Summary
Parents are an incredibly important presence in any child’s life. They can help to define the background of their personality, or influence the kind of person they become.Characters in video games are no different, as their personalities and their relationship with their parents are often strongly intertwined.
Often, parents are a positive influence on a character’s growth and personality. However, not all parents are a good influence on their children. Some parents can negatively impact their child’s growth, whether it’s due to their poor parenting or to them being abusive and neglectful. Here are some of theworst mothers found in PlayStation games.
While working on Shadow research for the Kirijo Group, Yukari’s father, Eiichiro Takeba, and his research team died due to an accident that caused a massive explosion. Shocked by her husband’s death and forced to move multiple times to escape the backlash of Eiichiro being blamed for the accident, Yukari’s mother,Isako, began going from boyfriend to boyfriend in her grief, neglecting and eventually abandoning Yukari.
Due to her own grief over her husband’s death, it’s a little hard to completely lay the blame for Isako’s actions on poor parenting. However, that’s no excuse for her neglecting Yukari, and that sense of abandonment really affected her negatively. It takes a long time for the two to reconnect with what happened between them, butYukari’s story does eventually end with the two of them reconciling.
An Unforgiving Mother With Impossible Standards
AI: The Somnium Files
In a near-future Tokyo, detective Kaname Date is on the case of a mysterious serial killer. Date must investigate crime scenes as well as dreams on the hunt for clues. From the mind of Kotaro Uchikoshi (Zero Escapeseries director), with character design by the Yusuke Kozaki, known for popular and successful series likeNO MORE HEROES andFire Emblemseries, this thrilling neo-noir detective adventure is about to unfold.One rainy night in November, a woman’s body is found at an abandoned theme park, mounted on a merry-go-round horse. She had been stabbed repeatedly, and her left eye was gouged out.Kaname Date of the Metropolitan Police Department arrives on the scene. He recognizes the woman. Suddenly, he hears a noise from inside the merry-go-round. He breaks into the merry-go-round’s central column to find a young girl. And in her hands, she grips a bloody ice pick…what’s going to happen?
Shoko Nadamiis the ex-wife of Renju Okiura and the mother ofMizuki Okiura, as well as an acquaintance of main character Kaname Date. Her death sparks the investigation intowhat becomes known as the New Cyclops Serial Killings, a case involving corpses with their left eye taken out.
Though Mizuki has fond memories of her mother, it is eventually revealed that Shoko was a particularly strict mother who disavowed showing affection and hit Mizuki for acting like a child would. Part of the reason for this was that Shoko’s own mother was similarly cold, and never showed her any signs of love or affection. This abuse ultimately led to the end of her marriage with Renju, and Mizuki would end up living with Date.
A Caring Woman Possessed By A Cruel Soul
Xenogears
A mysterious organization is turning the tides of a century-long war with ancient technology - giant combat robots known as Gears. A failed attempt to steal one of these powerful mechanized weapons places it in the unwilling hands of a young Fei and his dubious allies. Now he is pursued by military governments, royal pirates, spies, the emperor, and his own forgotten past.
Karen Wongwas the wife of Khan Wong and the mother ofFei Fong Wong,the main character ofXenogears. In the past, she was a kind woman who was a good mother to Fei, with a memory of them playing with a ball together being one of his most cherished memories. However, she would suddenly change into a cold scientist, forcing Fei into various experiments that eventually fragmented his brain, giving him split personalities.
In truth, Karen Wong’s change in personality was due to her being possessed by Myyah Hawwa (Miang in the original translation), a being devoted to the eventual resurrection of the superweapon Deus. Despite this, her abusive actions towards Fei were incredibly impactful on him and changed his life irrevocably.
3Ariels, The Valentines' Mother (Guilty Gear Xrd)
A Cruel And Manipulative Mother Figure
Arielsis the first woman to ever become Sanctus Maximus Populi, leader of a massive religious institution in the Guilty Gear universe. As that leader, she is seen as righteous and virtuous, but in truth she is a villain who despises humanity with all her heart.
Ariels was a mother figure to the Valentines, a group of artificial life-forms created to influence the world by Universal Will’s hand. Though she acts caring occasionally, she can be just as callous to them, seeing no problem with discarding or destroying them if they prove worthless. Though the more violent aspects of her personality might be influenced by external aspects, Ariels still has a lot to answer forthe way she manipulates Ramlethal and Elphelt.
A Mother Who Failed Her Daughter
Silent Hill 2
THE SILENCE IS BROKEN…James Sunderland’s life is shattered when his young wife Mary suffers a tragic death. Three years later, a mysterious letter arrives from Mary, beckoning him to return to their sanctuary of memories, the dark realm of Silent Hill.Now James must go back to that special place to uncover the truth, unaware that the answers he seeks require the ultimate sacrifice.• Return to Silent Hill in an entirely new adventure with all-new characters and monsters.• Battle horrifying creatures with a new arsenal of weapons and items.• Riveting storyline, stunning graphics and true-to-life CG movies leave you on the edge of your seat.• Atmospheric lighting and ambient 3D surround sound shift and change at each terrifying turn.• Dynamic camera angles, beautifully rendered environments, and real-time weather effects deliver a cinematic horror experience.
Angela Oroscois one of several people that James Sunderland can meet while exploring the town of Silent Hill. She is childish for her age, and her disturbed personality hints at a traumatic and horrific past.Like the other characters that appear inSilent Hill 2, Angela’s story is slowly expanded over the course of the game.
It was eventually revealed that Angela was frequently assaulted and abused by both her father and her brother. To make matters worse, her mother did nothing to stop them and even told her that she deserved the abuse. Despite this, Angela’s main goal inSilent Hill 2is to search for her mother, who disappeared from her life many years before the beginning of the game. While it’s not clear ifMrs. Oroscoreally said the things Angela claims she did, it’s certain she did little to protect her daughter from abuse.
Lucreciawas a scientist for the Shinra Company and was eventually assigned to the Jenova Project, where she met both Vincent Valentine and Professor Hojo. Lucrecia would eventually allow her unborn child to be experimented on by implanting Jenova cells into the embryo, which would grow up to becomeSephiroth, causing the events ofFinal Fantasy 7to occur.
Aside fromthe eventual catastrophes that occurredas a result of this decision, the fact that Lucrecia allowed her unborn child to be the subject of experimentation is appalling. While his father, Hojo, certainly had some influence on the ultimate decision, Lucrecia still takes much of the blame. While she does show remorse for her decision later on, the ramifications are far too monstrous to be easily forgiven.
