Throughout the years, gaming has granted us some truly memorable characters, from courageous heroes to the vilest of villains. However, as Halloween nears, we want to highlight a handful of these all-time greats who are more often than not, sequestered in the shadows. Today, we’re peering back into gaming history and plucking out the most iconic ghosts of them all. Whether hosted in arcade classics or virtual first-person nightmares, these are the ghosts that left their mark on players around the world. Ranked in rough order of their influence, importance, and memorability, these are the top 5 ghosts in gaming history.
The Top 5 Iconic Ghosts of Gaming
5. Alma Wade – F.E.A.R.
Developed by Monolith Productions, F.E.A.R. is a first-person shooter that doesn’t skimp on the scares, and produces its most impactful moments with a particularly sinister and deadly specter. Playing as the elite military agent, Point Man, you are still no match for Alma Wade, the ghost of an eight-year-old girl with a knack for causing psychic destruction. A product of government experimentation and lengthy imprisonment, Alma is a bundle of vengeance and hatred, her disdain for authority so strong that it carries into the afterlife. Throughout the entire game, Alma is the most significant threat to your livelihood, shredding through your defenses and leaving you cowering in terror. Although it’s been nearly 20 years since Alma first popped up on our screens, this literal child of fear still haunts our memory.
4. Gengar – Pokemon
Though not nearly as frightening as some of the other ghosts on this list, Gengar is still a formidable foe and a notably troublesome spirit that gets its kicks from tormenting the innocent. First introduced in the original Pokemon games for Game Boy, Gengar is a ghost and poison-type Pokemon that has gained a following for both his in-game strength and generally chaotic attitude. The true lore of Gengar is actually remarkably scary; most commonly active under a full moon, this monster loves to lurk in the shadows, pouncing on its prey when they are most vulnerable and literally feeding on their fear until satiated. If you’re skilled enough to capture and tame a Gengar, or encourage a Haunter to evolve, they’re an excellent addition to your team and arguably the most powerful ghost-type you can train. Either way, Gengar goes down in gaming history as one of the very best ghosts of all, and remains a fan favorite even after hundreds of new Pokemon have entered the fray.
3. Lisa – P.T.
Released over a decade ago, P.T. (short for “Playable Teaser”), also known as the Silent Hills Demo, is widely considered to be the scariest game ever made. This is due, in major part, to Lisa, the apparition of a murdered mother who haunts the repeating hall of this brief but incredibly horrifying first-person horror game. In P.T., players trek through a looping hallway as they slowly uncover a grisly case of crime involving a deranged husband who kills his wife and unborn child. Observant gamers can catch glimpses of Lisa in the early portions of the game, but almost everyone will encounter her ghost eventually, resulting in one of the most effective jump scares in all of horror gaming. With her unnaturally fast head twitches, gouged-out eye, bloodied dress, and unrelenting desire to rip your head off, Lisa is a gaming ghost that will live rent-free in our minds for years to come.
2. Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde – Pac-Man
When talking about iconic ghosts of gaming history, it would be imprudent to exclude Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde, aka, the ghosts from Pac-Man. For retro and modern players alike, this squad of roaming phantoms represents the most nostalgic appearance of ghosts in video games, setting the stage for every wrathful spirit to follow. As is their nature, Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde constantly haunt the sprawling arcade maze, eager to catch Pac-Man off-guard and steal his life. However, a simple power pellet is all it takes to send these souls scrambling, as the tables turn and Pac-Man begins to feast on their trembling forms. In truth, the ghosts from Pac-Man are probably the least spooky specters on this list, but their place in gaming history is already written in stone and their influence is simply irrefutable.
1. Boo – Super Mario Franchise
The ghosts from Pac-Man may dominate arcade nostalgia, but without a doubt, the most memorable ghost in gaming is Boo from the Super Mario franchise. Making their debut appearance in the 1998 platforming masterpiece, Super Mario Bros. 3, Boos are deceptively cute but equally quick to cause a nuisance for Mario and company. When staring down a Boo, they become bashful and hide, but if you turn your back, these enemies will hunt you down with no remorse. By the time Luigi’s Mansion rolled around on the GameCube in 2001, we were introduced to King Boo, the scheming leader of this spectral squad who’s somehow more mischievous than Bowser himself. Since their introduction to the franchise, Boos have become synonymous with ghosts in both the gaming world and pop culture as a whole, and have continuously popped up in most Super Mario titles since. For gamers and non-gamers alike, we have to give the win to Boo, for being a truly menacing spirit combined with that classic Nintendo charm.
