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Talking Time Presents: The Top 60 Video Game Enemies Exhibit at the Valdez Museum of Video Game Box Art

Torzelbaum

????? LV 13 HP 292/ 292
(he, him, his)
finn.jpg
stillz lookz four teh leads, aknee otherz named "Mr X"?
I don't know. Really running out of ideas here...

 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
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And with that, this latest exhibit of the museum comes to a close. I hope you enjoyed this wild ride of a forum contest as much as I did in creating it! I'll share the master list in a day or two...feel free to share yours now! :D

THANK YOU!​
 
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WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
And because I want to separate out my special thanks, I want to first thank everyone who submitted votes to the contest: Lokii, Ixo, Kirin, Johnny Unusual, Kzinssie, Torzelbaum, Kishi, nataerynn, Beta Metroid, Octopus Prime, Daikaiju, Issun, Dracula, Dr. Nerd, Rascally Badger, and Positronic Brain. I also want to give HUGGGGGGGE shoutouts to Lyrai, Dracula, Kishi, Lokii, Regulus and Ixo for their contributions to the contest; it was super fun to collaborate with all of you! And a DOUBLE DECKER thank you to Ixo who took it upon himself to make fucking merch for this I can't believe it. My heart is so full my friend.

If you don't have your list due to it being submitted on the old forum, let me know and I can sort my master list to get you yours. Here's mine:
Metroid (Metroid Series)
Regenerators, Resident Evil series
Phanto (Super Mario series)
Metal Slime, Dragon Quest series
Red Arremer, Ghosts 'n' Goblins series.
Like Likes, Legend of Zelda series
Wall Masters, Legend of Zelda series
Medusa Head, Castlevania series
Turret (Portal Series)

Chryssalids, XCOM series
Nurses, Silent Hill series
Cougars, Red Dead Redemption series
Lynels, Legend of Zelda series
Eggplant Wizard, Kid Icarus series
Mail Man, Shadow Hearts series
Cyberdiscs, XCOM series
Lickers, Resident Evil series
Griffins, Dragon's Dogma
Hammer Brothers, Super Mario series
Chain Chomp (Mario Series)

Reapers, Kid Icarus series
Save Point, Chrono Trigger
Tamako-Death, Bloodstained series
Jenny Shark, Ittle Dew series
Headcrab, Half-Life series
 

Torzelbaum

????? LV 13 HP 292/ 292
(he, him, his)
This was a lot of fun and it looks like it took a lot of work. Thanks so much.
The usual high level of presentation that I would expect from the Valdez Museum of Video Game Box Art.

1, Buer, Bloodstained
2, Bone Ark, Castlevania
3, Kyzoku, Final Fantasy
4, Bubble, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
5, Slime, Dragon Quest
6, Kicker Skeleton, Castlevania
7, White Wolf, Might and Magic 1 on NES
8, Fossicker, Chrono Cross
9, Boxer / Fighter, Ninja Gaiden 1 on NES
10, Demon Stump, Dragon Quest
11, Zoomer / Geemer, Metroid
12, Badman, Secret of the Stars
13, Giddy Goons, Dragon's Lair
14, Spitfire Lantern, Bloodstained
15, Crab / medium invader, Space Invaders
16, Mets, Mega Man
17, white three headed wolf / Orthrus, Altered Beast
18, Rockbeasts, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
19, Snapjaws, Donkey Kong Jr.
20, Deadly Sword, Lufia
21, Clyde, Pac-Man
22, Death Master, Lufia
23, Rolpher, Rygar
24, Zombie Hand, Castlevania
25, Killer Helm (from キラーヘルム / Kiraaherumu in the Japanese version), Breath of Fire
 
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Thanks WC. This was fun!

  1. Behemoth (Final Fantasy Series)
  2. Black Knight (Dark Souls)
  3. Slime (Dragon Quest Series)
  4. Boo (Mario Series)
  5. Goomba (Mario Series)
  6. Metool (Mega Man Series)
  7. Turret (Portal Series)
  8. Cactuar (Final Fantasy Series)
  9. Rabite (Mana Series)
  10. Fuzzy (Yoshi's Island)
  11. Mind Flayer (Demon's Souls)
  12. Stubby (NieR: Automata)
  13. Chain Chomp (Mario Series)
  14. Metroid (Metroid Series)
  15. Hell House (Final Fantasy Series)
  16. Debuggest (Chrono Trigger)
  17. Buzz Blob (Zelda Series)
  18. Gasfella (Bastion)
  19. Huntsman (Bloodborne)
  20. Revenant (Doom Series)
  21. Frippo (Secret of Evermore)
  22. Thresher Maw (Mass Effect Series)
  23. Tonberry (Final Fantasy Series)
  24. Clicker (The Last of Us)
  25. Night Ghost (Cave Story)
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
finn.jpg
hai I wokz up. Flavors yous hear

flavia.jpg
Yes. I missed everything. The fight at the museum, AND the fight here. No one will know how much of a badass of a fighter I can be when provoked. I've covered wars you know.

finn.jpg
youz todd me. all teh visors haz right homz

flavia.jpg
Well, that is good I suppose. Considering there was an invasion AND a brawl in two realities.

finn.jpg
dadz fixd teh giftz shoppe two

flavia.jpg
Did he now? I suppose he would. It would be bad form to give his son unemployment.

