History ChestMonster / VideoGames

** While ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' generally has its monsters hiding in boxes (even when its monsters are much too large to reasonably fit), one optional miniboss triggered by a chest is identified as an "angler welk," a gigantic snail-like creature [[AlluringAnglerfish with a chest attached to it like the glowing portion of an angler fish]].

** You find a chest in the water level, but when you open it, the [[AlluringAnglerfish chest is a part of anglerfish-like creature]], with the chest instead of light, that turns out to be a miniboss.

* ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' Trap Team has a boss called Chomp Chest (voiced by Creator/PatrickSeitz), who, as his name implies, is a treasure chest with teeth. The game also seems to imply that treasure is essentially food for him.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}'':

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' has the most infamous chest monster in the series, if not gaming in general - Shinryu, a BonusBoss who guards the [[InfinityPlusOneSword strongest sword in the game]]. Neo Shinryu, an even stronger version of Shinryu that was added in the [[UpdatedRerelease re-releases]], also hides in a chest.

*** The game hides BonusBoss [[TheGrimReaper Reaper]] in random treasure chests while playing through a NewGamePlus. Thankfully, it's kind enough to give you an ambiguous warning when you try to open it. However, on rare occasions a Shadow will jump out of a treasure chest ''without'' warning and initiate a battle complete with an Enemy Advantage. [[NintendoHard Given the nature of the game]], this would likely result in a GameOver.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'': While swimming through an underwater cave in [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd the Caribbean]], Sora finds [[SchmuckBait a huge chest between a pair of glowing whiskers]]. He goes to open it and the Lightning Angler bursts out of the sand and swallows him whole, only to spit him right back out. Cue UnderwaterBossFight.

** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' has Chest Spiders, which are three-legged, poison-spewing unversed that look like regular chests until you try to open them.

** ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'':

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' features a variant of the Octorok -- enemies that normally masquerade as random pieces of scenery -- that wears a fake chest on its head; the chest looks like all the other metals chests that can be yanked out of the ground using Magnesis, except the Octorok's chest is ''not'' magnetic. Wearing the Champion's Tunic will also reveal the enemy's health meter.

* ''Deepwoken'' post-Verse 2 has a random chance for a chest in the Aratel sea to be rigged with monsters from the [[EldritchOceanAbyss Depths]], and [[https://youtu.be/akRP2pjrakI as two players found out]], has a rare chance of spawning a ''[[BossInMookClothing Nautilodaunt]]''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'': The ''Nuts 2'' level features a group of apparent megaspheres (200% armor/health refills) which turn out to actually be monsters with a machine-gun attack. (And standing nearby are [[InvertedTrope apparent dangerous monsters which turn out to be simple cardboard cutouts.]])
%%** ''VideoGame/Doom3'': Numbered lockers typically contain goodies. However, woe is you if you open locker [[NumberOfTheBeast #666]].%%Why?

** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' takes the trope literally with the Pokémon Gimmighoul, a small imp that inhabits a treasure chest. This averted in its Roaming Form, though, which is in search of a new chest to inhabit and only has a single coin to carry around. Note that as there otherwise aren't any treasure chests in the overworld you're unlikely to actually be trickeed by the presence of a Gimmighoul.

** Greavard is a {{Reconstruction}} of this trope after the shift to 3D made it so that Pokémon like Voltorb and Foonguss could not possibly be confused for Poké Balls. Greavard nests itself underneath the ground with the candle on its head sticking out, so it can be mistaken for the [[NoticeThis sparkles]] that are used to indicate that a random item is in that spot. As a consequence, if you're trying to get through its habitat quickly, you can easily end up running into one by accident while you're trying to pick up items along the same path. It's possible to separate a Greavard from those sparkles, as the flame on its candle is not the same color, but it can be difficullt to distinguish that when you're racing through its territory.

