Many developers put huge amounts of effort into creating fantastical worlds for their players to explore.
Extra-terrestrial landscapes, Arcadian utopias, nightmarish fantasy realms, and more are all out there, meticulously crafted and waiting to be discovered by the adventurous gamer.
What good would all these places be without the creatures that inhabit them, though? For today’s list, we’re looking at the games with the most interesting array of beasts.
Each of the worlds we’re about to discuss are full of beings, bugs, and other entities that feel like they truly belong.
The following collection of cryptids capture imaginations, surprising and intriguing players and drawing them further into the game’s world.
They exist not just to be battled or caught, but because this is where they live, and the player is a guest in their home.
In short, a good set of monsties can add hugely to our enjoyment of a game and our level of engagement in the world, so we’re going to celebrate some mightily magnificent menageries right here in this video.
Get your binoculars and notepad out, we’re doing a bit of wildlife spotting.
I’m Ashton from TripleJump, and here are 10 Video Games with the Most Amazing Creatures.
10.
The Witcher Series There are countless games that involve open-world exploration, a fantastical setting, and a bestiary full of monsters to fight and creatures to interact with.
None do it quite like The Witcher series though, with its intimidating assortment of sinister forest-dwelling monstrosities and fey beings transferred over from the books of Andrzej Sapkowski.
Slavic mythology-inspired creatures like Leshens and Kikimoras inhabit the swamps, caverns, and glades of a dark fantasy world, giving players a sword-swinging, spell-slinging experience that feels refreshingly different from the usual Tolkien-inspired stuff.
Many residents of The Witcher’s world, such as the baby-like Botchling, veer away from the realms of fantasy and swerve straight into horror land instead.
Thanks to these unsettling creatures and a dreary, sinister ambience, The Witcher series really encapsulates what it might have felt like to live as a peasant in the medieval countryside, in a time when the woods were dangerous places full of mystery, and every mishap or tragedy was blamed on superstition.
Makes me glad that I live in modern times where such superstitions are known to be mere nonsense.
Also, I can spend my nights indoors, under a blanket and with the lights on, safe from those evil pixies that live in the tree in my front garden.
________________ 9.
Monster Hunter Series Capcom’s Monster Hunter is perhaps the first series that comes to mind when you think of monsters and video games.
I mean, it’s right there in the title, after all.
But the franchise’s prominence in the gaming world is due to far more than its name alone.
The creatures found in Monster Hunter are iconic, beautifully designed and, importantly, players can’t expect to defeat them by just walking up to them and mashing buttons.
Research, tracking and other such preparation is required, and those monster kills are all the sweeter when you have to work for them.
For 2018’s Monster Hunter World, the developers wanted to really make the monsters feel alive, and to do this they integrated a balanced and believable ecosystem into the game.
Not only will you be hunting monsters, but the monsters will hunt each other, adding an extra layer to the game’s title as well as the gameplay and immersion.
The design processes for the creatures that inhabit Monster Hunter World, and indeed the regions they can be found in, were meticulous, and resulted in a completely over-the-top fantastical world that still somehow feels totally natural and alive.
In a way it’s just like our world but with … you know, monsters.
Also cat people.
8.
Subnautica The Earth’s oceans are filled with mysterious life, and enigmatic creatures with bizarre, alien biology dwell in deep, inaccessible places that humans have yet to explore.
The depths of our planet’s seas truly are the strangest places on Earth, inhabited by creatures we may never fully understand.
With all this in mind, just imagine what oceans on an alien planet would look like.
The developers of underwater exploration and survival game, Subnautica, imagined just that, and did an excellent job of it, too.
Subnautica is a journey of aquatic discovery on an uncharted planet formed almost entirely of ocean.
From the first moment you pop your head out of your pod in the safe shallows, to the final dive to the very bottom of the depths, you’ll be hypnotised by its underwater world.
This is thanks in no small part to the wealth of aquatic creatures you’ll encounter.
From the completely docile bladderfish and peepers, and gentle giants known as the reefbacks to the shrieking, colossal terror of the ghost leviathan, every new discovery draws you further and further into a stunningly crafted world.
Unless you’re like our writer and the prospect of big, scary things in a big, scary ocean terrifies you.
Then every new discovery will just send you spiralling further into a suffocating panic.
