Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Gamescom 2025 schedule
  • Gamescom
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Resident Evil Village
Games The 25 best video game villains you just love to hate
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
Adventure Games The 25 best video game stories to play right now
Tekken 8
Tekken Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada has been dumping lore about the series over the weekend, including why Heihachi has around 25 kids
Super Mario A Super Mario lore specialist issues an important correction: "Mario does not 'die and go to hell' - he is sent there directly while still alive"
Best horror games - Resident Evil 7: Biohazard screenshot of Ethan shooting a mutamycete monster
Horror Games The 25 best horror games to play right now
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
Super Mario After Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart World is the latest Nintendo game to feature cannibalism because, yes, the cow happily chomps down beef burgers
Mario Kart World
Donkey Kong Somewhere in Nintendo's recycling bin is the god of all Goombas, gifted the giant hands of a Super Mario Odyssey boss during experiments for the Switch 2's Donkey Kong Bananza
Hinako Shimizu limping towards a monster while a red fog engulfs a house behind her during the reveal trailer for Silent Hill f.
Silent Hill Silent Hill f actor spent so long playing her role that "I almost felt my own sanity slipping," and I'm starting to see a pattern here
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem monsters will throw furniture at you, which isn't even scary, it's rude
Heather is attacked by a spindly monster in Silent Hill 3, with the Horror Special GamesRadar+ badge
Horror Games After 25 years, here's the 15 best Japanese horror games, from Silent Hill to Haunting Ground, that still terrify me
The best survival horror games: a screenshot from Resident Evil 7.
Survival Horror Games The 10 best survival horror games to test your endurance skills
Looking at followers in Oblivion Remastered
The Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered player escapes a special kind of torture, but not without scars: "My Adoring Fan has asexually reproduced and my game is now a waking nightmare"
Donkey Kong punches a rock enemy in the face in Donkey Kong Bananza with a large purple glowing area in the background
Donkey Kong My Donkey Kong Bananza playthrough is being haunted by the remains of numerous iconic enemies and allies from classics like Donkey Kong Country
The key art for the full release of Deltarune
RPGs Deltarune fans think they've found the boss fight Toby Fox's family described as a "cry for help," and yep, it's the stuff nightmares are made of
Nier Replicant remaster
Action RPGs Nier creator Yoko Taro reckons "there’s less 'weird people'" making games nowadays although he's not sure if it's "something that's happening to the world as a whole"
  1. Games
  2. Action

7 most messed up families in gaming

Features
By Ashley Reed published 29 August 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The family that dismays together, stays together...or not

The family that dismays together, stays together...or not

You dont choose your family, as they say: theyre simply a gift to you. However, some of us end up with stranger genetic relations than others, which can lead to the creation of some quirky, silly, or downright bizarre clans. Thats not necessarily a bad thing: weird families can be tons of fun. Its just that around the time family members start dueling to the death, or sacrificing each other to Cthulian gods, or randomly turn out to be clones of each other, you have to wonder how healthy a household you have.

Those examples didnt come from nowhere: theyre all domestic issues pulled straight from some of your favorite games, where family is important and also dangerously insane. Just how dysfunctional are these seven messed up gaming families? Read on to find out, and count how many involve murderous doubles.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
The Kenways (Assassins Creed)

The Kenways (Assassins Creed)

Arrr there be SPOILERS in these waters! Well somebody has daddy issues. By which I mean this entire family. When Edward Kenway was disowned by his father Bernard, after an unfortunate house-burning incident, his goal was to start a new life and do right by the family he one day hoped to have. Unfortunately he ended up very dead about halfway through, leaving his daughter Jenny and son Haytham at the mercy of his Templar killers with the deep desire to avenge him, but little idea how to do it. Haytham in particular joined up with the Templars to exact his revenge, believing his father was killed by the Assassins, and the truth was a wee bit of a mindscrew.

The Kenways' fathering faux pas hit their peak with Haytham and his illegitimate son Connor, who simultaneously hate each other and desperately want to connect. With either on a different side of the Templar-Assassin war, father and son try to convince each other to see reason, but when that fails the claws come out. Man, these guys are terrible at father-son bonding time.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
The Mishima clan (Tekken)

The Mishima clan (Tekken)

Take the Kenways, add some magic devil genes and overt blood thirst, and you have the deeply-in-need-of-therapy Mishima family. Four generations of extremely powerful martial artists, the Mishimas are plagued by an unfortunate desire to murder the hell out of each other at any given moment. Exacting horrible revenge against their closest kin has become a family tradition, like opening Christmas presents but way more homicidal.

