Most video game protagonists, at least in mainstream games, range from teenagers to young adults. That is a big loss, as seeing the world through the eyes of a child offers a lot of fun storytelling opportunities. Some games have caught onto that fact though.
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Games that have child protagonists have an interesting range in terms of genre. Some are quite wholesome and whimsical, like the sort of games Nintendo is famous more. Others are far more obscure and dive into the horror genre through the eyes of someone small and powerless.
10Most Protagonists From The Pokémon Series: 10-Years-Old
Any Pokémon trainer worth their salt knows that you start your adventure once you reach 10-years-old. That puts almost any protagonist from the games at about 10-years-old. Just almost though, because trainers in Aloha actually begin their journeys at 11-years-old.
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Pokémonis one of those whimsical games where a child can take down a crime gang. It is a world where children can be independent from a very early age. They rarely worry about money and get todiscover themselves through battles,contests, and lots of camping around a warm fire.
9Link From Majora’s Mask: 10-Years-Old
Link is also a kid for a while inOcarina of Time, but it is inMajora’s Maskwhere he is a kid for the whole game. It is a little ironic too, asMajora’s Maskis known to be one of the darker and creepier of theLegend of Zeldatitles. Poor kid Link. However, it is this experience that makes himarguably one of the more powerful Links.
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Link is the sort of character that is always quiet and thoughtful. Part of this is to make it easier for the players to project themselves into him. Outside that strategy, Link does come off as a pretty mature kid for his age.
8The Boy From The Last Guardian: About 10-Years-Old
The Last Guardianis a game about a boy and a mysterious creature that solve puzzles to escape a labyrinth of ruins, and is the third in the spiritual trilogy that also containsIcoandShadow of the Colossus. We never learn the name of the boy, but we do know that he is 10-years-old.
Luckily, he has a big creature named Trico to do most of the physical work for him, such as jumping from one tower to the next or fighting mysterious enemies. The boy is more of the brains of the operation.
7Ib From Ib: 9-Years-Old
Ibis an obscureRPG Makerhorror game, but one with a cult following. The game is about a nine-year-old girl, Ib, and how she gets sucked into a creepy painting world in an art museum. She does meet an adult and another child in the painting world, and the three of them attempt to escape together.
Ib is one of many younghorror game protagoniststhat will likely need a lot of therapy as they go on into adulthood.
6Shunsuke From Re:Kinder: 8-Years-Old
Re:Kinderis another obscureRPG Makerhorror game, and is even less known thanIb. The main cast of characters are all in the third grade and they have awaken in their hometown, except now it is a dangerous city of death.
The game may appear innocent, but it actually delves into a lot of mature topics like depression and suicide. In a strange twist though, the game also had a ton of absurdist humor. It is a game that must be played to be believed, but its definitely not for the weak of heart.
5Billy Blaze From The Commander Keen Series: 8-Years-Old
This series of side-scrolling games had its first title in 1990 and its latest release in 2001. The players play as Billy Blaze, a kid genius that builds a spaceship and becomes “Commander Keen.” The series has five games in total and all of them are available as part of a collection on Steam.
Its a pretty innocent and whimsical adventure game. It is the sort of title that can be great for any age, though most today justplay it for nostalgia sake.
4Nameless Boy From Limbo: Around 7-Years-Old
The young protagonist fromLimbois around 7-years-old. He is definitely one of those examples of taking a child as a protagonist in a creepy game in order to give off a feeling of powerlessness. There isno fighting, just puzzlesand avoiding death.
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Unlike other child protagonist horror games though, this one is not obscure. It was widely reviewed and well loved by publications, players, and critics.
3Lucius From Lucius: 6-Years-Old
In thissurvival horror game, players actually get to play a kid who is the son of Lucifer. With his supernatural powers, the player gets to carefully pick off inhabitants of his home through problem-solving puzzles. It is quite the change from other horror games where you are a powerless kid. Instead, you are now a monster who just happens to be a young child.
The game has pretty mixed reviews. What’s worse, players have said the game feels unfinished, but at best it entertains and has stealth action reminiscent ofHitman.
2David From Among The Sleep: 2-Years-Old
This unique first-person survival game has the player be a toddler who is looking for his mom while trapped in a nightmare. Due to the young age of the protagonist, everything is seen from a unique perspective. Everything looks intimidating due to how small the player is. Of course, there are also monsters that follow the player. They are terrifying, even for an adult character.
1Baby Mario From Yoshi’s Island: Less Than One-Year-Old
Technically, Mario isn’t any age in this game because he hasn’t been properly delivered by a stork yet. Obviously, that makes him the youngest video game protagonist ever.
In a weird way, baby Mario is a lot like the kid inThe Last Guardian. He isn’t alone, as he has Yoshi to help him out with the physical burdens of the game. Like his adult counterpart, baby Mario is courageous. The whole plot ofYoshi’s Islandis to save baby Luigi. What a dedicated brother.
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