Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

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Combine Hunter
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Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Combine Hunter »

So I've been thinking a lot about this article I wrote for the site way back when, and possibly returning to this format (also I feel guilty about how little I've written on blog recently): https://caneandrinse.com/enter-regenerator/

Really memorable monsters from a mechanical, audio and visual perspective fascinate me and there are a number of examples I'd love to do an detailed examination of.

The most recent example being The Guardians from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Their emotionless, single minded pursuit of the player and the constant oppressive and mechanical score that accompanies them makes them an almost instantly Iconic foe.

So I'm wondering what some of your favourite enemies in games are and why? I'm talking regularly accruing enemies hear, not boss fights.
Todinho

Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Todinho »

Well since Im playing Horizon now I have to say I really like all of the machine enemies in that game they are all fun and interesting to fight, my favorites probably are the Stalker that can cloack, the devastator that's a huge tiger with a gun, the behemoth that's a huge bull that can that can throw rocks at you and of course the Thunderjaw which is the big T-Rex looking thing on the cover. Also the glinthawks because it's incredibly fun to shoot their little ice pouch thing and watch them explode in a cloud of ice and fall to the ground.
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Alex79 »

Those armored warthogs in Dark Souls are cool.
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Michiel K
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Michiel K »

I'll probably come back in here time and again when something pops to mind, but let me start this off with these.

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Shy Guys (or Heyhos as they're called in Japan), from Super Mario Bros. 2 / Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic / Super Mario Bros. USA. Phanto might be the more obvious choice, but there was always something more subtle and slightly unsettling about the shy guys and their blank, expressionless masks. They're the first enemy you see in the game and they immediately give everything an air of mystery. Who are they? What's behind their masks and under their thick cloaked garments?

We've seen similar white masked spirit figures in Studio Ghibli films and other media since, but back when this game came out, these characters appeared positively alien and unique.

All they really do is march forward or patrol, similar to the koopas in the first Super Mario Bros., but perhaps that only adds to the mystery surrounding them.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Yay! I always like these threads. I'll try to focus on mechanically memorable enemies.


Lickers - Resident Evil 2 (aka the one in which you can't just somersault them to death)

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While I'm usually not particularly fond of body horror, I've always found the Licker design to be incredibly cool and memorable. But it's their hidden mechanic which earns them a spot on this list: namely the fact that they hunt by sound on account of being blind. And so, most Lickers in the game can be carefully avoided if the player manages to spot them early on and avoids making their presence known by shooting or running around. They even stand still and change their posture when they're about to spot you. Sneaking your way through a Licker-infested room while limping around without any healing items in your inventory has to be one of the most gripping gameplay moments in the classic Resident Evil series. Speaking of which...


Crimson Heads - REmake

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These guys are bad news. And I adore the risk-vs.-reward mechanic involved. Don't want to go through the hassle of keeping track of where all the dead zombies are and planning out in advance the most time-efficient way to burn the maximum amount of corpses while managing the limited resources at your disposal? Okay, then... have fun later on!


Chimera - God of War 3

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This one monster manages to get the most out of the game's -admittedly- simplistic combat system. It sports a savage visual design and three different combat phases, each themed after a different animal, each punctuated by a unique QTE sequence. Hard enough to be challenging but without being cheap or frustrating. Butting heads with it (pun intended) is always a delight.


Ogres - Ninja Gaiden Black

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To celebrate the upcoming issue of the podcast, I present to you these guys. While not the most visually appealing, I like how they mess with the player's habits and expectations. They are relatively docile at first, but immediately enter a much more aggressive berserker phase if their mask gets broken. Which means that the overuse of certain safe and powerful moves like the Flying Swallow or wall attacks will get punished very quickly. So the most reliable strategy is to go toe-to-toe and learn how to dodge their hammer swings. Easier said than done when kittens are zipping around, though!


Black Knights - Dark Souls

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Lethal and intimidating, yet mysterious, dignified and strangely beautiful at the same time. Dark Souls in a nutshell.


Elites - Halo series

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Is it the instantly recognizable design? The deep voices with which they command their subordinates? Their varied arsenal? The deep lore pertaining to their culture and their place within the covenant? The way their AI and animations make them feel almost like genuinely intelligent beings instead of mere cannon fodder? Probably due to a combination of all these factors, the Elites are definitely my favorite enemies of all the FPS games I've played. And all that on almost 20-year old hardware, I must add. Why the rest of the industry is lagging so far behind in comparison, I guess I'll never know.
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Jobobonobo »

Oh, I like this topic, good idea! Here are two monsters that have stuck out to me.

The shadow hands in the Forest temple from Ocarina of Time made an already creepy environment just that bit more unsettling. You can never stay still when you are in a room with these things. To see the shadow around Link get bigger and bigger until it grabs you makes these guys really memorable to me.

The mermaid creatures from Inside are also one of the most effective uses of horror I have seen in a game. The game of Simon you have to play with them to avoid them sneaking up on you and drowning you was some of the most tense bits of gaming in years. The room where you have to use the hook to distract the creature while you swim to the next room to escape was one of many highlights of the game to me. Plus the way they grab you and never let go....shudder. They also never became common enough that they were a nuisance or were easy to deal with. Every encounter with them got my heart racing. The pacing in Inside really is commendable.
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Suits
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Suits »

Big Ben from Streets of Rage 2 has always stuck in my mind.