Either way, what an experience! ________________ 7.
Horizon Series When coming up with the concept for their 2017 open-world action hit, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Guerilla Games decided to try something a bit different when it came to creating a monster ecosystem for their world.
Set in a post-apocalyptic United States, Horizon: Zero Dawn features sweeping, wild landscapes inhabited by herds of machines.
These mechanical denizens take on the forms of various prehistoric creatures, and interact with each other, the world, and the local tribes of humans in much the same way as their real-life equivalents might.
This results in a jarring yet beautiful and believable juxtaposition between an untamed, natural environment and sleek, advanced machinery that makes the Horizon games unique and instantly recognisable.
Highlights include the powerful and terrifying Thunderjaw, the enormous and majestic Tallnecks, and the airborne Stormbird.
The equally-revered sequel, Horizon: Forbidden West, adds yet more awe-inspiring mecha-fauna such as the mammoth-inspired Tremortusk and the amphibian Tideripper.
Many of these creatures are hunted by the humans of the setting for valuable parts, and protagonist, Aloy, can even tame them using some techno-wizardry and a big stick.
Once they’re “reprogrammed” they’ll do Aloy’s bidding, but only for a limited time.
Remember that last bit, unless you want Aloy’s internal organs to be decorating the inside of a Sawtooth.
6.
Panzer Dragoon Series Speaking of post-apocalyptic worlds with tribal themes and unique fauna, the Panzer Dragoon series offers up some truly unusual creatures to behold for those brave enough to mount their dragon and explore its savage and dangerous skies.
Given the power of the Xbox, Sega were able to bring the world of its dragon-riding series to life in spectacular fashion for its fourth entry.
The various biomes of Panzer Dragoon Orta are filled with unusual creatures.
The course of the evolution of these odd beasts was altered by the technology of ancient civilisations, and so the developers really let loose, presenting some truly alien designs.
From enormous desert flatfish things that carry entire tribal civilisations on their backs, to bio-mechanical creatures that are living weapons awakened from the Ancient Age, the series will really keep you guessing as to what you’re going to encounter next.
Will it be a giant, flying ice monster that launches its scales at you, or will it be this thing? You don’t know! This is all without even mentioning the dragons themselves.
Melding the whole reptilian/bug/alien look with the ancient biological weapon theme, these creatures represent perhaps the most unusual take on dragons seen in gaming.
Do your dragons shoot homing lasers? Nah, didn’t think so.
________________ 5.
Oddworld Series No matter what you think of the Oddworld series, there’s one thing that just cannot be denied: It definitely lives up to its name.
Starting out in 1997 with Oddworld: Abe’s Odysee, we were introduced to the Mudokons, a race of sentient creatures that include protagonist, Abe.
These fellows are humanoid, egg-laying creatures with turtle faces and telepathic abilities, and they’re just the tip of the weird iceberg.
Sligs are bizarre, tentacle-faced creatures that march around on robotic legs, Scrabs are unsettling, beaked, crab things with a redundant humanoid torso and shoulders, and Elum is a cantankerous, rideable beast, and one of the few entities in the first few games that isn’t out for Abe’s blood.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath adds even more madness to the mix.
The protagonist, for example, is a mighty Steef.
These centaur-like creatures are revered by the lizard-like Grubbs.
Then there are the various bugs and critters that are used as ammo for the protagonist’s crossbow, including zappflies and thudslugs.
While Oddworld’s bizarre collection of fauna definitely earns its place on this list through design alone, it definitely also gets bonus points for being so fun to say.
So, on that note, whether you’re into Sligs, Slegs, Steefs, Sleeches, Fuzzles, Stunks, Meetles or Stingbees, there’s definitely something in Oddworld’s extensive bestiary that’ll tickle your zoological fancy.
4.
Lost Planet Series It’s not exactly unknown for science fiction franchises, be they movies, games, or other, to pit advanced human soldiers against hordes of huge alien bugs.
Capcom’s Lost Planet series holds a special place in the hearts of fans of xeno-entomology the world over though, and that’s mainly due to its complete lack of restraint when it comes to the sheer size of these things.
Starting off as a chilly expedition to a planet covered in snow and ice, the first game in the series, released in 2006, introduces players to the Akrid.
