Video games all share a similar purpose: to be engaging experiences. Every game accomplishes this differently, but one of the easiest ways is to give players an arsenal of tools to beat challenges or give them superpowers to complete tasks they otherwise couldn't. Combined with an equal challenge, giving players a wide arsenal of tools will make anyone feel powerful.
With tens of thousands of games existing, every game can't have a unique gimmick or power for players to experience. The ones that do are typically appraised for their originality, but those that copy other ideas rarely get mentioned. Here are 10 video game characters that have the same powers or abilities.
10 Master Chief and Locke (Halo)
They may come from the same game, but Chief and Locke are different types of Spartans. Master Chief is an older Spartan-II, while Locke is a more recent Spartan-IV.
Despite this, both characters share the same abilities when players control either of them in Halo 5. They can each slide around, mantle on objects, and slam the ground while in the air. It seems weird how different generations share the same abilities, even though Master Chief couldn't do many of those things in any other installment.
9 Nomad and Sam Fisher (Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell)
Sam Fisher is one of the most iconic stealth characters in gaming, which is something Ghost Recon does not focus on. However, people who have played either game will notice a big similarity.
Both games let you mark and execute targets in quick succession. Splinter Cell Conviction was the first time Sam could do this, and Wildlands is the first time players of that game could do the same by utilizing their team. The icons and animations are somewhat similar too, which isn't too far of a stretch considering both games were made by Ubisoft.
8 Max Payne and John Marston (Max Payne and Red Dead Redemption)
Western movies and video games typically depict protagonists with sharp wit and equally sharp reflexes, gunning down adversaries with the flick of a wrist.
Turns out Max Payne, an NYPD crack shot, can do the same thing as John Marston from Red Dead Redemption. Both have the ability to slow down time and take their time lining up shots. Marston can line up shots before executing them quickly in Red Dead, while Max slows time globally to do the same thing but also dodge incoming bullets. Functionally, it's the same thing. In execution, both are as equally jaw-dropping to see.
7 Doomslayer and Daniel Garner (DOOM 2016 and Painkiller)
Slaying the demons of Hell is a well-known hobby of the Doomslayer, the protagonist of the 2016 reboot of DOOM. He grows stronger when slaying demons, gaining health and ammo for every kill.
Turns out Daniel Garner, the protagonist of the fantastic Painkiller, isn't much different. Daniel is tasked by Sammael—an angel from Heaven— to slay Lucifer's lieutenants. Players spend most of the game killing demons and absorbing their souls to gain health and eventually morph into a demon as a powerup. This powerup functions similarly to the Berserk powerup in DOOM, letting players instantly kill enemies for a short time.
6 Domasia "Tommy" Tawodi and Chell (Prey 2006 and Portal)
Both of these characters do not have innate powers like other members on this list, but they both utilize the same mechanic throughout levels: portals.
Tommy spends most of his time in 2006s Prey navigating an alien spaceship, filled with portals and constantly changing gravity. Chell in Portal may not be in an alien craft, but she is in an equally alien laboratory run by an AI, using her Portal Gun to complete each experiment to eventually escape.
5 Batman and Rico Rodriguez (Batman Arkham Knight and Just Cause)
What do a superhero and insane mercenary have in common? They both love grappling hooks, both for traversal and combat.
Batman Arkham Knight allows players to use the Batclaw to fling themselves over rooftops at high speeds or pull ranged enemies closer in combat. In Just Cause, Rico can use the hook to fling across buildings, hop onto cars, pull enemies towards him, or even destroy buildings with it. One might use it more liberally than the other, but it is undeniable that a simple grapple hook is a key gadget for both of these characters.
4 Jack and Gordan Freeman (Bioshock and Half-Life)
Dystopian settings are prone to powerful protagonists to rise, whether from interesting gadgets or superpowers. It turns out Jack from Bioshock and Gordan Freeman from Half-Life have a lot in common.
Plasmids in Bioshock give players, for lack of a better term, magic. They can shoot lightning, throw fireballs, and use telekinesis. Gordan Freeman, while not a lightning slinging scientist, knows his way around physics with his trusty Gravity Gun seen in Half-Life 2. Who would've thought barrels could kill so well?
3 Revan and The Exile (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic)
These two do the same thing for different purposes. Revan was a catalyst for the Force itself, being an all-powerful Force wielder of both light and dark side. The Exile influenced others by being a hole in the force, leeching off of everything.
Mechanically, this meant that both characters could influence companions in Knights of the Old Republic to become Jedi or Sith. Story-wise, it holds plenty of weight to your character's past and actions, especially in KOTOR 1. Despite their abilities being opposite of each other, they functionally did the same thing in both games by letting players learn new force powers quickly and influence others. Also, both were amnesiacs.
2 Ezio and Minecraft's Steve (Assassin's Creed and Minecraft)
Assassin's Creed is a game focused on traversing a large city, assassinating targets in both conspicuous and grand ways. Minecraft is a game based on player exploration and creativity.
Both games also allow players to fall in hay bales, negating most, if not all, fall damage. Players can fall off of watchtowers dozens of feet tall yet survive the fall, while players in Minecraft can construct hay bales to fall into to take significantly less fall damage. Turns out assassins and builders have some things in common.
1 Wolverine and Call of Duty Protagonists (X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Call of Duty)
The spin-off game to the similarly named movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine allows players to control the iconic hero, hacking and slashing away at foes while regenerating all damage he takes.
Whether it is intentional or coincidence, almost every protagonist in Call of Duty—excluding WW2 and the first installment—can regenerate their health at unrealistic speeds amid battle. Soldiers might not have claws protruding from their knuckles, but they can take a tank blast just as well as Wolverine can.