finn.jpg
they be new merchz

ssrco,classic_tee,two_models,e5d6c5:f62bbf65ee,front,square_three_quarter,1000x1000.jpg


flavia.jpg
Cute. I suppose two near apocalyptic forum contests would warrant such a piece of branding.

finn.jpg
lookz ate how happyz teh modelings is they lovz the shirt

flavia.jpg
Yes, they love the shirts.

marina.jpg
Hey my cool cats, I'm back!

finn.jpg
hai Marinas

marina.jpg
back to normal over here huh? That controller stick knocked all of us back into this dimension and most of the toys finally stopped....uh...living? Moving on their own? Something like that. Weird talking about inanimate objects becoming animate than losing that animateness.

finn.jpg
i restockz

flavia.jpg
Our guest curator has taken his leave. Said this is beyond the pale. We'll have to be on our own next time. Or find another guest.

finn.jpg
it'z finn he waz stuffed

flavia.jpg
True, but he did have a great eye of exhibit making. I learned much from him.

marina.jpg
Welp. Guess this is it for us for a while, huh?

flavia.jpg
Quite. We deserve a rest. None of us were quite this involved with the Phalanx uprising and katamari defense. I may have coordinated an extensive search for Dad, but to be on the front lines is exhausting.

finn.jpg
itz nightz now naps

flavia.jpg
Yes. Good night Finnegan. And Marina, have a safe shift.

marina.jpg
It'll be off the hook!

~ FINN

New merch - https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/69099936?ref=studio-promote
 
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Dracula

Plastic Vampire
(He/His)
Wooooo, here's my enemy list:

1. Skeleton (Castlevania)
2. Metool (Mega Man series)
3. Eagle (Ninja Gaiden)
4. Moai (Gradius)
5. Metroid (Metroid)
6. Tonberry (Final Fantasy series)
7. Boss Galaga (Galaga)
8. Slime (Dragon Quest)
9. Dog (Duck Hunt)
10. Sniper Joe (Mega Man series)
11. Option Eater (Gradius)
12. Red Arremer (Ghosts 'n Goblins)
13. Balloon (Streets of Rage 2)
14. Larios (Star Force)
15. Chicken Leg (Golden Axe)
16. Propeller Rat (Shovel Knight)
17. Wild Zubats (Pokemon Red/Blue)
18. Fleaman (Castlevania)
19. Bute (Cave Story)
20. Grounder (Sonic the Hedgehog 2)
21. Punaguchi (Castlevania: The Adventure)
22. Axe Armor (Castlevania)
23. Ghosts (Pac-Man)
24. Badbad Henchman (Tecmo's Secret of the Stars)
25. Ghost (Spelunker)
 

Johnny Unusual

(He/Him)
1. Phanto (Super Mario Bros. 2)
2. Boo (Super Mario games)
3. Poison/Roxy (Final Fight)
4. Chain Chomps (Mario series)
5. Met (Megaman)
6. Sligg (Oddworld)
7. Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde (Pac Man)
8. Slime (Dragon Quest)
9. Goombas (Super Mario games)
10. Shy Guys (Super Mario Bros. 2)
11. Koopas (Super Mario games)
12. Thwomp (Super Mario games)
13. Moblins (Zelda)
14. Red Chomper (Darkwood)
15. Tonberry (Final Fantasy series)
16. Big Daddies (Bioshock)
17. Chainsaw Man (Resident Evil 4)
18. Nightmare (Prey)
19. Birds (Ninja Gaiden)
20. Cactaur (Final Fantasy series)
21. Octorocks (Zelda)
22. Mimic (Prey)
23. Bomb (Final Fantasy series)
24. Knuckle Joe (Kirby series)
25. Piranha Plant (Mario series)
 

Lokii

(He/Him)
Staff member
Moderator
Wow that was quite the epic ending! Congrats WC, this list was a ton of fun, and an unexpected adventure!

25. Weenie Burger Time

It’s hard to say no to a walking fried egg or slice of pickle but there’s just something so classic about an ambling hot dog. ~Oh weenie-chan, you can chase me any day.~ <3

24. Goonie Yoshi's Island

There’s a lot of excellent enemy designs on the island, but I love these oval birds. They come in fat and thin versions or the extra-deluxe skeleton form.

23. Mad Mallard Mana

They gave a duck a german stahlhelm helmet and explosive eggs. This is in a series about a magical sword. It doesn’t get more Video Games than that!

22. Wandering Eyes Monster Party

Originally this vote was for the very good spider eye in NES TMNT 1, but I forgot that licensed games weren’t applicable. There’s just something so pure about an enemy that’s just an eyeball. The one in Monster Party lacks TMNT’s delightful skittery legs but a mass of tentacles is almost as good. They both are veiny as heck, as any good eyeball baddie should be.

21. Crawler Bloodborne

Every enemy in Bloodborne would be a great candidate for this list. I picked the crawlers from the Nightmare Frontier as they’re very indicative of BB’s layered design. On the surface, these things are simply masses of tentacles, easily overlooked with nothing special about them. When looked at with Lovecraft in mind however, they seem to reference specific creatures from his “Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.” Then, when it rears up to attack you see that the underside contains several of the game’s mysterious Messengers, helpful babies that sell you items and are this game’s version of the soapstone, AND then on closer examination it appear the crawlers are actually two creatures eating or merging with each other and one of them has female body features, which of course has a lot of resonance with BB’s themes. The enemy design has lots of layers to peel away and speculate about. Pretty impressive for a gross slug.

