Epic boss battles in video games

[UberScout]

I have played so many games that have such a huge emphasis on combat and have gigantic bosses, I've been stuck on plenty that have taken me days, months even years to beat, like one I spent a year on in Metroid Fusion when I was a kid, it was a giant six legged mechanical spider that spits fire at you and bounces around the walls like pong. Then when he's about to die his legs come off and he goes mental spinning around the air.

But I'm talking about the ones that have you going up against a guy that before the fight happens he gives you some lecture about why he's screwing everything up and then finally tells you "I'm done bliping around, time to die!" Then powers up and flies at you head first.

The atmosphere tells you just how urgent this battle is and what it will do for the world if you win, and how it will die if you don't. The flashy, sparky effects that happen when you're sitting there mashing the bejeezus out of Square to pummel his face with fiery punches or waggling a giant sword or some other weapon all over through his armor making it shred off his shoulders into the air is like the best stress relief man has ever made. The unending amount of rage and anger you hear coming from your character while he screams the big bad's head off for killing/kidnapping [insert name of friend/family member and how close they are] or destroying [insert some kind of unique form of macguffin] or anything else they did to piss your main guy off, you can hear it in your own voice in your own mind because you're imagining yourself as them punishing someone who did the same to you in real life, you almost want to echo their rage out loud even though you're wearing noise cancelling headphones with Dolby support turned on. Then when you got him out of phase 1 it's time for phase 2 and now his armor's off his body, and whoa what the heck he doesn't look like [insert natural form he looks like not wearing armor or final form]! Hes got like red/black/purple veins that are like waving around and his skin is blue or something, and holy crap he can lift up rocks out of the ground and throw it at you!

All this is the baddest of @$$, but there's one thing about these games that always fires my "hero of time code" when it does it well enough: the music. Good heavens almighty, any game can piece together an epic fight for the fate of the planet, it can put it at the center of the earth, the top of a skyscraper, the inside of a giant mechanized frigate, anywhere at all, it will always feel like the most epic battle, but it won't feel like it means anything unless you can hear music that sounds like it would play inside your hero's mind while he's flailing tail on the bug bad, or it would come from his sword while he swings it around or whatever weapon he uses. And if it has lyrics to match what your guy or both you and the boss is feeling during the fight? Holy jiminy buttscuttling Christmas it's like a religious experience. You eventually see what your guy sees, feel just how pissed off they are. It's an amazing feeling.

Latest one I saw that felt like this on YouTube was Metal Gear Rising Revengeance against Senator Armstrong. The music during the fight against his mech is awesome in itself, but when you fight Nanobot!Armstrong, the FREAKING LYRICS.
"Standing here
I realize
That you're just like me
Try to make history
But who's to judge
The right from wrong
If you stand by me
I think we both will see
That violence breeds violence"

Holy mother of flying pigs alive every time I fought Maddog, if this music was playing full volume during those times, I would have had enough adrenaline to send him to China just by grabbing him and throwing him straight down.

But that doesn't happen anymore.

Still though, one reason why I love video games.

 

[AGXStarseed]

Yeah, the fight against Armstrong - both when he's in the Metal Gear EXCELSUS and when he's been powered up by the Nanomachines - are pretty impressive. I especially love the music in both those fights ("Collective Consciousness" and "It Has To Be This Way" respectively).

 

[Wolfsage]

Ever play Final Fantasy with Noctis. Mmm. It will make you feel. Hashtag Stand by me.

Asura's Wrath is the best one for epic boss battles. Literally the thought is. You want me to fight that!!!!

 

[BrokenBoy]

Everytime you fight Vergil in Devil May Cry 3.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Everytime you fight Vergil in Devil May Cry 3.

Or how about every time you fight Kushala Daora in Monster Hunter 2-World?

Seriously, that stupid frikin silver dragon has been in every Monster Game since the series's second generation, and its fight has been annoying all throughout.

On a more related note, I think the most epic boss battle from the Monster Hunter series is when you fight Shagaru Magala in either Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate or MH Generations / MH Generations Ultimate. Just look at this footage:

Note: This footage is obviously not by me. It would take me more than 15 minutes to kill Shagaru.

 

[Misery]

Okay, how about something a bit different?

Something I've learned recently is that while boss fights are usually these gigantic, laser-firing demon monsters or maybe giant robots or whatever, a truly epic boss fight doesnt really need to be like that. Sometimes, things can go in a very different direction, yet create an amazing result.

