Just when you thought you knew how to beat the boss, they change things up again and again…
For as long as anyone can remember, video game bosses have been around. When you reach the end, these huge challenges will test everything you’ve learned so far. They lead to a fight for all time, which can be both hard and fun to complete. Most of the time, these bosses are one-time tasks that have one or two tricks that you should be able to figure out and use to beat them.
However, developers sometimes really go off the rails when making these fights, which can lead to problems with a lot of different stages that can be hard to deal with. These are the best ones.
Keiji Shibusawa – Yakuza 0 (Three Phases)
Most games in the Yakuza series are known for having really crazy boss fights that make the games even cooler. Also, Keiji Shibusawa doesn’t break this rule; his stages copy Kiryu’s fighting styles in the game as well.
There is a crazy boss fight with a great music that is a lot of fun. It’s also a turning point for Kiryu, making him the Dragon of Dojima for good.
Sister Friede – Dark Souls 3 (Three Phases)
Dark Souls is one of the most famous action-adventure games ever made, and the boss fights in the last game are really tough. This is especially clear in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, where there is a truly amazing boss fight.
At first glance, Sister Friede looks like a pretty easy boss. But then the other two phases appear out of nowhere and show players how hard this fight really is. One of the longest and most fun boss fights in the whole series, this fight is clever and cinematic.
Kefka – Final Fantasy 6 (Four Phases)
One of the worst bad guys in Final Fantasy 6 is Kefka, the cute clown. He became the real ruler of the world after upsetting the balance of the Warring Triad and destroying the world.
He is the game’s last boss, and getting to him through his tower was very hard. With four stages, it’s an amazing fight that goes along with one of the best pieces of music ever used in a game’s ending.
Ludwig, The Accused/The Holy Blade – Bloodborne (Four Ludwig)
Two stages might not seem like a lot at first look. But what most people don’t know about Ludwig, the hardest boss in Soulsborne history, is that each of his forms has two stages that happen when his strength drops.
Ludwig gets new moves that do more damage every time his health drops by a quarter. Of course, the biggest change will happen when his health is cut in half. He’ll then get some of his sanity back, pull out the famous Moonlight Sword, and the fight will be very different.
Ultimecia – Final Fantasy 8 (Four Phases)
When it comes to Final Fantasy games, multi-phase end boss fights are the best. The eighth game in the series is no different. After a tough journey through Ultimecia’s Castle, players have to fight Ultimecia in a four-phase boss battle that is a lot of fun.
At this point, most players would have all the tools they need to beat these bosses completely. This battle isn’t really about challenge, but the way it’s fought more than makes up for it.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 – Bhunivelze (Four Phases)
Lightning Returns is the last game in the Final Fantasy 13 series, which has been criticized a lot. The first game in the series went in a much more linear way, but the two games that came after it went in very different directions. Lightning Returns is an example of a game where you die over and over again. Lightning is an agent of god who also has to kill god.
Bhunivelze thinks of themselves as the god of everything, but they need Lightning to build their world. Lightning won’t have any of that, so she fights them off before they can destroy the universe. You have to be very careful not to kill a god, and if you do, you’ll be taken back in time to start over in New Game +.
Agent Smith – The Matrix: Path Of Neo (Five Phases)
After the first movie became a huge hit, The Matrix turned into a multi-media series. Two games came out during this time. One of them, Path of Neo, became a cult hit on its own.
In this crazy game, the final boss is Agent Smith, and the fight ends in the silliest way possible when Smith turns into a huge version of himself to make it work as a big boss fight. That part of Wordle Unlimited is really crazy, which is why so many people love this strange game.
Sasuke – Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (Five Phases)
In the last fight of Naruto, Naruto and Sasuke have their final showdown, which is one of the most famous and exciting fights in the whole series. One of the best things about the Ultimate Ninja Storm series is that it does a great job of recreating this fight.
As in the anime, the fight against Sasuke is a lot of fun and does a great job of reflecting that. It’s a great ending to the series, and players can experience this fight all over again as Naruto.
Calamity Ganon – The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Six Phases)
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the best open-world games ever made. It was a big change for the series, which had been stuck in its action-adventure, dungeon-crawling model for a long time.
Because Breath of the Wild is playable in any way, players could choose how hard the final boss, Calamity Ganon, would be. He could be a two-phase fight, with the first phase starting with half health, or players would have to get through a crazy six stages before they could finally win in the last stretch.
Kingdom Hearts 2 – Xemnas (Nine Phases)
In a lot of ways, Kingdom Hearts is past its best. Today, Disney’s style looks very different from how it did in the first movie. The punk clothes and edgy designs feel like a thing of the past in many ways. In spite of everything, Xemnas is still a fond memory that can’t be beat.
Xemnas was first seen as a secret boss in the original Kingdom Hearts. He has a lot of the same moves, but they are much more powerful. Of course, Kingdom Hearts would be Kingdom Hearts without being at least a little hard to understand. You fight planes, futuristic dragons, and whole buildings with Riku, Sora’s boyfriend….er, best friend.
Lavos – Chrono Trigger (12 Phases)
Chrono Trigger is one of the most innovative JRPGs ever made. It has a great story about traveling through time and a lot of cute characters. In addition, the end boss is a pretty unique part of the game. Players can fight this boss whenever they want.
But if players follow the game’s instructions, they’ll face an epic boss fight with many stages where the fate of the world is at stake. The battle is amazing, and it’s the right way to end a great journey through the game.
Nyx Avatar – Persona 3 (14 Phases)
If you talk about boss fights with more than one stage, you have to talk about Persona 3‘s famous Nyx Avatar. A huge 14 stages make up this final boss, with the last one being the hardest of all of them.
That’s one memorable boss fight, and it marks the end of a great JRPG that was a turning point in the series. Getting through the title can really take hours, but it’s well worth it in the end.
