Games don’t just cater to kids. They are meant for a variety of different age groups. As such, they aren’t always hearty tales about saving a princess in a castle or banishing an evil force into the unknown. It just so happens that sometimes, a franchise that may not originally be dark in theme will veer into a dark territory to deliver a more mature narrative. To that effect, here are 10 video game sequels that went dark in their respective themes.
Jak 2
Naughty Dog had carved out its reputation as one of the best developers with its 3-hit streak of Crash Bandicoot on the PS1. The studio once again reinvented itself with Jak and Daxter on the PS2, masterfully morphing its learnings from previous games into a brand new world. Despite many differences between the two franchises, most of Naughty Dog’s work was focused on building family-friendly experiences and charismatic characters, and light-hearted banter. This then changed with Jak 2, a markedly darker sequel that revolves around the iconic duo being thrust into an open-world futuristic dystopia – all while Jak’s personality becomes much darker after an experiment. Some might see this tonal shift as a welcome shake-up for the series, but many resented this change. Either way, Naughty Dog course-corrected again with the next entry in the franchise.
