10 Video Games With Amazing Bosses (Except The Last One)

What a letdown.

middle earth shadow of mordor black hand of sauron
WB

Because video game bosses are supposed to be much tougher than regular enemies, gamers get a great sense of accomplishment upon killing them. Not only does the foe's defeat allow the player to progress to formally inaccessible areas, it proves you have fine-tuned your skills and are worthy to face more prominent challenges.

Now, if a game has ten or twenty bosses, you expect a couple of them to be filler. And you know what? That's totally fine. Because the developers have to craft dozens of distinct baddies, some of them are bound to suck.

So, when you play a title where every enemy encounter feels mesmerising and creative, you assume the same care was put into designing the final boss. We go into that last dungeon, expecting a a monumental multi-phase epic that will tie up every plot point and shake us to our core.

But sometimes, it seems like the studio ran out of ideas at the last minute, and had nothing left for what was supposed to be a legendary showdown.

Although it's disappointing when the final boss is underwhelming, it's more heartbreaking when every boss preceding it was ten times better.

10. