The Top Ten Ghosts In Videogames

Erik Fattrosso ‘17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s as good a time as any to take a look back at some of the spookier characters in gaming. Whether they’re villains, heroes, or NPC’s, ghosts can very often be some of the most memorable characters around.

10. Ghost (Destiny)

The number 10 ghost isn’t a ghost in the normal, paranormal sense, but it is in the sense that it’s called a Ghost (which is enough to qualify). It’s also voiced by Peter Dinklage. Upon bringing you back to life in the beginning of Destiny, this AI companion stays at your side for the duration of your adventure across the galaxy. And it’s also voiced by Peter Dinklage. It does everything from guiding your travels to pushing the plot forward and, in case it hasn’t been mentioned, it’s also voiced by Peter Dinklage.

9. Ronan (Murdered: Soul Suspect)

It’s rare in games for the protagonist to actually be a ghost, but that’s exactly what happens in Murdered: Soul Suspect. While the game may not have been that great, the premise was engaging and playing as a ghost was a nice change of pace. After being murdered by the serial killer he was trying to catch, Ronan is returned to modern day Salem as a ghost to complete his work. With a full array of ghostly abilities such as teleportation and possession, it was hard not to have at least a little bit of fun.

8. Celebrimbor (Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor)

The recently released Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor technically has two playable protagonists. The first one, Talion, is a human brought back to life after being killed at the start of the game. He’s bonded with the second one, Celebrimbor. Celebrimbor is a wraith, meaning he’s in a state between life and death giving him a variety of awesome ghostly powers. These two characters are played simultaneously, with a button to switch between them, and using C-man’s powers are the highlight of the game. From shooting mystical Wraith arrows, to possessing Uruks, to breaking into an enemy’s mind to discover their secrets, being a Wraith is a spooky good time.

7. Hero’s Shade (Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)

Opinions are incredibly mixed over Twilight Princess. Some fans love the darker tone, while others go to sleep hoping that the whole experience was just a bad dream. But whatever your opinion is, it’s hard to deny the awe factor when the Hero’s Shade first appears. Physically he’s nothing more than a skeleton in armor, but he’s one of Link’s greatest teachers. Over the course of the journey to dispel Twilight from Hyrule (Hyrule has to be a pretty awful place to live, by the way), he takes Link to a spectral realm to teach him more powerful abilities. And the best part? The commonly accepted theory is that the Hero’s Shade is actually the ghost of Link from Ocarina of Time.

6. Karthus (League of Legends)

There are 121 champions in League of Legends, but Karthus was one of the original 40. Since then, his name has been both feared and cursed by players across the Fields of Justice. Quite literally in between life and death, Karthus spent his life looking for the moment just before death only to find a solution that kept that moment forever. His spectral abilities are a force to be reckoned with, but his standout is Requiem, a skill that automatically hits every enemy player in the game for – wait for it… tons of damage (and he doesn’t even need a Trinity Force). Unfortunately the removal of Archangel/Deathcap stacking has slightly hampered the fun of playing him, but he can still be tons of fun. Do you feel a chill?

5. Ghost Sims (Sims)

Killing Sims is part of the game. At some point during your time with Sims, you’re probably going to kill off a few, just because you can. In most games that would just mean they’re dead, but in Sims they can come back as ghosts. These ghosts can interact with the world just as they did when they were alive, except now they can also do ghost-stuff. Pretty “spoopy.” The best part is if their lover in life finds someone new, the ghosts can (and probably will) begin to haunt both of them in a fit of spectral jealousy.

4. Gengar (Pokémon)

Gengar has been around since the very first generation of Pokémon games. He’s one of the most well-known ghost type Pokémon, rivaled only by Gastly and Haunter, its pre-evolved forms.  This stubby purple fighter is no laughing matter. No matter which of his forms you prefer, it’s hard to not see how great he is.  And that’s without mentioning his knack for performing.  In the anime, Gengar, Gastly, and Haunter did their best to amuse Ash acting as a performing trio.  It didn’t go all that well, but it’s the thought that counts.

3. Lady Comstock (Bioshock Infinite)

After being murdered by her husband for not going along with the plan to raise Elizabeth, Lady Comstock becomes a sort of martyr symbol against the Vox Populi. Through the course of the game, her story becomes clearer and clearer until she is forcefully resurrected by Comstock himself. Being pulled back from death and fueled by Elizabeth’s raw rage and hatred towards her, she’s one of the toughest enemies that you’ll encounter. In the end, Elizabeth makes peace with her and she aids Booker in getting into Comstock house, but that doesn’t make her any less terrifying. Her screams and ragged ghostly appearance are sure to stay in your mind long past the completion of the game.

2. King Boo (Luigi’s Mansion)

While he’s been featured in several games in the Mario universe, King Boo’s biggest and most memorable appearance was in Luigi’s Mansion. Aside from trapping Mario in a painting and infesting Luigi’s new mansion with ghosts, this spooky spirit is also in charge of all the Boos-dastardly white ghosts that exist solely to cause chaos. If the crown on his head wasn’t enough, Luigi’s final showdown with the King has him take control of a giant mechanical version of Bowser. He also has magical powers more powerful than any other ghosts, and is an ally of Bowser himself. He’s been popping up in Mario games for almost 20 years now and with no sign of slowing down, it’s only a matter of time until he’s seen the same way as the King Koopa.

1. Pac-Man Ghosts (Pac-Man)

There aren’t many ghosts in videogame culture that are more recognized than Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde. These four ghosts have been the antagonists in Pac-Man games since the beginning in 1980. They don’t chase Pac-Man down, though; they do something far more terrifying. They spend their time aimlessly wandering around mazes waiting for the yellow guy to trap himself in-between them. The only way these spirits can be stopped is by the effect of a Power Pellet, but that can be hard to obtain when they’re floating around and there’s only one left. Over time, a plethora of other ghosts has been added to the mix, but the original four stand the test of time. Ghosts like Spunky, Funky, and Tim just can’t hold a candle to the intimidating might of the original baddies.
There are tons of ghosts in gaming that may not have made the list. What do you guys think? Who’s the number one gaming ghost? Sound off in the comments! Happy Halloween!