There are several games that toy around with the concept of optional playable characters. This mainly happens in team-based games, withJRPGs being a great example of a genrethat features several unique playable characters in one title. Using a combination of teamwork and strategy to best tough enemies in such games is a gameplay loop that never ceases to be fun, barring a few exceptions.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 7 Remake: The Best Materia Set-Up For Each Party Member
However, there are certain games that also featureoptional party memberson top of the ones that players can already unlock throughout the natural flow of the game. For the most part, these optional characters are a joy to control during battles and can destroy enemies with ease. That being said, there are times when the effort required to unlock certain playable party members simply isn’t worth it, with the following characters being a great example of the same.
8Yuffie Kisaragi (Final Fantasy 7)
Yuffie is a pretty interesting encounter when players meet her for the first time inFinal Fantasy 7. There are several steps that the player needs to take before they can even access the screen where Yuffie can be interacted with. Even here, opening up the menu or using the save point will lead to this wily thief running way before the player can even try recruiting her.
The worst part is that Yuffie isn’t even all that great a character, with her stats being middling at best. The fact that her encounter rate and level increase in each special forest over time means that players can ideally wait for a while before recruiting Yuffie and not lose any sleep during the process either.
7Roger S. Huxley (Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time)
Star Oceanis a series notorious for featuring a ton of optional characters, to the point where the quality of the main story is hampered since it needs to take so many party combinations into account.Star Ocean: Till the End of Timeis a great example of this, with Roger being a particularly annoying character to unlock.
After all, there’s a chance that players going through the woods his cabin is in won’t even be able to encounter him. If the player goes through this section of the story without meeting Roger, then he’s gone for good, which will prove to be pretty annoying for completionists.
6Amos (Dragon Quest 6)
Dragon Quest 6is another entry inthe long-runningDragon Questseriesthat is pretty legendary in its own right. It features several unique characters, including a few optional ones that are easy to miss. This is especially true in the case of Amos, where a single wrong line of dialogue can render him unrecruitable!
RELATED:Final Fantasy: The Games With The Most Party Members, Ranked
Players need to convince Amos that he isn’t a monster before giving him a seed that can help cure his monstrous affliction. It’s only after doing these actions that players will be able to recruit Amos into their party.
5Blade (Marvel: Ultimate Alliance)
Marvel: Ultimate Allianceisa pretty great beat-em-upthat features a massive cast of characters. Most people still consider this game to be the best in the series, which is quite telling given the two sequels that feature technical improvements yet feel like a slight downgrade regardless.
One of the oddest characters that players can unlock in the game is Blade, who is found in a vending machine in Murderworld. This character has no relation to the area or its villain, so it’s odd as to why he’s found here out of all places. To top it all off, Deadpool is infinitely better than him in every aspect anyway!
4Loghain Mac Tir (Dragon Age: Origins)
Loghain serves as a major antagonist forthe majority ofDragon Age: Origins. He’s a despicable character who serves as a thorn in the side of players time and time again, and defeating him in the Landsmeet never ceases to be satisfying.
After this point, the player can actually recruit Loghain into the party. This can have dire consequences, with the beloved Alistair being so reviled by the idea of working with Loghain that he straight-up leaves the party! Given Alistair’s importance in the game, it’s easy to see why most people might shy away from taking Loghain into the fold.
3Umaro (Final Fantasy 6)
Final Fantasy 6features an ensemble cast that is full to the brim with both mandatory and optional party members. In fact, recruiting most of the party is completely optionalafter players unlock the World of Ruin!
RELATED:Final Fantasy: The Weakest & Strongest Party Members In The Series
One new character that players can recruit is Umaro, who will only join the party if Mog is also present. He’s a pretty basic character, remaining in a berserk state throughout and making him a pretty situational character. Aside from mixing and matching the party arrangement, there’s no real reason to even use him in the game.
2Morinth (Mass Effect 2)
Honestly speaking, rejecting Morinth is one of the easiest decisionsanyone can make inMass Effect 2. Players are barely familiar with this character and only get to interact with her while finishing Samara’s personal questline. Choosing Morinth during their conflict essentially means killing Samara off, which is an act only Renegade players might be okay with.
The fact that she lazily takes on Samara’s appearance in the Normandy makes her a pretty half-baked inclusion. Well, at least the player can unlock one of the most unique deaths in the series if they decide to engage romantically with her.
1Skelly (Chrono Cross)
Chrono Crossisa game full to the brim with party members. It can genuinely be overwhelming to try and recruit all the characters in the game, with players needing to play through the game three times to even unlock the full roster!
One such optional party member that players can unlock is Skelly. It takes a lot of effort to reconstruct this character, with the player having to secure all the fragments of his body before embarking on the journey to reassemble them. The worst part is that Skelly isn’t even a great party member, meaning that all the efforts made by the player weren’t even worth it!
