10 Best Boss Fights In 3D Super Mario History

Much like Super Mario 64, Bowser is fought three times across Super Mario Galaxy, each with an increasing difficulty.

Mario must traverse a dangerous obstacle course of platforming cruelty to reach him, all the while accompanied by an astonishingly good orchestral soundtrack. When you reach Bowser, flags are flying, an enormous star burns in the background and it's time to fight. The clever thing about this battle against Bowser is that it's split up into three phases - it's long enough to feel more substantial and satisfying than the boss fight in Super Mario Galaxy 2, yet it doesn't overstay its welcome.

It's a well-designed fight - in fact, you already know how to win. Bowser covers himself in rocks and rolls about on the first planet, threatening to squash Mario. But you've faced boulders like these before, so you know to smash the exposed part. The second phase sees Bowser spewing fire all over the place - but there are sling pods scattered across the planet, and so you know to smack them into him. Finally, the last phase of the boss takes place within the giant star itself for a truly epic finale. It's very much the same as the last Bowser battles, and once you've beaten him, he plummets into the fire.

The soundtrack is explosive, the action is relentless and the cutscene that follows has Bowser stumbling from the flames, lamenting how he's lost everything. It's the best fight in a 3D Mario game - it's got it all.

Now let's see what Odyssey can do.