A man laments that he will never know his unborn children after failing to rescue them; meanwhile a child is about to lose her father to an illness. A man refuses to show his face to his fiancée because he broke a promise while said fiancée fears he had abandoned her because he no longer loves her. Several guards are torn between doing their duty or flee for their lives. Soldiers obey orders for a war that has long ended. A woman is forced to grow up too soon after the death of her father who must run the family business that's being threatened by a rival company.
*** It also deconstructs the UnstoppableMailman. Said mailman is such a ScheduleFanatic that he ''can't'' stop, no matter how desperately he wants to. Even as the moon is falling and the apocalypse is at hand, the mailman continues to deliver mail because "escape from the moon" is not written in his schedule. He only manages to leave Clocktown when his boss has to order him to.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' deconstructs TheChosenOne harshly. The legend of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Hero of Time]] results in the people of Hyrule believing that he will return should the time come that Hyrule is in danger again. When Ganondorf returns they continue to believe this and Ganondorf remains unopposed [[spoiler:until the Gods take matters into their own hands leaving Hyrule in ruins.]] This particular version of Link also has to '''[[TheUnchosenOne earn]]''' his title as the successor of the legendary hero rather that just getting it.
*** It also takes apart typical post-apocalyptic AfterTheEnd stories. The game's bright and upbeat art style and music shows that life moves on. Centuries later, an old civilization will be forgotten and unmourned. A ResetButton on everything can be both a good and bad thing.
*** This Link's fighting style is a slight deconstruction of InstantExpert, involving a lot of wild swinging and exploiting openings that usually works out. Most Links are master swordsmen, but this Link is an islander kid who comes of age the same day his adventure starts, and has only ever hobby-sparred with Orca, who mostly taught him defensive fighting. Every other Link would have at least the excuse of having to fend off wildlife in the woods, but Outset island was pretty idyllic until the adventure begins.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' deconstructs LadyLand through the Gerudo. Due to culture and tradition, the Gerudo's city was entirely cut off from men. However, this posed problems for the Gerudo interacting with men, especially when they want to find a man to marry. They even need classes to educate themselves how to talk and woo men. Several Gerudo that Link encountered across Hyrule are shown to be awkward when trying to speak with him. At least one actively flew into a panic when speaking with Link, whispering to herself to remember the lessons she learned.
* ''VideoGame/Persona4'' has ''many'' deconstructions, usually resolved by completing a social link:
