10 Video Game Bosses Only Hardcore Players Got To Fight

RPGs are the undisputed king of hidden bosses. The Final Fantasy series in particular has made it a staple of its franchise, leading to players actively seeking out the challenge in whichever entry they can. Generally though, players have to expect to be both powerful and patient, as there is usually a bit of a run up to meeting one of these elusive bosses.

Final Fantasy X is, of course, no exception. The boss in question here is Penance and can be fought by the player over the Calm Lands, but, as previously mentioned, there is a bit more to it than simply flying there to meet the beast.

The player must first defeat the Dark Aeons.

"Fine, how hard can that be?" you may think, but steady on there, friend. The Dark Aeons themselves can cause players trouble, particularly if you aren't expecting them.

The Dark Aeons show up after the player escapes Bevelle, but they appear at specific locations that you are actually quite likely to backtrack to in order to collect items for the Celestial Weapons. For example, when wandering around the Thunder Plains while dodging the 200 lightning strikes required for the Venus Sigil, you may talk to one of the soldiers under a lightning tower and accidentally start the battle with Dark Ixion.

The Dark Aeons themselves are powerful but it is possible to take them down if you plan well (or use Yojimbo's Zanmato ability), but there are also 8 Dark Aeons to defeat in all, meaning that there are several tough battles ahead (and possibly a lot of Gil paid to Yojimbo) before Penance will appear as a destination for your airship.