October is slowly
reaching its end and with it the night of horrors and spooky events
is also drawing closer. Halloween is a big deal. Even here in Europe,
though it has somewhat declined the past couple of years. Still it's
a welcome excuse to dedicate October to all things horror.
And why shouldn't
we. Horror is great.
And even though
Nintendo fans don't often get the treat of a good Horror game, there
is no shortage in unsettling and dark themes in Nintendo games.
Today I didn't
want to take a look at bosses, areas or stories, but simply at the
creepiest enemies in Nintendo games. Just your regular run of the
mill guy (or girl), who still manages to send shivers down your
spine. It doesn't matter if it's a creepy design, unnerving game
mechanics or a dark backstory. If the enemy manages to feel you
uncomfortable, you try to avoid him as good as possible or he simply
scares you, he belongs on that list.
As always only one
enemy per franchise and game. So let's start.
5: Waterwraith
Deep within the
darkness of the submerged castle waits a creature... Unstoppable and
Unfeeling it's only purpose is to fill the heart of its prey with
dread.
Pikmin 2 is a
pretty happy game. You send your colorful plant slaves to fight your
battles and recover junk for your entertainment. Maybe it's not as
happy as I first thought. But that doesn't excuse the horror that is
the Waterwraith.
When I first
discovered the Submerged Castle I immediately started to explore it.
Deep and ancient caverns always draw me in. But my happy go lucky
exploring was cut short by this beast. After five minutes it suddenly
dropped down from the ceiling and started chasing me down. The music
changed into a frantic chase theme. At first I tried to hold my
ground, but soon I realized my foolishness. The Waterwraith can't be
stopped. It hunts you down and never stops.
Within this one
level Pikmin 2 turned from a happy strategy game into pure survival
horror.
Your only hope of
survival is to escape to the next level of the submerged castle.
Deeper down into the darkness. But this is only a temporary escape,
because after five minutes all starts over again.
The Waterwrait is
a scary enemy for a couple of reasons. His first appearance most
certainly catches you off guard. The music and your ships
analysis(or lack theroff) immediately tell you that this is a
dangerous beast. But once you realize how dangerous the wrait truly
is, you probably have lost most your Pikmins already.
It's scare factor
is lessened by the fact that it only appears after five minutes on
each floor, so you have some time to prepare. But it's coming... and
there is nothing you can do to stop it.
Except killing it
on the last floor... Anyways lets move on.
4: Phanto
When I played
Super Mario Bros. 2 as kid this guy was responsible for one of the
most traumatic experiences of my childhood. First of his design is
pretty creepy. That smile haunted my dreams. And secondly he is, like
the waterwraith, an unstoppable force. His only purpose is to guard
the keys in the game and if you dare to take them, then praying for
the swift mercy of death is your best option.
Well it's not all
that bad. You can also run like hell to reach the keydoor and flee to
safety.
Phanto is a scary
foe, because of his inevitability. You can avoid the waterwraith if
you're fast enough while exploring the submerged castle. But if you
want to proceed in Super Mario Bros. 2, you'll need that key. You'll
have to face Phanto. This dreadful conclusion makes him worse. He
will hunt you down and kill you. And he will do it with a grin.
3: Rock Croc
I'm not sure if
any amount of Bananas was worth passing through this cave. A Cave
inhabited by subterranean Crocodiles, which now only one thing. How
to make your life miserable. The Rock Crocs only appear in one stage
of Donkey Kong Country, but they left a lasting impression with me.
In true tradition on this list they are unstoppable enemies, which
you can't harm in any way.
Well unstoppable
may not be 100% right. The Rock Crocs hate red light and will curl
into a ball if the lighting in their mine takes that color. And this
is exactly the main mechanic of their stage. Through Stop and Go
Barrels Donkey and Diddy Kong can switch the lights for a brief
period of time. This allows them to pass the Rock Crocs, but it's no
free ride. The time they'll have is very short and one wrong move may
lead you to end up surrounded by awakened Rock Crocs, who tear you to
shreds.
Ok, the last part
may be a little overexaggerated , but you'll lose one Kong at least.
What makes the
Rock Croc so creepy isn't only their adrenalin inducing game
mechanic, but their looks. On SNES most of the time you only saw
their glowing red eyes. And they are quick. You can't outrun them.
Being hunted in the darkness deep below the earth is a feeling that
is the pinacle of horror. And to my youthful self the Rock Crocs
provided just that.
2: X Parasite
I'm sorry
Metroids.
John Carpenters
The Thing is one of the best Horror Movies of all time. Same goes for
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This is because of the fear and
distrust they create through their premise. A being that can copy you
completely from your memories to your abilities is absolutely
horrifying.
And that is why
the X-Parasite is number two on this list.
This creatures are
the natural inhabitants of SR-388. They were held in check by their
natural enemies the Metroids. But because Samus killed the species
off in Metroid 2 the X could recuperate. Once they infect a host
creature this Parasites will suck it completely dry. Everything from
the memories, to abilities and the personality. Nothing remains, but
a perfect emotionless copy of the victim. When you can't trust the
people, which you knew for all of your life ,because they may have
already been replaced, who can you trust?
That is why the X
is so terrifying. It has the ability to destroy whole civilizations
without them realizing it.
Also this beasts
are responsible for creating the most terrifying enemy Samus has ever
faced. Sa-X!
Fighting the X is
almost impossible. If you're not a Metroid you hardly stand a chance.
Also the more technological advanced a civilization is, the harder it
becomes to fight them. They grow stronger with each absorbed person.
They gain more information and more power. And they won't stop until
the control every single life form on a planet.
1: Dead Hand
This guy just had
to be number one. Even today I ask myself how this beast could end up
in an E-rated game.
The first time you
encounter this monster is as a child at the bottom of the well in
Kakariko village. You enter a room full of strange white hands
sticking out from the ground. Well nothing unusual, right? Wrong!
After wandering
around the room for a little bit to no avail you finally decide to
check out one of the hands. That is the moment it happens. The Hand
grabs you and from behind you this... thing emerges. You can't see
its face, but its bloody stumps instead of hands combined with the
unnaturally long neck and the unnerving way it waddles towards you,
are enough the send you into horror mode.
Then it lowers
it's head and you can look directly into its dead eyes and at the
unhinged jaw, ready to bite your head off.
This beast doesn't
belong in a game that is rated E for everyone. I think we can all
agree on that. Also a fun fact in german the Dead Hand is called
Hirnsauger, which translates into Brain Slurper. This makes his aim
for Links head with his Jaw even more unnerving.
The Dead Hand is a
horrible sight and it never gets better. Even now when I'm playing
the 3DS Remake it sends shivers down my spine and I truly hate this
battle. Knowing what comes, once I step into the reach of one of
those hands, doesn't help at all. It only makes it worse.
So what are your
opinions on this list? Which enemies still scare the shit out of you?
Which enemies do you hate facing, no matter how often? Let me know in
the comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
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