10 Video Game Design Rules You Can Never Unsee

6. Nintendo's "Rule Of Three" For Bosses

Nintendo games, especially those in the Mario franchise, are massively beholden to this rule of boss design, whereby the overwhelming majority of boss fights will require the player to overcome the boss during three stages, typically hitting them or jumping on their head at the end of each stage.

It's a trope that forms an inextricable part of the formula of most Mario-branded games, and if Nintendo ever stopped doing it, there would probably be uproar from fans who find it comforting in its familiarity.

Given that the games are supposed to be accessible to kids it certainly makes sense, even if there's a fair argument to be made that it's a teensy bit lazy, too.