Most enemies in games opt for a conventional fight. They run straight at players and try to kill them the old-fashioned way. Not a lot of brains are involved, and this makes them easy to dispatch. However, some foes take a less direct approach.
Gaming has several adversaries who are masters of illusion. They conjure apparitions, hallucinations, and a plethora of other tricks to misdirect the heroes. That's not to say every such mystic is a villain, but that's the case more often than not. These encounters can be extremely frustrating. That said, they provide a novel obstacle, one that heroes can't solve by brute force.
6 Odin – God Of War: Ragnarok
For better or worse, the God of War series' Norse era attempts to subvert many expectations. Among them is the king of the Aesir gods accomplishing his goals through subterfuge instead of strength. It's how he supposedly conquers the nine realms, and he eventually employs it to infiltrate the inner circle of Kratos, Atreus, Mimir, and their dwarf friends.
To do this, Odin poses as the Norse God of War, Tyr, whom they rescue from imprisonment. He then learns all their plans and how to counter them. He does this hoping that he can prevent Ragnarök and, by extension, his own demise. How he can be in two places at once--hiding with Kratos's party and running things in Asgard--is unclear. Maybe that's one of the perks of being a god.
5 Zexion – Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories
Organization 13 is slimy enough, but their antics amplify in the deceptive Castle Oblivion, where they attempt to turn the Kingdom Hearts heroes into their puppets. The tricky Zexion takes on Riku, who strives to atone for his previous dark deeds. What better way to revert him than pitting him against his friend?
Zexion takes the form of Sora--Riku's best friend and the series' foremost warrior of light. When Riku sees his buddy treat him as just another spawn of darkness, he's at once confused and heartbroken. He would have fallen if not for some outside help. Honestly, though, Zexion's pseudo-Shakespearean speech pattern should have been a dead giveaway. Never has Sora sounded remotely that smart.
4 The Mad Hatter – Batman: Arkham
Many villains in the Arkham series dabble in hallucinations and misdirection. Both Scarecrow and Ra's al Ghul use this tactic on Batman at some point. That said, the most prolific master of illusions is the Mad Hatter. Modeling himself on the Alice in Wonderland character, he strives to share his madness with the Dark Knight.
This leads to a slew of stunning side missions where the Hatter traps the Caped Crusader in his demented arenas. Arkham City has the hero fight a pack of mind-controlled goons on a giant clock. The prequel, Arkham Origins, sees him traverse a gothic horror obstacle course. Finally, Arkham Knight contains a DLC episode where Batman must fight through a pop-up book recap of the previous games. Players never know quite what to expect from the Mad Hatter, but they can rest assured that it'll be a visual treat.
3 Mysterio – Spider-Man
Another supervillain, Mysterio trained as an actor, illusionist, and SFX artist. He uses all of these skills against Spider-Man in multiple games. The only exception is Shattered Dimensions, which gives him real magic and negates the need for fakery. That's not the case with his other appearances.
The Spider-Man 2 movie tie-in has him turn his apartment into a labyrinthine funhouse. He also projects his image as a two-story giant. This is just overcompensating, though, as one punch puts him down for the count. He needs illusions to even stand a chance.
Perhaps his greatest caper comes in Neversoft's 2000 title. Here, he impersonates the web-slinger himself, framing him for a scientific expo heist and making him a wanted man. It's a trick that all of New York falls for.
2 The Contessa – Sly 2: Band Of Thieves
This Interpol agent prides herself on rehabilitating criminals into obedient members of society. She accomplishes this through revolutionary hypnosis techniques. She delves into their minds until they no longer know what's real and what's not. Not only do they no longer commit crimes, but they tell her where they've hidden their stolen riches. In that sense, she gets both fame and fortune.
Sly Cooper and his gang get a taste of the Contessa's methods firsthand. Her experiments on Murray reduce him to a quivering mess. Even when his friends bust him out, he charges at them like a maniac. The sadistic therapist later enhances her gifts with the mythical Clockwerk Eyes, which she weaponizes during her battle with Sly. She turns his vision (and the whole screen) into a psychedelic spiral. His strong mind is the only reason he doesn't wind up a vegetable.
1 Gaunter O'Dimm – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
How ironic that the most infuriating monster in The Witcher 3 is in the DLC. Gaunter O'Dimm is an omnipotent being who loves toying with lowly mortals. He gets his sick kicks by pressing them into binding agreements and hurling curses. In this way, he's like the Devil incarnate.
What's more, is that he has the powers to back that up. Not only can he conjure contracts and other objects out of thin air, but simply studying his exploits causes a professor to go blind. Titular witcher Geralt soon challenges him, but the last thing O'Dimm wants is to fight on equal footing. He transports the monster slayer to a desolate woodland. Here, he encounters creatures he's already vanquished and even a vision of his friend, Shani, falling off a cliff. After he escapes from this place, Geralt must then overcome a castle of trick mirrors. It's just one thing after another with O'Dimm. His endless barrage of twisted games is enough to drive anyone insane.