Any writer will tell you that a good story starts with interesting and conflicting characters, most important among them being the protagonist and antagonist. While Nintendo may have some of the very best heroes in video gaming, specifically Mario, Kirby, and Link, it's fair to say its villains are often lacking. It doesn't help when you're a gaming business that has thrived on family-friendly titles and mobile markets, both of which don't give you the necessary outlet to showcase terrifying villains. Of late, Nintendo's villains could not hold a candle up to the many awesome and horrifying antagonists of modern gaming. In the hopes that Nintendo sees the error of its ways, I plan to peer into the very eye of villainy itself to uncover the most ideal antagonist.
Nintendo's "Baddest"
Initially, the Nintendo villain that would be on everyone's mind is obvious: Bowser. Not only is he Nintendo's best characters, but he is also one of the gaming industry's most iconic and celebrated characters, yet I can also find plenty of villains scarier than him. Some of Nintendo's other memorable villains would be characters like Ganon from The Legend of Zelda, Meta Knight from the Kirby series, and King Boo from the Mario universe. Ganon, sometimes known as Ganondorf, is a powerful warlock that acts as the dark link of an interceding triangle. Possessor of the Triforce of Power, Ganon is constantly reawakening to reign evil, but a hero always comes to the rescue. No matter the cost, Link consistently thwarts his evil plan. Much of the same could be said for the likes of King Dedede in Kirby, K. Rool in Donkey Kong, and even Bowser; mere laughing stocks and punching bags for the main protagonist.
The Actual "Baddest'
Some of the very best video game villains are complex characters with real-world mistakes and conflictions wrestling with their humanity. It's the few villains who may have been right in the story, the ones who make you look inward, not just at yourself but even the world around you. One of my personal favorites is Andrew Ryan from BioShock. He was a capitalist obsessed with wealth, a business magnate, and the mastermind behind the underwater city of Rapture. Though antagonistic, I always seemed to ask myself if he truly was the villain. He's the sole character to tell the player his own faults:
"We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us."
In my opinion, the scariest villains are often the most human. If we're talking simply scary, I can toss a whole bunch at you: Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2, Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid, or Dead Space's gory Necromorphs. I'm talking about a different type of scary altogether, like Vaas Montenegro in Far Cry 3. One of the best scenes in that game is when Vaas monologues about the definition of insanity while you sit tied to a chair not mere inches from a cliffside fall into shark-infested waters. My own heart was pounding, for it was an intense moment, almost identical to Ryan's bludgeoning in BioShock.
One more valuable video game villain is Officer Tenpenny from Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He's a force not to be reckoned with; one that is consistently getting in the way of Carl's expected violence-free life now that he's back home. Not only does Tenpenny take the law into his own hands, but he's also the very person who orchestrated Beverly Johnson's death. Tenpenny may not be scary, but his very representation is an unsettling reminder of real-world police corruption and brutality. Characters, especially villains, who either represent or reflect contemporary issues in our society are the best and most memorable because they offer us something far more than just beating a level. They help us learn who we are in this world and, more importantly, who not to emulate.
To Every Rule, There Is An Exception
Long-forgotten Nintendo villains that have stricken actual horror in me do exist; they're just ancient. One of the most terrifying villains in Nintendo's long roster is Giygas. This cosmic being, known also as "The Embodiment of Evil" and "Universal Cosmic Destroyer," appeared in EarthBound as the main foe. Throughout the game, Giygas grows more and more inhuman and less corporeal as the main character progresses, making him one sinister enemy. He had become so terrifying that he's been considered the psychoanalysis of evil itself.
Although revealed as the villain much later in the game, Hades is the main antagonist of Kid Icarus: Uprising. Unlike most villains, Hades has a sense of humor. His snarky attitude, coupled with his menacing figure as the God of the Netherworld makes him an unforgettable masterpiece in Nintendo's character design. Another Nintendo evildoer that must not go unnoticed is Pokémon's own Giovanni, a ruthless trainer bent on collecting the most powerful and rare Pokemon across every region. Although an item and not necessarily a "character" by technical means, I would also call attention to The Legend of Zelda's Majora's Mask, which completely bypassed the atypical "bad guy" trope by complicating the story in an interesting way. Some would even argue it's Nintendo's greatest villain, but I tend to believe there's more in the making.
What Can Nintendo Do?
If Nintendo has these great villains from the past, where are they all now? With the advent of the Switch and its swift acclaim, one would think Nintendo might try to pursue new avenues with more mature-based themes for their flagship device. If they want to adopt a more menacing villain for modern audiences, I recommend devising a character that reflects something negative about who we are, or what we don't like about our society. For example, one of the scariest and most creative villains in video games is from P.T., Hideo Kojima's playable teaser for a canceled Silent Hill iteration. Interestingly, the villain is you and the game is spent piecing this very fact together. It's haunting and one of the many reasons why P.T. itself was a masterpiece, and why tragedy struck when the game was shelved.
The fact remains that Nintendo can't really change the stories of existing characters, but they can adapt and evolve them in interesting ways using complex, real-life situations as the backbone of the story's conflict. I think they can make some truly remarkable villains, especially with Nintendo revealing upcoming releases at GamesCom. There's much to appreciate from the past, and even more to anticipate for the future. Given time, the face of evil will surely be reimagined by Nintendo.
Until then, I'll be stopping at nothing to prevent the Universal Cosmic Destroyer from devouring my reality.