Practical Game Design

Antagonist or the Villain

Most of the time an antagonist is a Boss; the Final Boss. The ultimate obstacle the player has to face in its journey. Antagonists, unlike bosses, impend over the player's Journey for the whole game, creating a huge anticipation for the final battle and a real sense of hatred and belligerency in the player.

It is very important that an Antagonist has a solid, believable backstory, and you need to make sure the player can have a glimpse of it. More than ever, creating a compelling Antagonist is what can elevate a game to greatness. There are some things to consider when designing a Villain; we'll discuss them later in 'The Bad Guys' section of this chapter.