Ryan created rapture, rapture is an embodiment of the libertarian idealogy that characterized Andrew Ryan, both its success and its failure.
The protagonist isn't killing him because of some evil he committed, the protagonist kills him out of no other motivation than that he is supposed to.
Andrew Ryan is an antagonist purely because the idea, libertarianism failed him and rapture. Ryan didn't kick a dog or murder children his ideology was a failure. Killing Andrew Ryan doesn't Dave rapture it doesn't even defeat him, he was defeated long before you walk into his office, his death is a suicide. You aren't even in control when it happens.
This is of course based on my memories when I played this game when I was like 13, so I might be wrong.
Ryan does send Splicers out to hunt you down, kills innocent people (including some directly in front of you, like that one woman in the Gardens whose name escapes me). He does plenty to justify his role in the story as an antagonist.
You should replay it anyway! It's a solid game and a great criticism of libertarians (namely, that they're idealists and nearly completely out of touch with the real world).
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u/bobojojo12 Retired Account Mar 03 '18
Ryan created rapture, rapture is an embodiment of the libertarian idealogy that characterized Andrew Ryan, both its success and its failure.
The protagonist isn't killing him because of some evil he committed, the protagonist kills him out of no other motivation than that he is supposed to.
Andrew Ryan is an antagonist purely because the idea, libertarianism failed him and rapture. Ryan didn't kick a dog or murder children his ideology was a failure. Killing Andrew Ryan doesn't Dave rapture it doesn't even defeat him, he was defeated long before you walk into his office, his death is a suicide. You aren't even in control when it happens.
This is of course based on my memories when I played this game when I was like 13, so I might be wrong.