Let's try this:

This is the fight against Carre, a boss in the game Golden Light.

This isnt your average boss. No rampaging obvious Godzilla monster here, no gloating evil jerk with a bazooka. Golden Light is a horror game, but no ordinary one. This is a game where you cant even trust the bookshelves, because they might suddenly stand up and turn into a meat face or something and try to eat you. Incredibly weird game. This is also one of those horror games where you cant just fight your way out... many times, running away desperately and hiding is the answer. It's one bad situation after another.

Carre presents a very different type of threat from most bosses. This extremely erratic.... thing.... roams the level with no rhyme or reason, generally making a terror of itself. The boss itself is unnerving enough in appearance. I have no bloody clue what it is supposed to be, and it is very hard to get a good look at the "core", because if you do get a real look it's probably launched itself at you and it's time to get the heck away. Some sort of horrible pulsating meat blob followed by a train of hand things, I dont know. It produces a constant haunting melody when nearby, among other unpleasant sounds it can make.

But also, this is one of those games where you cant really afford mistakes. Monsters hit like freight trains, and healing is very hard to come by. On top of that, Carre's presence doesnt mean that other things arent nearby too. This game has a bizarre obsession with mimics. I dont mean the "toothy treasure chest" sort. I mean the "oh god is that potted plant looking at me" sort. Pretty much anything can be one, and there's a variety of horrors that a transformed mimic can become. Now, granted, it is occaisionally easy to tell when something is a mimic, because if that table just slid across the room, opened a door, and went into the hallway, well, it just might be a mimic. Most of the time though... it's very hard to tell where they are, unless you hear them breathing.

Carre though produces that constant, uh, "music" when nearby, masking any sounds that other monsters might produce. Which tends to be the most dangerous thing it is capable of, despite not being a real "attack". On top of that, attacking it means making noise, and noise attracts Bad Things. Not only that, but the level is always a cramped labyrinth, and often you dont quite know where the thing is. You hear the music, it is growing louder, but what direction is it coming from? If you open that door... is it going to be RIGHT THERE? And what will you do if it is? In the video I got real lucky in that the map showed me that it was immediately nearby... usually, I have to go hunting for it (and usually this fight takes way longer as a result).

AND, the blasted thing produces that "falling stars" zone effect, constantly damaging whatever weapon I'm holding if I'm standing in it. Another few seconds and that revolver would have burst. Trying to fight that nightmare with a freaking knife is.... problematic.

It may not seem like the most exciting video, but this is the most tense, suspenseful, and outright DIFFICULT boss fight I've encountered in quite some time. It's way harder than it looks, that's for sure. Well, the whole game is.

 

[Wolfsage]

Okay, how about something a bit different?

Something I've learned recently is that while boss fights are usually these gigantic, laser-firing demon monsters or maybe giant robots or whatever, a truly epic boss fight doesnt really need to be like that. Sometimes, things can go in a very different direction, yet create an amazing result.

Let's try this:

This is the fight against Carre, a boss in the game Golden Light.

This isnt your average boss. No rampaging obvious Godzilla monster here, no gloating evil jerk with a bazooka. Golden Light is a horror game, but no ordinary one. This is a game where you cant even trust the bookshelves, because they might suddenly stand up and turn into a meat face or something and try to eat you. Incredibly weird game. This is also one of those horror games where you cant just fight your way out... many times, running away desperately and hiding is the answer. It's one bad situation after another.

Carre presents a very different type of threat from most bosses. This extremely erratic.... thing.... roams the level with no rhyme or reason, generally making a terror of itself. The boss itself is unnerving enough in appearance. I have no bloody clue what it is supposed to be, and it is very hard to get a good look at the "core", because if you do get a real look it's probably launched itself at you and it's time to get the heck away. Some sort of horrible pulsating meat blob followed by a train of hand things, I dont know. It produces a constant haunting melody when nearby, among other unpleasant sounds it can make.