** Yosuke deconstructs the StepfordSmiler and/or SadClown tropes, as his Shadow calls him on the fact he's basically just bored and aimless and so he's throwing himself into anything that seems interesting for the hell of having something to do. His social link ultimately culminates in him realizing that he doesn't ''need'' to be special as long as he has friends that believe him to be special.
** Chie deconstructs the {{tomboy}} trope, as it's made clear from encountering her Shadow that she is quite uncomfortable with her lack of femininity. She also mildly deconstructs the BigEater trope, as she mentions that her ravenous appetite is one of the things she finds unfeminine about herself and is thusly ashamed of. Her social link involves finding out what kind of person she wants to be regardless of how feminine it makes her, and how to realize her goal of wanting to protect people, whether they see her as feminine or not.
** Yukiko deconstructs the YamatoNadeshiko trope, as it's noted she feels powerless and weak, as well as not truly wanting to accept her expected inheritance. Her social link eventually has her realize that she ''wants'' her expected inheritance, rather than trying to run from it, because everyone around her wants her to be happy, and she wants the same for them.
** Kanji deconstructs the RealMenWearPink trope, as his personal storyline is all about how his "un-macho" interests have led to ridicule and rejection from others, especially women, and how he doubts himself as a result of that. His social link has him coming to terms with the fact that he likes something that's considered "girly" and how that's not something to be ashamed of.
** Rise deconstructs the IdolSinger and {{Kawaiiko}} tropes, having originally gone into the music business because of a love of singing and a desire to make friends, only to grow fearful of the idea that people only see her for her idol persona. Her social link has her realizing that the idol personality she feared was masking her true self was actually inspiring people, and that she can be Rise and Risette.
** Naoto deconstructs the KidDetective (nobody takes her seriously due to her age, so she has to fight to be recognized) and {{Bifauxnen}} (she only dresses like and pretends to be a guy because it's the only way she can get around the chauvinism of the Japanese police system) tropes. Her social link has her realizing that she loves being a detective and solving mysteries, and always has, and that if society says she's too young or not a man and can't do that, she'll have to convince them otherwise.
** Exclusive to the anime, but Yu deconstructs IJustWantToHaveFriends. His fight against Shadow Mitsuo foreshadows this aspect of his personality where he undergoes an existential crisis over the idea of the case being solved and his friends abandoning him. His fight against Izanami solidified this where he almost willingly succumbed to the fog so that he could be in a reality where he remain with his friends.
** Mitsuo Kubo deconstructs AttentionWhore and/or IJustWantToBeSpecial. He repeatedly tries to take responsibility for the murders to get attention, and even goes so far as to commit an ''actual'' murder to this end. This ends up landing him in a mental hospital.
** Ms. Kashiwagi, the Investigation Team's second homeroom teacher, deconstructs SenseiChan; rather than see her immaturity and behavior as endearing, her students view her as nothing more than a pathetic AttentionWhore.
*** She also deconstructs HotForStudent as her ChristmasCake status has left her so bitter and desperate for attention from males that she is willing to settle for anyone.
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is not kind to GoldenAge. Neither the Dragons nor Gwyn could let go of their "perfect eras" and did everything in their power to keep it the way it was. The result? [[spoiler:In the case of the dragons? A gigantic war that almost completely anihilated their kind. In the case of Gwyn? [[TheEndoftheWorldasWeKnowIt well...]]]]

