10 Times Video Games Changed Their Own Rules Just To Spite You

The rule of soulslikes is that no matter how many phases the boss has, no matter how many painful failures you've endured, the moment you see the "[insert whatever name the game uses for bosses here] vanquished," you are victorious. Your struggle is over.

There is a certain kind of comfort when these messages appear on screen, which is exactly why Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice breaks this rule to strip you of any semblance of security you might have been deluded to have.

In the infamous fight with the Guardian Ape, after you manage to bring the boss' health to zero, the Ape will fall down and the "Shinobi Execution" screen will pop up.

However, as you're about to move away, the dead ape will pick up his head and immediately lunge at you, commencing the secret second phase of the boss fight.

The second stage hits you like a truck, and even if you manage to survive it, you'll never be able to look at future boss fights the same way.

Thanks, FromSoftware! We really can't have nice things, can we?