Video games allow the player to fill the shoes of fictional beings and experience their abilities from their own perspective. Oftentimes a character will be capable of great things due to their destiny or skills, but sometimes their powers are birthed from an unlikely place.
Many video game characters are born with their powers, but some will find and enhance them on their journey. These baffling abilities can be gained through fate's influence or the impact of others, but there are many instances where a character's own actions will land them with these otherworldly qualities. The sources of these unique abilities tend to vary, but some are odder than others.
8 The Player – Animal Crossing: New Horizons
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The Animal Crossing series sees the player placed in a charming world where Bells are required to do anything. Obtaining this form of tender isn't difficult, but a great deal of work is required if the player seeks to amass large amounts of it.
Similar to real life, money grants power to those who possess it. Accumulating large sums of Bells permits the player to upgrade their home, purchase decorative items, and contribute to the town's overall aesthetic. Though it's an unusual source of power, its effectiveness is hard to deny.
7 Sora – Kingdom Hearts
Many video game characters will obtain their powers due to their destiny, but what happens when destiny changes its mind? The opening of Kingdom Hearts sees Sora harnessing the power of the Keyblade, but only because its destined inheritor gave into the darkness.
Ten years prior to this, Terra performed the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony with Riku as he believed the young boy to be a deserving wielder of the blade. Destiny was set in stone that day, but Riku's questionable allegiances forced the Keyblade to align itself with Sora, the next best thing.
6 Noctis – Final Fantasy 15
Noctis and his family are gifted their powers by the kings of Lucis, a group of ethereal beings who also act as the family's ancestors. The blood of the kings grants Noctis power over the Crystal, an unrivaled magical source that decides who will stand against the world's destruction.
The Crystal absorbs Noctis and houses him for ten years. During that time, Noctis absorbs the powers necessary to banish Ardyn from the world and eventually awakens to wield it. Not many characters gain their powers from elongated slumbers, but Noctis is an exception.
5 Geralt – The Witcher
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To become a Witcher, one must undergo a process known as the Witcher Trials wherein they unlock their innermost strengths. This trial has a 30% success rate with only a few surviving it, so only the bravest will attempt to do so.
Upon surviving the trials, Geralt will act as a mercenary for hire. Witchers are renowned for their inhuman abilities, so acquiring their services to vanquish a monster is rarely seen as a poor investment. Geralt ingested an array of unusual herbs known as "the grasses" to unlock his abilities, but most video game characters require a more substantial meal to improve their skills.
4 The Dragonborn – The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
As the last Dovah-Kiin, the Dragonborn is the only being capable of bringing Alduin's reign of terror to a halt. The return of the Dragonborn was prophesied on Alduin's Wall, an ancient piece of architecture that predicted the event to come before the resurrection of the World Eater.
Though the Dragonborn's primary powers see them harnessing abilities associated with dragons, they can also unlock the magical properties confined to the Standing Stones scattered throughout the world. Each stone will grant the player a helpful buff if they interact with it, a strange means of obtaining power, but a welcome one all the same.
3 Aloy – Horizon Zero Dawn
The opening of Horizon Zero Dawn sees Aloy stumbling upon a ruin site, a forgotten facility chock-full of relics from the past. During her time exploring the site, she uncovers a device known as a Focus, an earpiece that grants her the power to manipulate the rogue machinery that wanders the land.
Though it is Aloy's destiny to prevent a second Faro Plague, she would not be unable to do so without her trusty earpiece. She struggles to wield it at first but begins to understand it more as the story progresses. In a post-apocalyptic world where all technology is regarded to be inherently evil, relying on an ancient device from the past seems like a poor choice, but Aloy does so anyway.
2 Miles Morales – Marvel's Spider-Man
Knowing that most fans will already know how Peter Parker gained his abilities, Marvel's Spider-Man opts instead to repurpose this storyline for the character of Miles Morales. While sorting through a selection of cardboard boxes, Miles winces in pain before slapping his hands together on a spider.
He stares at the now crushed spider in his palm before the scene fades to black, leaving the player to speculate on if he too will be gifted with abilities similar to Peter's. It is only during the climax of the game that Miles reveals to Peter that he can now hang from ceilings, confirming that he too has been granted powers from a spider bite.
1 Mario – Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey once again tasks Mario with rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser, the series's main antagonist. On his quest to rescue Peach, Mario travels to a variety of different kingdoms to gain the powers necessary to save his princess, but his methods are far from what fans would expect.
Unlike previous renditions where Mario would eat mushrooms to gain otherworldly powers, Super Mario Odyssey sees him relying on Cappy to unlock most of his abilities. He sports Cappy on his head throughout most of the game and will often use him to traverse the world's terrain. When thrown at certain creatures, Cappy also permits Mario to don their appearance, granting him their skills in the process.