Top Ten Scariest Characters in Gaming

By: Julian 'MakAttack' MacDonnell

-Possible Spoilers-

So yeah, my first top ten list. Took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do for this as I wanted it to be both meaningful to me and interesting to you. I should start out by saying I love the horror genre. Whether it be a night of playing Resident Evil 2 or seeing how long I can play Amnesia The Dark Descent before I wet myself in a combination of fear and anxiety, I will always have a place in my heart, and on my shelves, for anything in this genre. But as I grew up and played more video games of varying genres, I would go on to encounter other scary or intimidating characters that were outside horror games. So it is that I make my case here that the list following are currently my top picks for the most scary, intimidating and frightful characters(human or otherwise) to ever grace our video game systems.
Please note that this list only contains entries for games I have played through about 10 or so hours at the least. While there are some characters I would love to add, I don't want to include anyone(or thing) to this list that I haven't properly encountered before. As I continue playing many other games, both new and old, this list may be updated to reflect that. Possibly with some of your favorite scary monsters or intimidating characters.


So with all that out of the way, lets get things started with:

10 – Happy Mask Salesman

Word of warning for those never introduced to this salesman: Never, ever return to this man with an unfinished job. No, really, I mean it. You don't want to know what he's like when things don't go his way. While he may first come off as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy with a care free attitude, secretly under the surface is that of a sociopath that takes care of anyone that seeks to hinder his business. If you ever wish to seek employment with this man, know that it may be the last job you ever hold.

9 – Voldo

Dear god, the shivers that run down my spine every time this character dances into battle. While it is arguable that the scariest thing about the Soul Calibur series is a certain character's assets getting more and more out of proportion with every subsequent sequel, that doesn't bother me nearly as much as Voldo. With certain female characters being overtly sexualised for male gamer fantasies, the exact opposite was bound to happen at some point. Though I doubt this is what many had in mind for what could happen to male characters. Instead we are given a contortionist that seems to have an affinity for S&M wear, speaks in slithers and moans rather than comprehensible words and seeks to beat out all other combatants for control of a powerful sword that would appease his master once returned to his vault. Yeah, you tell me that's not at least some kind of nightmare fuel.

8 - The Kaernk (Water Lurker)
-No Known Picture-

On a more serious note, the Kaernk is a creature that lives in the flooded cellars of the castle that the player must pass in order to move on to the next main area. However, the one thing that separates this creature from the rest in Amnesia is the inability to actually see this adversary. While you can actually see the other creatures that roam through the castle seeking to rip you a new one, this demon doesn't allow you the same luxury. It's slightly faster than you, and can tear you to pieces in just a matter of moments. The only reprieve you get is the fact that it makes splashes in the water when it moves and that there are crates place sporadically around the area for you to climb on, assuming you can time the jumps right without letting your fear get the better of you by getting caught.

7 - Fast Zombie – Half-Life 2

Normally you wouldn't think much of the Half-Life series when it comes to scares. Well try telling that to anyone that's actually played through Half-Life 2's Nova Prospect. What starts out as a seemingly care free jaunt through the ruins of a once thriving town quickly turns into a mad dash for ammo as you come into contact with one of the fastest and more gruesome enemies ever conceived by developer Valve. A mad shriek is all you'll hear before these things will pounce and rip you to shreds if you have anything less than a pistol.

6 – Lisa Trevor

While there may not be much in the Resident Evil series that frightens me anymore, Lisa Trevor proves this wrong every time I go to her shack on the hill next to the Spencer Estate. What was supposed to be nothing more than a game filled to the brim with slow walking zombies and fast moving Tyrants, all of a sudden borrows from Silent Hill territory with a creature that's in a category vastly different from anything in the Resident Evil universe. What was once a daughter to a servant family of the Spencer family is now a broken down woman, in both mental and physical states, because of her being the first guinea pig for the company Umbrella. Now, nothing more than a shadow of her former self, she stalks the mansion grounds looking for the parents taken from her. And while she may seem, move and attack like a monster, her cries and moans of agony seem to be all that remains of Lisa today. She will forever wander in a limbo between monster and girl.