* The pros and cons of ThouShallNotKill and PayEvilUntoEvil are explored in both ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' and ''VideoGame/Injustice2''. One of the bigger reasons why Superman and Batman have come to blows over the years is the argument of when and where is breaking the no-kill rule beneficial and nobody finding a middle ground... or backing down. Both sides even jab {{Armor Piercing Question}}s at each other about the policies they adhere to post-Metropolis.
** Batman ardently sticks to not killing, aware that if he does so in the name of justice, he's no better than the criminals he just killed, but couldn't fix the Joker's KarmaHoudini problem, which backfired horribly when the MonsterClown caused Superman's StartOfDarkness in the first game by tricking him into killing his own wife and nuking Metropolis. Superman frequently chides him for not killing those who deserve to die for the greater good even when he desires to do so.
** Likewise, Superman no longer believes in the no-kill rule and thinks only PayEvilUntoEvil matters post-Metropolis, especially with villains like the Joker or Brainiac, but Batman still believes that it's an easy path to JumpOffTheSlipperySlope, [[BewareTheSuperman something which brought out the worst]] in Superman. In Brainiac's case, while Superman wants to kill the Coluan in revenge for blowing up Krypton, Batman warns they need to keep Brainiac alive if they hope to restore all of the cities.
* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' explores what would happen if [[spoiler: the NotLoveInterest in a DatingSim VN was just as in love with the protagonist as the other girls can be, ''and'' possessed MediumAwareness to know that no matter what, the game will never allow them to be together.]] [[SurpriseCreepy The results aren't pretty.]]
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'':
** Sae Nijima was PromotedToParent for her younger sister Makoto after the untimely death of their father. While Sae genuinely cares for Makoto, the pressures of managing her line of work and caring for Makoto has caused her to become jaded, bitter and cynical. She despises her father for dying and leaving his children to deal with the fallout and she is secretly terrified that either she or Makoto will die a similar death like their father in a fruitless pursuit of justice. In the main story, in a fit of anger, Sae told Makoto that she saw Makoto as a burden and later on, reveals that she was jealous of Makoto's idealistic views and how carefree Makoto's life is as a high schooler. Meanwhile, Makoto only wants to [[WellDoneSonGuy make Sae proud]] and wishes to have the relationship they had prior to their father's death.
** HappinessInSlavery is deconstructed through Yusuke. Like many abuse victims, he is aware that Madarame is mistreating him and that he is plagiarizing Yusuke's work but feels that he can neither leave nor confront Madarame about this out of a sense of obligation towards the man who raised him after his mother's death. To cope with this, Yusuke continually rationalizes Madarame's behavior, hindering the Phantom Thieves' attempts to change Madarame's heart. Even after [[spoiler: Madarame's Shadow reveals he indirectly killed Yusuke's mother]], Yusuke continues to have conflicted feelings of love and hate towards his adopted father, who it is eventually revealed ''did'' care for him as a doting father would when he was younger. Yusuke's social link is about trying to reconcile these feelings.
* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', [[spoiler: Baldur]] was blessed with the ability to FeelNoPain and invulnerability to all threats - physical and magical. But because of this, he cannot feel the most mundane stimuli such as pain, temperature, taste or pleasure. This lack of sense drives him insane, as well as destroying any level of empathy he possessed. He even flat out said he would rather die than to not feel anything.
* The ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' deconstructs the KidHero archetype that most JRPG games play straight. Most playable characters tend to skew as teenagers, most of the adults are very competent at their jobs in comparison. Thanks to their inexperience and lack of authority, the kids lose far more than they win and need to be frequently bailed out by their adult counterparts. Unless the younger characters have received specialized combat training which frequently is depicted as traumatizing or are flat out used to harsher living conditions, (just ask [[ChildSoldier Renne]], [[EmptyShell Joshua]], or [[DeathSeeker Kevin]]), they won't be able to catch up with the adults, no matter how many special powers and abilities they may have compared to years of experience. Ultimately this results in a case of TheBadGuyWins more often than not, leaving the protagonists to scrape by with personal victories at best while only making a dent in the villains' plans.
* In ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'', Josh's character traits of "complex, thoughtful, loving", especially in regards [[BigBrotherInstinct to his sisters]], actually bring out the worst in him. Losing his sisters caused him to [[spoiler: be driven to madness and fixated on getting revenge on his friends who caused the prank. Josh's "prank" was far more traumatizing on his friends and after stopping his medications, he quickly loses the rest of his sanity.]]

* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' shows that [[DungeonCrawling going into a confined, dark space full of highly-aggressive, inhuman monsters with limited supplies]] takes a massive toll both physically and [[SanityMeter mentally]] on even the hardiest soldiers.
** It also shows exactly what type of people would sign up for such a quest: broken, desperate, and occasionally insane people.
* StiffUpperLip in ''VideoGame/WeHappyFew'' is taken to the logical extreme where ''everyone'' in Wellington Wells is forced to maintain a cheerful facade in the face of disaster. They do not take kindly to anything that is sad or troubling, especially if it reminds them of [[NoodleIncident A Very Bad Thing]], and they will brutally attack and/or murder anyone who isn't on Joy. They are so dependent on taking their Joy and remaining blissfully ignorant than face the fact [[spoiler: there is a major food crisis and people are starving to death.]]
* ''VideoGame/WintermoorTacticsClub'' gently but ''very'' pointedly deconstructs several ideas with a single plot element, with the most focus on the idea of the BarrierMaiden, but also taking potshots at SadisticChoice, PassingTheTorch, and HeroicSacrifice;
** Situation: [[spoiler: Principal Enfield tells the party that he has a ritual that will keep the [[ArtifactOfDoom Gatekeeper Statue]] bound to the party. Doing this prevents it from summoning its demonic master and taking over the world... but will also destroy the party's futures, since they'll have to devote everything to their club and each other, using their bonds to keep the thing at bay until such time as they must pass the statue on to someone else. It's the only way.]]
** Deconstruction: [[spoiler: Alicia, the party leader, simply won't do it. As she and the party point out, they've only got Enfield's word that this is the only way to stop the thing. He's ''tried'' to destroy it and failed... but the party is much stronger than he has ever been. He's just one guy, after all, while the Tactics Club is a multi-man party that's already proven themselves against both every other club in the school and against the statue's own cult. Further, it's not going to ''solve'' the problem, just kick it down the road; Alicia would rather take the bet they can actually fix it, now, than risk it breaking free later when they're weaker. The party simply beats the statue and its demon master to death- singlehandedly preventing Armageddon, and tossing Enfield's BarrierMaiden plan out on its ass.]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestBuilders'' thoroughly deconstructs the TheChosenOne and ButThouMust tropes its parent series embraces so often:
** The game is set in a world where the hero of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' had been groomed all his life to go on a quest to defeat [[BigBad the Dragonlord]]. [[spoiler:He ended up taking the Dragonlord's DealWithTheDevil, just to have ''some'' agency over his own life and see what would happen. The game is set in the resulting BadEnd BadFuture.]]
** [[PlayerCharacter The Builder]] is repeatedly told [[ArcWords they are not a hero]]. They aren't supposed to defeat evil, simply help get civilization back on its feet so humanity can carry on until one arrives. [[spoiler:They eventually make the goddess Rubiss admit she doesn't know ''when'' the Hero will be born - it could be tomorrow, it could be another thousand years, and people will just have to suffer until then. The Builder realizes this makes everything they're accomplished [[AllForNothing a meaningless stopgap]] and decides to ScrewDestiny and fix the source of the problem themselves. They're [[TheUnchosenOne not a hero]], but they can choose to be heroic.]]
* In ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'', Chris Redfield was PromotedToParent for his sister Claire after their parents died in a freak accident when she was fourteen. Chris was given new responsibilities suddenly and he became overprotective over her, training her in firearms and combat skills from a young age and apparently often bossed her around. Even though Claire loved her brother, she still harbored some bitterness over his parenting as an adult.
* The ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' series deconstructs IncompetenceInc in the most horrific ways possible. The generally incompetent (and possibly morally bankrupt) owners of the in-universe [[SuckECheeses pizza franchise]] are not only willing to cut corners on costs whenever possible (Meaning equipment tends to malfunction or not work at all), but don't even bother doing background checks on their employees (Which results in a {{serial killer}} murdering ''several'' children) and have a general negligence of safety for their employees and customers (They refuse to claim responsibility for the deaths of night guards caused by their own animatronic mascots, and a child is horribly maimed in a DeadlyPrank due in part to no one even bothering to stop it). Not surprisingly, the restaurant is closed down after the events of the first game due to just how poorly run it is.

