In Response to Adam Sessler

After watching one of the most recent of Adam Sessler's video blogs, which can be seen here, I can't help but agree with him. Most boss battles, specifically final bosses, are disappointments. There's just something about them that seems deflated from the rest of the game. Sessler also poses the question of how this problem could be solved because he wasn't exactly sure himself. I believe I have an idea what makes a great boss fight but let's take a look at some boss battles which I feel do and do not work.

Uncharted is a great game, nobody is denying that. But it fails to provide a final boss that lives up to the standards set by the rest of the game. It basically boils down to reaching said boss and beating the crap out of him before he has a chance to mow you down with his overpowered gun. The fight ends up being boring and far too underwhelming when compared to the rest of the game. I think it would have been much more exciting if the gun was teetering on the edge of the ship while Nate and the villain have a fist fight to reach it. Every time you get a little bit closer, your feet would get thrown out from under you. It would definitely play up the fact that this fight was life or death and provide a satisfying end when you finally do overcome him.

Bioshock was another great game with a lackluster final boss. The entire premise seemed to fall apart after the fantastic plot twist. And the best they could come up with for the final boss was a powered-up monstrosity. That worked well when you had to fight the Big Daddies, but in the case of the last enemy it didn't make much sense and didn't serve the story well. In fact, it would have been much better if the game had ended at the plot twist. All the loose ends would have been tied up and provided enough context for a far different sequel than what we're getting with Bioshock 2.

If there's one series that got its final bosses right, it would be God of War. The original's final fight against Ares was a battle of minds, will, and strength. Not only did Kratos have to overcome Ares in this massive fight but fend off the guilt that was being forced into his consciousness. I know some did not enjoy the fight against Ares, but I felt it had an appropriate emotional impact as well as being a challenging boss. This carried over into God of War II as the battle against Zeus felt rightfully epic, and the outcome turned out to be quite a shock. The developers behind God of War know how to pull an emotional response out of their climaxes.

Another problem mentioned by Adam Sessler is that final bosses tend to be hyped as being much more powerful than anything else in the game world. The only way to defeat him in that showdown is to take advantage of a fatal weakness somewhere on his body. Let's just call it the Death Star Syndrome. The problem with these fights is that they just aren't satisfying. The design of the boss might be impressive, but it rarely provides the challenge it should.

The ideal boss fight is one that is both challenging and serves the purpose of the story that came before it. Rather than a boss that is much more powerful than my character, give me one that is my equal. I just spent the entire game trying to get to that point so make him a challenge. Give him a similar moveset to mine and an aggressive style. You've been a thorn in his side the entire game. If he takes you out, everything will fall back into place. These stakes and the challenge would make it enormously fun to attack an enemy only for him to block and counter it. Timing and knowledge of your moves become paramount and provide a much more entertaining fight. Having that boss taunt you about what he's done throughout the game gives the battle emotional context that makes you want to defeat him. It doesn't have to be crazy over-the-top taunts either. Just mentioning what he's done and what you've failed to do is enough.

In recent memory, one of the best examples of these equal strength bosses is Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. He is hands down one of the greatest bosses in gaming. A small arena surrounded by cascading waters, he carries twin blades against Link's sword and shield. There's a notable height difference between the characters which only makes him more imposing. The fight is quick and deadly as Link has to duck and dodge against Ganondorf's attacks while searching desperately for an opening. Only with the help of Zelda's Light Arrows can Link overcome Ganondorf and drive his sword into his head, turning the final boss into stone. Pure A-Grade awesome. If more boss fights were like that, I'd be one happy gamer.