Escort missions add a heroic angle to the video game storyline. But these 9 missions end up frustrating you to no end.

From rescuing scientists in danger to civilians and survivors, escorting them is an element in many video games, especially in the action and action-adventure genre.

But some of these missions are dragged out, technically flawed, filled with AI issues, and even massively punishing, which frustrates players.

Whether it is by design or through flaws, some of these escort missions become a test of patience and tolerance rather than gameplay, strategy, and other factors that should matter.

Natalya Simonova (GoldenEye 007)

Nintendo's AI limitations frustrated players when trying to escort Natalya Simonova in GoldenEye 007, especially since she is a central figure in the overall storyline.

Natalya rarely ever hid behind cover, stood between Bond and the enemies, and often walked into danger willingly.

Since the character gets in Bond's way, there are pathways where she ends up blocking you from moving. Control was one of the missions that would really test your patience.

Little Sister (BioShock)

As your newly adopted Little Sister is harvesting ADAM, you will have to defend her against waves of incoming threats.

You are only in control of defense and at the mercy of your Little Sister's ability to complete her objective before you are overwhelmed.

This is a repetitive loop that demands heavy resources as you progress into the game.

Survivors (Dead Rising)

While the premise of helping survivors during a zombie outbreak is appealing, it falls flat and ends up frustrating players because of the unreliable AI mechanics and punishing nature of the mission.

The survivors often get stuck on doors, walls, and even furniture. Some stop moving entirely, whereas some start moving towards the zombies.

The lack of advanced commands you can use to direct the survivors and their fragile nature makes the escort mission far more challenging, especially when there are elements outside your control.

Eileen Galvin (Silent Hill 4: The Room)

While Eileen Galvin is likeable as a character in Silent Hill 4: The Room, almost the entire second half of the game ends up becoming a large escort mission.

Eileen is bad at avoiding danger, limps because of an injured leg, and her overall condition at the end directly impacts the ending you get to experience.

Escort Quests (The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind)

The early-2000s era was notorious for the poor AI mechanics that made the escort quests in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind a pain to deal with.

Like the survivors in Dead Rising, the NPCs get stuck on rocks, trees, doors, narrow pathways, and even in thin air, and will randomly stop following you.

Limited options to dictate these NPCs will frustrate you, and sometimes, these NPCs will magically disappear, forcing you to restart the mission.

Trico (The Last Guardian)

While Dead Rising and Morrowind suffered from an incapable or primitive AI, The Last Guardian makes a conscious choice in making Trico's behavior difficult, mimicking that of an animal.

Fumito Ueda purposely made Trico behave in a manner where your companion will disobey you and take their sweet time in following your command, making them look more like requests.

Emma Emmerich (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)

Emma Emmerich is a frustrating character to escort, mainly because she has a fear of walking over grated floors, which means she has slow movement, hesitates often, and will sometimes just stop.

You have to protect Emma from threats such as snipers. But you can only give limited commands, which multiplies the difficulty level of the escorting mission.

To add to it, Metal Gear Solid 2 is mainly a stealth game, and this escort mission breaks the even pacing of the title. That the mission comes right before the final act is even more perplexing.

The Scientists (Half-Life)

While escorting the scientists in Half-Life was one of the most detailed escorting missions and a defining one in video game history, the AI made it insufferable.

Like the examples above, the scientists can get stuck, stop following suddenly, and struggle to match Gordon's pace, which means you have to continuously slow down.

The Scientists' characterization is ideal, but it adds complexity to the escorting mission. These NPCs will freeze upon seeing enemies or sometimes start running in panic.

Yorda (Ico)

The frustrations with Yorda are half-intentional from the game developers, with the rest being the fault of the mechanics.

One of the worst gameplay features is that you have to hold Yorda's hand as you lead her through the castle.

While it adds an emotional payoff to the storyline, the mission becomes far more difficult because of the limited movement allowed during it.

Which escort missions did you find extremely frustrating to deal with?

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Written by

Abhisek Bajaj

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi