The perfect horror game follows a formula that will make the game timeless and keep gamers coming back for more playthroughs. The best horror games have legitimately frightening plots and (debatably) more importantly: creepy and unforgettable antagonists.
If a horror game didn’t have the danger and conflict from an amazing antagonist, well then simply no one would play it. Villains are often allowed to be even more complex, flawed, and edgy than the hero, hence why so many people love villain characters. What happens when an antagonist is even more interesting than the hero? Here are our favorite horror antagonists that we like just as much as the protagonists of their games.
6 Dr. Breen: Half-Life
If a video game is still talked about by gamers over twenty years after its initial release, you know it’s a good game. Half-Life is still one of Valve’s most popular games they’ve ever made. Half-Life blends horror and sci-fi elements and centers around humans being threatened by aliens.
Dr. Breen is one of the antagonists in the Half-Life series. He negotiates with the aliens known as the Combine to convince them to spare humanity. This negotiation came with a huge price, however. All of humanity is enslaved by the alien race. Dr. Breen becomes more corrupt as the Half-Life series progresses. His motivation on why he collaborated with the Combine is up for debate. What remains constant is that his dialogue suggests he seemed sincere in his actions and truly believed his negotiation would help humanity.
5 Pyramid Head: Silent Hill 2
Years later, the Silent Hill franchise still remains popular amongst horror fans. One particular monster, Pyramid Head, has gained so much popularity he’s almost like a mascot for the Silent Hill franchise at this point. He originally debuted in Silent Hill 2, but he’s been featured in other games and spin-offs in the Silent Hill series.
Not all horror game monsters are beloved for a justified reason. Sometimes they simply have interesting designs and give a fun challenge in a video game. Pyramid Head is a challenging foe during gameplay who must be defeated, but fans still love him. The only justification for loving this iconic monster other than his visually appealing design is it’s believed that Pyramid Head serves as a vigilante symbol that inflicts revenge on those who have done wrong.
4 Big Daddy: Bioshock
Bioshock is not a traditional horror game, but it does lean towards the horror and sci-fi genre at times, particularly in the first release of the series. In Bioshock, the Big Daddy is a giant creature in a diving suit that poses as a massive, looming threat to the player.
The Big Daddy may seem like a bulky, angry monster at first, but its lore is deeper than that. In Bioshock, the Little Sisters are young girls that have been experimented upon and used to collect chemical substances for Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum. Just as their name suggests, Little Sisters are just young, tiny girls who are vulnerable and helpless. The Big Daddy is a protector of Little Sisters, and it will become enraged only if it feels that the Little Sister is in danger. You can't help but empathize with them.
3 Creature: Carrion
Horror games typically give you chills through a compelling villain or antagonist chasing you and making you question if you will survive or not. Carrion is a unique game in which players must take on the role of the villain. Players play as an unnamed tentacle creature that makes its way through a facility and kills humans.
In Carrion, you are the antagonist. This means that of course you'll side with the antagonist in this case: you want to win. The tentacle creature in Carrion is creepy enough to be a memorable horror monster, but also, playing as this creature is simply fun and a different type of gameplay. You’ll want to play Carrion for hours.
2 Ryder White: Dead Island
Zombie apocalypse stories are always full of panicked decisions and high-stake scenarios. In Dead Island, players are at first led to believe Ryder White is the main antagonist. Some of White’s actions are legitimately bad and make the lives of the heroes difficult. He steals the vaccine from them which can be used to cure the infected, but eventually, we learn the truth.
White’s wife, Emily, has become infected. He wants to do all he can to save her, which is a very sympathetic plotline for a character to go through. He is being manipulated by the true antagonist, Charon, to make these bad decisions with the false promise that Charon will help him save his wife.
1 Marlene: The Last of Us
Sometimes the best villains are those that aren’t truly “evil,” but instead complicated individuals with questionable morals. In The Last Of Us, the entire world is infected by a zombie-like virus. Those who are surviving are tired and feel hopeless.
Marlene leads a militia group called the Fireflies. As a leader, she is expected to make tough decisions she feels will benefit the group. She learns that Ellie has the key to what could be a potential cure for the virus outbreak, but this means sacrificing Ellie. Players of course grew to love Ellie through playing the story in The Last Of Us, but many can’t help but sympathize with Marlene even a little. She is trying to do something for the greater good, although that must come with a sacrifice.