This week we finally look at my current favorite video game Dead by Daylight, and the undead killers it contains.
There are some stipulations to go over. Firstly, not all killers are undead. The lore behind how many of the licensed killers can appear beside killers from the main Dead by Daylight universe is that The Entity, a currently very mysterious cosmic horror-esque being, will grab those it finds to be potentially useful, gives them powers, and forces them to inflict pain on the survivors, people who have also been ripped from their world and kept inside The Entity's realm.
From reading the backstory included with each killer, I find 5 who are described as dying or being on the absolute edge of death before being reanimated by The Entity. These four are The Spirit, The Oni, The Nightmare, The Blight, and Victor, one half of The Twins.
Rin Yamaoka, The Spirit, is very spooky. Limbs segmented from the attack by her father, shards of glass from the table she fell through still embedded in her body, and hair that floats up as if in water. While still being of short stature, The Spirit's design gives of a powerful presence.
In game, The Spirit is considered one of the most powerful killers, able to leave a false husk of her form as she travels quickly through the spirit realm, able to ambush helpless victims with her bloodline's katana. When compared to other undead looked at though, The Spirit has only a moderate amount of power.
The transformation is another of moderate statistics, looking mostly the same as in life, however her slashed limbs are held close by some unknown power, and her eyes are white and pupil-less.
The name The Spirit is not very creative or interesting, and Rin Yamaoka has no innate spook value. A 3 perhaps.
Kazan Yamaoka, The Oni, goes a step beyond their descendent Rin. Protruding horns, a red fog, and an ornate, demonic armor set cause The Oni's design to feel completely horrific, his large frame and towering stature puts him over the edge for the spook factor.
The Oni is largely considered weaker than The Spirit, having his power locked behind the absorption of blood from those he hunts. However in a broader context, Kazan holds the crown in his bloodline. His speed in demon form being higher than almost any other, his arsenal includes both the katana and the kanabo, and his dueling prowess was matched by no other in life.
The transformation in Kazan's form is only slightly more intense than that of his descendent, the actual physical transformation is more than the sort of rearranging that The Spirit goes through, and the growing horns and billowing fog lead to a higher transformation level.
The name The Oni holds a decent level of spookiness as it has Japanese roots with a connection to a demonic presence. Kazan Yamaoka also holds a unnerving presence to it, and emboldens an already interesting undead name.
Look familiar? Turns out we are going to talk about old Fred Krueger one more time. Freddy Krueger, The Nightmare, is designed off of the 2010 iteration of A Nightmare on Elm Street, as such this is not the best Krueger in my opinion, but his design is consistent to the movie.
Once a fairly weak killer, The Nightmare now stands near the top of the Dead by Daylight tower, able to quickly teleport to specific locations, slow down his victims as they run away with traps, and trap them in a weaker dream state. While not as powerful as in the movies, The Nightmare is no weakling.
The transformation is equal to that of the movie, with no extra details.
The Nightmare is a great addition to Freddy Krueger, increasing his name rating slightly.
Talbot Grimes, The Blight, is one of the more disgusting undead, having his lower jaw melted away, his skin wrinkled and tight, and the glowing serum flowing through his entire being. The disgust though is matched almost evenly with the spookiness, his extreme speed, 6 fingers on each hand, and hunched stature give The Blight a leper feel that deeply unsettles me.
Although able to speed around quickly, and sustain high amounts of force on his body, The Blight has little else going for him, and is not overly dangerous in the context of his undead brethren.
The transformation is very high on poor Talbot Grimes, his body a pussy mess of its original human form.
The Blight feels like one of the most interesting of Dead by Daylight, however, his name being Talbot Grimes feels a little on the nose for me, being a pretty grimy individual.
Victor, one half of The Twins, is currently the newest killer added to Dead by Daylight. Being the dwarfed, conjoined twin to Charlotte Deshayes, Victor passes still attached to his sister, leaving her to live on, before being revived by the Entity. In part, this revival is done in order to beckon Charlotte into the fog. He has 3 eyes and sharp teeth, being around the size of a infant. Victor is spooky because of his speed and dexterity, being so small, and so he has only a mid level spookiness.
Danger is fairly low. It takes only a small amount of force to crush Victor, causing him to again reform in his sister. He can leap great distances and run at high speeds, but by himself is nothing more than a pawn.
The transformation is actually almost non existent. Yes, Victor can detach himself from his conjoined twin, but he is made to simply be untangled from his sister's body.
The name Victor Deshayes has a small level of spookiness, and The Twins has connection to horror themes, but overall fails to impress me much.
Playing Dead by Daylight https://store.steampowered.com/app/381210/Dead_by_Daylight/