Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Fear of Things That Look Like Spiders

Improbably large spiders make good computer game monsters.  They're not at the top of the list of horrifying monsters I've seen (star-nosed moles probably get that honor), but they've definitely made me yelp coming on them unexpectedly during gaming (to the great disgust of any cat sitting on my lap at the time).  I've started collecting examples of virtual spider-type monsters:

First up: Baldur's Gate!
Not one of my games: screenshot from Charlestonian Templar

All Baldur's Gate spiders are poisonous, and poison in the Baldur's Gate trilogy will quickly kill a character without an antidote or a slow poison spell.  Wraith spiders (farthest left in screenshot) are immune to normal weapons.  Sword spiders (bottom right red circle, but hidden by the trees) move at twice normal rate and do lots of slash damage.  And that blue whirlwind center screen is a phase spider caught in the act of teleporting.  But as virtual spiders go, Baldur's Gate spiders are fairly good-looking.


Pillars of Eternity:
attacking: widowmakers, ivory spinners, crystal eaters, and one vithrack (mind-flayer)

Pillars of Eternity is the most beautiful game I've ever played, and that includes the spiders.  The spiders are, however, large.  Very large.  Very, very large.  If you don't like large spiders, don't go poking around in caves, and stay out of the Endless (but finite and countable) Paths of Od Nua.


Dragon Age Origins:
Dragon Age Origins spiders are just gross.  Also dangerous.  Also they often wait until you're halfway down the path/corridor/tunnel and then drop on you from all sides.  We hates them, my precious. 


Doom:
Left: the spider mastermind.  Right: arachnotrons.  Screenshots from the Doom Wiki.

Technically these guys only have 4 legs, but I'm counting them as "things that look like spiders".  The smaller ones have blue, blue eyes.   


Viking Saga: New World


To get rid of a vile spider, have your druid bonk it with his special druid bonking stick. 


What about you, gentle reader?  What excellently horrifying or laughably cute virtual spider-type monsters have you faced, slain, or run away from?

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