The original Super Mario Bros. proved that games can be tough and still be loved by all. Nevertheless, one thing that’s incredibly unsatisfactory about Mario is the lack of a decent and challenging boss battle. Yes, regardless of how engaging a game is, you surely feel something amiss without an incredible boss fight. But then there are games that take the boss battle thing too darn seriously to
- Synn – Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara
There’s no way you could’ve defeated this bad baby on your first try. In fact, chances are that you had to completely restart the game simply because you lacked adequate weapons to deal any damage. Being the final boss in Dungeons of Dragons: Shadow of Mystara, Synn is a punishing Red Dragon who will require some extremely powered up spells, weapons and skills to beat. Even then, this boss is known for its unfair damage and one-hit kill moves that will frustrate even the most skilled gamers.
- Psycho Mantis – Metal Gear Solid
The original Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation One is known for being extremely difficult and challenging. However, none of the moments were as frustrating as the fight with Psycho Mantis. Could you imagine a boss that reacts according to your button input? Well, Psycho Mantis does exactly that and even breaks the 4th wall to directly punch you in the face (not literally but it hurts like hell when none of your attacks work). The boss fight starts with Psycho Mantis reading your memory card and showing through controller vibration as a demonstration to his power. It is only after the player plugs the controller into port 2, that Mantis’ power can be beaten.
- Jack Krauser – Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 was certainly the last greatest game in the series. It offered incredible gameplay, story and most importantly, superb boss battles. But there are some bosses who make the players cringe with fear and Jack Krauser boss fight certainly takes the cake. Jack Krauser is the smartest and the most persistent boss one can ever encounter in a Resident Evil game. He uses TMP, exploding arrows, and super speed, kicks and jumps along with countless knife slashes will keep you on your toes. What makes it even harder is that the fight is preceded by another vicious battle with ‘IT’ making ammo even scarce.
- Mechagodzilla – Shinobi 3
Okay, this boss might lose points for creativity, but that doesn’t make it a pushover. In fact, of all the in-game bosses, Mechagodzilla is the probably the most unfair and requires several tries to defeat. Mechagodzilla would breath constant barrage of fire from its mouth, and dropping stuff on you for added damage. Although its move list is limited, but the low amount of damage it takes along with the relentless attacks makes extremely frustrating.
- Azel – God Hand
Azel is a sub-boss in the PlayStation 2 beat-em-up ‘God Hand’ who will wipe the floor with you if you’re not a skilled ‘God Hand’ player. Just like the player’s character Azel also possesses a God Hand (dubbed as Devil Hand in game) and matches the player’s move set exactly. But unlike the player, the computer controlled Azel will have an unlimited supply of powered up moves and will corner and counter you at every opportunity. He appears twice in the game where first battle is more of a prep fight where players must only empty half of his health bar to trigger cutscene and end the fight. The second encounter however, is a no holds barred battle where you must defeat him with all the skills you’ve mastered and certainly makes the final boss look like cakewalk.
- Mike Tyson – Punch Out
When the game is named after its final boss you know you’re getting your butt handed to you. Mike Tyson’s Punch Out is already considered an extremely punishing and difficult game with a near-unbeatable boss. It is one of the games where you control a character who is far physically inferior than the opponents. But if that wasn’t enough the final boss will certainly be like an ant facing King Kong. Even if you do manage to get to the final boss where you face Mike Tyson himself, there’s no way you can ever beat him before your thumbs start bleeding.
- Virgil – Devil May Cry 3
If you thought that Dante was the only badass in Devil May Cry series, wait till you fight Vergil in Devil May Cry 3 (cos screw the reboot!). The first encounter with Dante’s demonic brother is tough for even advanced players and you cannot do without using special items. But the toughest fight with Virgil is certainly after he demonstrates his own devil trigger and superior mastery over Beowulf. Virgil is extremely difficult to hit due to his Darkslayer style and his life draining combos that will take a major chunk of your health bar. So, the best tactic against him would be hit and run while dodging his teleport slashes that would hit you from any direction.
- Cyber Akuma – Marvel Vs Street Fighter
Marvel Vs Capcom was the sequel to X-Men Vs Street Fighter where Apocalypse played the final boss. While beating him as the sub-boss for this game is still no cakewalk, Marvel Vs Street Fighter tops their finale off with Cyber Akuma (Mech-Gouki in Japan) as the final boss. For those not familiar, Cyber Akuma is a brainchild of Apocalypse who captures and implants Akuma with cybernetic enhancements. So, this is what happens when you power up a boss character. Facing Cyber Akuma is one of the hardest things you could ever do in your gaming life (other than playing Commandos1,2,3). He will mow you down with combos, teleport attacks, rockets, hyper combos and dodge most of your attacks. Once he feels he’s done playing with you, he will finish it off with a faster version of Shun Goku Satsu, which will instantly defeat you. He is nothing but overkill!
You don’t get the point of facing challenges if you rate video games based on how easy they are. However, it is proven through popularity polls that the best games that everybody loved aren’t what one could describe as easy. In fact, some of the best and the most popular games are known to be brutally difficult and punishing. If you feel we’ve missed out on any game bosses who were ridiculously overpowered, please feel free to suggest in comments.