Blighteds

Blighteds are a fictional species of undead creatures that first appeared in the 2016 role‑playing video game of the same name. Created by the digital artist collective “Darkstone Studios,” the game blends horror and strategy elements as players build settlements and defend them against the Blighteds. In the lore, the Blighteds are the result of a failed bioweapon experiment that infected the local wildlife, turning them into quasi‑living refuse. Each Blighted creature carries a body covered in fungal growths and crusted wounds, and they are attracted to decay and abandoned structures. The game presents them as modular enemies, with variants ranging from fast scavenging “Skinchers” to slower, heavily armored “Cinders.” Blighteds' abilities include spreading a contagion that slowly rots nearby vegetation and temporary “overgrowth” that can block passage or attack the player’s structures.

The term has since entered gaming subculture to describe similar, bio‑engineered undead in other indie titles and tabletop games. Critics note that the Blighteds’ design draws on classic Jaws‑like horror tropes, juxtaposing organic decay with futuristic technology. The relative simplicity of the creature’s concept has encouraged various fan artists to create fan‑art and short animations depicting the Undead’s slow, lumbering advance. While no real species called Blighteds exists, their portrayal in video games and the surrounding fan community illustrates the growing popularity of combining natural decay motifs with sci‑fi/arth‑sci undaily themes.