{"id":993,"date":"2022-02-26T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-26T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.virlan.co\/tech\/?p=993"},"modified":"2022-02-26T09:14:57","modified_gmt":"2022-02-26T14:14:57","slug":"the-best-and-strangest-final-bosses-in-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virlan.co\/tech\/gaming\/the-best-and-strangest-final-bosses-in-video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best and Strangest Final Bosses in Video Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all spent hours, maybe more than we\u2019d care to admit, making our ways to the final bosses<\/strong> of our favorite games, hoping that last bout will live up to the journey before it. So we\u2019ve pulled together our list of the most memorable, skill-testing, emotionally cathartic final boss battles<\/strong> of all time. Our main criteria here was that we didn\u2019t just want bosses iconic on name alone.<\/p>\n

Best Final Bosses in Video Games<\/h2>\n

5. Sephiroth – Final Fantasy 7<\/h3>\n

Sephiroth is the most popular Final Fantasy villain<\/strong> of all time, and the final battle against him that takes place deep in the heart of an impact crater is a big reason why. Amid thundering Latin choral vocals \u2014 a major achievement in itself on the original PlayStation \u2014 Sephiroth descends from the heavens to battle Cloud and his compatriots at the end of Final Fantasy<\/strong> VII. And the epic, sweeping battle is matched by Sephiroth\u2019s moveset, most notably his Supernova attack, in which an asteroid wrecks the entire solar system as it hurls toward the party. It’s a battle that made “One-Winged Angel” one of the most famous pieces of video game music and cemented Sephiroth as not just one of Square Enix\u2019s most revered villains, but one that still resonates with JRPG fans to this day.<\/p>\n

4. Isshin – Sekiro<\/h3>\n

Isshin the Sword Saint, like many bosses<\/strong> in Sekiro, is just a real jerk. But a large part of the reason why this boss fight is so sublime is because of how unforgiving he is, and how much he pushes players to their limits. Isshin is a true final boss in the sense that it\u2019s a battle that represents the culmination of everything you\u2019ve learned up to this point in Sekiro\u2019s brilliant combat system. You\u2019ll need patience, on-point reflexes, a total mastery of the parry system, and the ability to recognize when to use mikiri or sweep counters. There\u2019s simply no other way around it. Isshin never takes it easy on you, and just when you think you\u2019ve got him figured out, you move on to his next phase and he adds a host of new deadly tricks you\u2019ll have to master fighting against. But mastering each and every phase is worth it, because few bosses<\/strong>, if any, are as satisfying to defeat as this one. Sekiro<\/strong> is a game where your skill is the only factor at play, and you\u2019re gonna need a lot of it in order to claim victory against Isshin.<\/p>\n

3. Ganondorf – The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker<\/h3>\n

A showdown between Link and Ganon is the inevitable conclusion to most Legend of Zelda games<\/strong>. What sets this encounter apart is its emotional highs. For the first (and only) time in the franchise, Ganondorf has a personality. He’s actively antagonistic toward Link and Zelda<\/strong>, and he sports a flair for the dramatic — the dude flips around wielding two swords atop a tower named after himself as the world floods around you, curtaining the arena in torrential waterfalls. And his casual, nasty backhand of Zelda<\/strong> mid-battle only makes the final blows against him all the more resonant and satisfying. Bouncing Zelda\u2019s<\/strong> light arrow off your shield to follow up with an uncharacteristically brutal ending for the familiar foe, as Link delivers the killing blow by introducing the sharp end of the Master Sword into Ganondorf’s forehead. A fitting end for Wind Waker’s memorable Ganondorf<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2. Sans – Undertale<\/h3>\n

Undertale offers a different final boss depending on your actions, and each is uniquely memorable in their own right. Should you choose to systematically hunt down and kill every monster you can find in the underground, becoming an unstoppable killing machine in the process, Sans the skeleton is Undertale\u2019s<\/strong> rebuttal to your genocidal acts. The ensuing fight is an unpredictable roller coaster of attacks that breaks all of your expectations about how battles are fought in Undertale<\/strong>. And that\u2019s if you can even survive his opening salvo. Sans refuses to let you land a hit, breaks the fourth wall to taunt your repeated attempts, and even twists the rules of turn-based fighting mechanics to render you powerless. Add the incredibly catchy battle theme \u201cMegalovania<\/strong>\u201d to the mix and you have the perfect recipe for a boss fight that brilliantly plays with expectations.<\/p>\n

1. The Boss – Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s only fitting that The Boss of Big Boss<\/strong> should claim the top spot on our list. Metal Gear is known for its theatrical, high-stakes boss battles, but the final encounter in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater<\/strong> sits above the rest. Ratcheting up the personal stakes, Snake must kill his adoptive mother and mentor. Even while shackled by duty to a fight she didn\u2019t want, The Boss<\/strong> is both a mechanically and thematically difficult and memorable encounter, as she turns the hand-to-hand combat training she and Snake developed together against him. There are many different methods of defeating her, from sniping, to hand-to-hand counters, to the use of thermal goggles, but the fight always ends in the same, emotionally stirring way: a broken man, standing over the only woman he ever loved as he, and the player, are forced to pull the trigger.<\/p>\n