10 Gaming Cliches You Couldn't Live Without
3. The Multi-Phase Boss Fight
The Cliche: The boss fight, often the final one in the game, which has numerous phases to it. Perhaps you deplete the boss' health only for it to restore, or maybe the game plays fair and lets you know you've got a certain number of "phases" to get through, but either way, you're not getting out of this one quickly or easily.
Common in the Castlevania, Zelda, Metroid, Mario and Final Fantasy franchises, among others.
Why It's Awesome: For one, it instantly makes a pivotal boss fight feel that much more epic, and can have a distinct "holy s***!" factor if the game doesn't inform you beforehand, which can also massively heighten the tension if you've already used up your best weaponry and goods in the first phase.
It can definitely be frustrating depending upon circumstance, but in the event that the differing phases sufficiently change things up (often by mutating the boss into new forms), it can result in dynamic and highly entertaining battles.