20. Wandering Polytank Metal Max

Dragon Quest perfected the introductory mascot enemy, but I wanted to highlight some others with my votes. The Polytank is Metal Max’s slime. It’s a spare gas tank with robot legs. Sometimes it refuels other enemies, sometimes it explodes, but most times it simply wanders about doing nothing.

19. Propeller Rat Shovel Knight
Simply iconic. Big props to this one.

18. Koopa Troopa Mario

A goomba is cool, but a koopa troopa is a goomba complicated. The shells add a whole other dimension of reboundy, throwy, recombiney game design texture. If Yoshi eats a red one he can breathe fire! The design is great too. Love these little waddlers.

17. Martians Metal Slug

I like the generic soldiers in Metal Slug a lot, so much personality, but I had to go with these mushroom squids from beyond the moon. So weird, so surprising, so cool. Right bastards to fight through tho.

16. King shadows Persona 4

They’re cute little kings with big moustaches.

15. Skeleton Castlevania

Skeletons are the perfect video game enemy.

14. Stuff that's too big Katamari Damacy

Hate em. Get in my ball you objects, how dare you have mass!

13. Ham Hatwitch Dragon Quest

These guys are a recent addition to the DQ pantheon and instantly cemented a place among my favs. They’re cute little piglets wearing oversized wizard hats. And that pun!

12. Husks Hollow Knight

Cute zombie bugs. Here serving a stand-in for all of Hallow Knight’s good beastiary.

11. Gordo Kirby

I really like the idea here of a kirby enemy you can’t suck up. Plus super fun to spam with in Smash.

10. Hippo Launcher Mother 3

A stand in for all of Mother 3’s excellent chimeri. This is a late game enemy that mashes up a hippo with a missile launcher. The missiles get loaded into it’s butt!

9. Eye goos Breath of Fire

I love Breath of Fire and I love their equivalent to the slime introductory mascot enemy: a slime! These ones are made out of jello though and have a pair of eyeballs bouncing on the top. C’mon, how is that not delightful? C’mon!

8. Pus of Man Dark Souls 3

A regular human and then everything goes wrong. A pain to fight but so visually impressive and there’s lore implications too. This is what happens when the dark soul goes bad.

7. Mets Mega Man

A slime but not in a RPG and also made out of metal. So many varieties over the years its hard to pick a favorite. If forced to choose I’d either go with the Met Dispensers in 6 or the the ones disguised as 1-ups in 9.

6. Octolot Mario RPG

Mario RPG has a lot of really bizarre enemy designs. Octolot is an octopus (octorock?) who has attained flight due to the helpful assistance of two para-beetles. When you read its mind it implores you to check out its legs. Oh believe me, Octolot, I am.

5. Malboro Final Fantasy

Just the worst. What if a single enemy could do everything bad to you at anytime? So cruel, I love it.

4, Goombule Mario and Luigi

A goomba is cool but a microscopic cellular goomba is cooler. They’re see-through!

3. Starman Super Earthbound

Starmen are such iconic designs, it’s easy to see why they featured so heavily in the US promotion. I went with the Super because it drops the Sword of Kings… if you’re lucky!!!

2. Moblins Zelda

Good pigs, better dogs.

1. Spiker Sonic 3 & Knuckles

It’s not spikes, it’s Spiker! He looks like spikes, but he ain’t behave like spikes. In fact, he’s kinda bouncy. What a weird, subversive enemy.
 

Kirin

Summon for hire
(he/him)
Always good to have the magic pencil of the Artist on hand for emergencies. Congrats on another great list!

Here be my list, ones that didn't make it in bold with quick extra comments:

*1, Tonberry, FF
*2, Metroids, Metroid
*3, Cactuar, FF
*4, Rabite, Mana
*5, Nu, Chrono Trigger
*6, Met / Metall, Mega Man
7, Fire Dragons, Gradius (It's a solar flare! It's also a dragon! How cool is that?)
*8, Malboro, FF
9, S'pht, Marathon (Dangerous floaty aliens you can later ally with. Spooky but useful.)
10, Black Marble, Marble Madness (Such a bad boy)
*11, Slime, DQ
12, Imp, Chrono Trigger (I love the ones that are just boppin' around doin' stuff.)
*13, Skeleton-various, Castlevania
*14, Moai Heads, Gradius
15, Bob-Omb, Mario (It's cute! It goes boom!)
*16, Chain Chomp, Mario
*17, Octorock, Zelda
*18, Sniper Joe, Mega Man
19, Shadow Creatures, Ico (Simple mindless enemies, but in a game where the protag isn't designed for fighting they're a threat.)
~20, Hawk, Karateka
21, Air Tiki, Mega Man (Okay this was a meme pick. But still, platforms that make their own platform guards is neat.)
*22, Behemoth, FF
23, Desgeega, Metroid (Just picked one of several big cool scary things here really)
24, Templars, Assassin's Creed (An early example of human enemies with just complicated enough AI to have fun messin' with 'em.)
25, The RNG, everything (Just the Worst.)

People who've been around here waaaaay too long may recognize a couple of my also-rans as being ones I wrote up for the GameSpite Quarterly villains issue like literally a decade ago.
 

