Witches are classic icons of the Halloween period. Though when they make their mark into the world of video games not all of them have pointy hats and warty witches. Some of them can be elegant, fearsome and some just down right mischievous. These are our picks for the Top 10 Witches in Video Games!
10. Ellen (The Witch’s House)
Art by NipahCos
Kicking off this list is a bit of a more obscure character of the occult. Ellen is the titular witch in The Witch’s House yet you don’t even meet her in person until the very end of the game. You get hints and little clues through out in regards to her backstory by discovering her various journals littered around her house but the real extent of her character really shines through by exploring her twisted home.
Her power directly affects her house, meaning that various objects come to life with the soul intention of hunting you down and ending you. Everything, from giant teddy bears to huge spiders dropping down from above. It all leads up to the climactic show down where you finally come face to face with who is trapping you in the house – a neglected little girl named Ellen who happens to have become a witch through her tormented upbringing.
Probably the saddest entry, and for that she deserves some kind of recognition since she lacked it in her childhood. Sorry Ellen.
~Caitlin Garden
9. The Witch of Izalith (Dark Souls)
Spoiler Warning!
While the Witch of Izalith doesn’t appear in the game itself, at least not in the conventional sense, her presence still looms large over it. In the Age of Ancients, Everlasting dragons ruled over a deformed world devoid of light and life. The Witch, along with the other Lords, came from the dark with the Witches of Chaos. She found a Lord soul in the First Flame and, working with the others, brought an end to the dragons through weaving powerful firestorms – thus ushering in the Age of Fire.
The Witch makes her own contribution to prolong the new Age as the First Flame fades, attempting to replicate it with her Lord soul. It doesn’t exactly go to plan, however. Her fate is to become the Bed of Chaos, said to be the source of demons. While the Witch is ultimately consumed by her failure, her power is undeniable. And ‘Witch’ is, after all, in her name.
~Annemarie Gallagher
8. Witch Princess (Harvest Moon 3DS: A New Beginning)
The are many different iterations of The Witch Princess in the Harvest Moon series but I narrowed it down to the version found in A New Beginning on 3DS. Not only does she have a fabulous country witch fashion sense but she is more of a trickster compared to some of these other witches. She has a long running rivalry with The Harvest Goddess and is constantly concocting different spells and potions to try and ruin her rival deity’s day. Witch Princess also happens to be one of the game’s available marriage options and if you can work your way into her hearts you can learn more about her.
Of course you’ll have your work cut out to impress this witch, simple farm treats will not be enough to woo and dazzle her! She won’t even make an appearance till the second year of your game and even then you have to actually build her house for her before she will appear. Court her with grapes (as her favourite colour is purple) or any kind of sparkly gem and you could find yourself wed to a genuine witch.
Just be careful you don’t end up being turned into a toad in the process.
~Caitlin Garden
7. Flemeth (Dragon Age)
Spoiler Warning!
When we meet Flemeth, she seems to be nothing more than the ‘Witch of the Wilds’, bane of the Chasind and local Templars. And, if the stories are true, impossibly old. She soon proves to have hidden depths, rescuing you from Ostagar, where the darkspawn have overrun the battlefield. When you think about it, Flemeth is the reason Thedas is still standing today. Not only that, but she has the ability to transform into a dragon.
In subsequent games, we learn more of Flemeth’s true power. She stops by to rescue the Hawke family from the darkspawn horde, ferrying them to Kirkwall – it doesn’t get more stylish than travelling by dragon. Her only price is the delivery of an amulet, and it’s here we learn that death only seems to be a mild inconvenience for Flemeth. As well as an incredible age and power, Flemeth shows an uncanny talent for directing the course of fate. She’s certainly deserving of a place on this list.
~Annemarie Gallagher
6. Granny Rags (Dishonored)
Spoiler Warning!
Much like Flemeth, Granny Rags is a relatively unimposing presence when you first encounter her, early in Dishonored’s story. The first indication that she isn’t simply a sweet, elderly lady fallen on hard times comes when you investigate her home – she has a shrine to the Outsider, the dark and mysterious god of the Void. Using the Heart to discover more about her hints further at her true nature; it tells you that she ‘treads with purpose’ and ‘walks a dark path’. It’s only much later in the game that you see exactly how dark the path is.
You must save Slackjaw from her cauldron; first, you have to destroy a cameo. For she’s an immortal and formidable witch, marked by the Outsider. While her power more than earns her a place on this list, it’s her plans for Slackjaw that seals the deal. What’s more witchy than a plan to stick someone in a cauldron?