This insectoid alien race is hostile and territorial, and hold the precious thermal energy the humans need to survive, but the humans are desperate, and they have big guns and mech suits.
I think you can see where this is going.
The Lost Planet series is remarkable for the ridiculous size of many of its enemies, presenting us with some absolute units as well as the vast swarms of lesser bugs that obey their commands.
Throughout the three mainline Lost Planet games, players really feel like insignificant ants intruding on the territory of giants.
The thing is, unlike the ants that are invading my windowsill, the humans in Lost Planet are equipped with top-notch, futuristic, military hardware.
Let the mech on monster mayhem commence! ________________ 3.
Final Fantasy Series The Final Fantasy series is absolutely stuffed with iconic creatures that are ingrained into the psyches of many a gamer.
From the friendly Chocobo, to the hideous Malboro and the sinister Tonberry, these critters have been helping or hindering JRPG fans since time immemorial.
It wasn’t until the fifteenth numbered entry into the series, however, that this cast of creatures truly felt at home in their world.
While Final Fantasy XV may seem like a game about four Topman models driving around in a snazzy car, there’s actually a huge and detailed open world for those lads and their perfect hair-dos to explore.
Additionally, and crucially for this list, it’s absolutely full of incredible creatures.
Taking the franchise’s penchant for stunning monster design and merging it with a believable, open-world ecosystem, Final Fantasy XV achieves some amazing results.
Best of all, the development team had the good sense to translate many of the classic Final Fantasy monsters into this wondrous new setting, resulting in a chance to see them looking really at home in their natural environment, all in stunning HD.
After all, what’s the point in huge, disgusting monsters if you can’t get up close and see all their really icky bits.
2.
Metroid Series Nintendo’s foremost sci-fi franchise has been pitting bounty hunter, Samus Aran, against all manner of alien life-forms since its inception in 1986.
Even in the 8-bit days, Metroid was remarkable for its evocative creature design, and as the series evolved, so too did its fauna.
While the various bosses that Samus encounters, as well as the titular, parasitic, energy-sucking metroids, are the most iconic of the franchise’s critters, a veritable swarm of lesser aliens backs up these more prominent foes.
The Metroid bestiary ranges from sentient beings to artificially created bio-weapons to native wildlife, and the developers possess a particular knack for designing parasitic lifeforms, as evidenced by the colourful-but-chilling SA-X from Metroid Fusion.
The franchise’s mastery of alien design is perhaps best embodied by its most recent entry, with Metroid Dread’s caves, jungles, and underwater laboratories filled with bizarre alien life.
Most of these creatures are aggressive, while some just go on about their business in the background, but all of them together tell the story of the planet’s evolution and represent a varied and considered fictional ecosystem.
It’s just a shame that Samus destroys it all in the end.
Honestly, Samus, can you go anywhere without hitting the self-destruct button on your way out? I’m never inviting you around for tea.
________________ 1.
Bloodborne While all of FromSoftware’s most prominent titles are filled with imaginatively-designed beasties that take mythical, fantasy tropes and sprinkle in some of the studio’s trademark darkness and shadowy melancholy, it’s Bloodborne that really takes the cake.
The cake is rotten, dripping with black ooze, and probably has spider legs sticking out of it, but it’s a cake nonetheless.
These things seem to be plucked directly from the nightmares of the most disturbed individuals.
Whether you’re talking about Garden of Eyes, which appears to be a humanoid with a giant fly head, spider-like appendages and multiple, bulbous eyes, or the Maneater Boars, extremely round boys with a penchant for human flesh, everything is bound to unsettle and terrify.
Those are just regular enemies.
Bloodborne’s unholy menagerie of bosses includes the likes of Rom, the Vacuous Spider and Ebriatas, Daughter of the Cosmos, who bares an unsettling resemblance to the stomach-churning traditional Cockney delicacy of jellied eels.
Horrifying and disturbing then, but also completely fascinating, Bloodborne’s eldritch abomination-filled world is addictive and demands to be explored, just to satisfy that grim curiosity as to what could possibly be around the next corner.
Truly it is a masterpiece of gruesome creature design that deserves rapturous applause.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and play Pokemon or Viva Pinata or something.
Quick, show me some cute creatures with happy smiles!