* While the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series as a whole has largely played ThePowerOfFriendship straight, ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' has a rather brutal deconstruction near the end of the game. Sora is a firm believer in the trope, as he always believes that together people can do anything, and regularly attributes his power to his friends and connections with them, but Xigbar points out that he attributes ''too'' much of his strength to his friends, and during the climax, he's [[VillainHasAPoint proven right]]; when [[spoiler:the other Guardians of Light are ensnared by a Heartless swarm and apparently killed]], Sora [[HeroicBSOD breaks down]] ''[[HeroicBSOD hard]]'', declaring that since all his strength came from his friends, he's worthless on his own.

* ''VideoGame/FableII'' shows how normal people would eventually react to the existence of {{Evil Hero}}es. Turns out the citizens of Albion did not care for Heroes being able to just casually take on evil quests from the Heroes' Guild without taking consideration of the people they were supposed to protect. All that talk of the old Guildmaster giving Heroes freedom to choose? Apparently that freedom isn't extended to normal people. Once guns were invented they quickly armed themselves and attacked the Guild, destroying it and killing everyone inside.
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'':
** The Van der Linde gang is a deconstruction of UndyingLoyalty and FamilyOfChoice. Dutch found and took in many of the members when they were young (Arthur, John, Tilly) or when they were at the lowest point in their lives (Bill, Javier), acting as a ParentalSubstitute for many of them. In turn, the gang are fiercely loyal to him and see each other as a family. However due to Dutch's AmbiguouslyEvil actions, it's uncertain if he saved them out of the goodness of his heart or manipulated them to use them as pawns. Dutch also wanted to control all aspects of the members and didn't like it when anyone questioned him (Hosea, Arthur, John) or if they even showed hints of having loyalty to someone other than him (John towards Abigail and Jack). Despite this, many foolishly continue to follow his every word, even when they all notice Dutch's SanitySlippage and Dutch's schemes get members and innocent people needlessly in danger or killed. This would split the gang into two sides, those who continue to blindly follow Dutch and become hostile to those who don't and those who realize Dutch is too far gone and their attempts to protect the gang from Dutch have ''them'' seen as traitors to the gang. All of this eventually cumulates with the gang imploding on itself, becoming mistrustful and openly aggressive to each other, [[spoiler: some members finally leaving the gang out of fear for their lives]] and Dutch [[spoiler: betraying Arthur and John on separate occasions to die]]. By the end of it, the once great Van der Linde gang is no more.
*** It's best seen what UndyingLoyalty to a person who is undeserving of it regarding Dutch to his adopted sons Arthur and John. This is Arthur's FatalFlaw as he will continue to follow Dutch's lead even if he openly disagrees and disapproves with Dutch's actions and flat out knows better. This loyalty cost Arthur opportunities to leave the gang and live a happier life and [[spoiler: if Arthur had stopped obeying Dutch earlier, it's possible his tuberculosis would not have progressed as far as it did]]. Same with John, who continues to remain in the gang out of some sense of loyalty to the man who raised him even if John knew there were strong implications that Dutch had [[spoiler: abandoned him to either rot or hang in prison]].
** The concept of OneLastJob and escaping to live in peace afterwards. After the botched Blackwater heist that was meant to be the gang's last job, Dutch plans OneLastJob after another [[SunkCostFallacy to replace the take]]. But by doing so, the gang only gets into more trouble and dangerous situations, constantly being on the run and with the authorities closing in on them and the cycle continues. [[JerkAssHasAPoint Micah]] is the one to point out that the gang is simply too large to continue effectively evading the law and for any last job, no matter how big, to provide for two dozen people comfortably and get them all out of the country safely. Some members of the gang eventually realize that they will never see any of the money and that Dutch really doesn't ''want'' to stop being a criminal despite what he says.

* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic 2'' deconstructs several video-game RPG tropes such as how the main character seems to gain power by slaughtering others and how upon meeting you, the other members of your party become entirely dependent on your continued existence. It also deconstructs the StarWars universe itself, including notions of good and evil and ideas about The Force.
* ''VideoGame/XCom'' deconstructs the monster and alien-fighting cartoons popular during the 90's where you had an elite team of heroes able to travel anywhere in the world in order to fight cheesy villains and win despite having inferior technology and numbers. Then look at X-COM, who travel the world in a CoolPlane to fight goofy-looking aliens... and suffer a high fatality rate, have barely enough funding, and have to desperately struggle just to get good enough weapons to fight 3/4 of the things that keep coming down.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'' deconstructed EnhanceButton. The processing power the {{AI}} CABAL requires in general and for this operation in particular comes from [[spoiler:human brains]] and the resulting picture looks exactly like one would expect: grainy, except in the parts made up which are very smooth and Oxanna also does not know who the woman on it is, only she's a mutant.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' deconstructs TheChosenOne harshly. The legend of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Hero of Time]] results in the people of Hyrule believing that he will return should the time come that Hyrule is in danger again. When Ganondorf returns they continue to believe this and Ganondorf remains unopposed [[spoiler:until the Gods take matters into their own hands leaving Hyrule in ruins.]] The incarnation of Link that is the protagonist of this game also has to '''[[TheUnchosenOne earn]]''' his title as the successor of the legendary hero rather that just getting it.

