There’s something to be said about appreciating great creature designs in video games. More often than not, the various monsters we come across are presented simply as adversaries for us to beat. Only rarely do we get the chance to dwell on why something looks the way it does. Dark Souls is the obvious counterexample to this! However, we will mostly showcase creatures from some other games that don’t seem to get enough appreciation in this regard.

Do keep in mind that this list is far from conclusive! It merely grazes the subject matter to try and point you in the direction of games that do, in fact, impress with their little beasties.

Bayonetta

Bayonetta was lauded for its incredible combat and general gameplay mechanics, but it’s not often that we mention its weird and alien enemies. Bayonetta’s lax rendition of “angels” is borderline Lovecraftian, and makes for phenomenal blade fodder during combat. For the purposes of this game, developers used the traditional Judeo-Christian notion of an angel being divine, yet monstrous, and perhaps even incomprehensible in some cases.

It has long been theorized that Bayonetta and Devil May Cry are set in the same universe. Given the creature designs alone, it’s really not much of a stretch to believe this at all! Anyhow, if you’re looking for a unique bestiary to give ammunition to your imagination, Bayonetta is a great choice.

Monster Hunter: World

Monster Hunter: World does a whole lot of things right. However, if there’s one thing we should applaud for the purposes of this article, it’s how the game’s creatures feel natural. The world that the game throws at us is filled to the brim with animals both magical and plain, and not one of them is just an evil monstrosity out to murder and maim. Well, okay, a few of them are, but that's an exception rather than the rule.

Instead, Monster Hunter: World’s creatures are animals first and foremost. Not only do they visually fit into their natural residences, but they also behave accordingly. Not to take away from the work of Capcom’s creature designers (who do great work across the board), but it’s the animals’ behavioral patterns that truly make this game special. This makes the whole thing even more noteworthy!

The Elder Scrolls Games

If someone tells you that the Elder Scrolls franchise features derivative and uninteresting creature designs, slap them, and then have them look up ‘Shivering Isles’ while they’re still reeling from the slap. These games have long since entered the mainstream, sure. However! One only needs to remember their first Frost Troll encounter in Skyrim for proof that Bethesda does know when and how to push the envelope.

Shivering Isles was entirely alien in most regards - as was Morrowind back in the day - and its fauna was a source of much distress for young and inexperienced characters who were hoping to kick Imp ass. It might take a bit before you come across something like the infamous Hermaeus Mora while playing any given TES game, but when you do, it’ll be worth your while.

Dark Souls Franchise

Dark Souls had to have its own entry in this article. The franchise packs an incredible number of unsettling creatures, after all. You could even call it a benchmark in more ways than one! The majority of bosses you encounter aren’t purely evil, but driven and corrupted by forces outside their comprehension. This reflects very well in their visual presentation! The great Scaleless Dragon demonstrates this perfectly, but this message is present virtually everywhere in the world of Dark Souls.

Of course, given the fact that Bloodborne, Demon’s Souls, and Sekiro also have downright astonishing monstrosities, this is more of a testament to the capabilities of From Software than anything else. At the time of writing, Dark Souls is the best we’ve got from them in this regard on PC.

The Witcher 3

The Witcher franchise, and The Witcher 3 specifically, draws heavily from established Slavic mythology to deliver unforgettable creature designs that stick with you long after you’ve put them to death. Vampiric monsters alone make for a more interesting and colorful repertoire than we get in entire vampire-focused games. That’s not even taking into account all the various glossaries and additional lore players can come across in their travels.

Though it’s been a while since it was released, The Witcher 3 is - bar none - the most impressive core adventure RPG on the market when it comes to creature designs. You’d do well to look into its monsters if you’re in the mood for it.

The Evil Within

Space constraints played their part in us picking the games for this article. The competition was particularly merciless when it came to choosing a dedicated horror title to go with. In the end, the Evil Within franchise won out against Dead Space and Silent Hill, which should be quite telling in regard to creature design-work.

Everyone knows that these two flagship horror franchises have horrifyingly good creatures. The sheer gruesomeness of Evil Within, on the other hand, often gets sidestepped entirely. This really shouldn’t be the case, we feel. The game’s designers knew damn well how to unsettle players on a truly primal level. Without spoiling anything, if you’ve avoided Evil Within for this or that reason, but are in the market for some horrific monsters to duke it out with, we must suggest playing both games in their entirety.