As gaming has become more and more popular over the last few decades, there are certain tropes that have become a mainstay of the industry. These tropes are vast and varied, and can cover anything from how developers create certain levels, to how characters behave in particular scenarios, to overarching events that happen consistently throughout gaming. While some of these gaming tropes are obvious, some need a little more time to dissect, and the ‘Back from the brink’ gaming trope is certainly one of those.
Though it may not be the first gaming trope fans think of, the ‘Back from the brink’ trope is actually present in a vast number of games. While it’s mostly prevalent in real-time strategy titles, the trope can be found across gaming, from belovedSci-Fi first-person shooters, to iconic fantasy adventure games. Once fans start noticing the ‘Back from the brink’ trope, they won’t be able to stop seeing it.
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How the ‘Back From the Brink’ Trope Works
The ‘Back from the brink’ trope is used in just about every video game in which the player’s team or faction begins the game by losing in a significant way. This can take a variety of forms, but the main example isthe player’s faction losing a major battle in a war, and being forced to retreat. These major losses are then used to signify just how hopeless the conflict is, and how the player’s faction will undoubtedly lose.
Beginning the game with this major loss sets the stakes incredibly high from the get-go, and makes way for the ‘Back from the brink’ trope to take full effect. With death or loss an otherwise certainty, the player is forced to step up andbecome the faction’s savior. Throughout the game, the player will make a series of significant victories, eventually culminating in the player’s faction winning the day against all odds.
The ‘Back from the brink’ gaming trope is often associated with the ‘It’s up to you’ trope, as the player is almost always the only character able to save the day. Occasionally, the player isassisted by a companion or two, often an AI like Cortanathat’s only able to give a tactical rundown on the enemy’s army. But even if the player is assisted, their allies are usually working for them, and have less power to control the outcome of the conflict.
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The Best Examples of the ‘Back From the Brink’ Trope in Gaming
The ‘Back from the brink’ gaming trope is incredibly popular in the Sci-Fi gaming landscape, and one of the best examples of its use is theHalofranchise. Since the series' main antagonist, the Covenant, is a much greater force than the UNSC, everyHalotitle features the ‘Back from the brink’ gaming trope. Inthe firstHalo, the game begins with the Master Chief being woken up from cryosleep, only to find out that Reach has fallen, and the Covenant have chased the crew of the Pillar of Autumn through Slipspace. It’s then up to the Master Chief, and the Master Chief alone, to save as much of the crew as possible and escape the Halo ring.
Halo 2opens up with the Covenant coming to Earth, and beginning an invasion. Though the UNSC have orbital MAC cannons to help push back the invading force, it still forces the player’s faction into the corner.Halo 3takes place just a few months later and upon arriving on Earth, the Master Chief learns that the Covenant have begun a full-scale invasion and the UNSC’s chances aren’t high. Theprequel,Halo Reach, subverts the ‘Back from the brink’ gaming trope, with the UNSC actually being a dominant force on the titular planet until the Covenant arrives. As opposed to beginning the game with nothing and working their way up, the player-character inHalo Reachhas the opposite journey, beginning the game with a full squad of competent allies, and ending the game desperate and alone.
Another green-super-soldier-led franchise,Doom, also uses the ‘Back from the brink’ gaming trope. 2016’sDoombegins withthe Doom Slayerwaking up alone in the UAC facility on Mars, where he immediately discovers that the facility and planet have been overrun with demonic invaders, and it’s up to him to push them all back.Doom Eternalups the stakes even more, taking the demonic invasion to Earth, and tasking the Doom Slayer to once again repel the demonic hordes.
The ‘Back from the brink’ trope is also very popular in the Sci-Fi RPG landscape.Mass Effect 3is probably the best example of the trope being used in a Sci-Fi RPG, with the game opening on the Reaper invasion of Earth. The rest of the game seesCommander Shepardattempting to rally together an army big enough to defeat the Reapers, a seemingly impossible task.
Real-time strategy games use the ‘Back from the brink’ trope more than any other genre, and once again, Sci-Fi titles are the most prevalent examples. TheHomeworldseries' very premiseuses this trope, with the rest of humanity being forced aboard a Homeworld ship to attempt to find a new planet suitable for colonizing. TheCommand & Conquerseries uses this trope frequently, withRed Alert 2forcing the player’s faction to go back in time to save the planet from the brink of enslavement, andRed Alert 3sees this trope occur throughout, with player’s bases being destroyed at the start of a mission, and players frequently needing to repel overwhelming enemy forces.