Ixo

"This is not my beautiful forum!" - David Byrne
(Hi Guy)
Okay, Wildcat sent my list over to me so here y'go. Enemies that made the list in bold:

Turrets - Portal / Portal 2
Zubat - Pokemon
Slime - Dragon Quest
Moai - Gradius

Grue - Zork Series
The Abominable Snowman - SkiFree
Jack Frost - Shin Megami Tensei

Gimme Cat - Final Fantasy IX
Morolians - Space Channel 5
Octolings - Splatoon
Hunter - Rayman
Ramblin' Evil Mushroom - Earthbound
Tyro - Hylics 2
Eggplant Wizard - Kid Icarus
Lakitu - Super Mario Bros
Waddle Dee - Kirby
Wall Master - Legend of Zelda
Cacodemon - DOOM
Headcrabs - Half-Life / Half-Life 2
Rabite - Mana Series
Metalls - Mega Man

Guards - Metal Gear Series
Nurses - Silent Hill
Invader - Space Invaders

The Qix - Qix

Kirin, I appreciate you nominating the RNG, but the contest rules did say not to include bosses. C'mon man. :p

"Stuff that's too big - Katamari Damacy" is perfect though.
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
marina.jpg
Hi! As promised, here's the full list of enemies below under the spoiler pop!

