Summary
- Crafting a satisfying horror game boss fight involves creating tension through design and gameplay.
- Memorable horror game bosses evoke immense player satisfaction upon triumphing over them.
- Boss fights in horror games excel when they maintain the narrative's horror elements and challenge the player effectively.
Boss fights have long been a staple of video games of every genre and type, and it is well known that the balance between creating something challenging and memorable as opposed to unfairly difficult or underwhelming after a long build-up is a hard balance to achieve.
Horror games have a particularly hard job in crafting boss fights, as not only are players looking for a satisfying innovative challenge, but there is the natural expectation that the boss will retain the horror present in the narrative in some form or other.
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Some might achieve this through visual design and have the creature and arena so disturbing in appearance that it will stick in the player's mind. Others will create chase sequences or cat and mouse gameplay to flare up tension in the player when the boss appears and disappears at a whim. While there are many boss encounters across the horror game genre, some of the very best can be spotted by the feeling of immense satisfaction in the player once they have triumphed. Moments that create the "so glad that thing is now dead and will not be coming back" thought.
8 Silent Hill 2 Remake - Pyramid Heads
Double Trouble Showdown
Silent Hill 2
- Released
- October 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bloober Team
- Publisher(s)
- Konami
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Prequel(s)
- Silent Hill
- Franchise
- Silent Hill
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 15 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
While not necessarily the best remade boss within the remake, that title would have to go to The Abstract Daddy; the redone showdown against the two spear-wielding Pyramid Heads was outstanding and a very satisfying climax to the rivalry between James and his greatest inner demon.
It is also gratifying to have reached such a stage of excelling in the combat that the fight can be quite frantic and fast-paced, but the player can now keep up and the duel achieves a satisfying rhythm, moving between dodging the duo's attacks and taking potshots back whenever there is space to breathe.
7 Last of Us 2 - Rat King
Whack A Rat
The Last of Us Part 2
- Released
- June 19, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Franchise
- The Last of Us
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 24 Hours
A bit of reversal here as, while the rat king is a tense showdown in the dark and flooded basement of a hospital, where some players gained an interesting sense of satisfaction here is during the last section of the fight, when one of the bodies fused to the giant creature rips itself free from its dying host and the fight becomes a game of cat and mouse between Abby and the last "Rat".
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While the first half of the fight puts the player at risk of death from a single attack by the huge beast, the second half is suddenly on equal footing. Abby is so strong, in fact, that should they wish, the player can put their weapons away and take the last rat on with just their fists. A satisfying turnaround of power after likely dying to the Rat King several times over.
6 Manhunt - Pigsy
Snuffling Snuff In The Buff
Manhunt
- Released
- November 18, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Engine
- RenderWare
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox (Original)
- How Long To Beat
- 11 Hours
A lot of horror games lose their fear factor when it comes to the final encounters as the player has already been through so much and are aware the end is right around the corner. Manhunt, however, dials the tension up to the highest point in the whole game.
Chased round a vast, yet claustrophobic, dark attic by a naked squealing pigman armed with a chainsaw, whereas the player only has a shard of glass to defend themselves, it was a scenario horrifying enough to drain away any confidence players had built up to this point.
5 Bioshock - Big Daddy
The Best Laid Plans
BioShock
- Released
- August 21, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
The roaming bosses of Rapture. Unforgettable in their bulky ghostly diver aesthetic and the mournful whale calls they communicate through, and, furthermore, the freedom with which the player is given to tackle them. The first time the player encounters one, a whole cycle of emotions passes through them.
Initially startled to have simply bumped into them, evolving into a tense standoff as the big daddy goes into alert, and the player backs off to observe. Likely followed by a surge of bravery as a plan to take down the beast and claim the reward is put into place. Then, finally, the heart-pounding terror when the attack begins and the Big Daddy roars and charges the player down, and the particularly special terror when the players' careful planning crumbles before their eyes.
4 Alien: Isolation - Alien
The Ultimate Stalking Lifeform
Alien: Isolation
- Released
- October 7, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
It seemed inconceivable that the Xenomorph could be made truly scary again, but then Alien: Isolation came along and proved everybody wrong. Being stalked by this creature for hours on end was endlessly nerve-wracking and, while there were methods of momentary self-defense, there was no way to really go on the offensive and the player was denied ever getting a sense of power over the Xenomorph.
That made it all the more satisfying when the tables finally turned in the players' favor and they were given the chance to eliminate their stalker. After such a long rivalry, this victory felt personal.
3 Dead Space - Hunter
The Power Of Determination And Regrowing Arms
Dead Space
- Released
- October 14, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Visceral Games
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Franchise
- Dead Space
- How Long To Beat
- 11 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 6 GB (December 2023)
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Tough as old fleshy boots this one and about a hundred times as scary. The Hunter is a terrifying presence with the single-minded goal of ripping the player apart. Few enemies have given players such a good insight to the horror of the classic movie moment when the creature, believed dead, rises once again to give chase to the protagonist.
As its name suggests, the player can blast off all its limbs and head, but within seconds, the ball of flesh left behind will tremble as, one by one, it all regrows and immediately begins hauling itself after its quarry. When the player is finally able to eliminate this foe by tricking it into the path of fiery jet engines, the developers knew fine well that the player would want a front-row seat to watch their nemesis disintegrate before their eyes to be completely sure there was no coming back from it.
2 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - Margeruite Baker
Heinous Hospitality
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Released
- January 24, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 10 Hours
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Psychological Horror, First-Person
For players with a hatred of insects, the entire Old House section - where Marguerite resides - of Resident Evil 7 is absolutely nightmarish. There is a lengthy build-up as the player explores and is put into tight spaces with giant flies, centipedes, and spiders.
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Marguerite herself is strangely absent for most of it, so that when she appears for the fight, crawling out of a dark hole with her elongated limbs and swollen hive belly, many players will want to quit right then and there. Playing cat and mouse with this huge spider woman in the dilapidated ruins of the house is a heart-attack-inducing experience where players find themselves praying the next shot will be the one to put an end to their terror.
1 Bloodborne - Orphan of Kos
Get In The Sea
Bloodborne
- Released
- March 24, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Havok
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- ps4,ps5
- Cross Save
- yes
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- no
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 33 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- no
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
One of the most unsettling boss designs out there and awash with tragic sentiment. Misshapen and taller than any full-grown person, it can be easy to forget that the cosmic orphan is still just a child, forcibly abandoned and confused. Its near-constant wailing and screaming as it flails the still-attached placenta as its weapon are extremely disturbing reminders to offset the player during the fight.
The still beach, bathed in pale moonlight and the sorrowful soundtrack are absolutely haunting and the fight itself is one of the most challenging bosses in gaming. While there is a huge wave of elation when he is finally trumped, the Orphan of Kos is a tragic figure that will haunt the dreams of players long after they have bested them.
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