The Secret's Out

Rumors of Bigfoot’s supposed appearance in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas spread like wildfire in 2004, but these stories were nothing more than urban legends. In Grand Theft Auto V, Bigfoot finally appeared for real… kind of. During one of the missions, Bigfoot can briefly be seen via the use of a heat-detecting scope mounted on a sniper rifle. If the player manages to finish the game with 100% completion, a special mission is unlocked in which the player can actively pursue Bigfoot. It was a mission nine years in the making, but it turned out to be a ruse. In what was one of the biggest letdowns in gaming history, “Bigfoot” was actually just a weird dude wearing a costume. After being unmasked, the crazed man explains that it’s arousing to role play as a fantastical beast and proceeds to bark like a dog for some reason. Woof.

A horned yeti named Bentley was featured in many Spyro games, but his intelligence diminished with each appearance. Slam Bam is the second playable yeti character to appear in the greater Spyro series, but he is undoubtedly the coolest. His sharp teeth and claws might be alarming at first, but the four-armed yeti grew up in isolation on a floating glacier where he spent his days ice surfing, eating snow cones, and socializing with beautiful ice sculptures. It was only after his glacier was destroyed by an siniser Portal Master that the homeless Slam Bam decided to start training to become a Skylander. It’s par for the course for a yeti, but Slam Bam is one of the few Skylanders who can use ice-based attacks. Slam Bam can freeze his opponents, pummel them with his oversized fists, or use his ice sculptures to slow his enemies down.

Their shaggy white fur and menacing eyebrows make Abomasnow look dangerous, but they’re placid creatures who live quietly on snow-covered mountains and typically only appear when snow flowers bloom. They are sometimes referred to as ice monsters, but they go to great lengths to keep themselves hidden and are known to bury themselves or summon blizzards to perpetually blanket themselves in snow. Abomasnow are known as the Frosted Tree Pokémon, and are able to make use of either grass or ice-based maneuvers. In battle, they have been known to attack their opponents with icy fists, chilling gusts, and sharp-edged leaves. Their most notable ability is “Snow Warning,” which summons a hailstorm as soon as they enter a battle. It would be easy to mistake him for a primitive beast, but there’s nothing primitive about controlling the weather.

The Zombie Yeti is a rare and curious creature and the last zombie that you encounter during Plants vs. Zombies. Their appearance is based on the legendary yeti that lives in the Himalayas, but their bugged out eyes give them a much more comical appearance. Like the real yeti, the very existence of Zombie Yeti is surrounded by mystery. Their almanac entry in the game doesn’t even appear until after the player has completed the Adventure mode. There’s no guarantee that players will see him at all. When he does finally make an appearance, you’ll only see him between flashes of lightning. Despite their enigmatic existence, Zombie Yeti are actually quite popular. A Zombie Yeti costume is available in the Xbox Live Marketplace, and the creatures have even starred in their very own Facebook game. That’s something, right?

In Red Dead Redemption, sasquatch are said to stand nearly 7’0″ and weigh in excess of 600 lbs. A strange man in the woods insists that they prey on human infants, but the timid creatures are actually vegetarians. Sasquatch avoid contact with humans, and will run when guns are aimed at them. The sasquatch lived quietly in the forests for 1,000 years before humans began to senselessly hunt them down. After his brethren are murdered, the last remaining sasquatch laments on the fact that his family is gone and he is the last of his kind. Overcome with sorrow, the sasquatch goes so far as to ask for his own death. Incidentally, sasquatch are similar to humans in their reactions and feelings. Zombies confuse them for humans and will pursue them as such, but mankind seems incapable of seeing how gentle the sasquatch really are.

It would be hard to imagine a more harmless creature than Yeta. She lives a quiet existence with her husband, Yeto, and doesn’t seem to pose danger to anyone. Her sleeveless sweater gives her the appearance of an armless creature and the colorful argyle pattern is anything but intimidating. When Link first meets Yeta, she is in the process of making soup in an effort to nurse herself back to health. Sadly, Yeta is corrupted by the power of the “Mirror of Twilight” and tries to kill Link after transforming into a twisted ice monster known as Blizzeta. (More like bitcheta amirte?) After Blizzeta is defeated, Yeta returns to her normal self and Yeto’s love helps bring her back from the brink of death. Yeta and Yeto become good friends with Link from this point on, and even go so far as to have friendly races with him down the mountain.

Sasquatch is part of a noble tribe of sasquatches from the Canadian Rockies. He’s appeared in almost every Darkstalkers game and has starred in two mobile games. Despite their incredible strength, Sasquatch and his tribe are peaceful creatures who survive mostly on fish and bananas. When his companions go missing, Sasquatch demonstrates incredible bravery by jumping through a rift that mysteriously appeared in his village. It’s eventually revealed that his friends went through the rift on their own fruition because they were promised bananas, but this doesn’t diminish Sasquatch’s gallantry. In battle, Sasquatch attacks his opponents with his oversized hands and feet, but he also has a number of ice-based attacks in his repertoire and can even summon exploding penguins to help him if the situation calls for it.

Final Fantasy VI has one of the most eclectic cast of characters ever seen in an RPG, and Umaro might be the most unique of the bunch. He differs from other party members by virtue of the fact that players are unable to give him commands. He’s more than capable of handling himself, however, and has the highest HP, strength, and defense in the game. Umaro attacks with great intensity, and has even been known to summon snowstorms or use his friends as makeshift projectiles. He can be seen early on in the game and villagers spread rumors of a giant yeti who populates the mines, but his existence is shrouded in mystery and he doesn’t become a party member until late in the game. Umaro has an affinity for stone carvings and is only able to communicate with moogles, but actions speak louder than words. Rest assured, Umaro can be very loud.

Jaws made people afraid to swim in the ocean after its release in 1975, and SkiFree affected ski hills in a similar fashion in 1990 ^{[citation needed]}. SkiFree throws countless obstacles at the player, and its never-ending slope is littered with rocks, stumps, and moguls. Players also have to be mindful of other skiers, dogs, and moving trees! These hazards are relatively easy to overcome, but the abominable snow monster is a legitimate threat. He moves much faster than his size would suggest and it’s almost impossible to outrun him. When he inevitably catches a skier, he picks them up with his gangly arms and effortlessly places them into his grotesque mouth. The relentless monster devours his victims without prejudice, skis and all. His glowing red eyes and yellow teeth are the very definition of nightmare fuel.

Jack Frost is a snow elf whose appearance marks the coming of winter. You could say that he’s the embodiment of all that is cool. He acts like a friendly child and is known to leave beautiful icy patterns on windows in the morning, but he has no qualms in freezing you to death if you get on his bad side. It is said that Jack Frost originally looked like an abominable snowman before changing his appearance in an effort to lure more victims. In Shin Megami Tensei IV, we see one of his transformations first-hand when he evolves into a wendigo. (A wendigo is a half-beast creature of Algonquian myth said to appear along the Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes Regions of the United States and Canada.) Legend had it that humans could turn into a wendigo if they resorted to cannibalism, but Jack Frost merely has to reach level 20.