** In the same game, Greavard is a {{Reconstruction}} of this trope after the shift to 3D made it so that Pokémon like Voltorb and Foonguss could not possibly be confused for Poké Balls. Greavard nests itself underneath the ground, and the candle on its head can be mistaken for the [[NoticeThis sparkles]] that are used to indicate that a random item is in that spot. As a consequence, if you're trying to get through its habitat quickly, you can easily end up running into one by accident while you're trying to pick up items along the same path. It's possible to separate a Greavard from those sparkles, as the flame on its candle is [[TechnicolorFire violet]], but it can be difficullt to distinguish that when you're racing through its territory.

** In the same game, Greavard is a {{Reconstruction}} of this trope after the shift to 3D made it so that Pokémon like Voltorb, Foonguss, and Galarian Stunfisk could not possibly be confused for Poké Balls. Greavard nests itself underneath the ground, and the candle on its head can be mistaken for the [[NoticeThis sparkles]] that are used to indicate that a random item is in that spot. As a consequence, if you're trying to get through its habitat quickly, you can easily end up running into one by accident while you're trying to pick up items along the same path. It's possible to separate a Greavard from those sparkles, as the flame on its candle is [[TechnicolorFire violet]], but it can be difficullt to distinguish that when you're racing through its territory.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' takes the trope literally with the Pokémon Gimmighoul, a small imp that inhabits a treasure chest. This averted in its Roaming Form, though, which is in search of a new chest to inhabit and only has a single coin to carry around.

* ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon'':
** The aptly named Mimic is a Chest Monster that can be randomly encountered throughout the came, though finding one is rare. It replaces ordinary chests, and looks exactly like them, save for the occasional movements and lack of a keyhole. When interacted with or shot at, they reveal themselves to be mimics, and proceed to attack the player. Mimics are notoriously hard to kill -- their high HP coupled with erratic movement patterns and high rates of fire make them difficult targets. If the player moves into a room outside of the one which the mimic was found in, it will pursue them. Additionally, the "quality" of a chest affects Mimics as well -- the higher the quality of a chest that a Mimic... [[ShapedLikeItself mimics]], the stronger the Mimic will be. Mimics that are red or black are [[BossInMookClothing particularly nasty]] as opposed to brown, blue, or green Mimics, by virtue of having a different, more dangerous attack pattern, and trading their magnums for ''[[MoreDakka miniguns]]''.

** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'': Played with by the "Trashure" enemy. The enemy looks like a treasure chest on the overworld. However, the player is not fooled because 1. it has eyes and moves around 2. treasure in this game comes in blocks, not chests. It's a great enemy to fight as it opens up at low health and Bowser can use his vacuum to suck in a ''lot'' of money. However, it [[MetalSlime tends to run away often]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'':
** ''VideoGame/Borderlands1'':

* ''VideoGame/Borderlands1'': Played literally in the DLC ''Dr. Ned's Zombie Island'' with the Loot Goon, a Tankenstein with a red gun chest on his back. Killing him let you loot the chest. In a more straight example, in ''The Secret Armory of General Knoxx'' several lootable things (weapons chests, dumpsters, etc) has midgets hidden away inside them. ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' adds a more traditional and horrifying version in ''Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep'' and they return in the interquel ''VideoGame/TinyTinasWonderlands''.

** In all three games, there are Barrel Spiders and Pot Spiders. Barrels and pots usually dispense health and magic orbs when hit, but come close to these guys and they'll sprout eyes and legs and start attacking you as well as ''blowing themselves up''. Jafar can conjure up a Barrel Centipede.
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' has Chest Spiders, which are ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.

** In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', this is one of two ways to encounter [[MetalSlime Treasure Demons]], they appear randomly while swiping loot from various objects in Palaces.

** In ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarI'', the treasure chests dropped after RandomEncounters were occasionally boobytrapped to explode or shoot an arrow when they were opened.

** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', the trickery continues, but now you can even come across Foongus looking like an item in a ''Hidden Grotto.'' This doesn't even make sense anymore, since in the Hidden Grotto, the ball is shown in full and not just the cap. On the plus side, the Foongus won't have Effect Spore, but its hidden ability, [[HealingFactor Regenerator]].

