final boss fights
games with memorable final bosses. spoilers, obviously.
27 Games
giygas - despite the somewhat rudimentary nature of this one compared to the rest of the series, its simple beauty really manages to shine through. defeating the final boss of an rpg like this through pacifism by singing a childhood melody to him is such a subversive display of... love. that's what's at the heart of this series for me: empathy, understanding, and love above all. PK Love. also, listen to this rendition of eight melodies and try not to cry.
giygas - maybe the boldest capstone to a commercial video game ever? my mind lights up with a perverse sort of glee when i think about how many kids this must've traumatized. somehow transitions from utterly demonic to very heartfelt and sincere. paula calling out to the player for help remains one of the most touching moments of any video game for me
the masked man - as far as narrative bosses go, you wont find a better one than this.
rando - while this game's narrative doesnt hit quite as hard as it did in my early teens, this remains a brilliant, pathos-laden little sequence.
mother brain - exhibit A on how much music can add to your boss fight.
raven beak - not much to say here, just a very solid fight in a very solid game. super fanservicey, which is sometimes exactly what you want.
false/true king allant - former is your typical fromsoft final boss. works well for what it is, but has definitely been outdone since (save for his de-levelling grab, which is just a glorious fuck-you mechanic that i dont think any game has been bold enough to attempt since). the latter boss is a great and subversive narrative moment that's emblematic of what's so special about demon's souls specifically.
gwyn, lord of cinder - plin plin plon
gehrman, the first hunter - a good boss that is tremendously enhanced by its fantastic presentation: the score, environment and dialogue all working in tandem to create something wonderfully evocative and melancholic.
isshin ashina, the sword saint - would be the most insane final boss ever conceived if it weren't for the next game on this list.
senator armstrong - what can you even say about this one? the 40 minute preamble to this utterly deranged fight only serves to make it all the better. this one fires on all cylinders.
vergil - the boss fight to end all boss fights. manages to have its cake and eat it too by splitting it in two, with dante's part serving as a tough mechanical culmination of the game and nero's being more of a narrative moment that you can be reasonably expected to clear in your first go. nero's "FUCK YOU!" a serious contender for best moment in video gaming
shriek - this boss is mostly an exercise in incredible presentation, but it's also a challenging and fun fight.
the hollow knight - a deliberate anti-climax that still manages to feel climactic, mostly thanks to a really wonderful soundtrack. not many final fights where the boss is actively trying to kill themselves!
the radiance - like a microcosm of the game, this fight performs admirably on every front. great presentation and gameplay come together to create something special.
the radiance - like a microcosm of the game, this fight performs admirably on every front. great presentation and gameplay come together to create something special.
majora - difficulty wise, i think this is about the best one can hope for from this series, managing to not be a complete pushover if you abstain from using the fierce diety mask, and testing you on the various skills you've acquired throughout the game. the real area where this shines, however, is in its wonderfully cooky presentation, which manages to be a perfect encapsulation of this game's utterly bizarre vibe. favorite part has to be when majora grows legs and starts manically running around the arena, avoiding your attacks by moonwalking.
malladus - not very challenging of course, but it's just such a god damn spectacle. the final flute duet is pure distilled kino. still gives me chills.
flowey/asriel/sans - you gotta love it when a game has not just one of the best final bosses ever, but three.
??? - only boss on this list that i still haven't finished due to an unbelievably bold and punishing gimmick
younger and elder princesses shroob - there are scant few things that blew 9 year old me away as much as how hard yoko shimomura went on the music for this segment. surprisingly tough fight, too, if my memory serves me correct.
dark star - not too challenging but like its predecessor, completely overperforms on the presentation side. very, very climactic.
remix 10 - okay, maybe i'm cheating by including this. truthfully this is more of a final level, but i'll be damned if i pass up an opportunity to sing this game's praises.
hades - an incredibly climactic and appropriately challenging final fight. one of the all time great second phase reveals, thanks in large part to a brilliant use of adaptive soundtrack.
dogma/the beast - in a game with so many (good) final bosses, it's pretty impressive just how much these stand out as the best.
metamorphosis - cheating again by including something that could more aptly be described as a final level but my list my rules
yang - always lovely when bosses are just you. the old dark link approach. anyway juggling parries and weaves is extremely fun in this fight
solidus snake - beautiful fight. following series tradition, it is a battle purely of strength and will, free from ideological concerns, but the real stroke of genius is how it plays with this cliché, casting you in the role of the patriots' reluctant enforcer. indeed, it seems that this "unideological" battle very directly benefits the patriots' ideological interests. an air of tragedy hangs over the battle as you're forced to carry out your allotted task. mechanically, the fight is relatively simple, echoing the previous game's fight against liquid, but the difference here is that there's a surprising degree of opportunity for stylish play. missiles can be sliced in half, going prone can dodge grabs, and vaulting into solidus at critical moments can throw him off his feet. it is only within the crucible of the patriots' orchestration, totally bereft of choice and coerced into acting against his will, that raiden can at last assert his individuality. i like to think that solidus dies happy, having passed his meme down to his son.
liquid ocelot - the culmination of the series: two gay old men beating each other to death for no reason. ocelot's kiss genuinely one of the most touching moments of longing in any video game. unparalleled kino
