Summary
- Universal Monsters in video games range from point-and-click adaptations to action adventures.
- Frogwares faithfully portrays Dracula as a scary yet tragic figure in Dracula: Origin.
- Van Helsing allows players to fight iconic monsters in a Devil May Cry clone.
For over a century, literary monsters such as Dracula, the Mummy, and Frankenstein's monster have thrilled and chilled audiences, especially when adapted into films by Universal Studios. This has coined the common term: Universal Monsters, which has been adapted into many movies from the 1920s to the 2020s.
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The Universal Monsters have been a staple in pop culture for decades, ranging from blockbuster movie reboots to inspiring Marvel comic books to getting video game adaptations. While the Gothic horror monster genre has only lent itself so far in video game form, some monsters have shined in the digital realms as both hero and villain alike.
8 Count Dracula in Dracula: Origin
Point-And-Click Adaptation From Van Helsing's Perspective
- Developer: Frogwares
- Release Date: May 29, 2008
- System: PC
- Genre: Point-And-Click Adventure
Typically, Count Dracula is depicted as this larger-than-life villain with godlike powers, but Frogwares took a step back with Dracula: Origin. Similar to their famous Sherlock Holmes games, Frogwares remains loyal to the source material, with Dracula being a tragic yet ominous figure who seeks his long-lost lover reincarnated in the form of Mina Harker.
Like in Bram Stoker's Dracula novel, the titular villain is not the main focus of the story, but his villainous presence is felt throughout the point-and-click adventure. Most of Dracula's story is told through research conducted by the players, who control Abraham Van Helsing on his journey across England, Egypt, and Transylvania to hunt the vampire.
7 Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein: Through The Eyes Of The Monster
Tim Curry Steals The Show As The Mad Doctor
- Developer: Amazing Media
- Release Date: October 3, 1995
- System: PC, Sega Saturn
- Genre: Point-And-Click Adventure
Instead of the Monster that audiences think of, the player controls a newly made creature created by Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein: Through The Eyes Of The Monster. Thanks to FMV cutscenes, the player is constantly being heckled and taunted by a more sinister version of the mad doctor played by Tim Curry, who relishes a hammy yet evil performance.
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The story of Frankenstein has always raised the question as to who the true monster is: the walking corpse or the doctor who created it. The game makes it clear that Victor is the true evil, similar to how Hammer Pictures depicted him with Peter Cushing.
6 Various Iconic Monsters in Van Helsing
Crossover Of Many Famous Monsters In A Devil May Cry Clone
- Developer: Saffire
- Release Date: April 27, 2004
- System: PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameBoy
- Genre: Third-Person Action-Adventure
Based on the 2004 movie of the same name, Van Helsing brings many iconic monsters together, including Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman, and even Jekyll and Hyde. Like the movie, the action-adventure embraces a more over-the-top gothic action-adventure to bring the monsters to life, creating a shared universe akin to a Marvel movie.
The game itself is a shameless clone of Devil May Cry, which fits the popcorn blockbuster style of the movie. Hugh Jackman of Wolverine fame reprises the role, adding to the faithfulness to the movie and fighting all the different Universal monsters makes for an underrated PS2 adventure, even if it doesn't do anything new for the genre.
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4 Ahmanet in The Mummy: Demastered
A Silly Metroidvania That Is Better Than The Movie
The Mummy Demastered
In one of the rare times where the game was superior to the movie, The Mummy: Demastered deviated from The Mummy reboot by creating a Metroidvania game where the player controls a soldier of the Prodigium organization led by Henry Jekyll. They must go up against Princess Ahmanet, who was the main villain of the movie, but that is the only real connection to the movie.
As wild and random as it is, The Mummy: Demastered managed to be a fun adventure that features a better take on The Mummy than the movie. Ahmanet essentially takes the same role as Dracula in the Castlevania games, sending legions of monsters for the extent of the game before becoming the final boss.
3 Frankenstein's Monster in Frankenstein: The Monster Returns
The Monster Becomes The Main Villain Of The Story
- Developer: Tose
- Release Date: July 1991
- System: NES
- Genre: Action-Adventure
One of many forgotten gems on the original NES, Frankenstein: The Monster Returns is a clone of the original Castlevania. It reverses roles with Dracula as one of the monsters working for Frankenstein's Monster, who is the main villain. The Monster is that classic square-headed design reminiscent of Boris Karloff's portrayal but given superpowers.
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As the unnamed warrior, the player must fight Dracula, Death, a Wolfman, Medusa, and other monsters to make their way to Frankenstein. The result is a difficult but fun experience in Frankenstein: The Monster Returns, especially for those looking to satisfy their Universal monster niche.
2 Lycans in The Order: 1886
Werewolves At Their Most Terrifying
The Order: 1886
- Released
- February 20, 2015
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Ready at Dawn
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Platform(s)
- PS4
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
Werewolves are often romanticized in video games, for better or worse, in games like Skyrim, Werewolf The Apocalypse: Earthblood, and Altered Beast. The Order: 1886, however, treats werewolves as terrifying monsters that plague Victorian-era London with a secret organization sent out to hunt them down.
In The Order: 1886, werewolves, or Lycans, are the stuff of nightmares, with the infection resembling less of a mystical curse and more of a disease that mutates the body into an animalistic creature. They are also not easy to kill, as the player controls Sir Galahad, who is put through the wringer to slay the beasts using knives, firearms, and special gadgets.
1 Count Dracula in The Castlevania: Lord Of Shadows 2
Playing Through The New Dark Origin Story Of Count Dracula
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
At first, the story of Gabriel Belmont in Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow seems like a regular story in the long-running franchise. However, in a clever twist, it turns out that the main antagonist is not Dracula because Gabriel is Dracula in the rebooted timeline, showing a tragic fall from a heroic warrior to the villain that the world fears.
The story would even continue with Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2, which goes full-force by allowing players to play as Dracula the vampire lord with all his godlike power to turn him into an anti-hero. This portrayal of Dracula was unlike any other in the Castlevania franchise, and possibly for the better, as it would go on to even inspire Universal movies such as Dracula Untold.
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