When it comes to boss battle design in video games, generally speaking, the goal is to offer an equal blend of spectacle and challenge. Essentially testing the player’s mechanical mastery to this point in the game while offering some eye candy on the screen to further the narrative.
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FromSoftware games go from challenging to downright condescending with these absurdly simple fights.
It’s a blend that most games tend to get right, more or less, but there are definitely a handful of bosses out there that fail to offer as much challenge as they do spectacle.
This often leads to boss battles that are memorablebecause of a cool gimmick, amazing set pieces, or sheer aura alone. But it’s fair to say that, in these encounters, you’ll skate on by with little need to push yourself.
But, we want to showcase that bosses don’t need to be monumentally difficult to live rent-free in our heads, and these bosses listed below are proof.
10Ancient Wyvern
Death From Above
Dark Souls 3
We kick things off with one of Dark Souls' many gimmick boss fights in the form of the Ancient Wyvern. This boss found toward the beginning of your adventure inDark Souls 3seems for all the world like an impossible foe to vanquish.
They have one of the spongiest health bars you’re likely to encounter in gaming and can kill you with ease, usually only needing two clean hits to send you back to a Bonfire.
However, this boss remains one of the more memorable DS3 bosses for most, mainly because of the catharsis that comes from realizing that you were never meant to take this dragon on in a fair fight.
Instead, you need to explore the larger-than-usual boss arena, climb to a perch above the Ancient Wyvern, and then do a devastating plunge attack that kills the dragon instantly.
Sure,it may be laughably easy, but killing a Dark Souls boss in one hit is a wonderful feeling, no matter how the opportunity presents itself.
9King Bob-Omb
Heavy Is The Head
Super Mario 64
When people think of boss battles in Mario games, most people will probably think of the 2D Bowser battles where a button drops them into the lava below. But if you put Bowser to one side, the next most popular candidate would likely beSuper Mario 64’sKing Bob-Omb.
It’s a popular boss within Mario’s extensive catalog due to how iconic the Bob-Omb Battlefield level is, how striking their character model is, and how stupid you feel when he catches you and tosses you back down the mountain.
However, when push comes to shove, it’s aboutas rudimentary as it gets in terms of boss design.All you need to do is get behind him, grab them, and toss them on their butt a few times.
Do that, and you’lldefusethe situation. Listen, it may be the nostalgia talking, but if you’re honest with yourself, despite the basic boss design, you love this one too.
8The Snatcher
A Hat in Time
Keeping with the trend of iconic platformers, we jump over to the indie darling,A Hat in Time. Mascot Platformers, by their very nature, tend to be easy and accessible games at their core, and that usually means a slew of easy boss battles that go for style over substance.
And style is what you get whenyou head into the Subcon Forest. I’m not going to say that The Snatcher is a fight completely without challenge, but if you like platformers, I promise you, you won’t struggle.
Yet, despite this relatively simple formula, this remains one of my all-time favorite boss fights, mainly due to the silliness of the writing, the pageantry of each phase, and the running joke of Hat Girl being completely mute, making her a shrewd negotiator.
In one fight, it sums up the surreal and sublime nature of this title, and it’s one I recommend every platforming fan seek out and play.
7Pyramid Head
Close Quarters Trauma
Silent Hill 2
I want to be specific with this one, as Pyramid Head pops up inSilent Hill 2as a boss encounter multiple times, but I’m talking about the encounter in the Blue Creek Apartments.
This will be the first time outside of cutscenes that you’ll have come face to face with the terrifying antagonist of this horror masterpiece,and it’s a chilling encounter,to say the least.
Yet, if you understand how this boss fight goes down, you’ll realize that there isn’t really a fight to be had here at all. In this ‘fight,’ all you have to do is evade Pyramid Head until an alarm sounds, and then he will simply walk away and forget about you entirely.
It’s a test of evasion and self-preservation, and honestly, it’s a piece of cake because he moves as if he’s in quicksand. And yet, I still can’t help but feel that it was and still is an iconic boss fight.
6Dung Defender
Doma Doma Doma
Hollow Knight (Dupe)
Hollow Knight’sbosses, as a collective,make up some of the most challengingand well-designed boss fights to ever grace our screens, so you would assume that the less challenging bosses would stand out. Which, they do, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t as beloved as the rest.
To prove that, all I need to do is simply scream, ‘Ah, Funda!’ with maybe a few Doma Domas in there for good measure.
That gibberish right there is the battle cry of the bubbly, larger-than-life warrior that is the Dung Defender, and while his fight is a cakewalk, meeting him is an absolute joy.
