10 Great Video Games With Terrible Bosses
Apr 2, 2025
Did any of these shock you ?
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There are plenty of standout games that have become infamous thanks to one or two shoddy
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boss fights. However, it's a little bit weird when every boss is terrible in an otherwise terrific title
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Due to the seamless gameplay, detailed world and rich story, it's perplexing when every
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encounter with a major adversary is boring, uncreative or badly programmed. I'm Jess from WhatCulture and here are 10 great video games with terrible bosses
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10. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII The staggering success of Final Fantasy VII led to a slew of spin-offs
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including the prequel Crisis Core. Initially released on the PSP, this installment focuses on Soldier member Zach Fair
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while he was allied with the treacherous Sephiroth. Even though Crisis Core could have been pure fan service, and it is
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it has a lot to offer. It has an accessible battle system, magnificent graphics
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and it expands on the lore and backstories of key characters. On top of that, Crisis Core is surprisingly emotional
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Despite the fact Zack is doomed from the start, nobody was ready to watch such a heart-wrenching death
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But Crisis Core has its problems. Although the bosses are well-designed and have inventive tactics
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they're too easy. If Zack regularly performs the sub missions, he'll level up very quickly
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allowing him to wipe the floor with the most powerful of monsters. By the time Zack is maxed out his most devastating spells
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the spiky-haired commando can win the last few scraps in a minute flat
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Though these extra missions aren't mandatory, they're worthwhile since it's the only way to access the most coveted spells
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Zack will grow strong enough to dominate almost any battle, even if he only completes half these side quests
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Number 9. The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim It's hard to know where to start while singing Skyrim's praises
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Its immense world, personalized perk system, jewel-wielding weapons, accessible user interface, and diverse spells
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are just a sample of the masterpiece's highlights. However, one of the few factors that didn't garner acclaim is the bosses
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Considering the story centers around dragons laying waste to the world, fighting these almighty beasts should have been a sight to behold
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And yet, the most daunting adversaries can be eliminated by chucking a few fireballs from afar or by hacking them to pieces
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Later enemies don't pose much trouble despite hefty health bars, so long as a Dragonborn has a selection of potions in stock
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Annoyingly, the Elder Scrolls sequel saves the worst boss for last. Not only is the showdown with Alduin depressingly generic, it's more aggravating since it can take over 100 hours to reach him
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What makes this criticism more noticeable is the fact that Skyrim has a bloat of bosses
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If Bethesda focused less on endless draug as warlocks and wyverns, they probably would
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have had more time to make each encounter enthralling, epic and, most importantly, less crap. 8
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Dead Rising Though the controls in the original Dead Rising are clunky this doesn pose much of a problem while wailing on a slew of zombies After all Frank West doesn need pinpoint accuracy while armed with a lawnmower However imprecise controls become an issue with the bosses especially while taking on armed enemies from afar
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In some battles, it feels like the controls pose more of a threat than the undead
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While Frank desperately tries to aim at the bosses, he can be mowed down before taking a single shot
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Although not every boss is a nightmare, some have the opposite problem and pose no challenge whatsoever
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If the enemy has no long-ranged attacks, Frank can pick him off from a distance with ease
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Alternatively, he can use heavy artillery or a chainsaw to deplete their health bar in a matter of seconds
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In a nutshell, Dead Rising's bosses have no real difficulty curve. Whether Frank is tangling with a cannibalistic chef, a crazed security guard, or a demented clown
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it's either insultingly easy or immeasurably frustrating. 7. Tunic Serving as a love letter to the legend of Zelda
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Tunic is an isometric adventure that focuses on exploration, combat, and puzzles
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The world is intuitively designed, so our heroic fox is encouraged to experiment
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rather than being told what to do or where to go. But there's one throwback to classic titles that wasn't appreciated
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Brutal bosses. For the record, it's not the enemy's strategies that are unfair, but the gameplay
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Due to the protagonist's stubby sword, it's hard to tell if he's in range to hit his target, especially when the camera is zoomed out
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The camera pans with such regularity, it's hard to see the main character half the time
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In situations like this, the boss can just box in our pointy-eared hero, giving him no chance to escape
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A similar game which released the year before is Death's Door, which had a more balanced difficulty despite having significantly harder bosses
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Every time the player died, it felt like it was their fault, encouraging them to get better
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But in Tunic, it feels like the camera and the mechanics pose a greater threat than the enemies do
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6. Ninja Gaiden 2 Dark Souls and Cuphead prove that bosses can be fair despite being infuriating
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As frustrating as bosses like this are, they can be defeated by memorizing their attack pattern
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But as Ninja Gaiden 2 proves, there's a big difference between a tough boss and a cheap one
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Most bosses in Team Ninja's hack and slash sequel have insta-kill attacks
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which can be unleashed at any moment. What's worse is that these screen-filling foes can be bested through button mashing
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Since these bouts don't involve much timing or precision, there's little satisfaction to be had on your end
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Then there's the nuclear armadillo. Now this guy's gonna blow up after meeting his maker
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but there's no hint that the atomic explosion will kill our hero
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unless he blocks or performs a certain move at the right time. Because of this, pretty much every first timer died at that point
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forcing them to face off against the nuclear armadillo from the very start
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Now that's not suggesting every Ninja Gaiden 2 boss is cheap, but even when the nasty bunch agree to play by the rules, it's not as fun or engaging as it should be
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5. Deus Ex Human Revolution Deus Ex Human Revolution was a welcome return to form for the sci hacker saga Offering a perfect blend of genres extensive world well character arcs
