The GwG Halloween Monster Mash, Part 3: Pokémon to Persona
Edcel Javier Cintron-Gonzalez, Contributing Editor
Did you ever stop to think about how creepy Pokémon can be? Can we feel sympathy for the bosses in the Persona series? What’s the relationship between Little Nightmares 2 and Matilda? Read on for some terrifying takes on these big questions.
Creepy Pokémon, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon
Entering the world of Pokémon is a right of passage for kids who turn 10. It is a special moment in every kid's life when they get to pick their starter Pokémon and start their Pokémon journey. While the anime portrays the franchise as an ethereal dream about a boy reaching his goal to be the Pokémon master, the manga and video games have some real pocket monsters that are downright scary. Some Pokémon are described as a danger to children, stealing their souls or flying them away from existence, never to be seen again. Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon introduced some of the most creepy pocket monsters, such as Mimikyu, whose gimmick is to wear a cloak that looks like Pikachu so it can make friends. Under this disguise, however, Mimikyu hides something terrifying that viewers never get to see. Also, when hit by a physical attack, Mimikyu looks like its neck has been snapped.
Guzzlord eatin’ the town. Image credit: https://aminoapps.com/c/pokemon/page/blog/ultra-sun-moon-guzzlord-is-repeatable/jlhK_u8MQd8Wq8xZDn3XbXebwVN7En
Ultra beasts are another interesting addition to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. With their sci-fi and alien aesthetic, stat boosting ability, and post-apocalyptic lore, the Ultra Beasts add a new way to view Pokémon and expand the conversation about Pokémon living on other planets. When I think of Pokémon as “monsters” in the franchise, I think about the destructive power they have which the ultra beasts exemplify. A quick example would be Guzzlord, who can be seen eating the remains of a broken down and destroyed Hau’oli City when the player tries to capture it.
My memories of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon center on the boss battle against Ultra Necrozma. This form is the result of Necrozma absorbing either Solgaleo or Lunala, two of the game's legendary Pokémon, amplifying its already impressive power. In this Ultra form, Necrozma boasts an awe-inspiring design, with luminous wings and an overall radiant appearance that befits its status as a Pokémon representing the power of light. Its type also changes to Psychic/Dragon, providing it with a broader range of attacks and resistances. The battle against Ultra Necrozma is often considered one of the toughest boss battles in the Pokémon series, especially if players are unprepared.
Several factors make it a formidable opponent: it has an incredibly high base stat total, and its ability, Neuroforce, boosts the power of its super-effective moves. This means that any Pokémon vulnerable to its attacks can easily be taken down in a single hit. Moreover, its movepool, which includes moves like Photon Geyser and Dragon Pulse, allows it to target a wide variety of types effectively. While all this explains why Ultra Necrozma is a challenging boss battle in the game, this Pokémon is also simply terrifying to have in the world. Necrozma's ability to absorb Solgaleo or Lunala to become its Ultra form can be seen as a kind of terrifying consumption or takeover, echoing themes of dominance and power. A Pokémon who is willing to take the life force of another being in order to become stronger and potentially have the capability to challenge Arceous itself, results in Ultra Necrozma not only scary, but also a real danger to the world of Pokémon.
The Sphinx (Cognition of Wakaba), Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royals
Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royals will always live in my head rent free for their iconic storytelling and plot. As in previous Persona games, the characters memorably band together to stop a greater evil from taking over the world. When the Phantom Thieves are chilling together in their everyday after school activities, they are stealing the hearts of corrupted adults and stopping them from doing real damage to society. "Cognition" is a central concept in Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royals, and I am intrigued by the way people’s distorted desires are manifested into structures called “Palaces.” Each Palace has a ruler, and the structure and enemies within the Palace are formed based on that ruler's cognition, or their distorted view of reality. Futaba Sakura's Palace takes the form of an Egyptian tomb, which is a manifestation of her own guilt and trauma surrounding her mother's death. Her mother is a giant Sphinx who makes sure Futaba never leaves her Palace, or her guilt.
The Sphinx, or the Cognition of Wakaba, is considered a monster not just for its imposing presence, but for what it symbolizes: the twisted, painful perceptions borne from guilt and trauma. It's a testament to the game's depth that such emotional and psychological complexities are explored through its mechanics and narratives. Unlike other bosses or bad guys in the game, the Sphinx is a material manifestation of what evil adults made Futaba believe about her mother. Her mother was portrayed as a person who hated her and blamed her for her death through the use of fabricated evidence. This is a moment in the game where Palaces are not just formed from the desires of a character with evil intentions, but are built on a foundation of grief, sorrow and trauma. During the boss battle with the Sphinx, she constantly blames Futaba and reminds her that she died because of her, that she is to blame for the things that held her mother back in life. After the boss battle against the Cognition of Wakaba, Sphinx lady, Futaba's Shadow merges with her real self, symbolizing her acceptance of the pain and trauma she's experienced due to her mother's death. By acknowledging her Shadow and confronting her cognitive distortions, Futaba begins the process of healing. This allows her to overcome her Palace and to start stepping out of her isolation.
The Teacher, Little Nightmares 2
When I was a child, Matilda was my all time favorite movie, and my introduction to scary and mean characters such as The Trunchbull. However, after playing Little Nightmares 2, nothing gave me the ick and scare more than The Teacher. Little Nightmares is known for its eerie ambiance and the grotesque inhabitants of its world. The major monsters resemble everyday people with exaggerated physical appearances, and supernatural powers. The Teacher is no exception. She possesses an abnormally long neck that can stretch to incredible lengths. This unnatural ability is not just visually disturbing, but it also serves as a gameplay mechanic, as she uses it to search for the player in areas that would typically be considered safe. In popular culture, teachers are usually portrayed as nurturing and caring towards their students, but their image has also been used to symbolize authority, power and dominance towards youth. The game uses these authoritarian aspects to make The Teacher appear menacing.The muted colors, the creaking of the school, the spine-chilling background music, and the game's use of shadows and lighting all contribute to The Teacher's monstrous aura, not to mention that The Teacher is gigantic compared to protagonists Mono and Six. Like The Trunchbull, The Teacher instills deep fear in both the children in the game and the player playing Little Nightmares 2. She rules with an old school long wooden ruler, ensuring that everyone is terrified of her. The Teacher also shows a lack of empathy and humanity that define us as people. The Teacher's utter lack of compassion or understanding for children and her tendency to treat them as inferior beings adds to her monstrous image.
