Enemies are a staple of just about every action video game subgenre, whether it's a first or third-person shooter, open-world adventure, or real-time strategy. Across these genres, players will encounter vicious beasts, bandits, raiders, dragons, soldiers, and demons, all of which have just one goal in mind: to stop the player at all costs. While mobs are a staple of the gaming landscape, their placement is usually carefully decided by developers in order to strike the perfect balance of action and downtime, but that's not quite true for the RPG genre, which tends to make great use of the 'Monsters everywhere' trope.
The role-playing genre has always been one of the most popular in gaming, with its roots dating all the way back to the invention of tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. As the genre has evolved over the last 40+ years, as have certain in-game mechanics and systems, but one thing has stayed the same over all these years, the sheer number of enemies RPGs throw at the player, and the 'Monsters everywhere' trope perfectly summarizes this phenomenon.
The Monsters Everywhere Gaming Trope Explained
It's often the case in an RPG that every few steps the player takes, they'll encounter some kind of enemy. In turn-based RPGs, these encounters can happen just about anywhere in enemy territory, often coming out of nowhere. In real-time RPGs, these encounters are a little more telegraphed, and can usually be avoided, but that doesn't mean there are any fewer enemies. This phenomenon is known as the 'Monsters everywhere' trope, where players are constantly stumbling into all manner of enemies, regardless of whether it makes any in-universe logical sense.
The Best Examples of the Monsters Everywhere Trope in Gaming
It's pretty fair to say that just about every modern RPG features the 'Monsters everywhere' trope - even though there are exceptions. One of the best examples of the trope can be found across the Final Fantasy franchise, and in particular, its turn-based entries. Final Fantasy 7 has combat encounters around every corner, with players never knowing if the next step will force them into a life-or-death situation. These random encounters are always accompanied by a big "swoosh" sound effect, indicating the start of a battle, and heightening the tension right before revealing who the player's up against.
The Pokemon franchise follows a very similar formula, with its encounters also occurring at random, and being accompanied by a "swoosh" and some iconic battle music. Thankfully, most of Pokemon's encounters are restricted to specific areas, such as tall grass, so the player actively participates in the 'Monsters everywhere' trope as opposed to having it forced on them. That being said, that is exactly what happens during Pokemon's many cave segments, where players will run into countless Pokemon before they see the light of day again. In some Pokemon entries, these cave segments are made even worse, with more critters spawning if the player is running through the cave.
Real-time RPGs aren't free from the 'Monsters everywhere' trope either. Two of the biggest examples of its implementation are The Elder Scrolls series, in particular Skyrim, and the Fallout franchise. Throughout both of these series, players will be constantly running into groups of enemies in the wilderness, whether it's raiders, bandits, Imperial Legions, trolls, or dragons. Stealthy players can often avoid these encounters, but the vast number of enemies will always be there waiting for them around every corner.