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and scores of cool mechanics, HR comes pretty close to matching the original
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Having said that, Eidos Montreal ran into a spot of bother during development, which cost them
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dearly. Although the main campaign was supposed to have traditional bosses, the developers strongly considered cutting them due to time constraints
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Believing their removal would impair the story and gaming experience as a whole
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it was decided to outsource the boss fights to a small studio called Grip Entertainment
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According to Grip director Paul Kraszewski, he worked on the project like a regular shooter
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unaware the property wasn't action heavy. For this reason, it's no surprise that these bombastic bosses didn't gel with Deus Ex's otherwise stealthy gameplay
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To be clear, Human Revolution's bosses aren't bad in the traditional sense
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but there's no question that they feel it had a place with the game's tone. The bosses became such a sore point
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they were completely overhauled for the director's cut of the game. Number 4. The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask
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Considering The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time has the highest score on Metacritic
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it's arguably the most celebrated video game of all time. Nevertheless, the follow-up Majora's Mask surpassed its predecessor in many ways
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focusing more on character developments, personal conflicts, and mature themes. After all these years, the intricate time loop concept is still deemed
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one of the most innovative mechanics in the entire series. But if there's one aspect where Majora's mask falters, it's its bosses
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Save for the Guardian of the Snowhead Temple, every end of dungeon enemy is lame
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In most Legend of Zelda installments, Link needs to utilize a treasure hidden inside each dungeon
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in order to vanquish the corresponding boss. But in Majora's Mask, most of the bosses can be beaten with mindless slashing
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including the main antagonist. Although the third boss, Gaiog, doesn't have this issue
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it's still tedious to fight the creature thanks to the awkward camera
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Ironically, almost every sub-boss requires more precision and timing than the major ones do
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Nintendo seemed to be aware of this criticism since the boss battles were heavily revised when the game was remade for the 3DS
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Number 3, Bioshock, the series. The fight with Frank Fontaine at the end of Bioshock isn't just underwhelming, it's jarring
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Considering how nuanced and fleshed out the world of Rapture is, it's strange to see this magnificent story conclude with a face-off against a Hulk reject
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Due to Fontaine's formulaic tactics and tiny health bar, it's anticlimactic when the credits roll
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Since the boss fights were deemed Bioshock's only glaring flaw, Irrational Games should have avoided repeating the mistake in future
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Unfortunately, Bioshock 2 had similar issues. Rather than devising unique adversaries with distinctive strategies
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every boss is just a beefed-up version of a regular enemy. Anyone who thought Bioshock Infinite would be third lucky was also mistaken Rather than throwing together some generic baddies the developers went to the other extreme giving the bosses too many strategies No boss exemplifies this issue
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more than Lady Comstock. This spiritual entity turns invisible, teleports, incessantly heals
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and renders herself immune to most attacks. Coupled with her mammoth health bar, this brawl is a
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slog, even on the lowest difficulty. In a way, it's kind of impressive how the series bungled
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the boss fights three times in a row, considering how well the rest of the gameplay turned out
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2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder Despite Super Mario's influence on the gaming industry, many of the Italian plumbers' earlier
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titles had surprisingly mundane boss battles. In the original Super Mario Bros., our coin-collecting
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hero could beat Bowser just by reaching the right side of the screen. In many titles
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Mario can defeat colossal machines, dinosaurs, and monsters by repeatedly bonking him on the head
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Of course, the franchise's gameplay has evolved leaps and bounds over the years
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and as a result, the more recent entries have given the gaming community
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some of the most entertaining battles ever. So what exactly happened to Super Mario Bros. Wanda
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Rather than having Nintendo's mustachioed mascot contend with a varied group of end-of-level enemies
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every castle concludes with fighting Bowser Jr. Although each encounter has mild variety
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the Koopa Kid relies on the same strategy every time. And somehow, it gets even worse
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At the end of each airship level, Mario must fight a robotic version of his nemesis
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However, calling it a fight is probably a stretch since Mario can destroy robot Bowser
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by pressing an overhead switch one time. Though wonder is overflowing with innovation, the same can't be said about the boss fights
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Number 1. Batman Arkham Asylum Back in 2009, Batman Arkham Asylum cemented itself as the definitive superhero title almost overnight
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Its masterful combat, imaginative puzzles, and lightning-in-a-bottle voice casting has allowed Rocksteady's DC saga to endure ever since
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Well, endure until Arkham Knight. Sadly, those creative juices dried up when it came to designing the big battles
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Not only are the bosses poorly designed in their own right, there's no reason why they turned out this badly
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Squaring off against Batman's rogue gallery should have been a blast, considering how diverse these criminals are
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Since the franchise is renowned for its satisfying combat, pummeling Gotham's worst supervillains should have been a highlight
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But that's not the case. Half the bosses can be defeated by compelling them to slam into a wall like Wile E. Coyote
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The Scarecrow sections feel more like stealth levels than boss fights. The confrontation with Harley Quinn involves fighting off her goons before defeating her with one punch
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Despite Killer Croc and Bane's immense size and strength, they can be easily stunned with a single Batarang
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And then there's the final boss. Not only does Titan Joker look ridiculous, it's arguably the easiest fight, since Batman's health replenishes each time he strikes his arch-nemesis
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The fact that the boss fights turned out great in the follow-ups makes this blunder in Arkham Asylum all the more glaring
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