Summary
- Gross and grotesque enemy designs can be effective in motivating players to defeat bosses, as the revolting visuals and imagery create a strong emotional response.
- The use of bodily fluids and tasteless images in boss attacks further adds to the unpleasantness and drives players to overcome these repulsive foes.
- The combination of vile visuals, horrifying mental imagery, and catchy operatic songs create a one-two punch of disgust, making these bosses stand out from regular enemies.
Enemy design is important, and that goes especially for bosses. Players naturally want them to stand out from regular foes, adding significance to the ensuing battle. To achieve this, the developers usually make the boss bigger and flashier. Sometimes, though, they go a more unpleasant route.
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Several game bosses are just gross. They may sport some grotesque growth or disgusting defects to make them unpleasant to look at. On the other hand, their attacks might involve bodily fluids or other tasteless images. Whatever the case, it's an effective motivation. Players are more than happy to beat these bosses if mainly to spare their gag reflex.
6 The Great Mighty Poo - Conker's Bad Fur Day
A parody of mascot platformers, Conker's Bad Fur Day sports a slew of crude humor. Even by that standard, though, the Great Mighty Poo is positively putrid. The name doesn't lie. This foe is literally a gigantic glob of excrement. He attacks by throwing pieces of himself at Conker. Granted, the cartoonish art style creates a funny contrast, but players still have to deal with the revolting reality of a sentient bowel movement. It's not just what they see, though.
The Great Mighty Poo fancies himself an artist. As such, he taunts Conker with an operatic song. The lyrics are vulgar and juvenile, but the tune is undeniably catchy. As a result, the number paints a horrifying mental image to match the vile visuals and ensures that the picture stays trapped in fans' heads. It's a one-two punch of disgust.
5 The Hecatoncheires - God Of War: Ascension
The God of War games have no shortage of sickening foes. How ironic that such an underwhelming entry has one of the most creatively unpleasant battles. Kratos begins God of War: Ascension by fighting Megaera, one of the Furies of Greek mythology. Sporting one arm and insect proportions, she's as malformed as fans expect from this series. However, she's a beauty queen compared to her backup.
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The fight unfolds atop the Hecatoncheires: a titan who broke his oath and remains imprisoned by the Furies. Megaera secretes bugs that then burrow into the Hecatoncheires, controlling him like a puppet. Players see the joints grotesquely moving and grinding beneath the skin like an unnatural abomination. A huge insectoid monster then bursts from the titan's head. The image is straight from a body horror flick. It's hard not to pity the big brute when this creature wears him like a suit. Fans want to vanquish him even more if mainly to spare themselves such a parasitic picture.
4 The Nemesis - Resident Evil 3
Horror titles, especially zombie games, are already capable of hellish imagery. Resident Evil knows all about that, and the Nemesis is a prime example. Debuting in Resident Evil 3, this hideous experiment is the culmination of the Umbrella Corporation's vast resources and years of work. That's exactly why it looks like a laboratory monster. The bulky frame has a surplus of muscle, and the skin is haphazardly stitched around it, but there's not enough. This leaves large patches of flesh completely exposed. Most apparent is the mouth, which is devoid of lips in lieu of rotten teeth. It's as if H.R. Geiger designed Frankenstein's monster. Needless to say, no one wants to see it around the next corner, but things only get worse from here.
The Nemesis evolves (or devolves) as the game progresses. Acid covers it, melting away what little skin it has. It then mutates into a tentacled terror, the tendrils weaving in and around the flesh like a weaponized tapeworm. It's an assault on the eyes and an affront to human anatomy. Worse, it's not just one fight. The Nemesis follows the heroes around for hours, leaving a lasting impression. By the end, fans will curse Umbrella and the developers for cooking it up.
3 Ludwig The Accursed - Bloodborne
Any of the bosses in Bloodborne could have made the list, but the real stuff of nightmares is Ludwig. A curse has rendered him a horrific hybrid of a man and horse, which is every bit as unnatural as it sounds. Limbs jut out from random places throughout his body, making a mess of proportions. It's not remotely practical, but it's not meant to be. Instead, it invokes two conjoined creatures in absolute agony.
What's worse is seeing these portions in motion. Blackened tendons strain with the effort of movement, and stringy hair floats as if underwater. Finally, the bulbous head secretes foul liquid from a crooked jaw. It's like an unearthly force controls these disparate pieces, making the complete package unpleasant to look at. However, that perfectly matches the game's mix of gothic horror and H.P. Lovecraft.
2 Cerberus - Dante's Inferno
Descending into Hell would yield some gruesome sights, and Dante's Inferno doesn't disappoint. That's plain in its take on Cerberus. In place of a three-headed dog are gaping jaws with human teeth. Instead of eyes, the monster simply has more mouths. Each head wriggles around on a serpentine neck. True, it looks more akin to a hydra than Cerberus, but it is effectively uncanny nonetheless. Moreover, it works wonders as a portrayal of Gluttony.
As repulsive as the dogs are in themselves, though, these mutts are also messy. The jaws drip with drool, which players get a close look at whenever the boss lunges at Dante. The saliva also makes for an unsanitary projectile as the monster shoots globs of spit. These not only hurt but make fans feel unclean. Suffice it to say, this is one puppy even the most devoted dog-lover wouldn't want.
1 The Crones Of Crookback Bog - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
People picture witches as ugly hags, but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes that to an extreme. The Crones of Crookback Bog strike fear into villagers' hearts, offering deadly deals in exchange for sacrificing flesh. Their rotting skin is covered in sores and other blemishes. Their frames range from gluttonous blobs to hunchbacked ghouls. Worst of all, they fill their pockets and adorn themselves with human remains. Their appearance alone should be enough to drive people off. Granted, one should never judge a book by its cover.
That said, the Crones are even uglier on the inside. In their demented voices, they ramble about how scrumptious the villagers are and which meal they can make with each body part. Fans see this process in disgusting detail as the witches stir a pot of human stew and lick the blood from their fingers. The excessive gore is almost comical. The Crones make sure everyone around them is as uncomfortable as possible, and they take tremendous pleasure in doing so. In the same way, the developers seemed to have way too much fun creating these witches.