**Examples for #01 contain spoilers for Star Ocean 2, Hexyz Force, and Skies of Arcadia.
10. Treasure Toters
It may seem weird to complain about an enemy that drops rare items. Unfortunately, these guys tend to be small, quick, and infuriatingly difficult to catch. You'll wonder if it's worth the trouble and stress as you desperately run around trying to smack one of these guys in vain.
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| Gnome (Golden Axe Series) Look at that smug expression.. makes you wish you could chuck that axe straight into his miniature back. Other Examples: Treasure Hand (Persona Series), Treasure Goblin (Diablo III) |
09. Enemies with Only One Weak Spot
I see where they were going with this one. They wanted to make an enemy that actually requires a little strategy and patience to defeat. The only problem is that once you learn how to kill an enemy with only one weak spot, killing them again and again throughout the game just becomes a tedious chore.
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| Skulltula (Legend of Zelda Series) Just turn around so I can stab your soft underbelly!! Other Examples: Met (Megaman Series), Sand Golem (Final Fantasy IX) |
08. Poisonous Enemies
You are trudging through a dark dungeon. After several hours of exploring, you run into a (insert annoying poisonous enemy here). It poisons you. You don't have any antidotes left? Abort mission. Your entire expedition is ruined. You're just slowly going to die before you even see the boss. No wonder that item shop in town is still in business even though you're literally the only guy that ever buys anything. All that antidote money.
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| Tarantula (Final Fantasy I) That poison was SO strong that the dude's name changed to Poison. Other Examples: Too common to list. |
07. Archers
ARCHERS. Do I even need to explain? These despicable enemies will shoot you from far, far away as you try to hack through the onslaught of melee enemies that charge at you. Some of them go as far as to barrage you from guard towers and other annoyingly hard to reach places. It's like they are looking down at you and laughing as each of their arrows pierces through your character.
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| Archers (Dynasty Warriors Series) Stop it. STOP. STOP SHOOTING ME! I can kill 50 men with one swing of this spear!! Other Examples: This one is too common, so i won't bother. |
06. Enemies that Summon More Enemies
There are few things worse than random encounters with enemies that you don't want to deal with. It adds insult to injury when those annoying enemies summon even more enemies. The vicious cycle will never end until you slay the root of the evil. You know an enemy is annoying when it immediately becomes your number one priority to remove it from existence.
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| Positive King (Persona 4 / P4 Golden) Yes, Teddy. We WERE nearly done. Other Examples: Necromancer (Dust: An Elysian Tail), Tomb Guardian (Diablo III) |
05. Explosive Enemies
Enemies that explode upon death are like people who flip the table right before losing a board game. Much like the corner of a table, explosions generally deal massive amounts of damage all at once. If you do survive the initial damage, they also tend to blast you backwards into the nearest bottomless pit or bed of spikes. If you're really lucky, the developers will make the experience even more realistic by making you catch on fire too.
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| Explosive Zombie (Dust: An Elysian Tail) One of these zombies is not like the others... Other Examples: Bomb (Final Fantasy Series), Electrode (Pokémon Series). |
04. Mimics
Imagine I invited you to dinner at my place. You can smell the aroma of your favorite food wafting out from the kitchen. I approach the table with an elegant silver platter. I place it in front of you and lift the cover to reveal a delicious plate of nothing. And then I slap you. That's how a mimic makes you feel. At least the treasure toters actually give you stuff. Mimics just eat you. They also tend to be extremely powerful for some reason.
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| Trick (The 7th Saga) That moment when you desperately search through your entire inventory to see if you can somehow survive. Other Examples: Mimic (Final Fantasy Series), Mimic (Dragon Quest Series), Mimic (Breath of Fire Series). You get the point. |
You've visualized it in your mind several times now. You know what you have to do to make it to the next platform. You inch over to the edge. You prepare yourself. You jump. That's when you see it from the corner of your eye. KAKAW!! KAKAW!! It swoops in without warning and smacks you into the abyss. Small flying enemies... not only are they impossible to hit as they swoop, weave, and bob through the air, but they also only strike when you are most vulnerable. How despicable.
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| Eagle (Ninja Gaiden Series) Every time a ninja jumps, an eagle is born out of thin air. Other Examples: Medusa Heads (Castlevania Series), |
02. Enemies that Take You Back
When is the last time you reached the boss of a dungeon and decided to reset the game because you just had so much fun getting there? If the answer is never, you probably hate enemies that make you backtrack to the beginning of a stage just as much as I do. Right when you think you've reached the end, these enemies transport you back to whence you came. I don't know about you, but I don't have time for any of those shenanigans. Get these enemies out of my games!
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| Black Wyrm (Riviera: The Promised Land) I wanted bosses that would blow me away, but not like this. Other Examples: Wallmaster (The Legend of Zelda Series), Bird (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein) |
01. Unbeatable Enemies
Why do they even exist? If you never intended to let me beat the guy, why not just show me getting my butt kicked in a cut scene? Did you have to make me waste my time trying to win an impossible fight? Now that I know I shouldn't have used up all of my items, I'm going to have to reset the game and do it all over again. What a pain. What an annoying enemy!
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| Dias Flac (Star Ocean Second Evolution) I wanted to win so badly... I got destroyed by my rival in front of the girl I like. Other Examples: Bahn (Hexyz Force), Ramirez (Skies of Arcadia) |