5 – ReDead

As a kid, the mere sound of these walkers would have me sprinting out of my room for dear life. As an adult, I now fear for young Link every time he gets with in arms reach of these creatures. While they are technically zombies, Nintendo couldn't have a human/humanoid creature trying to take chunks of flesh and blood from Link in an E rated children's game. So what were the changes proposed when it came to changing their attack? Oh, not much, only the fact that they now climb onto Link's back and seem to hump the ever living crap out of him. Oh, if only the ocarina had the ability to grant Chris Hansen-like powers to Link so he could fight these creatures off. Maybe then he could have been spared. If only.....

4 – Nemesis

Now this entry is a little different due in part for one reason; Nemesis wasn't the first or last creature to have its specific powers in a video game. Nemesis has never physically looked intimidating compared to some of the other enemies out there. No, in fact the only real scary trait Nemesis possessed was being indestructible to no less than a nuclear bomb being dropped on his head. Its basically a terminator crossed with a living human and a good strain of the G-Virus. Now while creatures like Nemesis have existed in games before and since his introduction into the Resident Evil series, Nemesis was my first time dealing with an enemy like him. He wouldn't stop attacking, he would always come after you, he would always find you at the most inopportune times, and he couldn't be talked to or reasoned with. And the only thing he would ever say was “S.T.A.R.S.” Needless to say I would have countless nightmares involving this beast in the years to come.

3 – Patriots (End of MGS2)

Ok, I know what you're thinking. Yeah, the Metal Gear series can be defined as almost anything but horror or suspense(well ok, the latter is debatable) and all of the enemies come down to generally two categories: human or sentient AI. But you look me in the eye and say that when the com chatter from your supposed allies near the end of the campaign started getting pretty freaking insane, you didn't start thinking some malicious entity had infected your PS2 and decided to mess with you. Especially when it's 2 AM, you've been playing for ten hours straight and all of a sudden you here one of the main characters you thought you knew for most of the game break the fourth wall and say, in a digitized voice, that you've been playing for too long and should go outside or get some sleep. Yeah, I rest my case.

2 – Shadow Versions(Persona 4)

Again, not a physically intimidating creature, nor even really grotesque. But when it comes to personal horrors, these creatures are pretty high up there. Especially when you're a teenager just trying to get by in life without being ridiculed by your peers. Imagine you're with your best friends on an adventure, and all of a sudden something appears out of the corner of you eye. You think nothing of it till you turn to get a better look: it turns out to be a doppelganger of you. It has your voice, your clothes, your composure, and worse yet; it knows everything about you. With a twisted grin it starts to talk. It talks of you, of who you really are. Of what you hide from everyone. It talks of your fears, your ambitions, of what you truly feel. It tells everyone this, and it won't go away. You try to fight it, but as you try it turns into a physical representation of your inner self and starts fighting back. The only way to defeat it is to accept the truth that it is you. But hey, look on the bright side. Once you admit to the truth, you get one hell of a kick ass persona to fight on you side.

1 – Pyramid Head

Yeah, as if this big guy wasn't getting on the list. As in the same veins as Nemesis, this simply designed yet still monstrous creature that seeks to control, kill and manipulate(and yes, in some cases rape) everything in the town of Silent Hill. What makes it scary is not necessarily what it does, how it attacks or shows up. No, what is scary is the connection between the main protagonist of Silent Hill 2, James, and it. For those that have yet to play this gem, and seeing as it has had a re-release in an HD collection for the PlayStation 3, I won't give anything really spoilery here, but I will encourage you to play Silent Hill 2 when you get the chance. When you do, you will see why Pyramid Head, specifically from Silent Hill 2, is generally on the tops of lists like these.