Met (Mega Man Series) 334
Slime (Dragon Quest Series) 312
Metroid (Metroid Series) 248
Tonberry (Final Fantasy Series) 195
Red Arremer, Ghosts 'n' Goblins series. 178
Goomba (Mario Series) 151
Cactuar (Final Fantasy Series) 145
Skeleton (Castlevania Series) 140
Phanto (Super Mario series) 132
Turret (Portal Series) 125
Chain Chomp (Mario Series) 121
Medusa Head, Castlevania series 116
Malboro (Final Fantasy) 113
Boo (Super Mario games) 108
Moai (Gradius series) 105
Wall Masters, Legend of Zelda series 97
Rabite (Mana Series) 95
Sniper Joe (Mega Man) 94
Metal Slime, Dragon Quest series 93
Behemoth (Final Fantasy Series) 89
Ghosts, Pac-Man 87
Cacodemon, Doom series 80
Lakitu (Super Mario) 79
Hell House (Final Fantasy Series) 79
Waddle Dee (Kirby) 77
Eagles (Ninja Gaiden) 75
Octoroks (Zelda) 71
Invaders, Space Invaders 68
Shy Guy (Super Mario/Yoshi) 68
Murlock, World of Warcraft 65
Hammer Brothers, Super Mario series 64
Poison (Final Fight) 63
Thwomp (Super Mario series) 63
Headcrab, Half-Life series 62
Darknuts (Wind Waker, specifically) 62
Koopa Troopas (Super Mario games) 61
Regenerators, Resident Evil series 59
Jack Frost - Shin Megami Tensei 59
Like Likes, Legend of Zelda series 57
Moblins (Zelda) 57
Nu (Chrono Trigger) 55
Wild Zubats (Pokemon Red/Blue) 53
Lickers, Resident Evil series 52
Guardians (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) 51
Piranha Plant, Mario series 51
Gordo, Kirby series. 51
Abominal Snowman, Ski Free 51
Revenant (Doom Series) 47
Flea Man (Castlevania series) 46
Waddle Doo (Kirby series) 45
Eggplant Wizard, Kid Icarus series 44
New Age Retro Hippie, EarthBound 44
Persephone (Castlevania) 42
Clicker (The Last of Us) 42
Mimic (Prey) 41
Barbarians, Civilization series 40
Nurses, Silent Hill series 38
Pig Cop, Duke Nukem 3D 38
Propeller Rat (Shovel Knight) 37
Badman, Secret of the Stars 37
Klap Trap (Donkey Kong Country) 35
Spiker - Sonic 3 & Knuckles 35
Sniper Bill (Mario & Luigi series) 35
Buer, Bloodstained 35
Fred Ascare and Paula Abghoul (Castlevania) 34
Rockroc (Donkey Kong Country) 34
Lynels, Legend of Zelda series 34
Rathalos - Monster Hunter 34
Lying Figure (Silent Hill series) 34
Erase Eye (Brandish series) 34
Bone Ark, Castlevania 34
Black Knight (Dark Souls) 34
Kutlass (Donkey Kong Country) 33
Starman Super - Earthbound 33
Wandering PolyTank, Metal Max series. 33
Chaos Eater (Dark Souls series) 33
Kyzoku, Final Fantasy 33
Army (Donkey Kong Country) 32
Goombule - Mario and Luigi 32
Dog-Headed Crows (Bloodborne) 32
Goblins, Final Fantasy 11 32
Hunter (Resident Evil series) 32
Bubble, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 32
Grue - Zork Series 31
Lesser Dog (Undertale) 31
Don Medusa (Lolo) 30
Octolot - Mario RPG 30
Big Bertha (Super Mario Bros series) 30
Sligg (Oddworld) 30
Hawlucha (Pokemon) 30
Fire Dragons, Gradius 29
Boss Galaga (Galaga) 29
Bloopers (Super Mario Bros.) 29
Archvile, Doom series 29
Hydra, Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup 29
White Wolf, Might and Magic 1 on NES 29
Dragon (Adventure) 28
Pus of Man - Dark Souls 3 28
Gimme Cat - Final Fantasy IX 28
Reaverbots - Mega Man Legends 28
Large Body, Kingdom Hearts Series 28
Fossicker, Chrono Cross 28
Spiny (Super Mario) 27
Eye Goos - Breath of Fire 27
S'pht, Marathon 27
Morolians - Space Channel 5 27
Dog (Duck Hunt) 27
Manhack, Half-Life series 27
Elite, Halo series 27
Boxer / Fighter, Ninja Gaiden (NES) 27
Chryssalids, XCOM series 26
Wizzrobe - Zelda 26
Hippo Launcher - Mother 3 26
Black Marble, Marble Madness 26
Neanderthals (Joe & Mac) 26
Octolings - Splatoon 26
White Dragon (Castlevania) 26
Zergling, Starcraft 26
Magic Pot (Final Fantasy series) 26
Demon Stump, Dragon Quest 26
Fuzzy (Yoshi's Island) 26
Hunter - Rayman 25
Option Eater (Gradius series) 25
Baron of Hell (Doom) 25
Territorial Oak, EarthBound 25
Ant-Lion, Half-Life 2 25
Giant Flea Man (Akumajō Dracula X: Rondo of Blood) 25
Zoomer / Geemer, Metroid 25
Mind Flayer (Demon's Souls) 25
Cougars, Red Dead Redemption series 24
Husks - Hollow Knight 24
