Summary
- The Batman: Arkham games emphasize stealth in boss fights, showcasing iconic rogues like Joker and Mr. Freeze.
- Final Fantasy 7 universe stands out for creative boss battles, with remakes like FF7 Remake introducing terrifying encounters.
- FromSoftware's Soulslikes offer challenging, terrifying bosses like Cleric Beast and Margit, making victories sweeter.
There’s nothing quite like defeating a boss in a game. A good boss encounter will forever be etched into the minds of players, while a bad one will just disappear. For example, Donkey Kong Bananza has quite a few bosses, and it ends with one heck of a finale.
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Do the Donkey Kong games have a reputation for good bosses? Is there a Nintendo franchise that does it better, like Mario or The Legend of Zelda? What about some other series, like Castlevania, Final Fantasy, or Gears of War? Let’s take a look at the video game franchises that consistently have the best boss fights.
Batman: Arkham Trilogy
Hiding In Shadow
Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Released
- August 25, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
Batman: Arkham Asylum proved that a good Batman game was not only possible, but that it could reach a level of quality that made it a Game of the Year contender. It was a 3D Metroidvania that prioritized stealth over brawling, which enhanced the boss fights.
Batman has always been a thinker when it comes to facing his rogues' gallery in the comics, and the Batman: Arkham games, including Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight, understand that. The Joker, Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and more were well represented and led to some iconic encounters throughout these three games. There aren’t a lot of boss fights in games that heavily feature stealth, but the Batman: Arkham games found a way to make it work.
Final Fantasy 7
An Entire Universe Within A Storied Franchise
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Final Fantasy, as a whole, has some great boss battles, but the branded Final Fantasy 7 universe of games deserves its own recognition. Boss designs range from monsters to soldiers to average people, and even machines make an appearance in the original game, which were expanded upon in the remakes: Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
For example, Final Fantasy 7 Remake turned the original Hell House boss fight into a genuinely terrifying encounter against an actual house. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7 also had some great encounters, so overall, Final Fantasy 7 definitely has the most exciting and creative boss battles in the franchise.
FromSoftware’s Soulslikes
The Horror Is Real
Demon's Souls
- Released
- October 6, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike, Action RPG
Demon’s Souls was the first game that put FromSoftware on the map and basically created a whole genre of RPGs: Soulslikes. Beyond Demon’s Souls, other FromSoftware Soulslikes include the Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring.
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FromSoftware’s bosses are terrifying and often gargantuan as opposed to the size of the player's character, and there’s nothing quite like them. From Bloodborne’s Cleric Beast to Elden Ring’s Margit, FromSoftware's bosses are challenging beyond reason, but it makes the victory so much sweeter, either alone or with friends.
Kingdom Hearts
Reinventing Disney’s Villains
Kingdom Hearts
- Released
- September 17, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Kingdom Hearts is a series that is far less terrifying than the Soulsborne games, even though it also features some towering bosses. What makes this series great, amongst the three numbered sequels and the many spinoffs, is the repurposing of Disney villains into bosses, like Maleficent in her dragon form in the first game.
These bosses are great, but so are the original Heartless designs, like Skoll in Kingdom Hearts 3. As Kingdom Hearts is aimed at a younger generation, bosses don’t require a lot of strategy, but they still manage to be engaging thanks to the nostalgia factor that Disney movies bring to the table.
The Legend Of Zelda
A Puzzling Adventure
The Legend of Zelda
- Released
- February 21, 1986
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
The first two games in The Legend of Zelda series had some pretty basic boss battles, but The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are where Nintendo really started cooking. Find a weapon or tool in a dungeon, use it against the boss, and repeat. It is formulaic, but it never ceases to amaze; in fact, it's almost always incredibly satisfying because of how well each item's mechanics is woven into its corresponding boss fight.
For example, using the Magic Hammer on Helmasaur King in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past to remove its mask, or throwing bombs in Dodongo’s mouth in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The most recent games, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, have missed the mark when it comes to their boss fights, but Nintendo can undoubtedly rise to the occasion again.
Mario & Luigi
Always On Guard
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
- Released
- November 17, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is the second Mario RPG spinoff franchise following Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, which helped create the now-popular systems of active turn-based battles. Superstar Saga nailed the challenge of this concept by pairing the party down to two characters and having every enemy and boss attack differently.
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Learning boss patterns could be difficult, but that’s what makes the turn-based encounters so much more engaging than standard RPGs. From dodging magic spells to bullets to fireballs, the boss fights sure don't take it easy on these two plumbers.
Mega Man
Fight Bosses, Gather Powers
Mega Man
- Released
- December 17, 1987
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Shooter
The Mega Man franchise is probably the best example for this list, for a number of reasons. The NES originals had a fairly basic gameplay loop, but fans still devoured each title. They are presented with a stage select screen of bosses. Players then go into the levels, fight bosses with different attack patterns and powers, and get those powers in return.
The concept was leveled up in the Mega Man X franchise on the SNES, as certain powers could change boss structures, like using electricity to remove Armored Armadillo’s shell in the first game. These two core pillars are what make Mega Man iconic as a character and a franchise, but the spin-offs have great bosses too, like Mega Man Legends and Mega Man Battle Network.
Metal Gear
The Most Dynamic Boss Battles Around
Metal Gear
- Released
- July 13, 1987
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e 10+ // Mild Violence, Tobacco Reference
- Genre(s)
- Action, Stealth
The Metal Gear franchise is the thinking man’s approach to boss battles, with wild names like Dirty Duck, Sniper Wolf, The Pain, Marionette Owl, and so much more. None of these bosses can be killed in conventional ways, as the games often incorporate stealth, weapons, or gimmicks, especially in the PlayStation era.
Gamers around the world remember Psycho Mantis breaking the fourth wall by reading their memory cards, and the only way to beat him was to switch controller ports. What game designer would do something like that besides Hideo Kojima? Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has some of the best boss battles in the series, but as the remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, is close at hand, it’s not worth discussing now to avoid spoilers. Overall, in terms of dynamic boss battles, there’s nothing better than the Metal Gear games.
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