The way he bounds around the screen with careless abandon makes it seem like he’s really enjoying himself as you two square off, and by proxy, you can’t help but smile and watch him as he goes.
I don’t think the Dung Defender has ever bested me, but I love him just as much as I do the truly challenging bosses of Hallownest.
A Clever Ruse
I’m not usually one to double-dip and pick two entries from the same title, but I couldn’t help myself this time because Nosk is a truly iconic boss fight. Albeit more because of the lead-up to the fight than the fight itself.
As you delve deeper into the horrifying corner of hallownest that is Deepnest, you happen upon a rather familiar looking bug. A bug that looks exactly like you.
Immediately, you’ll think to yourself, finally, a friend in this hostile world I can team up with. You’ll follow them down the rabbit hole, and come to an opening only to find the corpses of bugs lured here much like yourself.
Then, the little Knight clone reveals its true form, morphing into the terrifying spider boss, Nosk.
It’s an incredible gaming moment, but the boss fight itself leaves a lot to be desired as you are all but forced to cheese the fight by hiding in the corner of the raised platform to avoid Nosk entirely.
It is somewhat challenging, but considering the build-up at play here, it’s far from the intense encounter we expected.
4Mimic Tear
A Familiar Face
Elden Ring
Elden Ringis a game that sees you go eyeball-to-eyeball with a variety of genuinely grotesque, gargantuan, and deadly bosses. In fact, you’ll likely beat one only to walk for a minute in another direction and find another.
However, despite the multitude of bosses on offer, there is one encounter that you would think would be the most challenging of all. Facing off against yourself.
In theory, this is a pretty tough fight as the Mimic Tear takes your exact build and mirrors it to give you a taste of your own medicine. However, many soon realized that there was a very easy way to make this boss laughably easy.
If you were to simply enter the fight with no gear and then quickly re-equip your stuff, you’d end up fighting against a helpless, unarmed boss.
Cards on the table, this boss can be a true test of your skills and a proof of concept for your Elden Ring Build. But let’s face it, if a Souls game gives us an easy win, we would be fools not to take it.
Nyeh Heh Heh
As you explore The Underground inUndertale, you’ll meet a whole cast of lovable characters, and probably let out the odd belly laugh or two when you strike up a conversation with them.
However, seemingly at every turn there is someone out to get you and make sure your journey prematurely ends. The prospective Royal Guardsman wants to use your demise as his ticket to fame and riches, but the problem is, he’s a bit of a softie at heart.
You’ll face off against Papyrus throughout your run in Undertale, and at times, you may feel that death is all but inevitable. But here’s the thing. Papyrus never has any intention of killing you, and even if he lands a death blow, you’ll always remain on at least 1HP.
Yet, this boss encounter is so full of whimsy and charm that, even with no actual threat of a ‘game over’ it remains a standout boss fight, and one of the finest in the indie game scene.
But, as all Undertale fans will know, the true Papyrus boss fight is when you go on a date with him.
2Face McShooty
A Straightforward Request
Borderlands 2
Bosses in video games tend to be hardy and very stubborn characters. They tend to have huge health bars you’ll need to whittle down, multiple phases to endure, and a barrage of attacks that could spell the end for you.
However,Borderlandsdecided to craft a ‘boss’ that isn’t interested in attacking you, giving any big speeches, or employing any surreal gimmicks. They simply want you to shoot them in the face.
Face McShooty will stop at nothing, and will incessantly plead for you to do him a massive favor and shoot a whole load of buckshot into their skull. And being the good-natured souls that we are, it’s the least we could do.
It might be a bit of a stretch to call this guy a boss even if they do get a boss splash screen. But even if you’re not having it, you may’t deny, he’s one of the most memorable enemies in the Borderlands Series by a distance.
1The Divine Dragon
Shed A Tear
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
If there’s a boss battle in the medium of gaming that manages to excel as a boss encounter without offering even a fraction of the challenge that every other boss in their respective game provides, it’sSekiro’sDivine Dragon.
Sekiro is a game that pulls no pushes, even compared to its Soulsborne brethren, and demands precision, parrying perfection, and intense concentration to overcome the odds and progress.
This is why the Divine Dragon is so at odds with the game’s core themes, and yet, it’s probably the best boss battle that Sekiro has to offer and most definitely the most memorable.
Due to the setting, the sheer magnitude of the Divine Dragon, and the dynamic nature of the fight, it culminates in a true spectacle, unlike any other fight in the game.
It’s a routine fight and easier than some basic mob enemies, in all honesty, but despite this, it’s an easy boss that has a massive impact on the player.
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