12 Video Game Bosses NOBODY Was Ready For

Breath of the Wild's Lynels have nothing on Gleeoks.

By James Egan /

Upon entering the boss's domain, gamers accept there's a good chance they're not going to walk out of there alive. If the player doesn't have enough health potions, didn't equip the appropriate armour, or can't work out the enemy's weakpoint, seeing the "Game Over" screen is inevitable.

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Even though losing repeatedly against a gruelling foe can be frustrating, we wouldn't have it any other way. If the boss encounter was too easy, it would feel like a minor inconvenience, rather than an epic battle. And when an imposing adversary slaughters our hero five or six times (or 37 times if it's a FromSoftware title,) it's all the more satisfying when they're finally defeated.

Although gamers expect a difficulty spike while facing a boss, some of them go way too far. If an antagonist is a damage sponge, has an unpredictable attack pattern, relies on cheap tactics, or is an insta-kill nightmare, smashing the controller seems pretty justified.

Even if gamers do a ton of preparation and read every strategy guide under the sun, they will never be ready to face these relentless bosses.

12. The Antlion - Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear Version)

Everyone who's played the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 should remember how much trouble they had battling the Antlion. As Sonic whizzes through the last area of Under Ground Act 3, Dr. Robotnik picks up his speedy arch-nemesis and chucks him on a slope, with the Antlion nesting on the bottom right.

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As Robotnik drops bouncing bombs from the left side of the screen, the blue-furred hedgehog has to dodge them, causing the explosives to fall into the triturating insect's mouth.

Although this bout is tough on the Master System, it's dramatically harder on the Game Gear, since the condensed screen makes it impossible to see the bombs until the last moment. Because the bombs in the Game Gear version bounce at random intervals, Sonic only has a second to gauge how to jump out of the way. Also, there's no rings available in this section, so Sonic will die after receiving a single hit.

What makes this battle more unfair is the fact the Antlion is the first boss! Because of this, some players never managed to get past the first level!

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