Imp, Chrono Trigger 24
The Guests (Little Nightmares) 24
Ramblin' Evil Mushroom - Earthbound 24
Crabs (Sonic the Hedgehog) 24
Bullet Kin, Enter the Gungeon 24
Christopher (Final Fantasy VII) 24
Stubby (NieR: Automata) 24
Wasps (Animal Crossing) 23
Space Pirate (Metroid) 23
Quropeco - Monster Hunter 23
Ham Hatwitch - Dragon Quest 23
Parental Kangashark (Mother series) 23
Tyro - Hylics 2 23
Balloon (Streets of Rage series) 23
Flea - Centipede 23
Gold Beetle, Sonic Adventure 2. 23
Old Man and Dog (Super Castlevania IV) 23
Giddy Goons, Dragon's Lair 23
Bumpty (Yoshi/sometimes Mario) 22
Stuff that's too big - Katamari Damaci 22
Larios (Star Force) 22
Red Chomper (Darkwood) 22
Frygar- Dig Dug 22
Civil Protection, Half-Life series 22
Warg, Castlevania series 22
Andore (Final Fight) 22
Spitfire Lantern, Bloodstained 22
Armor Knight (The Last Guardian) 21
Monkey/Grinder/Ukkiki (Yoshi/sometimes Mario) 21
Mail Man, Shadow Hearts series 21
The Squids Gang (River City Ransom) 21
Bob-Omb, Mario 21
Scalding Cup of Coffee (Mother series) 21
Chicken Leg (Golden Axe) 21
Ziggy (Mario + Rabbids) 21
Pigmask, Mother 3 21
Sting/Manta Rays (Star Fox) 20
Cyberdiscs, XCOM series 20
King shadows - Persona 4 20
Soldier Heartless (Kingdom Hearts series) 20
Big Daddies (Bioshock) 20
Tektites - LoZ 20
Wiggler (Super Mario series) 20
Debuggest (Chrono Trigger) 20
Monk (Final Fantasy Tactics) 19
Colonel Bahamut's Mutated Minions (Contra) 19
Mara (SMT) 19
Martians - Metal Slug 19
Dr. Salvatore (Resident Evil 4) 19
Giant Tama (Mega Man) 19
Goriya (The Legend of Zelda series) 19
White three headed wolf / Orthrus, Altered Beast 19
Buzz Blob (Zelda Series) 19
Houdini Splicer (Bioshock) 18
Dry Bones (Super Mario) 18
Griffins, Dragon's Dogma 18
Minicula(Wario Land) 18
Nightmare (Prey) 18
Tsundereplane, UNDERTALE 18
ReDead (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) 18
Rockbeasts, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 18
Gasfella (Bastion) 18
Li'l Mouser (Yoshi) 17
Zinogre - Monster Hunter 17
Shadow Creatures, Ico 17
Beheaded Bomb Guys (Serious Sam series) 17
Bute (Cave Story) 17
Ganados (Resident Evil 4) 17
Snapjaws, Donkey Kong Jr. 17
Huntsman (Bloodborne) 17
Hammer Head (Xenogears) 16
Hawk, Karateka 16
Mushroom People (Dark Souls series) 16
Grounder (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) 16
Yorick, Castlevania series 16
Deadly Sword, Lufia 16
Reapers, Kid Icarus series 15
Crawler - Bloodborne 15
Air Tiki, Mega Man 15
Professaurus (Dragon Quest series) 15
Punaguchi (Castlevania: The Adventure) 15
Anti-Kirby (Link's Awakening) 15
Ragelope - Etrian Odyssey 15
Carroboscis, Super Mario RPG 15
Victory Armor (Akumajō Dracula X: Rondo of Blood) 15
Frippo (Secret of Evermore) 15
Imp (Doom) 14
Save Point, Chrono Trigger 14
Stalfos - Zelda 14
Walking Eyeball - Monster Party 14
Guards - Metal Gear Series 14
Treasure Imp (Diablo 3) 14
Adhering Suzy/Octopus Battery - Mega Man 14
Disciple of D'Sparil, Heretic 14
Maid (Akumajō Dracula (X68000)) 14
Death Master, Lufia 14
Thresher Maw (Mass Effect Series) 14
Tamako-Death, Bloodstained series 13
Mad Mallard - Mana 13
Desgeega, Metroid 13
Bomb (Final Fantasy series) 13
Nukes - Missle Command 13
Gigas Worm/CREEP, Final Fantasy series 13
Candle Hunter (Super Castlevania IV) 13
Rolpher, Rygar 13
Spike Top (Super Mario) 12
Jenny Shark, Ittle Dew series 12
KillRabbits (Suikoden 2) 12
Goonie - Yoshi's Island 12
Templars, Assassin's Creed 12
Iron Eagle(Metal Max series) 12
Ghost (Spelunker) 12
Knuckle Joe (Kirby series) 12
S-Blocks (Tetris) 12
Shanks - Destiny 2 12
Poppant, Super Smash Bros. Brawl 12
Slapper (Final Fantasy VIII) 12
Zombie Hand, Castlevania 12
Chargin’ Chuck - Mario 11
Weenie - Burger Time 11
The RNG, everything 11
Bulborb (Pikmin) 11
The Qix - Qix 11
Fox (Adventure Island series) 11
Weird Kicking Legs (Monster Party) 11
Chozo Ghosts, Metroid Prime 11
Guerilla, Super Mario RPG. 11
Jack (Streets of Rage 2) 11
Killer Helm (from キラーヘルム / Kiraaherumu in the Japanese version), Breath of Fire 11
Night Ghost (Cave Story) 11