Here are 10 Video Games with the Most Amazing Creatures
Many developers put huge amounts of effort into creating fantastical worlds for their players to explore.
Extra-terrestrial landscapes, Arcadian utopias, nightmarish fantasy realms, and more are all out there, meticulously crafted and waiting to be discovered by the adventurous gamer.
What good would all these places be without the creatures that inhabit them, though? For today’s list, we’re looking at the games with the most interesting array of beasts.
Each of the worlds we’re about to discuss are full of beings, bugs, and other entities that feel like they truly belong.
The following collection of cryptids capture imaginations, surprising and intriguing players and drawing them further into the game’s world.
They exist not just to be battled or caught, but because this is where they live, and the player is a guest in their home.
In short, a good set of monsties can add hugely to our enjoyment of a game and our level of engagement in the world, so we’re going to celebrate some mightily magnificent menageries right here in this video.
Get your binoculars and notepad out, we’re doing a bit of wildlife spotting.
I’m Ashton from TripleJump, and here are 10 Video Games with the Most Amazing Creatures.
10.
The Witcher Series There are countless games that involve open-world exploration, a fantastical setting, and a bestiary full of monsters to fight and creatures to interact with.
None do it quite like The Witcher series though, with its intimidating assortment of sinister forest-dwelling monstrosities and fey beings transferred over from the books of Andrzej Sapkowski.
Slavic mythology-inspired creatures like Leshens and Kikimoras inhabit the swamps, caverns, and glades of a dark fantasy world, giving players a sword-swinging, spell-slinging experience that feels refreshingly different from the usual Tolkien-inspired stuff.
Many residents of The Witcher’s world, such as the baby-like Botchling, veer away from the realms of fantasy and swerve straight into horror land instead.
Thanks to these unsettling creatures and a dreary, sinister ambience, The Witcher series really encapsulates what it might have felt like to live as a peasant in the medieval countryside, in a time when the woods were dangerous places full of mystery, and every mishap or tragedy was blamed on superstition.
Makes me glad that I live in modern times where such superstitions are known to be mere nonsense.
Also, I can spend my nights indoors, under a blanket and with the lights on, safe from those evil pixies that live in the tree in my front garden.
________________ 9.
Monster Hunter Series Capcom’s Monster Hunter is perhaps the first series that comes to mind when you think of monsters and video games.
I mean, it’s right there in the title, after all.
But the franchise’s prominence in the gaming world is due to far more than its name alone.
The creatures found in Monster Hunter are iconic, beautifully designed and, importantly, players can’t expect to defeat them by just walking up to them and mashing buttons.
Research, tracking and other such preparation is required, and those monster kills are all the sweeter when you have to work for them.
For 2018’s Monster Hunter World, the developers wanted to really make the monsters feel alive, and to do this they integrated a balanced and believable ecosystem into the game.
Not only will you be hunting monsters, but the monsters will hunt each other, adding an extra layer to the game’s title as well as the gameplay and immersion.
The design processes for the creatures that inhabit Monster Hunter World, and indeed the regions they can be found in, were meticulous, and resulted in a completely over-the-top fantastical world that still somehow feels totally natural and alive.
In a way it’s just like our world but with … you know, monsters.
Also cat people.
8.
Subnautica The Earth’s oceans are filled with mysterious life, and enigmatic creatures with bizarre, alien biology dwell in deep, inaccessible places that humans have yet to explore.
The depths of our planet’s seas truly are the strangest places on Earth, inhabited by creatures we may never fully understand.
With all this in mind, just imagine what oceans on an alien planet would look like.
The developers of underwater exploration and survival game, Subnautica, imagined just that, and did an excellent job of it, too.
Subnautica is a journey of aquatic discovery on an uncharted planet formed almost entirely of ocean.
From the first moment you pop your head out of your pod in the safe shallows, to the final dive to the very bottom of the depths, you’ll be hypnotised by its underwater world.
This is thanks in no small part to the wealth of aquatic creatures you’ll encounter.
From the completely docile bladderfish and peepers, and gentle giants known as the reefbacks to the shrieking, colossal terror of the ghost leviathan, every new discovery draws you further and further into a stunningly crafted world.
Unless you’re like our writer and the prospect of big, scary things in a big, scary ocean terrifies you.
