Robots have been a staple in video games for many years, appearing in massive franchises like metroid, solid metal gearand even Super Mario. Whether they appear to the player as a small, unassuming foe, a trusted ally, or a gigantic beast built to elicit a fear response, robots are loved and welcomed in just about every video game.
However, some robots stand out thanks to their unique designs or intriguing backstories. Robots have long since passed from the days of being merely background fodder to the story of a human being. They are now highly developed characters of their own who have grown incredible fan bases. Despite their cold, metallic exteriors, these robots are some of the deepest characters in their game franchises.
10 Monokuma is the iconic dual color assassin (Danganronpa)
Monokuma may look cute, but he’s a murderous black and white teddy bear who oversees all the killing games in the three main lines. danganronpa games. Created by Monaca Towa and “tweaked” by Junko Enoshima to have a nearly insufferable personality, Monokuma isn’t just an antagonist, he’s an instigator.
Perfectly created to sow as much discord as possible between the participants in the killing game, Monokuma plays a brilliant villain. He is equally obnoxious and entertaining, with players buying plushies from him en masse. His appearance is iconic and is considered one of the best aspects of the franchise.
9 Pascal is a peace loving pacifist (NieR Automata)
Pascal is the beloved heart of NieR Automata and the pacifist robot who opens 2B and 9S’s eyes to the fact that machines are more than mindless vessels. With a gentle way of speaking and an almost fatherly concern for his people, the first time the player meets Pascal in Pascal’s Village is unforgettable.
Pascal is designed this way specifically to make it even more horrible when his entire community destroys itself. In a devastatingly sad moment, he asks the player to kill him or erase his memories. Neither option is good, and even if Pascal is left alive to decide his own fate, he is never seen again. He certainly deserved better than the fate he received, and his existence will live on in players’ memories long after the game is over.
8 BD-1 is a loyal companion (Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order)
Being Cal’s only permanent partner for a long campaign is a dangerous job, but Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s BD-1 was up for the challenge. As a small, bipedal, red and white droid, BD-1 quickly captured the hearts of fallen order players, particularly when he jumped on Cal’s back, not unlike the way Yoda rode Luke in the movies.
Hilariously, BD-1 seems to care little for his own well-being, instead being much more interested in research and data collection. Perhaps that was what made so many players fall in love with the robot. The ability to change BD-1 skins allowed players to customize their partner to match Cal himself.
7 Aigis becomes more human (Persona 3)
Aigis is much more than a robot in person 3; she is a friend, confidant and loyal protector. Her entire social bond is based on her quest to become more human and understanding that even if her heart becomes more human, her body will not. She is canonically one of the protagonist’s closest allies, if not his closest friend, and suffers the most after his death.
the story in person 3 it’s remarkably bittersweet, even by Persona standards, and Aigis herself is a huge part of that. Her fate and that of the protagonist are much more intertwined than they realize, leading to many tearful confessions and heartbreaking moments. Aigis, despite her robot status, adds a lot of warmth to the tense game.
6 B-12 is a human in robot form (Missing)
While it is revealed over the course of the indie cat exploration game, Lost, that B-12 is actually a human consciousness placed in a small robotic body, the endgame indicates that B-12 will now remain in technological systems forever. It is appropriate to consider them a robot.
B-12 was the invaluable companion that not only allowed the protagonist to communicate with the other robots, but also to survive against the carnivorous Zurks. The bond between B-12 and the cat is easily felt even without the two exchanging actual conversation.
5 Nick Valentine has his own detective agency (Fallout 4)
It could be said that one of the outstanding companions of fallout 4, Nick Valentine is the synthetic detective from Diamond City that the protagonist meets early in his journey after rescuing him from mobster Skinny Malone. Nick is generally pretty cool.
With the memories of a pre-war detective and plenty of extra skills to complement that personality, Nick is a fun and serious sidekick in equal measure. Shooting genuinely hilarious lines while pulling the weight of him in emotional moments, it’s no surprise that he quickly rose through the ranks of peer popularity, with many claiming that he never left his group during the game.
4 Claptrap is everyone’s favorite jerk (Borderlands)
Somehow, a character designed to be one of Pandora’s most annoying creatures has effectively captured the hearts of gamers around the world. Claptrap, or CL4P-TP if it’s Hyperion, is a small robotic unit that has more than its fair share of bad luck over the course of multiple borderlands games.
Beaten up, destroyed, reassembled, and erased more times than you can count, Claptrap is tragic comic relief. While his personality may irritate many, Claptrap has become synonymous with the borderlands franchise, becoming one of the most instantly recognizable figures appearing in most of their products and marketing.
3 Legion offers a different perspective (Mass Effect)
The only complaint many fans have about Legion is that they weren’t introduced sooner. Belonging to the geth race, which was the main antagonistic race that Commander Shepard faced in the first mass effect game, Legion gave some much-needed perspective when they were introduced in mass effect 2.
Until then, the geth had been a race of synthetics who elicited very powerful, and often negative, reactions from others in the galaxy. Legion, and those who wrote them, showed the true versatility of the geth. The introduction of Legion added another moral dilemma to an already complicated universe, and their unique backstory won them a loyal following.
two GLaDOS is iconic and well known (Portal)
When it comes to iconic robots, GLaDOS is near the top of the list. The legendary antagonist of both. Portal games is well regarded in the gaming community thanks to her menacing and teasing personality.
Despite looking like a villain in black and white, GLaDOS gains morality at the end of Gate 2, which sees her finally free Chell and perform experiments on two robots of her own making. Hilariously, GLaDOS continues to belittle the pair as she did Chell, even lamenting how much she misses torturing a human. Maybe she’s not capable of changing after all.
1 Clank feeds childhood nostalgia (Ratchet & Clank)
Clank is Ratchet’s dearest friend in the Ratchet and Clank Serie. The two have accompanied each other on almost every adventure since their introduction in 2002. Clank has always been a hero, despite his small stature. He first met Ratchet when he tried to warn the world of President Drek’s evil plans.
Of the two, Clank is definitely the sensible one, often keeping Ratchet from getting involved in complicated schemes. He is not afraid to face enemies ten times his size, but most of the time he uses his intelligence and wits to escape from dangerous situations. Clank is a healthy dose of childhood nostalgia, a reliable sidekick, and a lovable character.