All of this hate stems from Heihachi, who shoots merciless brutality up and down the family tree. After locking his father away under the family compound and leaving him for dead, he pitches his ten-year-old son Kazuya off a cliff to test his strength, then adopts another son to make the first one jealous. He then fathers an illegitimate son that he immediately forgets, and trains his grandson Jin for a while before trying to kill him too. That ends with all of his sons pretty pissed off and gunning for his head, plus a nasty battle between Kazuya and Jin and nevermind, I dont know if therapys gonna help much here.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Dantes family (Devil May Cry)

Dantes family (Devil May Cry)

Dante and Vergil take sibling rivalry a little too far. Sons of the long gone demon knight Sparda, each of the little half-imps aligns himself with a different part of their heritage: Dante prefers the human world, and Vergil the demon realm. That leads to some disagreements between the two, which they choose to express via violent confrontations. And yet they still have a bizarrely expressed affection for each other, with Dante trying to save Vergil from falling off a cliff after specifically saying he was going to kill the guy. Don't forget that Devil May Cry is actually named after the fact that Dante cries over losing the brother he was going to kill anyway.

That, however, is just the tip of the crazy demon iceberg with this family. I could go on about the incredible parental issues these two seem to have, living in their father's shadow and struggling to defeat the representation of him projected onto the final boss, or the fact that Dante both finds Trish attractive and thinks she looks like his mom (err), but I might fill up the internet.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
The Wades (F.E.A.R.)

The Wades (F.E.A.R.)

Holy mother of you, I guess. Also everyone around you. Surprise! That's the family tree explanation the Point Man gets in F.E.A.R., when he's sent on a mission to take out a telepathic rogue agent and learns that not only is the guy his brother, but they are both the sons of Alma, the psychic demon child that follows him throughout the game. And I'm not even at the weird part yet.

Basically this family unit is as messed up as each of its individual members. There's Harlan Wade, who was much fonder of science than he was of his daughter Alma and used her as a comatose telepath incubator. There's the Point Man and Paxton Fettel, enemies and brothers born from Alma while she was being experimented on. Then there's Alma herself, who immediately murders her father after escaping confinement, mind-melds with one of her children to turn him into a homicidal killer, and can't decide if she wants to kill or hug the other one. As Paxton puts it, "We are a... complicated family. Wouldn't you agree?" Yes. 1000 times yes.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
The Snake family (Metal Gear)

The Snake family (Metal Gear)

I wonder how often Solid, Liquid, and Solidus Snake hear that they look just like their dad? Or would, if they all werent so busy trying to kill each other. In the sort of twist that is so over-the-top it could only come from the mind of Kojima, all three Snakes are clones of Big Boss, made against his will as part of a government plot to create a perfect super soldier based on his DNA. Because the American government is kooky like that.

The strangest part about this family isnt even that Solid Snake and Liquid Snake are twin clones engineered from different aspects of Big Boss DNA (because GENETICS!) or that Solidus was tossed in there somewhere to create a pure clone. It isnt even that theyre in a constant life-or-death struggle, because apparently thats just a thing clones do. Really, its that Big Boss and his lover EVA (and surrogate mother of his clones) basically end up with a nuclear family all of their own, just in the freaking weirdest way possible. Mind blown.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
The Masons and company (Silent Hill)

The Masons and company (Silent Hill)

Trouble just seems to find some people, especially if theyre in a Silent Hill game and their last name ends with -ason. The trouble starts with poor Harry Mason, the main character of Silent Hill 1 and loving father to his adoptive daughter, Cheryl. He goes on a frantic search for her when she vanishes into Silent Hill and discovers she is actually half of Alessa Gillespie, who split herself into pieces to escape her mother Dahlias torture. Then Alessa and Cheryl recombine and perish, but not before giving Harry a new baby thats their own reincarnated self. Are you confused yet?

Things just get stranger when Silent Hill 3 rolls around and introduces Heather Mason, who is that reincarnated baby all grown up. During her time in Silent Hill, it becomes apparent shes going to birth a god because this plot isnt already weird enough. That all means that Harry is Cheryls father and therefore also Alessas, and Alessa gives herself to him for safekeeping, and Heather is related to Harry and Cheryl and Dahlia and also god? Excuse me, I think I need to lie down.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Jacks family (BioShock)

Jacks family (BioShock)

Aww, they grow up so fast! Especially when theyre a fellow named Jack, the roughly four-year-old rapidly aging son of multiple mothers and fathers--both adoptive and biological--and the father of his own older sisters. Because nobody plays God like the people of Rapture!

Heres the (hahaha!) short version: gangster Frank Fontaine and scientist Brigid Tenenbaum harvest an egg fertilized by Andrew Ryan from the stripper Jasmine Jolene, and genetically modify it so the child will rapidly age. At the same time, theyre also experimenting on the Little Sisters, which Tenenbaum starts to feel bad about. Over time she begins to regard the Sisters and Jack as her children, while Fontaine calls Jack the closest thing I've ever had to a son. Then when all that shockingly implodes, if the whole thing didnt snap Jacks mind like a tinder twig, he adopts the Little Sisters and raises them as his own daughters. Despite the fact that hes biologically a toddler and the girls are his elder science-abomination siblings. In the end, Tenenbaum says that Jacks reward for not falling apart at the seams is a family, and goddamn, did he ever get one.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Dont even get me started on the DeWitts

Dont even get me started on the DeWitts

Thats my tally of some of the weirdest, most dysfunctional, most messed up families gaming has to offer. Did I missed a crazy clan? Are some of these menages just misunderstood? Which ones would you think would throw the best holiday party? Speak up in the comments below, and be thankful that all your mom/uncle/clone/reincarnated sibling did was burn the turkey.

