10 Greatest Uses Of Mythological Creatures In Gaming History
Is there anything more epic than Skyrim's dragon battles?
Mythology is such a rich source for any day modern story teller. After all, tales from the likes of the Greeks and the Romans contain so many spectacular people, beasts and gods that it is simply unthinkable that some of them wouldn't wind up becoming a part of gaming lore as well.
Unsurprisingly, this has ended up being the case, with all sorts of creatures from ancient tales winding up as enemies or allies in a variety of great titles over the years. Couple that with the added level of creativity that a game designer can bring to the table and you have some rather unique uses of famous mythological figures, all offering a different perspective on the characters that originally made up the stories of old.
Whether they're the star of their very own game, aiding the player character in achieving whatever it is that they've been tasked with, or fighting against them in an effort to prove their own superiority, mythological characters have become as much a part of gaming folklore as they are in real life.
Overall, some of the most interesting uses of such characters are in the context of gaming, although for the sake of fairness and variety, that'll mean looking a little deeper than simply listing every encounter in God of War.
10. Zeus - Altered Beast
The importance of SEGA's Altered Beast cannot be understated. While the game itself was quite average in all truth, it was still a pivotal achievement for the company to manage to bring it out of the arcades and create a conversion for the Megadrive that was very close to the arcade original. For a console that was being sold on the concept of bringing arcade quality titles to the home, the Megadrive version of Altered Beast was massively important.
Plus it had one of the best digitised voice lines of all time when Zeus appears and commands you to "Rise from your grave," in hilariously garbled English.
The Greek God of Gods is pivotal to the story, as even though he only puts in a brief appearance at the beginning, he's the reason your Centurion is alive again - his actions setting all of the events of the game in motion.
Of course, such generosity is not without a catch, as the player is then tasked with saving the kidnapped Athena. However, Zeus deserves a place on this list just for that early appearance and his awesome voice alone.