*** "Toon" Link's fighting style is a slight deconstruction of InstantExpert; Unlike the other Links who are master swordsmen, involves a lot of wild swinging and exploiting openings that usually works out. He's an islander kid who comes of age the same day his adventure starts, and has only ever hobby-sparred with Orca, who mostly taught him defensive fighting. Every other Link would have at least the excuse of having to fend off wildlife in the woods, but Outset island was pretty idyllic until the adventure begins.

** Batman ardently sticks to not killing, aware that if he does so in the name of justice, he's NotSoDifferent from the criminals he just killed, but couldn't fix the Joker's KarmaHoudini problem, which backfired horribly when the MonsterClown caused Superman's StartOfDarkness in the first game by tricking him into killing his own wife and nuking Metropolis. Superman frequently chides him for not killing those who deserve to die for the greater good even when he desires to do so.

** The concept of OneLastJob and escaping to live in peace afterwards. After the botched Blackwater heist that was meant to be the gang's last job, Dutch plans OneLastJob after another [[SunkCostFallacy to replace the take]]. But by doing so, the gang only gets into more trouble and dangerous situations, constantly being on the run and with the authorities closing in on them and the cycle continues. [[JerkAssHasAPoint Micah]] is the one to point out that the gang is simply too large to effectively evade the law and for any last job, no matter how big, to provide for two dozen people comfortably and get them all out of the country safely. Some members of the gang eventually realize that they will never see any of the money and they realize that Dutch really doesn't ''want'' to stop being a criminal despite what he says.

* In ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'', the Van der Linde gang is a deconstruction of UndyingLoyalty and FamilyOfChoice. Dutch found and took in many of the members when they were young (Arthur, John, Tilly) or when they were at the lowest point in their lives (Bill, Javier), acting as a ParentalSubstitute for many of them. In turn, the gang are fiercely loyal to him and see each other as a family. However due to Dutch's AmbiguouslyEvil actions, it's uncertain if he saved them out of the goodness of his heart or manipulated them to use them as pawns. Dutch also wanted to control all aspects of the members and didn't like it when anyone questioned him (Hosea, Arthur, John) or if they even showed hints of having loyalty to someone other than him (John towards Abigail and Jack). Despite this, many foolishly continue to follow his every word, even when they all notice Dutch's SanitySlippage and Dutch's schemes get members and innocent people needlessly in danger or killed. This would split the gang into two sides, those who continue to blindly follow Dutch and become hostile to those who don't and those who realize Dutch is too far gone and their attempts to protect the gang from Dutch have ''them'' seen as traitors to the gang. All of this eventually cumulates with the gang imploding on itself, becoming mistrustful and openly aggressive to each other, [[spoiler: some members finally leaving the gang out of fear for their lives]] and Dutch [[spoiler: betraying Arthur and John on separate occasions to die]]. By the end of it, the once great Van der Linde gang is no more.
** It's best seen what UndyingLoyalty to a person who is undeserving of it regarding Dutch to his adopted sons Arthur and John. This is Arthur's FatalFlaw as he will continue to follow Dutch's lead even if he openly disagrees and disapproves with Dutch's actions and flat out knows better. This loyalty cost Arthur opportunities to leave the gang and live a happier life and [[spoiler: if Arthur had stopped obeying Dutch earlier, it's possible his tuberculosis would not have progressed as far as it did]]. Same with John, who continues to remain in the gang out of some sense of loyalty to the man who raised him even if John knew there were strong implications that Dutch had [[spoiler: abandoned him to either rot or hang in prison]].

* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' shows that [[DungeonCrawling going into a confined, dark space full of highly-aggressive, inhuman monsters with limited supplies]] takes a massive toll both [[FinalDeath physically]] and [[SanityMeter mentally]] on even the hardiest soldiers.

