10 Challenging Video Game Boss Fights That Lead Directly Into Another One

1. The Binding Of Isaac - IT LIVES! And Hush

video game boss battles
Edmund McMillen

The Binding of Isaac is a challenging game, but it’s a well-known fact among the player-base that with the right loadout almost any boss will drown in Isaac’s tears, lasers, acid globs or knives in no time. But that’s not the case with Hush, one of the game’s most challenging adversaries who can only be fought directly after another boss fight: IT LIVES! IT LIVES! is a harder version of Mom’s Heart, and if you manage to reach and kill it within 30 minutes – which is no mean feat in itself – a mysterious opening appears.

Jump through the ominous opening like the reckless renegade you are, and you’ll find yourself in a spooky new location simply titled “???”. There are a few supplies available to restock yourself, but only if you have the requisite keys to access them. Then, it’s straight on to the next boss battle with barely a chance to let your tear ducts re-moisturise.

Hush is a horrifying creature that takes the form of a distorted face pushing through the floor. It looks like it’s in agony, and soon you will be too because Hush scales to your damage output, so even if you’ve been arrogantly breezing through the run up to this point, Hush will shut you up. It’s the very definition of bullet hell.

Contributor

Patch is a pop culture enthusiast and purveyor of puns. He writes about media in a vague attempt to justify the alarming amount of time he spends consuming it. Nobody's convinced... but nobody's told him that yet. He spends his spare time working on Portal 2: Desolation, an ambitious fan-made sequel to Valve's beloved puzzle games.