Boss fights

Boss fights seems to be a hit or miss in most games. But what really constitute a good boss fight? What are the elements that make a good boss fight for you? Feel free to give examples.

I am a big fan of the Mario boss fights in which the focus is on mechanics vs damage inflected. In addition to the predictability with the three hits and your out.

Well for me the most important aspects are:

• it has to be visually interesting ie. looks cool
• good music

Pretty much any boss fight from the Bayonetta games fit this criteria for me.

Which was your favorite?

Well I haven't played through all of Bayonetta 2 yet so right now I'd probably go with the final boss from the first game because I generally enjoy the large size bosses and she was pretty big plus there were a fair number of sections to the overall battle that made it feel suitably epic and satisfyingly final to the first game.

I like a cool song, a hard fight and no QTEs.

Music and interesting fight, something you can't do in game normally. Also, some kind of pressure to keep you on edge of your seat.

Obviously Puzzle Bosses !!!

Like in Portal 2. President Evil had lots of puzzle bosses too.

Pure intensity. Best boss fight I remember is the final sequence in Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, N64.

have to look awesome and bad arse.

Challenging.

Good music.

Bonus point: Variation in the fight rather than the boss spamming the same attacks over and over again.(I love dark souls 2 but come on.)

Favorites: Almost all of the bosses from shadow of the colossus.

Yeah this too.

Anything made by Platinum. Rising had the best bossfights. I can willingly replay them any day, every day.

Music can really make or break a boss battle. It creates the atmosphere. I love the battles in Shadow of the Colossus and Dragon's Dogma since you can grab onto the monster, which makes the battle so much more interesting.

Basically anything from Alien Soldier, Battle Mania: Daiginjou, Mega Man, or Gunstar Heroes - So cool and unique designs, awesome music, and a challenging experience.

The strongest examples of what makes boss battles worthwhile are those that represent an increase in some way as was said in the Witcher 3 review like a crescendo. How a game begins determines what a boss battle builds from.

In Devil May Cry, for example, all of the boss battles lead to a final, most powerful transformation of Dante and Mundus is the reason for that challenge. In addition, the story leads to Dante expressing his deepest emotions, appearing as a fully actualized creature ready to face life and death. After that, Mundus is blasted out of the human realm without as much effort because Dante has proven the value of human emotions in his own way.

Another among the strongest examples is Devil May Cry 3 in which Dante and Vergil face each other, twice. Each time, there is reason to anticipate an epic battle that offers a sense of ultimate completion with everything, afterwards, seeming like Dante, again the main character, would be completing a necessary task to live a life of his own choice which is a good one (according to the concepts of the story).

Weaker examples show that boss battles are not critical to the point of the game beyond the fundamental winning. This is an argument with plot involved in each game considered, so I am not referring to games without plots like Pong or Brick Breaker because they are without applicability.

@drflyntcoal:

I should do that.... I sucked in those fights..... particularly the Monsoon Fight.

@BranKetra:

I loved the:

Dante vs Vergil

Dante vs Nero

Bayonetta Vs Jeane

and Raiden vs Sam fights. Because of how similar the boss is to you.

Remind me to get Ninja Gaiden II.

@Lulu_Lulu: Get Ninja Gaiden II if you can handle the gore in it.

There, I reminded you.

@BranKetra:

LoL thanks for the Reminder, handsome. ;)

Good boss battles require quick strategic decisions coupled with intensified maneuvers/inputs compared to gameplay in other situations. This can work with boss battles that become endurance tests (e.g. don't make a mistake) or ones that demand more (e.g. yes, dodge all of that).

Who cares about the story and stuff -- don't enable these developers to ignore what is really important ^^^

Music is important though.

It's obviously about dodging attacks and then countering the exposed weakpoint that's a bright glowing colour.

Loved the boss fights in Arkham Asylum. Especially with Poison Ivy.

Another game with great boss fights would have to be Devil May Cry.

Build-up or surprise, music, and challenge (frustrating, control throwing are no-nos though). Castlevania, Final Fantasy, and Metal Gear Solid series easily come to mind.

@illmatic87:

HELL YEAH !!!! :D

I like the combat tactics in a boss fight especially in a game like god of war 3.

*Bro-fist*

To piggyback off of this, the boss fight should have a purpose. Why am I suddenly fighting this monstrosity that showed up out of nowehere? Is it Zelda where the boss is holding some key or tool that I need, or is it a Souls game where for some reason there is some dementor looking beast creature chilling at the bottom of a basement whose only purpose is for me to kill it. Bosses should at the very least fit with the plot and/or flow of the game. That's why the Deus Ex: HR bosses were so weird.

A philosophy in video games can make things interesting or dissuading; it can expand market potential or decrease it. Who a developer and publisher intends as their customer can determine its success or failure. With that focus, the quality of a plot becomes relevant to particular customers, if any.

My examples are about certain values that are commonly accepted in storytelling and psychology. Self-actualization and the value of emotional intelligence are them; they have an automatic appeal to more or less, anyone in society who is cognizant and competent (no offense intended).