Then every new discovery will just send you spiralling further into a suffocating panic.
Either way, what an experience! ________________ 7.
Horizon Series When coming up with the concept for their 2017 open-world action hit, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Guerilla Games decided to try something a bit different when it came to creating a monster ecosystem for their world.
Set in a post-apocalyptic United States, Horizon: Zero Dawn features sweeping, wild landscapes inhabited by herds of machines.
These mechanical denizens take on the forms of various prehistoric creatures, and interact with each other, the world, and the local tribes of humans in much the same way as their real-life equivalents might.
This results in a jarring yet beautiful and believable juxtaposition between an untamed, natural environment and sleek, advanced machinery that makes the Horizon games unique and instantly recognisable.
Highlights include the powerful and terrifying Thunderjaw, the enormous and majestic Tallnecks, and the airborne Stormbird.
The equally-revered sequel, Horizon: Forbidden West, adds yet more awe-inspiring mecha-fauna such as the mammoth-inspired Tremortusk and the amphibian Tideripper.
Many of these creatures are hunted by the humans of the setting for valuable parts, and protagonist, Aloy, can even tame them using some techno-wizardry and a big stick.
Once they’re “reprogrammed” they’ll do Aloy’s bidding, but only for a limited time.
Remember that last bit, unless you want Aloy’s internal organs to be decorating the inside of a Sawtooth.
6.
Panzer Dragoon Series Speaking of post-apocalyptic worlds with tribal themes and unique fauna, the Panzer Dragoon series offers up some truly unusual creatures to behold for those brave enough to mount their dragon and explore its savage and dangerous skies.
Given the power of the Xbox, Sega were able to bring the world of its dragon-riding series to life in spectacular fashion for its fourth entry.
The various biomes of Panzer Dragoon Orta are filled with unusual creatures.
The course of the evolution of these odd beasts was altered by the technology of ancient civilisations, and so the developers really let loose, presenting some truly alien designs.
From enormous desert flatfish things that carry entire tribal civilisations on their backs, to bio-mechanical creatures that are living weapons awakened from the Ancient Age, the series will really keep you guessing as to what you’re going to encounter next.
Will it be a giant, flying ice monster that launches its scales at you, or will it be this thing? You don’t know! This is all without even mentioning the dragons themselves.
Melding the whole reptilian/bug/alien look with the ancient biological weapon theme, these creatures represent perhaps the most unusual take on dragons seen in gaming.
Do your dragons shoot homing lasers? Nah, didn’t think so.
________________ 5.
Oddworld Series No matter what you think of the Oddworld series, there’s one thing that just cannot be denied: It definitely lives up to its name.
Starting out in 1997 with Oddworld: Abe’s Odysee, we were introduced to the Mudokons, a race of sentient creatures that include protagonist, Abe.
These fellows are humanoid, egg-laying creatures with turtle faces and telepathic abilities, and they’re just the tip of the weird iceberg.
Sligs are bizarre, tentacle-faced creatures that march around on robotic legs, Scrabs are unsettling, beaked, crab things with a redundant humanoid torso and shoulders, and Elum is a cantankerous, rideable beast, and one of the few entities in the first few games that isn’t out for Abe’s blood.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath adds even more madness to the mix.
The protagonist, for example, is a mighty Steef.
These centaur-like creatures are revered by the lizard-like Grubbs.
Then there are the various bugs and critters that are used as ammo for the protagonist’s crossbow, including zappflies and thudslugs.
While Oddworld’s bizarre collection of fauna definitely earns its place on this list through design alone, it definitely also gets bonus points for being so fun to say.
So, on that note, whether you’re into Sligs, Slegs, Steefs, Sleeches, Fuzzles, Stunks, Meetles or Stingbees, there’s definitely something in Oddworld’s extensive bestiary that’ll tickle your zoological fancy.
4.
Lost Planet Series It’s not exactly unknown for science fiction franchises, be they movies, games, or other, to pit advanced human soldiers against hordes of huge alien bugs.
Capcom’s Lost Planet series holds a special place in the hearts of fans of xeno-entomology the world over though, and that’s mainly due to its complete lack of restraint when it comes to the sheer size of these things.
Starting off as a chilly expedition to a planet covered in snow and ice, the first game in the series, released in 2006, introduces players to the Akrid.