** Finally taking the trope in literally in ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' with the Pokemon, Gimmighoul. Somewhat averted in its Roaming Form though.
** Item Boxes in ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonXD'' are square in shape, so Genius Sonority knew they couldn't use the old Fake Item Ball trick from the games. They still included their own brand of ParanoiaFuel with ceiling-mounted Cipher Peons, which were placed in otherwise empty hallways and love to drop in your path when you desperately needed to get to the healing machine they were most likely guarding.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', in any area where the treasure chests looked like round pots with four metal legs, some of them would of course turn out to be actual mimics. The game's monster lore provided a long, creative backstory regarding their creation. And then there are the "Crystalbugs", three monsters disguised as '''Save Points''', which were [[FeedItWithFire impervious to all elements]] and attacked using high-level spells, but fortunately left actual Save Points behind upon their defeat.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has treasure coffers in Hullbreaker Isle that can transform into a Mimic which can do a lot of damage and inflict Poison on the party. You have no choice but the fight them since they drop stone tablets that are needed to open a door.
** Palace of the Dead also has Mimics that can randomly spawn when you try to open a coffer. They still hit hard, but they can also inflict Accursed Pox, which causes damage over time, reduces your strength, and disables your HP from regenerating naturally for ''10 minutes''. You can also get a minion version of the Mimic that is harmless and follows you around like other minions.
** Heaven-On-High has the Quivering Coffer, which gets stronger and more dangerous as the floor count gets higher, and which can be found opening any non-gold chest (and rooms of monsters can be turned into them using a pomander of alteration on the previous floor). Up to floor 40, a single Quivering Coffer is not a problem. Beyond it, their incredibly high defense even against high-damage DPS jobs and their equally high attack power that can almost one-shot a DPS and knock off half of a tank's HP bar can end any solo run in seconds.
** ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' technically doesn't have Chest Monsters. But due to the board-game type mechanics, when you pick up an item or defeat an enemy, other items/enemies will often appear in the stage. So pretty much any time you see a chest, you can be sure opening it will cause an enemy to spawn behind you and attack. They don't even try to hide it in one of the final stages - [[SchmuckBait the path to the boss's square is clear and you can walk right up to it and end the stage instantly, or you can open the single treasure chest in the middle of the stage with no enemies around it...not until you open it anyway. When you do, ''four'' enemies appear, all very high level, and ambush you.]] There is no way a player can look at that stage and ''not'' know what's gonna happen if they go for the chest.

** Although there weren't any Chest Monsters in the original ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI Final Fantasy]]'', there are certain spots near some treasure chests that will [[PreexistingEncounters initiate enemy encounters the moment you step on them]]. While a bane the first time you encounter them, as they are pretty powerful the first time you go through a dungeon, because they are ''always'' encountered by stepping on those tiles, you can use them to level grind later.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'', Mimics will show up in worlds once "hard mode" is unlocked. They're fairly tough, but drop loads of money and a rare item when defeated. Like the ''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'' examples below, they are easy to spot; this time, it's because they often aren't aligned to the furniture grid like normal chests. Furthermore, they can spawn anywhere, often in places you've already searched and thus know don't have chests. Even more blatant, underground chests in worlds generated past 1.3.0.1 only show up in the respective biome's underground cabin meaning that any chest not inside one is a mimic. They can also be told apart using a spelunker potion and/or hunter potion as treasure and ores are given a yellow-ish glow while monsters are lit up with a reddish-ish glow. It's important to note that these can also be spawned by wiring up a chest statue to any kind of switch; those unfortunately don't drop any items or coins though. There are even rarer versions specific to certain biomes that are even tougher, but drop more valuable loot. There are even easier to spot, as they're twice the size of a normal chest and don't conform to any design. You can even create them yourself by creating a key out of souls and leaving it in an empty chest.

* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey V'': In ''Beyond the Myth'', there's a chest in the locked area of the second stratum that, when opened, triggers a guaranteed blindside by a pair of Megavolt Marmots, which are identical to the Volt Squirrels native to the stratum but significantly more powerful. You have to trigger this chest and beat the enemies for a sidequest item, by the way.