Amnesia is a common story cliché. In videogames, it's most often seen in Role Playing Games. The most common amnesia victims are villains turned heroes. Amnesia is funny because it's such an outplayed plot device, but it still makes for some good plot twists, when you discover who some characters really were. This list explores the Top 10 Amnesia Victims whose amnesia greatly impacted their story.

Shadow was quickly a fan favorite among Sonic fans. He was created by Gerald Robotnik to be the ultimate life form. After an accident, Shadow's memory was erased but he was programmed to gather the Chaos Emeralds to carry out the man's will. He was discovered 50 years later by the current Dr. Robotnik, who hoped to use him to further his evil goals. Shadow used "Eggman" to collect the Chaos Emeralds however to force the space station ARK to crash towards earth. His memory was slightly awakened however when Amy Rose caused Shadow to recall his past with Maria, Gerald Robotnik's granddaughter. Afterwards, Shadow resolves to save the world rather than destroy it. It doesn't end there however. Shadow still has no memory in Sonic Heroes or in his own spin-off title, Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sora is a somewhat unique case because unlike most amnesia victims, he does not suffer it until his second video game appearance. In Chain of Memories, Sora, Goofy, and Donald venture into Castle Oblivion, which, as the name somewhat implies, erases the memories of those who enter. Sora loses the memories of his past adventures throughout the various worlds, but slowly regains them as he travels through the castle. Sora is then sealed into a deep sleep for two years at the end of the game. He wakes up again in Kingdom Hearts II with amnesia of all the events that happened in Castle Oblivion.

The aptly named "Hero" is another case of amnesia. His is a little different however. Hero starts off as a vanguard for the castle of Trodain. He is also the only mysterious survivor of the unleashing of the scepter wielded by Dhoulmagus. Dragon Quest VIII does not outwardly reveal anything about Hero's origin, forcing the player to work for it by going through an extra quest after completing the main game. By defeating an optional boss, the Hero is revealed to be half human, half Dragovian. A Dragovian is a being that can change between both forms. Not only that, it is revealed that Hero is the offspring of a King, making him a Prince! With this knowledge in hand, Hero goes off to save Princess Medea from her unwanted marriage and they ride off together.

You start the game controlling Zidane, who is a boy with... a monkey tail. Yeah, I guess he never figured why he was so different than everybody else. Zidane's earliest memories are those spent with his Tantalus crew, including when he was adopted by Baku, their leader. Zidane's true origin is that of a Genome, created in the world Terra by Garland. Furthermore, the villainous Kuja, another of Garland's creations, and the one responsible for igniting the spark of war in Gaia, is Zidane's brother. Zidane initially rejects this revelation of his true self, but later succumbs to the great burden that he was originally designed to destroy the world of Gaia. Through some encouragement from his friends, Zidane accepts he is who he is now. The twist is a nice surprise and the conflict between Zidane and Kuja is a memorable one.

In BioShock, you control a man named Jack who, after a plane crash, finds himself into Rapture, an underwater paradise gone terribly wrong. Jack is guided to a man named Andrew Ryan, who then reveals that Jack is his son and that he was born in Rapture. Ryan than explains he has a special control over Jack by uttering the phrase, "Would you kindly..." and tries to use this to make Jack kill him. The amnesia aspect combined with a strange subplot of mind control was nicely done.

Terra's amnesia wasn't overly dramatic, but she was one of the earliest cases in Final Fantasy and her character was pretty good and well liked. Terra is an unwilling subject of the Empire, being brainwashed by a special crown on her head that inhibits her own thoughts. After it is broken, Terra is freed, but she remembers nothing of her past our her identity. She later discovers she was the offspring of an Esper father, Maduin, and a human mother, explaining her profound affinity for magic.

Following the plot of the comic book series, a man named XIII wakes up in New York City, only to find himself enveloped in a conflict between the government and a mysterious group called the XX. Wanted by both a hit man named The Mongoose and the FBI, XIII has to keep himself alive and uncover the mystery of the XX and of his own past. The game was well presented for a story like this, with comic book style art. The revelation of XIII being a member of the XX was a nice, albeit expected surprise.

Luke comes from an upper-class family. These wealthy surroundings make him somewhat arrogant and spoiled in regards to the outside world. A childhood incident in which Luke was kidnapped has an effect on his memory of that time. It is later discovered however that his memory is impaired because he is really not Luke fon Fabre, but a Replica of the real Luke. The revelation astonishes him. The amnesia Luke suffers however makes for a nice, warming change in his character, in which he becomes his own person, leaving his deplorable traits behind, and becoming a respectable hero.

There is not much to say here. Cloud's amnesia is probably one of the more unique cases and it is a major point from which the plot revolves around. Cloud remembers being a kid and spending time with his friend Tifa Lockheart, in his hometown Nibelheim. He remembers wanting to become stronger, and joining a group called SOLDIER, working under the legendary Sephiroth. He remembers coming home, only to later see Nibelheim burned down by Sephiroth. Cloud remembers confronting Sephiroth and miraculously surviving. What he later learns however, is that his memories are false. They are in fact a projection of himself unto the memories of his friend, Zack Fair who joined SOLDIER. Cloud's dealing with Sephiroth is true however, and Sephiroth tries to break Cloud by telling him he is a clone with no identity. Through the admirable and loyal help of Tifa however, Cloud is able to reconstruct his own past in the Lifestream, and reclaim himself and the resolve to fight Sephiroth. Final Fantasy VII presented very strong characters, meshed in a grand tale and Cloud is the centerpiece. Naturally his tale and his memories played a big part in his nomination.

Without a doubt, one of the greatest tales to use the plot device of amnesia. Knights of the Old Republic, taking place thousands of years before the trilogies, introduces you to the wars between the Republic and the Sith. The ever feared, ever renowned Darth Revan, with power that could have rivaled Darth Vader's, is eventually defeated by Jedi Bastila Shan, thanks in part to betrayal from his apprentice, Darth Malak. The player gets control in a now "post-Revan" conflict between the two forces. The game is very plot driven and calls for the player's involvement with the multiple choice dialogue options. You're constantly glued and kept in suspense, as you, the player travel from world to world with Bastila Shan, Carth Onasi, and other allies to confront Darth Malak, gaining Jedi powers along the way. It is during this confrontation however, that Malak reveals, YOU are Darth Revan! The twist, which is only subtly hinted at throughout the game, never becomes predictable, until perhaps those last few seconds leading up to it. KOTOR's story now can branch off in a few ways, based purely on the player's choices, now that Revan's identity has been recovered. Do you assume the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith again, or do you seek redemption? It's up to you.

The idea of amnesia in various media may be somewhat hackneyed, but it's a nice twist. Amnesia is a fun plot device though because you never know what you're gonna get from a character when they recover their identity, and it leaves players guessing.

List by Axel7174