But also, this is one of those games where you cant really afford mistakes. Monsters hit like freight trains, and healing is very hard to come by. On top of that, Carre's presence doesnt mean that other things arent nearby too. This game has a bizarre obsession with mimics. I dont mean the "toothy treasure chest" sort. I mean the "oh god is that potted plant looking at me" sort. Pretty much anything can be one, and there's a variety of horrors that a transformed mimic can become. Now, granted, it is occaisionally easy to tell when something is a mimic, because if that table just slid across the room, opened a door, and went into the hallway, well, it just might be a mimic. Most of the time though... it's very hard to tell where they are, unless you hear them breathing.

Carre though produces that constant, uh, "music" when nearby, masking any sounds that other monsters might produce. Which tends to be the most dangerous thing it is capable of, despite not being a real "attack". On top of that, attacking it means making noise, and noise attracts Bad Things. Not only that, but the level is always a cramped labyrinth, and often you dont quite know where the thing is. You hear the music, it is growing louder, but what direction is it coming from? If you open that door... is it going to be RIGHT THERE? And what will you do if it is? In the video I got real lucky in that the map showed me that it was immediately nearby... usually, I have to go hunting for it (and usually this fight takes way longer as a result).

AND, the blasted thing produces that "falling stars" zone effect, constantly damaging whatever weapon I'm holding if I'm standing in it. Another few seconds and that revolver would have burst. Trying to fight that nightmare with a freaking knife is.... problematic.

It may not seem like the most exciting video, but this is the most tense, suspenseful, and outright DIFFICULT boss fight I've encountered in quite some time. It's way harder than it looks, that's for sure. Well, the whole game is.

I got that from playing Half-Life 2. The atmosphere of Ravenholm just set your nerves on edge. I don't even remember the music. Too busy listening for skittering noses and inhuman screams. Never felt like I had enough ammo in that place. Constant ly scanning the shadows and listening to things banging on the boarded up windows. Played that on the original Xbox. I was so thankful the graphics were what they were. If it was made in the newer graphic style I wouldn't play it.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I haven't played any of the games mentioned. I think the end bosses that impressed me most were from games in my childhood. Such as - FF7, FF8, FFX, Ocarina of Time and MGS1.

The game I've played the most has 2 decent end boss fights - Phantasy Star Online with Dark Falz in Episode 1 and Olga Flow in Episode 2. I probably prefer the latter as it's often more challenging.

I guess I feel a jaded as I've gotten older. Most game endings these days feel like an anti-climax. That is, if I even finish them. Most games I've bought and barely played. Back when I was a kid I found I might get 1 or 2 games at most a year, so I played them to death.

These days I can pick up new games whenever I want and I'm forever picking holes in what I don't like with modern games, rather than simply allowing myself to be absorbed in the world and narrative.

Ed

 

[Misery]

I haven't played any of the games mentioned. I think the end bosses that impressed me most were from games in my childhood. Such as - FF7, FF8, FFX, Ocarina of Time and MGS1.

The game I've played the most has 2 decent end boss fights - Phantasy Star Online with Dark Falz in Episode 1 and Olga Flow in Episode 2. I probably prefer the latter as it's often more challenging.

I guess I feel a jaded as I've gotten older. Most game endings these days feel like an anti-climax. That is, if I even finish them. Most games I've bought and barely played. Back when I was a kid I found I might get 1 or 2 games at most a year, so I played them to death.

These days I can pick up new games whenever I want and I'm forever picking holes in what I don't like with modern games, rather than simply allowing myself to be absorbed in the world and narrative.

Ed

You know, I realized awhile back that I'd almost been doing the same thing, and ended up changing up my buying habits a bit.

Now instead of constantly following whatever new things there are, I tend to look specifically for games that will last me the long haul, and just stick with them, and heck with even checking the store after that point. Particularly since, if there's something that is REALLY likely to grab me, friends of mine are probably going to point it out to me anyway, so that works out.

Overall, if I dont think I'm going to definitely get at least 30 hours out of it, I dont buy it. Kinda tired of buying something, playing it for 3 hours, and then sorta forgetting it exists because some other shiny thing popped up. The game in the video is one I'm already getting tons of time out of. Though it does also help that I dont buy AAA stuff anymore. That stuff is garbage.

Similar buying philosophy I use with my board game hobby. Alot of people in that hobby have this tendency to buy a whole lot of games but play each only a couple of times because they buy the next shiny thing. It's sort of a running theme/joke for a lot of board gamers. Whereas I am far, far more likely to simply buy expansions for games I already have. Of course this leads to odd situations where a single game takes up 5 seperate boxes, but that's okay.