Summary
Disguises in video games are usually more important than just a cosmetic skin: they play an integral role in the main story or open new side quests to enhance world building. Some video game characters are more adept cosplayers than others. Some are akin to shapeshifters: seamlessly morphing into someone else. Others, well it’s a wonder they fooled anyone.
Though some disguises are improbable, the silliness of these scenarios creates memorable and humorous game play. Whether costumes are used in stealth missions or for comic relief, disguises add an extra layer of charm to the gaming experience.
10Mickey Mouse In Kingdom Hearts 2
Organization XIII
Kingdom Hearts is a popular series that leverages both Disney and Square Enix properties. To no surprise, Mickey Mouse plays an important role in the story. InKingdom Hearts 2, King Mickey infiltrates Organization XIII with Riku, an antagonist-turned-antihero from Kingdom Hearts.
Integral to the success of the mission is Mickey’s black trench coat: the uniform of the Organization. While that sounds good on paper, it’s a wonder that no one recognized the King with his iconic ears and the fact that he is the only anthropomorphic mouse in the organization. That’s not even taking his distinct, high-pitched voice into account. When Sora, Goofy, and Donald find King Mickey in his Organization XIII disguise in Twilight Town, it isn’t until he pulls down his hood that they recognize the mouse.
9Luigi in Super Paper Mario
Mr. L: The Green Thunder
Super Paper Mariofollows Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Bowser as they journey to stop Count Bleck from destroying the world. At the beginning of the game, Count Bleck brainwashes Luigi, turning him into his acolyte, known as Mr. L: The Green Thunder. Mr. L works against Mario, Peach, and Bowser to see Count Bleck’s evil plans come to fruition.
Fully embracing his new identity, Mr. L dons black overalls and a black mask. Even his own brother, Mario, cannot recognize Luigi, despite Luigi’s prominent nose, mustache, and green color scheme. And then there’s the fact that Mr. L’s super-weapon is a giant robot named Brobot that bears Luigi’s likeness.
8Karol Capel in Tales of Vesperia
A Young Girl
InTales of VesperiaYuri and his friends seek to destroy the corrupt government entities that subjugate its citizens. One of Yuri’s friends is a boy named Karol, who is the Captain of their adventuring guild.
During the course of their mission, the party needs to distract a guard to sneak into a forbidden area. You can choose to let either one of the girls or Karol undertake this task. If Karol is chosen for the role, he dresses up in a frilly pink dress, bloomers, and a large pink hair bow. Karol uses his new-found power of cuteness to ask the guard to help him find his lost puppy. The guard is loath to leave his post, but becomes flustered when Karol starts crying and agrees to help.
7Solid Snake in Metal Gear
Cardboard Box
Metal GearSolid Snake is an operative for the special forces unit FOXHOUND. He specializes in solo missions, most of which require stealth tactics. One of Solid Snake’s favorite disguises is to crouch under a cardboard box. To be fair, the cardboard box is made with mostly recycled materials, so at least the costume is eco-friendly.
This simple disguise is a tried-and-true method. Solid Snake’s opponents never notice that the cardboard box moves around the facilities seemingly on its own. The box disguise is so effective that it is also used by fellow operatives Raiden and Big Boss.
6Laverne from Maniac Mansion 2: Day of the Tentacle
Attractive Tentacle
Roommates Bernard, Laverne, and Hoagie accidentally travel through time in an attempt to stop a series of events that could destroy humanity. Laverne ends up 200 years in the future where the dominant species are sentient tentacles and humans have replaced dogs as pets.
Laverne uses a tentacle-shaped flag to disguise herself as a tentacle. Of course, her human head is fully visible, and she needs to lift the hem of the flag to walk around. The tentacles find Laverne to be a very attractive female tentacle, oblivious to her human characteristics.
5Red XIII from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Shinra Soldier
Final Fantasy 7has several instances of unbelievable disguises. While Cloud dressed up in a fancy dress with twin braids is the most well-known disguise, the most far fetched costume is when Red XIII dresses up as a Shinra soldier to play cards against Cloud.
The truly remarkable thing about Red XIII’s costume is how he manages to mimic articulated human fingers, to the point of manipulating cards while playing against Cloud.
To play the part, Red XIII dons a typical black uniform and helmet, both of which prominently display his canine muzzle and fire-tipped tail. However, only members of the party seem to recognize that Red XIII isn’t human, even when he nearly falls over after moon-walking across the stage during his grand entrance.
4Director Clavell from Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Fellow Student Clive
Pokemon Scarlet & Violetis the first open-world game in thePokemonseries. Situated in the Paldea Region, the trainer is a student at the Naranja/Uva Academy, run by Director Clavell. When the trainer initiates the Starfall Street quest line, they are introduced to fellow student Clive, who looks suspiciously like Director Clavell. Clive continues to support the protagonist throughout Starfell Street as you fight to dismantle Team Star.
To create his Clive persona, Director Clavell styled his gray hair into a dirty-blonde pompadour and donned a school uniform. Despite his best efforts, Director Clavell’s physical characteristics, including his distinct facial wrinkles, are quite obvious. No one outside the trainer seems to suspect that Clive is actually Director Clavell until his grand reveal upon defeating the last member of Team Star.
In the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet manga, Director Clavell easily fools Violet into believing his Clive persona, much to the bewilderment of Arven. But Director Clavell convinces Arven to play along until the time is right.
3Frisk from Undertale
A Conveniently Shaped Lamp
Undertaleis an indie game following the adventures of a human girl, Frisk, after she falls into the Underground: a land populated by monsters. Throughout her journey, Frisk encounters a variety of puzzles and obstacles.
Early in the game, while following Sans (a sentient skeleton), Frisk quickly dons a disguise to avoid Sans’s brother, Papyrus. With limited options, Frisk swiftly ducks behind a lamp that is conveniently human-girl shaped. Sans tries again and again to convince Papyrus to examine the lamp, though his brother remains oblivious to Frisk’s presence.
2Amaterasu from Ōkami
Imp Mask
InŌkami, the Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu, journeys to save the land of Nippon from the powers of darkness. The game has a unique mechanic where players use a Celestial Brush to create specific designs, thus performing miracles and forwarding the story.
When Amaterasu tries to enter the Moon Cave to learn a brush technique, she discovers that imps have claimed the cave as their own. To infiltrate the Moon Cave, Amaterasu acquires a simple imp mask, which is a single piece of paper that covers her face. After that, the imps do not recognize Amaterasu, despite the fact that she is still a giant white wolf wielding large, shiny, moving weapons and shields with a paper mask attached to her muzzle.
1The Traveler from Genshin Impact
Fatui Member
Throughout the course ofGenshin Impact, the Traveler infiltrates several Fatui bases with the help of a Fatui mask that covers their eyes. However, the rest of the Traveler’s appearance remains unchanged: they still have their distinct golden hair and outlandish clothing.
Often, Paimon is still floating right next to the Traveler totally undisguised. Given that she is even more unique, this alone is a huge red flag that the Traveler is close by.
Despite the fact that the Fatui are on high alert for the Traveler, they never notice the stranger who bears a striking resemblance to their enemy. The jig is up only when the Traveler chooses to reveal their identity.
