Sometimes, they crawl up the ears, and other times, they give some weird bites that are ambiguously venomous. It's no wonder why a lot of people don't find insects cute in real life. But video games don't really care much about real life, so they've taken some liberties with some insect species and gave them a creative fictional makeover that makes them more than cuddly.
Some video game insects are simply too charming, helpful, or adorable to compare to their real-world alien counterparts. Some of these insect characters and NPCs even look so cute that they were given the honor of being the protagonists in their own video game worlds. Other times, one simply can't resist their bug-eyed animal magnetism.
8 Caterpie (Pokemon)
Caterpie, a Pokémon based on caterpillars, is one of the earliest cuties of the Pokémon franchise. This Gen 1 pocket monster serves as the base form of its kind and later evolves into Metapod and then Butterfree.
Butterfree is also a good contender here, but Caterpie holds a special place in many fans' hearts; partly because this Pokémon keeps shoving its existence at the players' faces whenever they're passing through the grass in the old Pokémon games. Actually, there are too many cute bug-type Pokémon that qualify here, but that's a topic for another time. Other games do have their own contenders.
7 The Knight (Hollow Knight)
Speaking of other insect contenders, Hollow Knight has its own in the form of the rather emo Knight protagonist. He's nameless, he's brooding, and he has a cape, but none of those wash away the fact that he's a dinky hero wannabe with a darling toothpick for a sword.
Depending on the player's competence, the Knight can exude a more mature and competent air around him, but more often than not, his endearing persistence and stubby fighting style make him more adorable than angsty. As for what kind of insect he is, he's supposed to be a stag beetle or at least wears a mask that resembles a stag beetle.
6 Kinsect (Monster Hunter)
Some video game insects are so cooperative and valuable to the adventure that it's easy to form some kind of one-sided attachment to them. The Kinsect from the Monster Hunter games is among those bugs. It doesn't really talk and is just a giant beetle or flying insect that assists players in hunts; it does so in style whenever Insect Glaive hunters send their death beetles for a special move.
Kinsect purposes and combos are also customizable, giving players a degree of personalization for their Kinsect assistants— provided they use the Insect Glaive weapons. Monster Hunter games that feature the Kinsect thus give its players some kind of digital beetle collection hobby.
5 Q-Bee (Darkstalkers)
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One would imagine a being from a race of insect demons to be grotesque and alien in appearance, but Q-Bee from the Darkstalkers games has always looked more human compared to other video game insects. In fact, most of her variations in the video game series are more akin to bee cosplayers than what one would expect a bee demon to look like.
But despite being part of a race of monsters that consume souls to live, Q-Bee is only four feet tall; hard to be menacing with that kind of stature. And with a face like hers, her victims are probably lining up to offer their souls to be eaten. She also has a habit of stalking people to learn information about them, and from time to time, she offers people to join her side like some kind of evil Mormon.
4 Snark (Half-Life)
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As far as evil insects in video games go, the Snark from Half-Life is the most chaotic. It's the very definition of the Chaotic Evil morality from Dungeons and Dragons. Because this alien bug also doubles as a grenade. The problem with sentient grenades is that they have no allegiance and will nibble at the closest living thing they see before exploding with the force of a dynamite stick.
Sure, they look all wiggly and cutesy in Gordon Freeman's hands, but one wrong throw and these wretched alien babies will tear their "owners" apart. The Half-Life community also resorted to calling them Squeak Grenades, seemingly ignoring its volatile deadliness; even if players get killed by a squad of Snarks, it's hard to die in anger.
3 Ladybug (Grounded)
Grounded is the latest survival game to hit full-release status, and it's also one of the most memorable right now. The game is practically Honey, I Shrunk the Kids but in Pixar visuals. As tiny teenagers no larger than ants, players get to experience the local backyard fauna and flora. Among these garden denizens is a Ladybug.
In-game, their existence is almost a sign of sanctuary as these relatively gigantic Ladybugs aren't usually hostile and can even offer players a piggyback ride. Not to mention they're also one of a handful of insect species that don't look intimidating or creepy in real life, and their counterparts in Grounded also offer the same facade.
2 Charmy Bee (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Charmy Bee from the Sonic the Hedgehog games and cartoons lives up to his name and then some. He's the anthropomorphic representative of bees in the franchise, and he's no mere stuffed toy reference. Charmy is also a detective who even helped co-found Team Chaotix, which is a detective agency.
While he is somewhat intelligent, his expertise lies more in networking and motivation. Charmy Bee functions more like the one-man cheering squad for this detective agency due to his upbeat and hyperactive jokester. He's a typical extrovert poster boy, but in bee form, so fans can probably forgive him for buzzing around too much.
1 Wiggler (Super Mario Bros.)
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Wigglers are quite prominent in the Super Mario games for being an anti-Mario type of enemy. Whereas most enemies don't seem to mind being squashed by an Italian plumber's crusty, mud-caked work boots, the Wiggler caterpillars take special offense to the notion. They even go red with rage and scutter about angrily if ever the players jump on them.
The funny thing is, they don't even look that neurotic. They usually walk around calmly with flowers on their heads, so the very first time players saw them, they probably didn't even look bad. Some Wigglers, however, have overcome their anger issues and have acceptable, workplace levels of rage - enough to make them play the role of allies.