My Top 5 NOPEs

Hello, my little Tentacles! Sorry about the long hiatus from posts, but I was doing the Holidays thing for Thanksgiving, and had my work schedule get an uptick in hours (hooray extra Christmas money!). That being said, I’m still cruising away in the gaming world! I’m loving on Neverwinter, Fallout 76 even with it’s drawbacks, I powered through the very short and cute Monster Loves You! (review coming soon), and have been poking at my gaming collection to see what I should complete next. 

That being said, let’s talk about the crazy monsters in Fallout 76 – specifically the Lurking Mothman. 

NOOOOOPE

There I was, calmly jogging down Rte 65 in my janky, half-busted power armor, when I happen to look up into the hills… and see a pair of gleaming red eyes and a hulking shadow staring directly at me. I was so startled I actually jumped from my chair and gasped. Not many things can startle me that bad, especially in video games, but man… Mothman got me good! So, seeing as I was a good 15 levels under this mothy beast, I noped the frick out. However, every time I glanced behind me up into the hills, THERE HE WAS. Following me! I never saw him move… he was just… there. So. Freaking. Creepy. In a mild panic, I decided to teleport back to my camp and rethink my questing choices.

This encounter got me thinking – have any other video game monsters ever startled me that badly? The answer is, of course, yes. So – here’s my list: 

Top 5 NOPEs that have Scared the Hell out of Me

5. The Lord of the Wood – Witcher 3

Ick

This creepy fucker emerged from the mists on me while I was exploring an area – I didn’t have the contract for him yet, so naturally I bellowed, “What the hell is that!!!” and ran away. Weird skull masks or featureless faces get me every time. 

4. Dr. J. S. Steinman – Bioshock

The doctor is in…sane. 

Dr. Steinman originally started as Rapture’s premier plastic surgeon, but as ADAM slowly drove him insane, he started mutilating his patients in an attempt to create the image of his hallucinations of Aphrodite. Steinman himself wasn’t a jump scare, but his whole level in Bioshock is a blood-spattered, nightmare-inducing hellhole. The crazy doctor trope gets me every time, since there have been plenty of real doctors who experimented on people who trusted them throughout history. I got massive chills the first time I entered the level and saw this on the floor: 

3. The Fel Reaver – World of Warcraft

Oh Lawd he comin’

This big mechanical bully is on this list simply because, despite his huge form and stomping that shakes your screen to let you know he’s there, somehow he can sneak up on your lowly character and two-shot you. He emits this mechanical roar that strikes fear into the hearts of all low level characters who are trying their best to level up in Hellfire Peninsula. I’ve never run so fast from a Wow mob in my life!  

2. Ravagers – Horizon: Zero Dawn

Yipe!

Fighting these guys gets to be a little bonkers. They’re wicket fast, and have a freakin’ cannon on their backs. Also, they can be found in packs. And also in packs of other animals you also have to figure out how to fight. For me, this Murder Mitten on Steroids is always a sweat-inducing RUN AWAAAAY!!! kind of fight, where I do a little damage then run like hell until I can stalk it and set up another trap for it. Trying to face it mono-a-cato in melee is just a fail fest for me. Lots of swearing and stress noises are always involved. I try to give these a wide berth. 

1. Pyramid Head – Silent Hill 2 (Trigger Warning – Rape)

Absolutely Not. 

Pyramid Head is often seen as the main antagonist of Silent Hill 2. He represents the abusive masculinity portion of the main character James’ psyche. The first encounter with Pyramid Head features him sexually abusing two monstrous female enemies called Mannequins. When James stumbles upon this very upsetting scene, he hides in a closet and watches. The whole setup for this monster soured my taste for the game based on my own deep seeded fears of situations like this, and my revulsion made it impossible for me to finish the game. Yuck. 

So, what are the monsters that give you the heebie-jeebies? Let me know in the comments!