10 Boss Fights That Play TOTALLY Different To Their Games

5. Liquid Ocelot - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots

Metal Gear Solid boss fights could happily occupy a bunch of entries on this list, as they often feature madcap genre-breaking moments, but we’re here to highlight Metal Gear Solid 4.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is largely punctuated by its stealth gameplay, close quarters combat, and gunplay. Now, the face-off between Old Snake and Liquid Ocelot is absolutely epic. But I don’t think anybody saw the mechanics of this one coming. A boss fight that doesn’t follow the gameplay expectations set up within the rest of the experience isn’t necessarily bad, it can be really cool. Case in point.

After an extended cutscene, the encounter shifts genres and mechanics entirely and emulates a classic fighting game.

Both combatants are given health bars, the camera shifts to a 2D perspective, and the iconic game soundtrack kicks up in the background making the whole scene seriously powerful and emotional. Especially when Snake Eater starts playing. The extended brawling sequence goes on for some time, requiring you to learn and execute blocks and counterattacks effectively.

It’s absolutely a vibe, completely different to the gameplay in the entire rest of the game, but a vibe nonetheless.