As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Gargoyles in Video Games?

MugenmidgetMugenmidget Registered User regular
edited May 2010 in Games and Technology
My friend is in a reading group that has picked up "The Gargoyles of Notre Dame: Medievalism and the Monsters of Modernity" by Michael Camille. After reading it, he began thinking about gargoyles and the role they play in videogames:
It's a pretty cool book. And in the final chapter Camille discusses gargoyles in recent culture and he talks briefly about a lot of stuff like comic books, cartoons, movies, and kitschy bric-à-brac, but not video games. And I started wondering about that, because games have so much potential because of the increased level of simulation and interaction. Like what are the associations with gargoyles and how are they situated in various games? What do they do and why? What do they look like and why? It's pretty cool that gargoyles mean different things in different games.

So we started thinking of examples, and here's a few we found:

-Heroes of Might and Magic II, III
-Lords of Magic
-Quest for Glory I
-King's Quest VII
-Gargoyles (Genesis)
-Gargoyle's Quest
-Gargoyle's Quest II
-Demon's Crest
-Batman: Arkham Asylum
-Rampage World Tour
-Shining Force
-Killer Instinct 2/Gold
I think it would be totally rad to post on a message board and get some more examples. Maybe just limited to games where gargoyles are somehow functional (not just backdrop)-- ?

So how about it? Any other games where gargoyles play a significant role? And feel free to talk about the games mentioned and the gargoyles within them.

e3ORbfq.png
Mugenmidget on

Posts

  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Demon's Crest is fucking awesome. Loved that game.

    Dehumanized on
  • anoffdayanoffday To be changed whenever Anoffday gets around to it. Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Demon's Crest is fucking awesome. Loved that game.
    I've been wanting to play this game forever. It looks awesome, but I can never find a copy. Apparently it's pretty rare?

    anoffday on
    Steam: offday
  • DartboyDartboy Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    ...


    gargoylescoverart.png


    ?

    Dartboy on
  • anoffdayanoffday To be changed whenever Anoffday gets around to it. Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    He said that.

    anoffday on
    Steam: offday
  • KlashKlash Lost... ... in the rainRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    WarCraft III has a gargoyle unit, and I'd put money on most WRPGs having some form of gargoyle, named or otherwise.

    Edit: Guild Wars

    Klash on
    We don't even care... whether we care or not...
  • NeadenNeaden Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Diablo had gargoyles as an enemy who could turn to stone to regenerate while hurt. Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines also had a gargoyle who you could get a sidequest to either fight or recruit for different vampire factions.

    Neaden on
  • SmokeStacksSmokeStacks Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I don't know of any other games where Gargoyles play a significant role, but I know you fight them in a few different CastleVania games, and in Symphony of the Night you can actually be turned into a (immobile, stone) gargoyle for a few seconds under certain conditions.

    SmokeStacks on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    There were a significant number of gargoyle enemies in:

    Cinemassacre-GhostbustersXbox360Review797.jpg

    joshofalltrades on
  • JoonJoon Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Fable II. Those pricks would taunt you whenever you were in ear-shot. Then you murder them and get prizes!

    Joon on
    bartsig.png
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines on the PC has a quest focused around taking out a mad Gargoyle; they're Tremere-controlled beings in the V:TM universe.

    cj iwakura on
    wVEsyIc.png
  • baudattitudebaudattitude Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    For about the first five years, Everquest had amazing Gargoyles; they were textured to look like weathered stone, they didn't have any idle animation, and they didn't have names over their heads like most monsters.

    So, the effect of aggroing a gargoyle in EQ was very much like watching a statue start to move and come for you.

    In one of the later expansions, they changed the gargoyle model, which retroactively affected every zone with gargoyles in and rather spoiled the effect, but it was awfully neat until they did that.

    baudattitude on
  • SideAffectsSideAffects Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Thief 3: Deadly Shadows

    Throughout the cutscenes you see the always omnipresent gargoyles. Later on you find out the BBEG can turn them to life, and has been spying on various events through their eyes.

    SideAffects on
  • OptyOpty Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Klash wrote: »
    WarCraft III has a gargoyle unit, and I'd put money on most WRPGs having some form of gargoyle, named or otherwise.

    Edit: Guild Wars
    WoW also has gargoyles and Death Knights can spec to be able to summon one to attack for them for a small amount of time. There's tons of gargoyle enemies in the world as well, plus a lot that act like statues, hanging out stationary on cliffs and buildings.

    Opty on
  • JeanStHillierJeanStHillier Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    If anyone remembers Nocturne, that had a few gargoyles in it. They certainly didn't play a major role though.

    JeanStHillier on
  • XagarathXagarath Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Demon's Souls has nicely demonic gargoyles in world 3-2.

    Xagarath on
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Darn, someone already beat me to mentioning Ghostbusters.

    Er...you can buy gargoyles in The Sims 2? Does that count?

    Synthesis on
  • agoajagoaj Top Tier One FearRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    What about Arkham Asylum? They're kind of backdrop but you're hopping on the things all the time.

    agoaj on
    ujav5b9gwj1s.png
  • BallmanBallman Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    The imps and scamps in Oblivion are vaguely gargoyle-like, if we're just going off of appearances.