Want more crazy families? Check out whats going on with Assassins Creed Unitys main fam, or take a peek at the P.T. household if youre looking for something creepy.

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Mobile Gaming
PRODUCTS
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Tekken 7 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes FEAR: First Encounter Assault Recon BioShock FEAR Tekken 6 FEAR 2: Project Origin FEAR 3 Assassin's Creed III Silent Hill 3 Tekken Tekken 2 Tekken 3 Silent Hill Tekken 5 Devil May Cry 3 Devil May Cry Metal Gear Solid
Ashley Reed
Ashley Reed

Former Associate Editor at GamesRadar, Ashley is now Lead Writer at Respawn working on Apex Legends. She's a lover of FPS titles, horror games, and stealth games. If you can see her, you're already dead.

See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Resident Evil Village
The 25 best video game villains you just love to hate
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
The 25 best video game stories to play right now
Tekken 8
Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada has been dumping lore about the series over the weekend, including why Heihachi has around 25 kids
A Super Mario lore specialist issues an important correction: "Mario does not 'die and go to hell' - he is sent there directly while still alive"
Best horror games - Resident Evil 7: Biohazard screenshot of Ethan shooting a mutamycete monster
The 25 best horror games to play right now
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
After Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart World is the latest Nintendo game to feature cannibalism because, yes, the cow happily chomps down beef burgers
Latest in Action
Batman Arkham
Former Assassin's Creed director who also worked on Arkham Origins joins Rocksteady, sparking more hopes for a new Batman game
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong will have a free Nintendo Switch 2 edition upgrade at launch, meaning you don't have to pay extra to get the 120hz mode
Hideo Kojima in a screenshot from the Xbox and Bethesda 2022 showcase.
Hideo Kojima will give a "glimpse into future projects" at his "Beyond The Strand" anniversary event for Kojima Productions' 10th birthday this month
Kaser stands in front of a glowing blue background as the imprisoned dragon Lord Arena swirls behind him like a fish - key art from Lost Soul Aside used on the PlayStation store
Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
Valor Mortis
Ghostrunner devs abandon parkour for Valor Mortis, a first-person soulslike that might explain why the rest of the genre follows Dark Souls' lead
A screenshot of James Bond in 007 First Light's reveal trailer.
007 First Light is getting its own dedicated PlayStation State of Play this week, with "over 30 minutes of gameplay" including James Bond's "first mission as an MI6 recruit"
Latest in Features
Cropped key art for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles shows two characters stood side by side.
45 minutes of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has me certain that Square Enix "rebuilding" the remaster after losing the original source code was worth the effort
Battlefield 6 multiplayer screenshot
I'm still concerned about Battlefield 6's map sizes, but there's no denying it gets chaotic urban warfare right
Where Winds Meet hands-on preview
I played Where Winds Meet and fell in love with the RPG's open world so fast I could barely pay attention to any of the missions
Borderlands 4 screenshot shows someone holding a weapon forward towards the camera.
"We tend to commit to the bit": Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford talks Borderlands 4, the evolution of looter-shooters, and $80 game discourse
A mech firing a machine gun in the desert in Menace
Menace is an XCOM-Warhammer hybrid that makes turn-based strategy feel like an immersive sim, and for the first time in my life I'm playing a game that seems made for me
Metal Gear Solid 5 showing Snake and Ocelot looking to the horizon in front of more soldiers
10 years later, Metal Gear Solid 5 remains a masterpiece that was never going to live up to its own hype
  1. Kaser clad in black and Victor in white clash swords in Lost Soul Aside
    1
    Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
  2. 2
    Hell is Us review: "The lack of waypoints and explicit objectives is a double-edged magical sword that pulls me deep into its harsh world"
  3. 3
    Shuten Order review: "The Danganronpa creator's new multi-genre mystery feels like a forgotten DS cult classic I would have been obsessed with"
  4. 4
    The Rogue Prince of Persia review: "I roguelike but don't roguelove this freerunner – there's just not enough to stand out"
  5. 5
    Shinobi: Art of Vengeance review: "So close to being to a pitch-perfect revival of a classic series, but just can't quite line up the killing blow"
  1. Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Ben Wang and more in The Long Walk
    1
    The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made"
  2. 2
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  3. 3
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  4. 4
    The Fantastic Four: First Steps review: "An occasionally thrilling heroic adventure that sits safely within a B-tier MCU range"
  5. 5
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  1. John Cena as Peacemaker holds a gun to the head of a different John Cena as Peacemaker in Peacemaker season 2.
    1
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  2. 2
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  3. 3
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  4. 4
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"
  5. 5
    Eyes of Wakanda review: "A creative premise shortchanged by the runtime and Marvel bloat"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...