As BioWare prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, it’s worth remembering that this legendary studio has crafted some truly spectacular RPG experiences. Running the gamut from traditional fantasy fare withBaldur’s GateandNeverwiner Nights, all the way to science fiction adventures in the form ofStar WarsandMass Effect, BioWare has also remembered a key aspect of RPG design, which is having a great collection of nasty villains to fight.
Whether it’s a rogues' gallery of evil wizards and warlocks or an alien race determined to destroy humanity, BioWare has a knack for crafting fantastic groups of antagonistic forces for the player to fight. And over the past 30 years, not only have they been creating some of the industry’s greatest RPGs, but they’ve made sure that the villains featured in these games have ranked up there withsome of the best villainsof all time.
Jade Empirewas a game described within BioWareas a “dream project”, a title that the founders of the company had wanted to make since the company’s inception. Taking strong influence from Chinese history, drawing from the Han and Ming dynasties,Jade Empirecasts the player as the Spirit Monk, putting them into direct conflict with the forces that have abducted their Master. Leading this parade of villains is Sun Li, the ruler of the eponymous Jade Empire.
Backed by Death’s Hand, the leader of the Lotus Assassins, and the Emperor Sun Hai, the antagonistic forces ofJade Empireare easily some of BioWare’s best creations. Each of them have their own distinct motives, personalities and inherent flaws. It’s a game that is in dire need of a remake, as contemporary technology could bring these already fantastic villains to life even more.
After developing a mech combat game known asShattered Steelfor their debut title, BioWare found their true calling by adopting the Forgotten Realms setting as the foundation for their first rpg,Baldur’s Gate.And in the sequel thatlaunched two years later, BioWare surpassed the original in every single way, and especially when it came to the villains. WithBaldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, BioWare introduced a collection of absolutely spectacular villains.
Jon Irenicus, voiced by the late David Warner, is introduced alongside Bodhi, voiced by B.J. Ward. After being exiled from an Elven city, and being stripped of their power, the two embark on a quest to restore themselves by any means necessary. Their lack of empathy towards the party is truly haunting, as they see nothing wrong with experimenting with dark magic not only on themselves, but on the party, in an effort to save themselves.
WhileBaldur’s GateandNeverwinter Nightswere built around adapting and expanding theDungeons and Dragonsrule sets,Dragon Agewas BioWare’s attempt at creatinga wholly unique fantasy IP. And it worked out in their favor, asDragon Agehas become one of their most popular franchises, not the least of which due to its incredible cast of villains. WithDragon Age: Inquisition, BioWare continued the tradition, weaving in a host of both new villains and returning favorites.
Returning fromDragon Age 2’sLegacy DLC is Corypheus, the powerful darkspawn that broke from his seal, as well as newcomers like Solas, the Dread Wolf. Other, more ambiguous antagonists populate the world, such as Flemeth and her daughter Morrigan. It is a truly remarkable collection of villains, each of them coming from radically different perspectives, and all of them are a joy to watch.
After spending extended time in the world ofDungeons and Dragons, BioWare looked to a new IP for inspiration and teamed up with LucasArts tocreate aStar WarsRPGexclusively for the Xbox known asKnights of the Old Republic. But rather than relying on already proven villains like Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine, BioWare opted to create a whole new cast of agents from the dark side to torment the heroes.
Leading them is Darth Malak, the sinister Sith Lord who was an apprentice to a fallen Jedi named Revan during the Jedi Civil War. This diabolical dark lord is assisted by Saul Karath, a devious traitor who defected to the Sith Empire under Malak. And as players come to find out, their character is actually the former Darth Revan, the fallen Jedi who nearly brought the Order to its knees. It’s a unique set of villains, and one that the player has an indirect hand in.
Leaving the swords and fantasy trappings behind them, BioWare ditched their turn-based affairs for a real-time,third-person action RPGcalledMass Effectin 2007. This sprawling, science fiction epic was designed to be told over the course of a trilogy, and BioWare brought their trademark flare for amazing villains to the first game in spectacular fashion.
Saren Arterius is a cunning, deceptive mastermind working behind the scenes and a magnetic lead villain. Brought to life with incredible voicework and an incredible sense of dread, Saren is backed up by the tragic and complicated Matriarch Benezia. And lurking ominously in the background are the Reapers, an ancient evil that adds a bit of gravitas and scale to everything.Mass Effect 1succeeds in many ways, but its villains still resonate today.
After an explosive opening scenethat sees Commander Shephardblown out of an airlock attempting to save their crew,Mass Effect 2sees the arrival of several improvements and upgrades over the first game. This sequel is darker, much more complex and is filled with some terrific new and old villains for Shephard and the crew of the Normandy to tackle.
Headlining is the Illusive Man, a mysterious figure from an organization known as Cerberus. This group seems to control the ebbs and flows of theMass Effectuniverse, as the Illusive Man’s dark hand has a wide reach. The Reapers return, their impact on the greater story increasing, as the end result of their experimentation on Protheans leads to the birth of the Collectors. It’s an all-star group of nasty villains, all of whom are exceptionally well-executed.