    Ballman on
  • PeewiPeewi Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    agoaj wrote: »
    What about Arkham Asylum? They're kind of backdrop but you're hopping on the things all the time.

    And he's listing the game in his post.

    I can't really think of any examples that haven't been mentioned already. I guess gargoyles aren't that common in video games.

    Peewi on
  • CygnusZCygnusZ Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    The Ultima series features gargoyles in every game after Ultima VI. In Ultima VI the entire game is about a war between Humans and Gargoyles.

    CygnusZ on
  • SeanronSeanron GlasgowRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Didn't the main character from Primal have a gargoyle sidekick?

    Seanron on
    PSN: Seanron - XBL: Seanron - Steam: Seanron
  • ImpersonatorImpersonator Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Seanron wrote: »
    Didn't the main character from Primal have a gargoyle sidekick?

    I came into this thread to post the exact same thing. :)

    Impersonator on
  • firewaterwordfirewaterword Satchitananda Pais Vasco to San FranciscoRegistered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Xagarath wrote: »
    Demon's Souls has nicely demonic gargoyles in world 3-2.

    Oh I hate those dudes. All spearin' my mans and making creepy noises.

    firewaterword on
    Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
  • Niceguy MyeyeNiceguy Myeye Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Dungeons and Dragons Online has Gargoyles too. They're pretty much as they were written in 3rd edition D+D and a cross between a statue and a beast most likely made by a wizard.

    Also, Master of Magic has them as a unit you can summon. I can't quite remember the spell school they were associated with, though. I think it's Chaos.

    Niceguy Myeye on
  • RamiRami Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    I feel I must point out the term Gargoyle is often used incorrectly. It's only a Gargoyle if it functions as a drain for guttering. Otherwise it is called a Grotesque.

    Rami on
    Steam / Xbox Live: WSDX NNID: W-S-D-X 3DS FC: 2637-9461-8549
    sig.gif
  • PerytonPeryton Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Dungeons and Dragons Online has Gargoyles too. They're pretty much as they were written in 3rd edition D+D and a cross between a statue and a beast most likely made by a wizard.

    Also, Master of Magic has them as a unit you can summon. I can't quite remember the spell school they were associated with, though. I think it's Chaos.

    Was totally going to say this, and they are definitely chaos and had tons of armor. What a great game.

    Peryton on
  • BantryBantry Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Rami wrote: »
    I feel I must point out the term Gargoyle is often used incorrectly. It's only a Gargoyle if it functions as a drain for guttering. Otherwise it is called a Grotesque.
    In Discworld Noir there is a Gargoyle character who does have a Gutter running through his mouth.

    Likely the only true animate Gargoyle in videogames.

    Bantry on
  • MugenmidgetMugenmidget Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    Thank you everyone for the helpful examples, my friend has compiled them into a list and offered some additional thoughts on the gargoyle vs. grotesque discussion:
    It's true that gargoyle technically refers to a fixture for conveying water off of a building. I think a more proper term for the sculptures would be "chimera." (The word is taken from the Chimaera defeated by Bellerophon, though it generally refers to composite beings and illusions). I don't like "grotesque" because it is vague and loaded with negative associations. It was made up in the sixteenth century to describe certain Roman wall paintings that offended the aesthetic sensibilities of the times. In the middle ages there were quite a few terms to refer to the gargoyles (from gargoule first recorded in 1295) and chimeras. Like babuini in Latin, or babewyn in English, which is related to our word baboon. (Not unlike the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz.) We could spend a lot of time with pretentious hair-splitting, but, honestly, it's really only useful when you need to make a distinction, which isn't the case in a video game.

    So... anyways, this is the final list (32 total):

    Ultima IV 1985
    Quest for Glory I 1989
    Gargoyle's Quest 1990
    Gargoyle's Quest II 1992
    Shining Force I 1994
    Demon's Crest 1994
    King's Quest VII 1994
    Master of Magic 1994
    Gargoyles 1995
    Heroes of Might & Magic 1995
    Killer Instinct Gold 1996
    Heroes of Might & Magic II 1996
    Rampage World Tour 1997
    Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 1997
    Lords of Magic 1998
    Heroes of Might & Magic III 1999
    Everquest 1999
    Discworld Noir 1999
    Diablo II 2000
    Heroes of Might & Magic IV 2002
    Warcraft III 2002
    Primal 2003
    World of Warcraft 2004
    Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2004
    Thief 3: Deadly Shadows 2004
    Sims 2 2004
    Heroes of Might & Magic V 2006
    D+D Online 2006
    Fable II 2008
    Batman: Arkham Asylum 2009
    Ghostbusters: The Video Game 2009
    Demon's Souls 2009

    If anyone has some additional examples or insight, feel free to share it. Thanks once again. :)

    Mugenmidget on
    e3ORbfq.png
  • SatsumomoSatsumomo Rated PG! Registered User regular
    edited May 2010
    anoffday wrote: »
    Demon's Crest is fucking awesome. Loved that game.
    I've been wanting to play this game forever. It looks awesome, but I can never find a copy. Apparently it's pretty rare?

    I found a boxed copy once, some dude that if you look at him, you'd say "Eh, he doesn't know about games" so I went in for the kill. He sells tons of used SNES games, all for less than $5.

    Guy wanted $50 for it. :(

    Satsumomo on
Sign In or Register to comment.