10 Terrifying Video Game Enemies You Couldn't See

Oftentimes, horror titles take a very confrontational, visceral, slathering-jaws-an-inch-from-your-throat approach to enemy design. The Doom series, for instance, is nothing if not direct.

This certainly has its merits (as far as scaring the player goes), but some enemies in games are sneakier than that.

What’s more frightening? The huge, lumbering demon you can see... or the watchful, lurking, stealthy horror you can’t, but can sense right behind you?

A wide range of games throw players such a stealthy curveball in the shape of cloaked, invisible enemies. Often, they’re exclusive to a specific area, or they’re limited to just one memorable set-piece. However they appear, they’re often some of the most horrifying foes in a game: elusive, deadly, terrifying.

Those of stout heart and steely nerve have probably tangled with some of these shadowy foes over the years.

Throughout much of iconic PS1 release Metal Gear Solid, Snake is outnumbered, outgunned and on the defensive. Tactical espionage action is the watchword of the series, after all.

As the adventure progresses, Otacon demonstrates how very useful his camouflage technology can be, and it’s a worryingly long time before he hits upon the idea of bringing Snake one of his prototypes.

Around this time, Snake is on his final approach to the base where Metal Gear Rex is being stored. He encounters a cargo elevator that appears to be faulty, with its weight alarm buzzing even though our gravely-voiced antihero is in there alone.

In a confused Codec conversation, Snake mentions this to Otacon, who also muses about the fact that his prototype stealth suits were all missing when he went to retrieve one for Snake.

With that, the penny drops, and the player discovers they’re sharing a very small area with a band of four invisible and very angry foes. They can be seen only by the slight shimmer as they move, and they can take a lot of punishment to bring down. It’s a very tense and unexpected moment.