The Grossest Video Game Monsters
By By
Darryn Bonthuys
and
Nathan Ellingsworth
on
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Thanks to contemporary advancements, video game characters can appear more lifelike than ever before. Alternatively, they might look like an advertisement for Pepto Bismol, as numerous developers have utilized groundbreaking technology to forge some of the most repulsive beings ever to grace a video game. From modest origins as intricate 8- and 16-bit abominations to the more convincingly revolting creations of today, there has never been a more opportune moment to observe video game monsters and lose your appetite. Indefinitely. Here’s a glimpse at some of the finest and most horrendous designs to emerge from a studio.
Several creatures on this list will soon become even more grotesque and lifelike due to upcoming remakes: The Last of Us Part I, Resident Evil 4, and Dead Space.
And we wouldn’t be shocked if more abominations secure places on this list in the near future. There are numerous titles in development that have either already displayed some hideous monsters or are ideal prospects for introducing some unpleasant-looking beings, including The Callisto Protocol, Scorn, and Slitterhead.
Succubus – DmC: Devil May Cry
Unsightly on the exterior and within, DmC: Devil May Cry’s Succubus makes an unforgettable first impression. A grotesque entity summoned from the depths of hell, the Succubus serves as an auditory and visual assault on the senses as it unleashes both foul language and literal bile at a young Dante in Ninja Theory’s underrated interpretation of the legendary devil-slaying hero.
Bloater – The Last of Us
The concept of infected humans running rampant worldwide due to a mutated Cordyceps virus is chilling enough, but the Bloaters in The Last of Us elevate that deadly fungal growth to a disturbing new dimension. The body serves as merely a succulent meat sack for the virus to utilize as a grotesque mode of transport; Bloaters are almost unstoppable remnants of humanity that exist solely to propagate the virus and annihilate anything obstructing their path.
Broodmother – Dragon Age: Origins
Science has yet to devise a term for the fear of nipples, but it has traced that phobia’s root cause back to Dragon Age: Origins and the Broodmother that inhabits that game. A ghoul resembling a bloated caterpillar, constructed from tentacles and an excessive number of mammary glands, Broodmothers arise through a horrific process that is utterly vile and stomach-churning.
Nemesis – Resident Evil 3 Remake
The initial version of Nemesis appears as though it was driven face-first into a grove of unsightly trees, but by the climax of Resident Evil 3, it evolves into a grotesque mass of flesh, tendrils, and teeth. Thanks to the RE Engine, that depiction of Nemesis accumulating bioweapon mass looks more revolting than ever, but at least Jill Valentine is on hand to assist the abomination in shedding some weight with a convenient laser surgery procedure.
Asphyxia – Silent Hill: Homecoming
Asphyxia resembles a science experiment by Toy Story’s Sid if he matured and found a job in a mortuary. Several bodies gruesomely stitched together to form a macabre human centipede, Asphyxia is one of the most haunting encounters in 2008’s Silent Hill: Homecoming. With an origin narrative that is equally disturbing and a design that lingers long after the closing credits have rolled.
Lepotica – Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil’s assortment of bioweapons comprises a showcase of infectious grotesqueness, and Lepotica ranks near the top with its design. A shambling mound of flesh and pus, it likely smells as foul as it appears and can effortlessly summon a horde of undead around it by emitting viral spores from its body.
Guardian – Dead Space
Guardians satisfy multiple criteria for disturbing monster designs, given that they’re a conglomeration of tentacles, claws, and at least one oversized anal cavity that stalks Isaac Clarke upon his encounters with them. The most unsettling feature, however? The remnants of a human face, forever distorted into an expression of rage and anguish, doomed to watch over a specific area for the duration of their unnatural existence.
Laura – The Evil Within
By the time you confront Laura in The Evil Within, you’re likely desensitized to creatures covered in blood and scabs. Laura certainly has that appearance, but it’s her movement during encounters that will send a shiver down your spine. Elongated limbs—plus a few extra arms—combined with arachnid-like motions as she crawls towards you make her an adversary you’ll want to evade at all costs.
The Great Mighty Poo – Conker’s Bad Fur Day
A literal and immense pile of feces intent on slapping Conker with a hardened fist of extreme excrement, the Great Mighty Poo is as fragrant as it is skilled at singing. Just ensure that you stand well beyond flinging range when you encounter this dreadful mound of dung.
Captain Keyes afflicted by the Flood
There’s a compelling explanation as to why each confrontation with the Flood in Halo is approached with a “nuke ’em” mindset, and once you witness Captain Keyes exploited merely as a meat shield by the nefarious beings, you’ll feel compelled to initiate nuclear destruction yourself. Far more than just a grotesque parasite siphoning vitality from the commander, this incarnation of the Flood will evoke nausea as you both see and hear it, courtesy of some outstanding sound design.
Godrick the Grafted – Elden Ring
Heavily equipped and exceptionally perilous, Godrick’s warped physique creates a repulsive wall of gore to hurl yourself at upon your initial meeting. Attaching a few extra limbs to a character model would already be bizarre, yet From Software excelled with Godrick’s design, ensuring that each additional arm is packed with decaying skin, tattered muscles, and splintered bones designed to felled you in an epic early confrontation within Elden Ring.
Orphan of Kos – Bloodborne
Another From Software masterpiece that will have you reaching for a bucket, the Orphan of Kos makes a dramatic and grotesque entrance in Bloodborne and offers fierce resistance before you finally take it down. It assaults you in pure sickly fury wielding an axe crafted from its own organs. However, this battle ultimately concludes with the wretched being sinking back into the dark sea that birthed it.