** [[spoiler:King Gangrel of Plegia]] is revealed to be a deconstruction of TheCaligula. How so? [[spoiler:His cruel and tyrannical actions quickly turn around to bite him in the ass. After Chrom's sister Emmeryn commits a HeroicSuicide, his own army starts defecting en masse, and the next chapter you fight a group of Plegian soldiers who honestly do not want anything to do with this war Gangrel started ''and'' were traumatized by Emmeryn's death. By the time the Shepherds confront Gangrel, all but a small group of loyalists have abandoned him, and Emmeryn has become a folk heroine among the people of Plegia.]] Not to mention, [[spoiler:Gangrel ''can'' be [[HeelFaceTurn recruited into your army]] in the first [[SocializationBonus SpotPass]] chapter; his supports also reveal that he did ''not'' start as a madman but as a mixture of SelfMadeMan who wanted to unite the continent against Valm, but fell into MotiveDecay after he went mad with power and well... ended up as the WarForFunAndProfit motivated madman the group met and fought. And damn, [[TheAtoner he now regrets having been such an asshole]]. (Not to mention, [[ReformedButRejected Chrom still can't forgive him]], and his potential best friend/girlfriend the Avatar does NOT trust him either at first.)]]

** It's best seen what UndyingLoyalty to a person who is undeserving of it regarding Arthur and John. This is Arthur's FatalFlaw as he will continue to follow Dutch's lead even if he openly disagrees and disapproves with Dutch's actions and flat out knows better. This loyalty cost Arthur opportunities to leave the gang and live a happier life and [[spoiler: if Arthur had stopped obeying Dutch earlier, it's possible his tuberculosis would not have progressed as far as it did]]. Same with John, who continues to remain in the gang out of some sense of loyalty to the man who raised him even if he knew there were strong implications that Dutch had [[spoiler: abandoned him to either rot or hang in prison]].

* In ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'', the Van der Linde gang is a deconstruction of UndyingLoyalty and FamilyOfChoice. Dutch found and took in many of the members when they were young (Arthur, John, Tilly) or when they were at the lowest point in their lives (Bill, Javier), acting as a ParentalSubstitute for many of them. In turn, the gang are fiercely loyal to him and see each other as a family. However due to Dutch's AmbiguouslyEvil actions, it's uncertain if he saved them out of the goodness of his heart or manipulated them to use them as pawns. Dutch also wants to control all aspects of the members and doesn't like it when anyone questions him (Hosea, Arthur, John) or if they even show hints of having loyalty to someone other than him (John towards Abigail and Jack). Despite this, many foolishly continue to follow his every word even when they all notice Dutch's SanitySlippage. Once Arthur realizes things won't get better, he tries to warn the others to no avail as Dutch's schemes continue to get members and innocent people needlessly killed. All of this eventually cumulates with the gang imploding on itself, becoming mistrustful and openly aggressive and hostile to each other, [[spoiler: some members finally leaving the gang out of fear for their lives]] and Dutch betraying [[spoiler: Arthur and John]] to die. By the end of it, the once great Van der Linde gang is no more.

*** Unlike the other Links who are master swordsmen, "Toon" Link's fighting style involves a lot of wild swinging and exploiting openings that usually works out. He's an islander kid who comes of age the same day his adventure starts, and has only ever hobby-sparred with Orca, who mostly taught him defensive fighting. Every other Link would have at least the excuse of having to fend off wildlife in the woods, but Outset island was pretty idyllic until the adventure begins.

** ''Metal Gear Solid'' is based on AmericaSavesTheDay media but is significantly more political than most of it, pointing out how the lone American hero would be a byproduct of hideous intragovernmental corruption and backstabbing, imperialist foreign policy, and craven attempts to secure access to money, nuclear weapons or soft power. Even when Solid Snake is able to save the day on behalf of the Americans, it is ''never'' for the right set of reasons, and the consequences of it usually make the world a whole lot worse later on.