Dark Souls:

- O&S ( because killing them was the most rewarding out of all bosses I've fought)

- Gwyn ( this had one of the best soundtracks to a boss fight. Not only did it fit right in with the atmosphere but it gave of the feeling that this truly was the final boss fight in the game.)

The older DMC's had decent bosses that I really liked a lot.

I haven't played Shadow of the Colossus but I've seen some walkthroughs and those bosses look decent as well.

Well, it would help if the gameplay allows you to dodge and attack whenever you want, unlike Monster Hunter where the game works against you as you're fighting it. With that said, I like boss fights that require me to analyze them and figure out a way to attack them while being difficulty without being overly cheap.

I HATE boss fights where they spam the same attacks over and over again, summon henchmen, or heal up.

The responses are quite interesting. Some folks prefer storycentric bosses, while other prefer a more gamey type boss. It is also interesting to see so many people mention music. That something I never consider in making a boss but its something I will have to look into.

What are your opinions on bosses that introduce new game mechanics? I am not a fan of these bosses mainly due to the player not being able to develop the required skills prior to boss fight making the experience frustrating. God of War 1 and Lost Planet 1 comes to mind.

A good boss fight in my eyes are

One that has a point, provides a challenge and test if you have learned anything from the gameplay you have gone past to get to the boss, also it has you in control, not QTE´s or cutscenes half-way. Also it doesn´t relay on cover/block/hit like in Dark Souls.

I like bosses that have health bars. I don't like the typical platformer "hit this guy 3 times" boss. The Retro DKC games have some really good bosses, though. My favorites are just about every boss in Ninja Gaiden/Ninja Gaiden 2, and the Flamelurker from Demon's Souls. Every other boss in Demon's Souls was somewhat lacking, but Flamelurker was pretty fun to melee against.

Music plays a big part for me. Bayonetta always has some kind of epic boss music that gets me quite pumped. However, I like bosses that require tactics and that have possibly more than 1 way to die, like 'the end' in mgs3. I'm not keen on bosses that require you to climb something quickly whilst its chasing you. I also don't like bosses that have glowing weak parts for you to hit. I know there is a reason for it but I find it slightly insulting that I need to be shown where to hit an enemy instead of working it out for myself.

@Jacanuk:

WOOOOOOH !!!! :D

What is it that you don't like about the 3 hit bosses found in platformers?

They are almost always overly simplistic, and it makes the boss completely non-threatening. Not all platformers have them. In a game like Megaman, I play through the level to get to the boss. In a game like Sonic the Hedgehog, I play through the boss so I can get to the next level. I guess most platformers don't really have combat mechanics, so it makes sense why they go with the "jump on him 3 times" mechanic.

a boss fight need to be always dynmic and not reptative

it has to change all the time and the player have to adept his stragty to the boss pattron and win by useing quick reactions and quick thinking

I like boss fights with: good music, changing and/or sequencing behaviors in either the boss or the environment, a way to fight the boss either by using something obtained from or relating to the dungeon/area, overall vibe of this particular baddie being a boss.

Doesn't need to be a giant like from god war franchise or whatever, doesn't need have a deep booming voice that you'd have to be deaf on another planet to not hear, hell the boss could be a rabbit and it might just work with all my favorite features! :)

Some Examples...

Bosses I love: Stallord from The Legend of Zelda Twilight princess, The Great mighty poo from conkers bad fur day, All of the Metroid Prime series final bosses, Ghot (Snowhead Temple) from The Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask,.... I'll add more if I can remember some names...

Bosses that are good: All the Nintnedo hand and face shooty bosses (I know their overused but they're still addicting and could be built upon as a concept for future bosses! They also have an interesting history according to some of Nintendos execs and developers =P). barinade from the legend of zelda ocarina of time, Majoras incarnations from the legend of Zelda Majoras mask, the Zodiak summons from final fantasy 12, I'll try to remember some names for here too.

Bosses that I hate: half of the 'bosses' that appear in mmo's (the list is long but many of them are from JRPGs and other oriental mmos), Ganondorf from the legend of zelda twilight princess (hey Ganon, ya wanna go fishing?), all Goomba bosses from the Mario franchises (I doubt even a helmet would help these stepping stools),... I'll try to remember more here as well.

About set to fall asleep, I'll post more later... maybe.

@PurpleMan5000:

I love those...... namely because these types of bosses are almost always puzzle bosses.

Good music, good pacing, variety within the same boss fight (and if you don't do it in phases even better, I like being kept on my toes), make them huge or make them fast but make them at my power level and not just a dumb animal with 20 HP bars, make it cool without QTE's...if you want a highly choreographed finish just do it in a cutscene...but most importantly, make me care! Make me hate the bastard, make me want to beat the crap out of him and them throw him on a wood chipper, make me grind my teeth every time I see him. If I hate the guy, I will enjoy my victory even more

A boss should be a test of all the skills you've learned up to that point. And should progressively test you as you move along. That's just what I feel they should be. Epic music and other features come secondary to that.