Resident Evil Village baby
It’s scientifically established that infants are the worst, as they never tip waiters, can’t challenge you in Street Fighter, and consistently neglect to file their taxes. A colossal baby is an even larger menace, with Resident Evil Village presenting a pure nightmare-inducing abomination. Once you encounter it in House Beneviento, your perception of infants will never be the same again.
Dead Hand – Ocarina of Time
Amidst the cheerful veneer of Ocarina of Time, there’s a being that embodies unfiltered dread from the golden era of the N64. Composed entirely of nightmares, the Dead Hand carries an intriguing and terrifying backstory, detailing how this underground creature claimed Kakariko village as its lair, waiting to pull anyone unfortunate enough to cross its path into the shadows.
Boomer – Left 4 Dead
A classic design that inspired numerous other beasts in zombie games, the Boomer is a two-legged sack of viral vomit that’s merely a few well-placed shots away from detonating. A corpse is never pleasant to behold, but when that undead horror resembles a balloon made from decomposing flesh that’s about to burst, the Boomer certainly won’t be the sole organism in a level that’s offloading its stomach contents.
Clotho – God of War II
Anyone who has a distaste for pale skin, random patches of hair, and a tower of flesh will want to steer clear of this encounter in God of War II, lest you trigger a quick-time sequence that might make you lose your meal. It’s a battle against a colossal adversary that’s truly stomach-turning, but at least it concludes axe-actly as you would anticipate in a God of War title.
Botchling – The Witcher 3
We’ve demonstrated that babies are the worst on this listing—they can’t even duel you in Mortal Kombat either—but in The Witcher 3, they’re somehow even worse. A blend of curses and dark magic, Botchlings are infants you definitely want to avoid, as one misstep could cause their monstrous and forsaken form to transform into a deadly nightmare.
Legion – Castlevania
A biblical monster that resembles a disease-ridden beach ball, Legion has appeared repeatedly as a foe in Castlevania titles over the years. While the concept of a creature made up of countless writhing bodies fused together in a spherical arrangement isn’t precisely disquieting, it’s the genuine Legion concealed beneath that fleshy exterior that will make you feel nauseated upon your first encounter.
Face-scanned characters in NBA 2K15
2K’s various sports titles feature an excellent option that enables you to upload your face into the game and attach it to an avatar. However, the technology initially had some glaring flaws, with NBA 2K15 being notable for several glitches that transformed an ordinary face into what can only be politely referred to as modern art.
The One Reborn – Bloodborne
An unholy fusion of corpses created from any nearby decaying flesh it could grasp, the One Reborn is a failed deity intent on adding your organs to its festering collection in Bloodborne. Not exactly a feast for the eyes, the One Reborn serves as a testament that developer From Software has few rivals when it comes to crafting nightmare-inducing imagery.
Revenant – Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil could easily fill this list with its extensive range of bioweapons, but we’ve reserved some of the most repulsive for the end. Take the Revenant for instance, which resembles a crude attempt to reassemble a corpse while impaired. Still animate and in utter agony, the unnatural gait of this flesh-puppet coming to life will propel you to the nearest restroom in disgust.
U-3 – Resident Evil 4
And to worsen matters, there’s the U-3. Not to be mistaken for an unavoidable Irish rock band on your Apple devices, the U-3 is a repulsive chimera of human,
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insect, and reptile genetic material, and an evening spent observing David Cronenberg films.
Lickers – Resident Evil 2
With a tongue that KISS lead singer Gene Simmons might covet–or perhaps contemplate legal action due to copyright violations–Lickers rank as one of the strangest and most despised aberrations in all of Resident Evil. This lethal entity has been created exclusively to slap you with its virus-laden throat-muscle, and everything about the Licker is inherently unsettling.
William Birkin (G) – Resident Evil 2
If you’ve managed to endure this long without losing your dinner, then behold the ultimate adversary on this list: William Birkin in his G5 incarnation. An ingenious scientist who initiated a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City, Birkin transforms into multiple forms throughout the game, each more repugnant than its predecessor. In his G5 state, Birkin morphs into a being composed of tumors, tentacles, and fangs.
Mother – House of the Dead Overkill
In a game featuring more carnage than Peter Jackson’s films prior to The Lord of the Rings, and more profanity than Quentin Tarantino smashing his toe, it’s challenging to be stunned. Nevertheless, House of the Dead Overkill concludes its wild narrative with a grotesque antagonist truly suitable for the grindhouse genre this title honors. Then, in a remarkably outrageous finale, the title’s antagonist, Clement Darling, climbs inside his massive zombified Mother in an utterly revolting manner. Yes, it’s just as you imagine.
Rat King – The Last of Us II
A chilling fusion of various infected, the Rat King foe consists of several clickers, stalkers, and a bloater, all sharing a single body. Highly durable, it requires significant firepower to ultimately defeat this repulsive enemy. Located at the bottom of the Seattle Hospital, it is believed to include some of the very first individuals infected by the Cordyceps fungus, and its name derives from a genuine phenomenon wherein rats become entangled by their tails.
The Teacher – Little Nightmares 2
Occasionally, the most potent horror isn’t centered on blood and viscera; it involves something disquieting. Little Nightmares 2 excels in creating this sensation of “unease,” with the long-necked Teacher being one of the most distressing elements throughout the game. In a title where you spend much time in hiding, the unnatural movement of an extending head, peering around every corner to seek you out, is genuinely frightening.
Caterpillar – Sons of the Forest
Like a nightmarish version of the Nickelodeon cartoon CatDog, in Sons of the Forest, the Caterpillar enemy presents as a dual-ended mutant with two torsos connected at the hips. It utilizes its worm-like elongated body to wriggle around, and it even possesses a single pair of cheeks somewhere within its distorted form.