marina.jpg
See you splat cowpeeps!​
 
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Beta Metroid

At peace
(he/him)
My list:

Klap Trap (Donkey Kong Country): Adorable design that serves a very effective enemy function. The snapping sound effects in the SNES games were done by a Rare sound guy actually slamming his jaw shut. I hope it didn't mess with his dentistry, because it sounds so much better than the stock cartoon sound effects used in DK64 and afterward
Rockroc (Donkey Kong Country): Invincible zombie crocs that disguise themselves as rocks and ambush you at high speeds in dark mines! Incredibly memorable, unique, and challenging.
Kutlass (Donkey Kong Country): A regular platforming enemy with a backstory (via the manual): He allegedly mail-ordered cutlasses to get on board with the pirate rebranding the Kremlings went through in DKC2, but he had a tiny TV, and they wound up being way too big for him, which he was excited by! And this translates to gameplay, as he's extremely deadly, with speed and a huge attacking radius, but when he misses with his oversized swords, he struggles to pull them out of the ground, giving you the opportunity to attack or flee. It's honestly one of the best overall enemy designs I've ever seen (I'm kind of regretting not putting it even higher), and I think it only got slept on because gamers generally don't think of DKC for its enemies.
Army (Donkey Kong Country): I really like armadillos, and they don't get a ton of representation in gaming. These also make really cool enemies, becoming both very fast and resilient when they curl up. They're one of the few enemies that give Donkey Kong an advantage in the original DKC (where Diddy outclasses him in about 95% of situations), as he can defeat them with one stomp when curled up.
Red Arremer, Ghosts 'n' Goblins series.
Chain Chomp (Mario Series)
Cacodemon (Doom)
Dragon (Adventure): These guys were discussed earlier in the thread. They occupy a similar niche in my mind as the Pac-Man ghosts, but their behaviors are more interesting in my mind, especially the way they interact with the bat, and how the game doesn't actually end if they eat you...you're just left helpless in their gullet.
Spiny (Super Mario):
If Lakitu threw Goombas, it wouldn't be half as intimidating as it is. These guys establish a classic enemy archetype: harmful to stomp on. But Spinies do even more than that! In the first SMB, they also can't be beaten by bashing blocks beneath them, showing that it's not just the spines; they're all-around tough. They drop from ceilings, they supply one of Mario Kart's most notorious items...they don't get nearly enough credit.
Lakitu (Super Mario)
Regenerators, Resident Evil series
Metroid (Metroid Series)
Space Pirate (Metroid): They may be nothing too special in the 2D games, but they manage to be both some of the most varied and challenging threats of the Prime games, and their primary source of comic relief. Their logs, their constant horrific, backfiring mad science experiments, and their utter panic at Samus (and Dark Samus)'s rampages are consistent sources of amusement. And they have this tune!
Bumpty (Yoshi/sometimes Mario): One of the dozens of reason Yoshi's Island is amazing is that plain old damage, while still not good, isn't the be-all, end-all consequence of enemy encounters. Bumpties work beautifully with the icy climes they're found in, not dealing any contact damage but...bumping Yoshi, leaving him more vulnerable to environmental hazards. They also have so many behaviors and expressiveness, sliding across ice, cartoonishly struggling to fly, and even kidnapping Baby Mario (it took me a long time to realize they did this, because, again, they're usually poised to knock you into pits or instant-death hazards rather than regular damage).
Monkey/Grinder/Ukkiki (Yoshi/sometimes Mario): Similar to the Bumpties, these guys show off more personality and a wider range of behavior than should be possible in a 16-bit platformer (heck, I'm hard-pressed to think of platformer enemies that compete with them.
Sting/Manta Rays (Star Fox): Sector Y is the coolest level in the original Star Fox. It's a literal space ocean with massive schools of rays. Red ones are being mind-controlled by Andross's army, and shooting them turns them blue and they drift peacefully on their way. Extended segments of the level involve one (or sometimes two, a variation that seems random) massive mantas drifting around peacefully in the background, and if too many of your stray shots hit them, they become aggressive and hit you with a highly damaging (probably) unavoidable attack. Turn away all of the little red rays without aggravating the big ones, and a space whale flies in and gives you a whole ton of power-ups. It's a fantastic sequence, and the rays play to the strengths of the limited polygonal graphics, showing off more animation than the game's various mechanical enemies while still portraying the creature in question reasonably well.
Colonel Bahamut's Mutated Minions (Contra): In one of Contra Hard Corps' possible final stages, the alien biological samples captured by the rogue Colonel start contaminating his base, transforming his soldiers into these hideous alien chicken-beasts that start sprinting and hopping wildly through the stage. It's not only some impressively groteseque spectacle for a 16-bit game, but they make interesting and dangerous foes, taking quite a bit of abuse and moving erratically. Further selling the chaotic horror of the moment, they're not really out to get you, and indeed, if two of them collide, one will devour the other.
Dry Bones (Super Mario): Another classic enemy type (actually beaten to the punch by Castlevania's Blood Skeleton), with the adorable charm of Mario character design attached. They're rarely a giant threat, but they shake things up with their persistence and immunity to fireballs (except in Paper Mario, where they're bizarrely extremely allergic to fire), and while it took them a while to invade the 3D platformers, they're probably at their most disruptive there. Popular enough to be a semi-regular playable character in sports and party games.
Li'l Mouser (Yoshi): Maybe not as expressive or interesting as YI's best enemies, but these guys quietly are very involved for such a minor enemy. They play the "pest" role perfectly, and again emphasize the variety of ways enemies can mess with Yoshi. They often pop in and out of holes and passages and steal your eggs, which also defends them from retribution (since trying to lick one carrying an egg will result in them dropping it, rather than harming them). They sometimes don skulls and try to look more intimidating, and they have a network of tunnels that are often just there for flavor, but sometimes lead to little caches. There's way more to this enemy than you'd think at first glance.
Piranha Plant (Super Mario)
Boo (Super Mario)
Imp (Doom): The Caco is cooler, but these guys are iconic as well. Their original design is classic, and they're very expressive in the modern games, helping sell Doomguy as a terror to demonkind.
Shy Guy (Super Mario/Yoshi)
Spike Top (Super Mario): Was it silly to vote for these guys AND Spinies? Probably, but as any Mushroom Kingdom zoologist will tell you, these are very different critters! They're both fireproof AND stomp-proof, making them a stern challenge to your typical plumber (or they would, if their most prominent appearance wasn't Super Mario World, where Yoshies and capes are everywhere). They can also crawl on all surfaces, and all of these properties together make them some of the most interesting critters in Mario Maker. Their numerous defensive attributes also translate very well to the Paper Mario games, where they show up a lot.
Lynels (Legend of Zelda): I guess I voted these guys lower than I thought. Still shocked they didn't make the list...I thought they were such a staple of Breath of the Wild. I guess more folks associate the development from "complete terror to avoid at all costs" to "source of fantastic loot" with the guardians, which is fair, but Lynels were just such thrilling encounters throughout the game (maybe it's because I enjoy grabbing a nice, really strong sword over the guardian parts). Their role as gatekeepers to more advanced locations in the original game and some of the other top-down titles can't be totally dismissed either, but it was definitely Breath of the Wild that landed them on my list.
 

Kishi

Little Waves
(They/Them)
Staff member
Moderator
1. Red Arremer (Ghosts 'N Goblins series)
That guy. You immediately know he's on another level because he's content just to sit and watch you until you attack or get too close. Once that happens, he takes to the sky, actively dodges any additional attacks, and dive-bombs you before you can even tell what's what. In the second game, he doesn't appear until the second stage, but he sits perched atop a small mountain of human skulls you can bet he made himself. More difficult than many bosses in his series. So notorious he starred in his own series of games.

2. Erase Eye (Brandish series)
Brandish is a brutal dungeon-crawling game where the odds are stacked against you, and one of your most precious assets for survival is your map, which gets filled in automatically as you explore the current area. Eraser Eyes aren't just terrifying for the deadly lasers they fire, nor even for the way they can phase through walls and any other barriers as if they weren't there. No, their most deeply unsettling attribute is that wherever they roam, your map disappears. They "eat" your map. It's an incredible violation of the rules of the game, and they're so panic-inducing that it's no wonder they only appear on a single floor of each game they're in.

3. Metroid (Metroid series)
First of all: incredibly memorable design. Just the larval form, if you're thinking of Metroid II (the rest I would count as bosses anyway). A relentless predator that can swoop and home in on you from any position, drains your life rapidly, and is difficult to remove once attached. Super Metroid shows that whatever they get done with is reduced to a desiccated husk that crumbles to dust at the slightest touch. In Metroid Prime, Space Pirate logs indicate that Metroids' prey don't actually lose any blood or other vital fluid but instead some intangible, unidentified, essential life energy—which just makes them that much spookier.

