Ghosts are a trope in horror, but what makes them a trope that keeps popping up in various art forms is their diversity. Video games use ghosts in different ways. Some only serve to be there for aesthetic purposes, while some appear as horrific creatures.
This list is meant to showcase the ghosts that are some of the most memorably terrifying in their unique ways, but the first few are ghosts that are scarier for a younger audience or when given deep thought. The list will get considerably more terrifying as it goes on.
10/10 Ug – Luigi’s Mansion 3
Ug is not traditionally scary like other ghosts players may encounter in other games. This is because it’s a ghost from Luigi’s Mansion 3. A game can only get this scary before being given a T rating, so Nintendo stayed within the realm of making their game accessible to everyone.
That doesn’t take away from the fact that Ug is one of the most gruesome bosses in the game. His T-rex form is menacing, but players get a good look at the somewhat creepy caveman ghost Ug when he emerges from that form and reveals his true self.
9/10 The Shadow of the Hero – The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
This ghost is terrifying in a more existential, dreaded way than anything else, though some young viewers may find it creepy. The Hero’s Shade in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is actually a dead alternate timeline Link who has gone through time to help his descendant become a hero. The Hero’s Shade is useful, but it is a reminder of Link’s inevitable demise.
The Hero’s Shade is not the scariest ghost on the list, but one of the most intriguing as he is the Link who was never remembered due to the heroic deeds he accomplished in his timeline.
The Sorrow in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater feels like the player has been taken out of the action packed stealth game and thrown into a survival horror situation. As some later games let players know, The Sorrow cannot take any damage because it is already dead.
The Sorrow can summon the ghosts of all the soldiers Snake has killed, so this fight can get rough as players continue to kill. The Sorrow is a ghostly, mysterious figure who horrified many who fought him in the dark.
7/10 Ghost – Dark Souls
The Ghost enemy in Dark Souls is an enemy that overwhelms the player with its attacks and scares him at the same time. A lot of thought has gone into this character to provide the players with an enemy to be killed strategically. If players encounter the ruins of New Lando unprepared, these ghosts will take them out.
The players also need to be cursed to deal some damage to the Ghost. They can also go through walls and attack, so players should be wary of their long range.
6/10 Chairman – Ghostbusters: The Video Game
The chairman design is the scariest thing the game has to offer, despite Ghostbusters: The Video Game being more like an action-packed adventure game. However, this boss feels like his style belongs in the Outlast series. The ghost is a large man with giant robes that make him look like the leader of a cult.
His fight will make him hover over the players, making him a formidable opponent. He will make many attacks based on what appears to be souls summoned to deal damage, and players will also have to micromanage waves of enemies while defeating him.
5/10 The Ghost – Death in Daylight
The ghost in Dead By Daylight looks like something players can expect in their nightmares or any random episode of sleep paralysis. The Spirit is a girl named Rin Yamaoka who was killed by her father when he lost his mind. After being brutally murdered, she was fueled by anger and made a pact with whispering darkness.
Her powers make her feel like a real ghost, because she can phase. In that state she can’t see players, but she moves fast and they can’t see her. Her whole playstyle is a force to be countered and fun to master.
4/10 Revenant – Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia has many types of ghosts that players have to deal with, but the Revenant is the magnum opus of the game’s ghost collection as it is the fastest the game has to offer. The ghost is twice as fast as the players, so there aren’t many ways they can defend against it.
The fact that the game offers various ghost models of the Revenant is what makes this character so horrifying.
3/10 The Hanged Demon – Little Hope
The Hanged Demon is The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope’s most horrifying boss in the story because of all the different elements that follow this ghost. The ghost is reminiscent of a lady hanged like a rotting corpse. The scene where she chases the players is one of the best in the game.
The way she will kill the players with her long tongue as a noose is also disgustingly awful. Its death animation is not one for those who get nauseous easily because it causes panic.
2/10 Alma Wade – FEAR 2
Alma Wade in FEAR 2 is one of the weirdest ghosts on this list for reasons that will be discussed shortly. She provides some primary scare in the game. However, she gets a not-so PG-13 experience with the game’s main character, while also turning into a malnourished ghost monster. It’s probably one of the most disturbing things in the game, if not the series.
Alma Wade does well as the series’ main antagonist in all FEAR games, but she has the most shocking and ominous presence in FEAR 2.
1/10 Sae Kurosawa – Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
Sae Kurosawa in Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly is a ghost that players will not want around if they are brave enough to play this game at night. Every encounter with her will remind players of her horrifying smile. The boss fight is full of it, as her laughter will reverberate and the sound of the music will get louder.
The game does a great job with the battle sound design and using the battle to show off her terrifying smile as the players fight her. She also tells the horrific story of her death as her battle continues.
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