Top 8 Transformation Horror Games That Will Make Your Skin Crawl

Alteration is an engaging idea to experiment with. In various forms of entertainment, it’s often portrayed as a vibrant, uplifting, heroic event where the main character undergoes a change, becoming something greater and more powerful than their adversaries could ever foresee. It can be likened to Goku achieving Super Saiyan status, Sonic transforming into Super Sonic, or a Pokémon evolving into a more robust and versatile version of itself.

Transformations aren’t always positive or identical. Some transformations might lead to a weaker, more fragile state, while others could result in a bloodier, grotesque appearance. Far from being an exciting, freeing experience, it can turn into a distressing and painful ordeal, resulting in a monstrous aberration that’s hard to describe. Several games have creatively explored the terror of transformation, with these titles serving as some of the most notable examples.

8. Discover My Body

Biological Horror Edutainment

Developer: Yames.
Platforms: PC, macOS, Linux.
Release: March 2020.

You’ll find numerous well-known video games that offer transformation and body horror elements for players. However, venturing away from the mainstream can lead you to some truly grotesque discoveries, such as the creations of Yames. Known for his chilling computer games featuring grisly transformative motifs, his works include titles like “Watching Grandpa Grow” and “My Father Transformed Me into Trees and Rivers“.

Exploring My Body is one of his simpler games. It tells the story of a medical student who, with dreams of uniting mankind through science, deliberately infects himself with a fungal strain. Players are tasked with scanning and examining themselves as the fungus spreads, learning how it impacts the human body. While it brings feelings of joy and unity, these come at a steep cost.

7. Water Womb World

The Fall of Man Goes Below Sea Level

Developer: Yames.
Platforms: PC, macOS.
Release: June 2020.

In the game Discover My Body, there’s a spiritual undertone since its scientist is searching for a non-religious equivalent of the sense of unity religion once provided, as people stopped believing in it. On the other hand, Water Womb World maintains this concept, with its Catholic researcher striving to validate the existence of the Garden of Eden beneath the sea. In this game, players collect fish and examine the seabed for artifacts to analyze.

Although the things he uncovers are far from holy, and each revelation proves increasingly repugnant, the researcher remains captivated by his findings. He becomes oblivious to the subtle changes in himself as he takes on a grotesque resemblance to his aquatic counterparts. Players won’t have to wait long before encountering the grim aspects of the game, as it shares similarities with Discover My Body, being relatively brief and not requiring much time to delve into its macabre themes.

6. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

The Brain is Just as Vulnerable to Manipulation as the Body

According to James’ games, it’s clear that the human brain is equally susceptible to being affected or warped in some way, just like any other part of the body. When it falls under the influence of an extraterrestrial entity or biological abnormality, the rest of the character will inevitably be impacted as well. This concept is also depicted in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, where the main character, Ethan, encounters his long-lost wife Mia who can rapidly transform from her normal self into a violent and psychotic individual, much like the Baker Family.

As Ethan delves deeper, it becomes clear that these creatures appear invincible, repeatedly resurfacing even after fatal injuries. Upon further investigation, Ethan uncovers the source of their superhuman resilience and bizarre behavior: a fungal infection, which gives rise to their psychotic episodes. If Ethan can’t find a means to combat the fungus, he risks losing Mia permanently.

5. Parasite Eve

Squaresoft’s Underrated Take on Biological Survival Horror

Beyond just being gruesome, a significant aspect that frightens viewers about body horror is the lack of an escape route. Since it’s our own bodies undergoing transformation in these scenarios, there’s nowhere to flee. For example, in the story Parasite Eve, the character Eve has the power to control cells at a fundamental level. She can cause masses of people to ignite into flames or liquefy them into a massive, orange puddle of goo.

In a twisted turn of genetic events, Eve seeks to exterminate humanity to make way for her offspring, the “Ultimate Being.” The sole chance of thwarting her lies in an inexperienced police officer named Aya Brea, who shares more connections with Eve than she realizes. Gamers can uncover their shared past within the game, or delve deeper into the relationship between them by reading the original “Parasite Eve” novel, which provides additional insight into Eve’s origin and manipulation of mitochondrial DNA.

4. Resident Evil 2

Umbrella’s Chief Scientist Has One of the Series’ Sickest Transformations

Despite how bleak Resident Evil 7 may seem, the Resident Evil series has consistently delivered darker transformations. Resident Evil 4, despite being lightened by its action movie-esque elements, still manages to unsettle with its creepy credits sequence showing the Ganados’ transformation. The remake of Resident Evil 1 enhanced the original game by incorporating transformation horror elements such as the Crimson Heads and Lisa Trevor, a young girl who was twisted into a grotesque monster by Umbrella. However, it was Resident Evil 2 that first delved deeply into the theme of transformation horror within the series.

Over time, the G-Virus transforms one of its primary antagonists, William Birkin, into a grotesque mass of flesh, claws, and eyes, making him unrecognizable compared to any earthly lifeform. However, it is implied that he retains some semblance of his old senses, as he can still identify his daughter Sherry. This proves problematic because Claire and Leon must protect Sherry from the horrifying creature Birkin has become.

3. Bloodborne

Divine Intervention or an Ungodly Infection

In essence, Bloodborne revolves around the chilling concept of metamorphosis. The School of Mensis aspired to surpass human limitations by using a substance known as Old Blood, and the Healing Church distributed it among Yharnam’s populace to alleviate all afflictions. Over time, this process succeeded in healing people, but at a terrible cost: it transformed them into the monstrous foes that your Hunter character must combat.

The game delves into the legends surrounding the Old Blood, and the eldritch entities known as the Great Ones they are linked to. It also explores the terror of its transformations, revealing how characters like Vicar Amelia are fated to mutate into deadly beasts due to the Old Blood and their beliefs. Based on the decisions made by the player, the Hunter might attain the School’s objective and evolve into something inhuman themselves.

2. Scorn

The Grisly Combination of Iconic Horror Artists with Survival Horror

It’s challenging to conceive of numerous transformative and body horror themes existing without films such as “Alien,” or “Alien” itself not being a thing without the work of H.R Giger, who became renowned for his depictions of sickening transformations and body horror. The late Swiss artist served as a significant influence in this genre. Game developers at Ebb Software recognized his work and blended it with that of another dark artist to create “Scorn,” a first-person survival horror game where the characters are stuck in an otherworldly location.

In Scorn, the techno-organic monstrosities, the restructured flesh factories, and the fates of its silent characters echo the eerie style of H.R. Giger. Yet, its damaged figures, grayish monochrome landscape, and dominating structures bear similarity to the works by Zdzisław Beksiński, who had a knack for body horror. This additional layer of unsettling imagery strips away any remaining hints of optimism that players might have initially found, revealing just how dark Scorn truly becomes.

1. Dead Space

If Only They Were Just Zombies

In a surprising twist, even outside the realm of gothic horror, religious cults can be found. For instance, in the game Dead Space, the creators at EA Redwood Shores incorporated one known as ‘Unitology’. Followers of this belief worship artifacts called ‘Markers’, believing they will bring about a new world through an event called ‘Convergence’ (essentially marking the end of humanity). These artifacts serve more than just a plot device, as they are also responsible for the creation of the Necromorphs.

These are relentless beings, animated by a collective consciousness that compels them to eliminate all living organisms nearby. Originating from deceased corpses and detached body parts, they undergo grotesque transformations, each one unique in its terrifying nature. Some sprout additional limbs for dismembering victims, others extend sinister tendrils to seize prey, or hurl their own headless forms at targets, which then rip off the target’s head and commandeer the lifeless body.

2025-01-21 14:34