10 Video Game Boss Transformations You Didn't See Coming

10. Guardian Ape - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Let's kick things off with a recent yet all-timer boss transformation that left players both respecting the ingenuity on display and loathing how utterly cunning a ruse it was.

Like most enemies in FromSoftware games, Sekiro's Guardian Ape will make short work of you if you don't show it the proper respect, but even if you last long enough to deliver an apparent coup de grâce, the fight still isn't over.

That's right. You'll think the Guardian Ape's goose is cooked once you've used a Shinobi Execution to decapitate it - because why the hell wouldn't you? - but around 15 seconds later, it'll clamber back to its feet and resume the fight, all while carrying its severed head around in one hand.

And to rub salt in the wound, it'll also pick up the sword you used to decapitate it - which was previously jammed in its neck - for a considerably hairier second phase.

This was a fantastic subversion of expectations, by assuring players that they need to remain on their toes even after depleting a boss' life bar.