Dead Space is a truly terrifying sci-fi horror game that stars Isaac Clarke, an engineer aboard a derelict space mining ship, the USG Ishimura. Easily the standout horrors of this game are the downright harrowing Necromorphs. Necromorphs are nightmarish aberrations that combine some human elements with alien-like appendages and grotesque features.
In order to defeat the wide array of Necromorphs, players must utilize tactical dismemberment in order to tear them apart to stop them for good. Of course, not all Necromorphs are created equal. While each variety is scary in its own right, there are some that truly stand above the rest in terms of their creepiness and utter monstrosity.
17 Leviathan
Leviathan is a giant slug-like abomination that you discover near the end of the opening chapter. This disgusting mass of flesh and pustules also features a giant mouth and tentacles. Isaac must defeat Leviathan in the hydroponics deck in order to move on.
16 The Slug
The Slug, while similar to Leviathan, is unique in that it is featured towards the end of the game and can only be defeated by using the giant anti-asteroid cannons. Tearing apart its tentacles was the primary target. The Slug features a giant yellow mass which is not only creepy to look at but also happens to be a weak point.
15 Wheezers
Wheezers are unique Necromorphs that happen to only be around during the sixth chapter of the game. These Necromorphs are more human-like than many of their spooky counterparts. Essentially the Wheezers are tasked with poisoning the air near the food storage area.
They feature enlarged lungs that have adapted to their environment and they must also move about the ground since their arms and legs are fused together.
14 Infectors
The Infectors are self-explanatory in that these large, winged, bat-like Necromorphs are solely used to spread the infection. These creatures can fly, swarm, and leap toward you causing immense damage. While they retain some human-like qualities, their proboscis is their main weapon to infect the host. The Infectors are typically attracted to dead bodies but will go for Isaac if there are no other options for them to feed and infect.
13 Hive Mind
The Hive Mind is unique, not only in its massive size but because it is the source and progenitor for the other Necromorphs. While this large monstrosity is harrowing to be sure, it also happens to be much less scary than the smaller, faster Necromorphs that Isaac encounters in his journey. The Hive Mind is another tentacles freak of nature that features giant glowing pustulous and heaps of fleshy protrusions.
12 Brutes
The Brutes are Necromorphs that feature multiple hosts fused together into one hulking enemy. They may lack some of the disgusting finesse of some of the smaller enemies but they more than make up for it with their size and power. The Brutes are very hard to take down due to their tough armored front plates.
Fortunately, their backsides are devoid of armor so they can be a good weak spot to attack. However, these Necromorphs are very violent and will continually attack Isaac.
11 Guardians
Guardians are truly disgusting because they are essentially walls of flesh fused with torsos that scream and wail as you attempt to pass by them. Guardians are defensive Necromorphs and act as sentries to, as the name implies, guard certain areas aboard the USG Ishimura. While they don’t move around in the same way as other Necromorphs, they absolutely terrify with their tentacle attacks and creepy groans.
10 Pregnant
The Pregnant Necromorphs at first glance might just look like the cookie-cutter monster with the exception of a protruding belly, hiding something sinister inside. This variety of Necromorphs features long scythe-like appendages and generally lumbers around only breaking into a sprint when provoked by the player. The scariest part comes when you shoot the glowing belly at which point swarms of smaller enemies descend up the player to wreak havoc.
9 The Slashers
The Slashers are the commonplace Necromorph that players will encounter throughout the whole of the game. Despite their frequency, they are still downright harrowing to encounter due to their speed, visceral attacks, and relentlessness. The Slashers look most like a human, able to walk and run, but can lunge and slash at you from any direction. Oftentimes there will be multiple Slashers descending upon you which makes the tactical dismemberment even more crucial to survival.
8 The Super Slashers
These enhanced versions of the Slashers, as the name implies, are highly powerful and are a formidable foe for Isaac. Aside from looking more brown or yellowish, these Slashers retain the similar appearance of their lesser beings. What makes these enhanced Necropmorphs so terrifying is that they attack with such a relentless and ferocious pattern. Adding to that is the fact that these super versions can also regrown limbs.
7 Appendages
The Appendages are break apart Necromorphs that only stem from a defensive mechanism by which the original host loses its head. The Appendages will then seek you and attack you in groups all the while flailing and moving sporadically. The Appendages are not that powerful and can easily be taken out with a splash damage weapon.
6 Dividers
The Divider Necromorph variety are tall, gangly, disgusting-looking creatures that tower over Isaac. Due to their thin stature, long claw-like appendages, and generally foreboding appearance, your first thought will be to run in terror.
What makes these Necromorph varieties so scary is that once they are dismembered, their appendages take on a life of their own and seek you out in order to send you to your demise.
5 Drag Tentacle
Drag Tentacles are quite self-explanatory in that they quite literally protrude out of holes and crevices in the ship to flail around and drag themselves along to knock you over. Another defensive, sentry-type Necromorph, these creatures all stem from a greater Necromorph variety deep within the ship. While they may not chase you down in the same way as the other varieties, they provide some spooky jump scares and can take a good chunk of your health in the process.
4 Hunters
The Hunters are some of the most formidable enemies in all of Dead Space. Unlike other Necromorphs, these were unfortunately created by infecting a human with the Necromorph infection. This terrible action resulted in the Hunters, Necromorphs that not only move with incredible speed but also rapidly regrow limbs and can only be defeated through the environment, not from Isaac’s weapons. If you happen to encounter one, your best bet is to use your stasis on them.
3 Twitchers
Twitchers are the unfortunate result of the dead Marine soldiers within the USM Valor. Due to their innate abilities and strength, these Slasher-type Necromorphs are downright terrifying. What makes them so scary and hard to fight is that they fused with the stasis modules they once used when alive. The Twitchers are both erratic and fast making them a challenge to fight, especially in groups.
2 Leapers
The Leapers are yet another Necromorph variety where their name says it all. These creatures are able to leap long distances to attack and infect. Interestingly, they are also resistant to zero-g environments so fighting them in those spaces is quite the challenge. The Leapers end up growing a scorpion-like tale which is the result of their regenerating legs forming into one appendage.
1 Lurkers
The Lurkers are downright scary and off-putting, killing anything and anyone in their path in order to assimilate them into themselves. The Lurker-type Necromorph is able to use three tentacle-like appendages that grow out of their backs, the result of being fused with certain humans. With these tentacles, they can attack in close and long-range. If you encounter them in a group, be prepared for a harrowing fight.
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