What is a hero
without his villain? It's a widely accepted truth that the nemesis is
as, if not more, important as the protagonist of your story. But what
is a villian without his henchmen? The upcoming remake of Mario &
Luigi Superstar Sage intends to shed some light on that question in
the new mode Bowsers Minions. Because even the most powerful evildoer
can't do all by himself.
So I'd like todays
toplist to be about the henchmen. The everyday evil guys. You may
stomp them without a second thougt, but that is exactly their job.
They exist as stepping stones for the hero, to elevate him. While the
endboss waits hin his castle, they are out there doing the hard work.
Everyday.
Not every enemy
has to be a fire breathing dragon or an eldritch abomination. Often
its the simple everyday enemies that leave the biggest impression.
Their simplicity is what makes them iconic. Just like a fancy five
star menu is perfect to top an amazing day, but for our everyday
breakfast we love to return to the simplicity of our cereals or a
simple marmelade sandwich.
So to start this
years months of evildoers and villians I want to honor the everyman
of evil. The hard working lakey that makes sure it's masters dreams
of world domination are realized.
5: Waddle Dee
Kirby is a
monster. It's time we all face the truth and accept this cute looking
pink ball as the eldritch abomination that he is. An all devouring
monstrosity that is never satisfied. Anyone who blocks his path will
surely fall victim to the endless void inside his stomach. So to
stand against him you need the most fearless and elite of warriors.
That's what makes the Waddle Dee all the more impressive. Sadly their
bravery is hardly ever rewarded.
As King Dedede
guys for everything one can often see them performing mundane tasks,
but they are also the first line of defense against the endless pink
hunger. Because they don't give Kirby any special powers when
consumed they are often spared the horrific fate of digestion and
instead spit out as projectiles to kill their friends and family.
As you can see the
life of a Waddle Dee isn't an easy one, which makes them all the more
impressive. Time and time again they face Kirby with dutiful
dedication. They never back down and without them Kirbys adventure
simply wouldn't feel whole. And that earns them a spot on this list.
4: Kremling
I love Donkey Kong
Country: Tropical Freeze and I can say that I thought the Snowmads to
be awesome and unique villians. But let's be honest. Even though they
were really great the can't compare with the original thiefs of
Donkey Kongs Bananas. The Kremlings belong on this list because of
their diversity. These crocodile bastards manage to pull of a
militaristic look, crazy scientists and even Pirates. Because of that
it felt like you faced fresh enemies during each and every of the
three original Donkey Kong Country games. And that's what elevates
them above the Snowmads. While the nordic animals had the viking look
perfectly nailed down, it's hard to imagine them as anything else.
The Kremlings don't share this problem.
So let's talk
about, what is my favourite game in the series and among the top five
games of all time for me, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddys Kong Quest.
Not only was Crocodile Isle an awesome and creepy location to visit,
but the Kremlings adapted too. While they were mostly bland
crocodiles in the first title, here they showed just how diverse they
could truly be. From the fake legged Pirate to creepy ghosts. They
filled the location with life (or in the case of Kackle unlife).
3: Shy Guy
I know that Shy
Guys debuted in, what was originally a game called Doki Doki Panic,
and of course I know, that this game got turned into Super Mario
Bros. 2 for the West. Still the game that really established Shy Guys
was the, in my opinion, best game of all time Yoshis Island. Shy
Guys, just like Kremlings, show a lot of diversity, while you travel
across the Islands various regions. But that is not all there is to
them. Shy Guys are part of one of the biggest mysterys in gaming.
What exactly are they hiding behind their mask? We know that Luigi
got a brief glimpse and it left a lasting impression on him.
Is it a horrific
face? Or no face at all? Nintendo probably won't answer the question,
but this only increases the appeal of the Shy Guys. And one more
thing. Not only are they mysterious, but also some of them show
awarness of their role and standing in the universe. While Paper
Mario: Color Splash for the Wii-U may not be regarded as a high point
for the series, it was still a solid game that showed of the great
versitility of the Shy Guys. One of them left a lasting impression on
me, and yes it was the one, who has a long and peaceful conversation
with Mario on the Sunset Express.
As you can see the
Shy Guys are more than their Mask and they definitely deserve a spot
on this list.
2: Goomba
And of course the
same applies to our next entry. While Bowser may be the King of the
Koopas his most iconic servants are without a doubt the small brown
walking shiitake mushrooms. Interestingly even though they are the
first enemy encountered in Mario Bros. they were the last to be
designed. Originally the common green Koopa should fill their role,
but early playtesters said that they were too difficult to defeat for
a beginner. Becasue of that Miyamoto designed and enemy that could be
defeated by one single stomp. And by that one of the most iconic
video game henchmen was born.
Goombas are the
perfect first enemy. Very easy to defeat, but not completely
helpless. And interestingly they have a pretty rich backstory, even
though you'd have to look outside of the Mario Jump'n'Runs for that.
Especially the first two Paper Mario Games did a great job to flesh
out the Goomba race. Locations like Goomba Village or Rogueport show
them in other roles as the simple ground troop of Bowsers army. Of
course this is, and always will be, their main role, but just like
with the Shy Guy on the Sunset Express it's nice to see that there is
more to them.
1: Metroid
After seeing the
Goombas only on the number 2 spot it was clear that Number one had to
be something special. An enemy that managed to surpass all the others
with ease. And I'm not only talking about power wise, evne though the
Metroid would win here with ease too. No it's the simple fact that no
other ''basic'' enemy managed to have the entire series they come
from named after them. Goombas will always be part of the Mario
Universe, while Kremlings belong to Donkey Kong. But here it's Samus
that is part of the Metroid Universe, even though she is the main
heroine.
Metroids simply
are the full package. They are iconic, unique and formidable foes. In
my opinion they even manage to outshine most of the series ''big''
villians, except for Ridley of course. Because nothing is cooler than
a huge purple Space Dragon. But back to the Metroids. Not only are
they extremely dangeorus, even for veteran Space Warriors like Samus
Aran, because of their ability to drain the energy of every living
organism, but their immunity to most damage, except freezing
temperatures, makes them next to impossible to beat without special
equipment.
They were so
dangerous that one game is entirely focused on killing every last one
of them. And even after that they regularly pop up in the series. For
that tenacity the Metroids surely deserve the first place on this
list.
But what about
you? What kind of enemies are your favourites? Is it because you
enjoy fighting against them or are there other reasons? Whatever your
answer is let me know it in the comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
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