His distinct bellowed laugh and annoying diagonal pacing is the first character that came into my mind when thinking about this thread. Any attempt to throw him would result in you being crushed by him too, which was a cool trait which added to his personality. And let's not forgot, his trademark fire breathing !!

He was in the first game but called Bongo and featured as a boss on the Bridge level. I seem to think his sprite was made smaller in the 2nd game too and featured a twin later in the game.

Love this guy. I can hear that laugh now.
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by DomsBeard »

Resident Evil

Hunters

Great introduction



Necromorphs in Dead Space

Horrible but entertaining. That has just reminded me 2 and 3 are backwards compatible now.
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by InsrtCoins »

My favorite fight in the first Dark Souls actually wasn't with a boss, but rather with the gargoyle-type creature that spawns only once on the elevated walkway between the main bonfire and the O&S building. It's a great fight, the space is just the perfect size for the encounter, and it's a wonderful difficulty level -- harder than a regular encounter but not something that is meant to be a roadblock in the same way that a boss would be.
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Flabyo »

I had a lot of fun working up the personalities for the Hobbes in Fable 2 and 3. But I don't think that's what you're asking...
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Craig
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Craig »

I love Waddle Dees in Kirby. Specifically the Waddle Dees in Kirby's Epic Yarn.

Epic Yarn is a very easy game. The Waddle Dees are the first enemy you see in the first level, so they have to be the easiest enemy in a very easy game. How do you do that? You make them bloody useless.

But the developers leaned into this concept and made them so pathetically useless they are adorable.

When you see them they are sleeping. When they notice you, they slowly walk towards you and then fall flat on their face. With a squeak. Even if they do make it to you, they don't even hurt you.

I feel bad for killing them.

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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Sean »

Between the silly look and extra silly name, I can't forget my boy Abobo from Double Dragon.

I have nothing to really say about his character or attack set, he just cracks me up.

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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Stanshall »

I've been hammering Isaac of late on the Switch and I always feel comforted by how cute these little fellas are. Their little squeaks when you hit them almost make me feel bad, though.

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That said, I hate their slightly bigger brothers. Unpredictable buggers who make a terrible squawking sound, in comparison.
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

Maybe not my favourite favourite, as that will require some much deeper thought, but I do love the designs of the regular enemies (shadows) in the Persona series.

And I think that it is maybe due to it not having to be tethered to any sort of reality, leading to some really abstract and weird enemies.

There's the various "Hand" shadows (dancing, opulent, glorious, etc) with their little bow-ties; the every gruff Minotaur's (with under-down faces); the Elegant mothers that remind me of Hedonist Bot from Futurama; and the Jotun are hard to forget.

In a series where the dungeon crawling/grind is not even the highlight, that the enemies stick in my memory the way they do says a lot. Whether that says something about the game, or me, I'll leave for others to interpret.
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by dezm0nd »

One of my favourite enemy types is the Grunt from the Halo series.

Not because they're easy to beat, but because of their role within the group. The pure delegation from the Elite just shows what the Covenant really think about their place in society.

Couple that with their incredibly funny voice and the way to wave their arms around like it's 1999 and you've got yourself an enemy like no other.

THE DEMON IS COMING!
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Michiel K »

I seem to gravitate towards enemies that are memorable to me from a visual perspective, not necessarily from a mechanical point of view.

Up until Double Dragon, girls in arcade action games were mostly only there to be rescued. Colour my surprise when, after inserting my coin, I first met Linda, coming out of a set of iron doors. Unsure of what to do, she immediately took the initiative and started to whip the crap out of me!

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What I found interesting about her design is that she didn't look like a typical witch-like female villain, like, say Evil-Lyn from Masters of The Universe or Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent. Just a physically fit aerobics practicioner in a purple catsuit, with a blonde, hairsprayed-up 'do that would unapologetically lay the smackdown on you if you so much as hesitated to strike first. It's also interesting that she seems to be the only enemy that does not get palette swapped throughout the game.

After Linda, every scrolling beat 'em up needed to have a 'sexy chick' enemy, so she's clearly very influential too.
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by ratsoalbion »

I love almost the menagerie of Pikmin enemies. Beautifully animated, adorable and yet often slightly creepy and uncannily evocative of that feeling of being a little kid playing in among the creepy crawlies in the garden.

My favourite has to be the Fiery Blowhog though, with its pale semi-translucent/iridescent skin, single toenail on each 'hoof' and its icky red snout tip.

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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by dezm0nd »

Oh man, of course Pikmin! Wonderful enemies which cause nothing but panic when I get caught off guard
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by Michiel K »

Excellent choice, Leon! I remember there are some very weird enemies in the first Pikmin that only show up on one certain day in one certain location. I once was completely aghast as this very rare pollution / smoke monster appeared that exterminated about half of my whole Pikmin population.

I can totally roll with most of Ksubzero's post, too.
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Re: Favourite Enemies/Monsters in Games (not Bosses)

Post by dezm0nd »

Crimson Heads in the Resident Evil remake. When the first one I encountered burst the door down I genuinely had to pause it and calm down.

Not been that scared in a game for years.
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