11 Best Video Game Boss Battles Of 2015

No big blockbuster game is quite complete without a healthy smattering of boss fights. At their best, these encounters will erupt your flesh in goosebumps of fear and excitement as the boss gets introduced, then have you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire battle as you work out your foe's rhythm and weak spots. Video game boss battles are like big spectacular chess matches, in which you must patiently plan your moves rather than hastily lunging in to wreak some short-term havoc. Of course, the fact that while you're planning you need to stay alive is a big part of the challenge - and the fun. It's fair to say that 2015 hasn't been the most boss-centric year, with many of the year's greatest games taking place in open worlds that focused on player choice and freedom of approach, rather than heavily scripted boss sequences. But that hasn't stopped some formidable encounters from cropping up regardless, and here's a roundup of the best.

11. Brainfreeze (Titan Souls)

This top-down adventure is one of the most underrated games of 2015, throwing you into brilliant boss encounter after brilliant boss encounter armed with just a single arrow that you need to charge up before shooting, then pick up after each shot you fire. Take one hit, and you're dead, so you always need to have one finger on that all-important Dodge trigger. Of all the great bosses to choose from, the brain-in-a-cube Brainfreeze stands out because it not only forces you to rely on precise movement and laser-focussed shooting, but also makes you solve a pretty challenging puzzle - entailing melting Brainfreeze's ice cube to make him vulnerable in the first place. It's an awesome combination of gaming skill and puzzle-solving, and is a unique encounter in a game whose entire purpose is to throw you into increasingly hard encounters.