4. Hunter (Resident Evil series)
Reptilian humanoids infamous for their ability to leap at your character and lop their head off with a single swipe. Unlike most enemies in this series, they aren't the accidental result of a viral outbreak but lab subjects intentionally engineered to...well, hunt. They're actually most terrifying in the first game in the series, where they sport solid white eyes and teeth and are almost completely silent save for the unnervingly slow clacking of their toenails as they patrol the mansion floors.

5. Hell House (Final Fantasy VII)
Just ridiculous. How can you beat a whole house?

6. Poison (Final Fight)
A strong-willed woman with an excellent character design. Said trans rights.

7. Medusa Head (Castlevania series)
Actually not that difficult to deal with if you know what you're doing, but iconic all the same.

8. Flea Man (Castlevania series)
Like Medusa Head, pretty easy to shut down once you know your way around them. But when you're a novice, they'll make an indelible impression for their overwhelming speed and tenacity.

9. Tonberry (Final Fantasy series)
An unnerving creature holding a lantern and a knife. It does nothing but slowly shuffle toward you until it's close enough, at which point it stabs you with its knife, killing you instantly. In the best cases, it also has an attack called "Everyone's Grudge," which deals damage according to how many enemies the target character has defeated in the entire game up to that point. A compelling concept.

10. Magic Pot (Final Fantasy series)
"Elixir, please!" They don't attack unprovoked. They just ask for an Elixir, and if you give them one, they'll let you alone and probably make it worth your while, too. Everyone wins, really.

11. Giant Flea Man (Akumajō Dracula X: Rondo of Blood)
A tiny enemy (giant only by Flea Man standards) who only appears once and, even rarer, wasn't reused in any subsequent Castlevania game. He comes running at you, and if he makes contact, he'll steal your sub-weapon—not something anything else in the game can do—and flee off the top of the screen by climbing a string with his feet like a spider. Hard to forget something like that.

12. Christopher (Final Fantasy VII)
A strangely detailed humanoid enemy to find unannounced the middle areas of the final dungeon. What's his story? Why is he just...Christopher? Are those, like, rabbit ears? He's also accompanied by a horse monster named Ziggy who is patterned after Ziggy Stardust, but that part makes sense.

13. Old Man and Dog (Super Castlevania IV)
Only found in a single hidden room, the immaterial old man paces back and forth out of your way while his dog slowly flies around the screen. If you strike the dog, it falls dead in the old man's path. He'll then walk to where it is, fall to his knees, and shed tears for it as they both fade away.

14. Andore (Final Fight)
Ostensibly just a big tough guy...but he's also basically Andre the Giant. So he's great.

15. Thwomp (Super Mario series)
In any other game, it probably would just have been a hazard, but here they drew a face on it. I like the design of a bright blue stone surrounded by white thorns. Super Mario World added the charming detail that their expression grows more furious the closer you get to them.

16. Wiggler (Super Mario series)
They've got this gimmick where they get mad when you hop on them, but I'm not in it for that. I just think they're very cute in their default form.

17. Goriya (The Legend of Zelda series)
Strange moustachioed canine fellers who throw boomerangs in the earliest games in the series. In A Link to the Past, they've lost their moustaches and their boomerangs and have a different gimmick altogether. In Link's Awakening, there's only a single Goriya, hiding at the end of a game-long side-quest. Your reward is that it bequeaths its boomerang...to you. I feel for them.

18. ReDead (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
One thousand percent horrifying in 1998. Now kind of cute.

19. Waddle Doo (Kirby series)
Really cute. I can't resist that big, glistening eye. Waddle Dee can't compete.

20. Slime (Dragon Quest series)
Obvious pick, but it's obvious for a reason. They really are pretty good.

21. Victory Armor (Akumajō Dracula X: Rondo of Blood)
An intimidating enemy that only appears in one of the final stages. They take eight hits to defeat and will send you flying with one swing of their sword. But really, they're just composed and animated beautifully—arguably the finest example of Rondo's artists' sense of dramatic light and shadow.

22. Maid (Akumajō Dracula (X68000))
The final normal enemy in the game, minding Dracula's personal quarters. After bowing in greeting, they suddenly begin somersaulting around and shooting knives in eight directions. Later Castlevania games feature a similar character named Proserpina/Persephone that isn't as good.

23. Candle Hunter (Super Castlevania IV)
A crimson dog monster who frolics around the screen, jumping at candles and knocking them off the screen, depriving you of whatever items they might have held. Another enemy that's alarming for how it breaks the established rules of the game.

24. Slapper (Final Fantasy VIII)
They're just...the local hockey team. Really, you only fight them while passing through the hockey rink of the school you're invading. Incredible.

25. Jack (Streets of Rage 2)
A knife maniac and one of few characters from games of this vintage to have an audible laugh—in this case a Sadistic cackle. The quintessential example of the "murderous punk rocker" archetype in beat-'em-ups.


Thanks. Thank you.


Thanks to Wildcat for putting this on, and thanks also to everyone who enjoyed my contribution to the fake number one. I wrote some behind-the-scene notes on it here, and you can see all the raw graphics I drew as well.


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christopher-ffv-ziggyx2.png
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
I appreciate the behind-the-scenes of your contribution Kishi! Again, thank you and Ixo, Regulus and Lokii for playing along with my fake #1 for this, they were all so awesome!
 
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