Summary
- Master Kohga in Breath of the Wild is a surprisingly easy boss fight involving little arrows and Magnesis.
- Adamantoise in Final Fantasy 15 is marketed as a 72-hour boss but can be defeated in less than 72 minutes with the right approach.
- Talking Legate Lanius out of a confrontation in Fallout: New Vegas shows the game's meaningful role-playing options.
Open-world games with a focus on combat are usually full of bosses that test a player's skill. These climactic confrontations are full of memorable moments that serve as highlights of their respective games.
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Some bosses in open-world games can stand out as unique encounters that will stick with fans long after they're finished with these games. A combination of offbeat mechanics and original encounter designs ensure that fans will remember these games long after they're done exploring these open-world titles.
Spoiler Warning: Some bosses detailed on this list feature story spoilers for their respective games, including final boss reveals.
8 Master Kohga (Breath Of The Wild)
A Boss So Easy That It Qualifies As A Joke Battle
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U, Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Breath of the Wild is one of the most enthralling Zelda games that's full of challenging bosses. Players need good armor and enough upgrades to make progress in the open world. So, when players stumble upon Master Kohga, it's easy to see why they'd expect a major challenge.
Instead, players will deal with one of the easiest boss fights in video game history as they use a few arrows and employ Magnesis twice to end the boss fight. To cement how incompetent Master Kohga is, the boss ends up falling into a pit courtesy of his goof-up, making it a surprisingly easy encounter when compared to the rest of the enemies and bosses that players can battle in Breath of the Wild.
7 Adamantoise (Final Fantasy 15)
A Massive Superboss Who Takes Ages To Defeat
Final Fantasy 15
- Released
- November 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Marketing Adamantoise as a 72-hour boss perhaps wasn't the best way to appeal to the masses, especially when this gigantic boss can be taken out in less than 72 minutes with the right approach. Players initially encounter this massive, intimidating boss for a few minutes before beating a hasty retreat.
After unlocking this hunt again, players can invoke the might of the legendary Titan that has a unique summon just to punch this massive tortoise. With the power of Armiger Unleashed and high-level attacks, this boss can be downed after a long and surprisingly straightforward confrontation where a decent amount of restoratives are all it takes for players to secure victory.
6 Bulldozer (L.A. Noire)
A Mobster In This Vehicle Forces Jack Kelso To Run For His Life
L.A. Noire
- Released
- May 17, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Team Bondi
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
L.A. Noire is a great open-world detective game in which players control Cole Phelps as he solves a bunch of murders and uncovers a conspiracy involving people he was familiar with during his years of service. However, the game lets players take a break from controlling this protagonist as they take on the role of Jack Kelso instead.
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During one of his cases, Kelso is chased down by a mobster in a bulldozer who must be shot at regular intervals to slow his approach. This may stretch the definition of a boss fight but is easily one of the most unique encounters in L.A. Noire as players complete this chase sequence by the skin of their teeth.
5 Legate Lanius (Fallout: New Vegas)
Players Can Talk The Final Boss Out Of A Confrontation
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
Fallout: New Vegas is chock-full of meaningful role-playing options, and this stretches to the very final encounter of the game. Unless players side with Caesar's Legion, they'll come face-to-face with Legate Lanius at the end, who serves as Caesar's last line of protection.
Instead of beating him down the old-fashioned way, players can talk some sense into him based on the skills they chose to prioritize. If done correctly, Lanius stands down and lets players waltz to the ending without having to deal with the final boss.
4 Earnest (Bully)
A Nerd Who Uses His Makeshift Weaponry To Try And Take Jimmy Down
Bully
- Released
- October 17, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
Bully is one of Rockstar's most unique games, and it's only a given that the game's non-lethal nature would translate to some fun boss fights. An early example can be seen when Jimmy tries to win over the Nerds, only to be forced into a unique long-range confrontation with their so-called leader, Earnest.
Players must avoid any damage from his Spud Gun and pick their attack windows wisely, allowing them to break the platform Earnest is standing on. It's a fun and unique encounter that makes it clear why fans want this game to be remastered sooner rather than later.
3 Demon Dragon (Tears Of The Kingdom)
A Cinematic End To The Fight Against Ganon Once And For All
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Nintendo clearly heard the complaints fans had about Breath of the Wild's ending boss and decided to address these complaints in the sequel. The end result is a fun, challenging final boss that takes no prisoners and punishes players for not being prepared to deal with this foe.
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Once players deal with Demon King Ganondorf, they'll face his dragon form in a wildly cinematic encounter in the sky that's a fitting way to end Tears of the Kingdom. Destroying Ganon's transformed form and diving across the sky to rescue Princess Zelda is a cinematic moment that cements TotK as one of the greatest Zelda games ever made.
2 Mr. Freeze (Batman: Arkham City)
One Of The Coolest Stealth Boss Fights Of All Time That Takes No Prisoners
Batman: Arkham City
- Released
- October 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rocksteady Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Platform(s)
- PS3, PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch
Mr. Freeze's boss design is something that still runs circles around most modern AAA developers who struggle to let players enjoy meaningful climactic encounters. Players must become a silent predator and land multiple stealth takedowns on Mr. Freeze before he can be eliminated for good.
The brilliant part here is that Mr. Freeze will account for a player's strategy and ensure that Batman can't spam the same kind of takedown over and over again. Players must analyze the situation and figure out the various ways they can get the drop on Freeze before he can be incapacitated.
1 Celosia (Shadow Of The Colossus)
In A Game Full Of Massive Monstrosities, This Tiny Boss Packs A Punch
Shadow of the Colossus
- Released
- February 6, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bluepoint Games, JapanStudio, Team Ico
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
In a game full of boss encounters, it takes something unique to stand out from the rest of the pack. This can be seen in the eleventh boss encounter, where players take on a relatively small colossus compared to the many gigantic foes they dealt with previously.
Celosia is a rowdy foe that must be scared with fire and goaded into destroying certain structures. It's a puzzle boss like pretty much every encounter in Shadow of the Colossus, but the way it circumvents expectations and encourages players to figure out an offbeat solution to defeat this boss makes Celosia arguably the most unique boss fight in Shadow of the Colossus.
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