This insectoid alien race is hostile and territorial, and hold the precious thermal energy the humans need to survive, but the humans are desperate, and they have big guns and mech suits.
I think you can see where this is going.
The Lost Planet series is remarkable for the ridiculous size of many of its enemies, presenting us with some absolute units as well as the vast swarms of lesser bugs that obey their commands.
Throughout the three mainline Lost Planet games, players really feel like insignificant ants intruding on the territory of giants.
The thing is, unlike the ants that are invading my windowsill, the humans in Lost Planet are equipped with top-notch, futuristic, military hardware.
Let the mech on monster mayhem commence! ________________ 3.
Final Fantasy Series The Final Fantasy series is absolutely stuffed with iconic creatures that are ingrained into the psyches of many a gamer.
From the friendly Chocobo, to the hideous Malboro and the sinister Tonberry, these critters have been helping or hindering JRPG fans since time immemorial.
It wasn’t until the fifteenth numbered entry into the series, however, that this cast of creatures truly felt at home in their world.
While Final Fantasy XV may seem like a game about four Topman models driving around in a snazzy car, there’s actually a huge and detailed open world for those lads and their perfect hair-dos to explore.
Additionally, and crucially for this list, it’s absolutely full of incredible creatures.
Taking the franchise’s penchant for stunning monster design and merging it with a believable, open-world ecosystem, Final Fantasy XV achieves some amazing results.
Best of all, the development team had the good sense to translate many of the classic Final Fantasy monsters into this wondrous new setting, resulting in a chance to see them looking really at home in their natural environment, all in stunning HD.
After all, what’s the point in huge, disgusting monsters if you can’t get up close and see all their really icky bits.
2.
Metroid Series Nintendo’s foremost sci-fi franchise has been pitting bounty hunter, Samus Aran, against all manner of alien life-forms since its inception in 1986.
Even in the 8-bit days, Metroid was remarkable for its evocative creature design, and as the series evolved, so too did its fauna.
While the various bosses that Samus encounters, as well as the titular, parasitic, energy-sucking metroids, are the most iconic of the franchise’s critters, a veritable swarm of lesser aliens backs up these more prominent foes.
The Metroid bestiary ranges from sentient beings to artificially created bio-weapons to native wildlife, and the developers possess a particular knack for designing parasitic lifeforms, as evidenced by the colourful-but-chilling SA-X from Metroid Fusion.
The franchise’s mastery of alien design is perhaps best embodied by its most recent entry, with Metroid Dread’s caves, jungles, and underwater laboratories filled with bizarre alien life.
Most of these creatures are aggressive, while some just go on about their business in the background, but all of them together tell the story of the planet’s evolution and represent a varied and considered fictional ecosystem.
It’s just a shame that Samus destroys it all in the end.
Honestly, Samus, can you go anywhere without hitting the self-destruct button on your way out? I’m never inviting you around for tea.
________________ 1.
Bloodborne While all of FromSoftware’s most prominent titles are filled with imaginatively-designed beasties that take mythical, fantasy tropes and sprinkle in some of the studio’s trademark darkness and shadowy melancholy, it’s Bloodborne that really takes the cake.
The cake is rotten, dripping with black ooze, and probably has spider legs sticking out of it, but it’s a cake nonetheless.
These things seem to be plucked directly from the nightmares of the most disturbed individuals.
Whether you’re talking about Garden of Eyes, which appears to be a humanoid with a giant fly head, spider-like appendages and multiple, bulbous eyes, or the Maneater Boars, extremely round boys with a penchant for human flesh, everything is bound to unsettle and terrify.
Those are just regular enemies.
Bloodborne’s unholy menagerie of bosses includes the likes of Rom, the Vacuous Spider and Ebriatas, Daughter of the Cosmos, who bares an unsettling resemblance to the stomach-churning traditional Cockney delicacy of jellied eels.
Horrifying and disturbing then, but also completely fascinating, Bloodborne’s eldritch abomination-filled world is addictive and demands to be explored, just to satisfy that grim curiosity as to what could possibly be around the next corner.
Truly it is a masterpiece of gruesome creature design that deserves rapturous applause.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and play Pokemon or Viva Pinata or something.
Quick, show me some cute creatures with happy smiles!
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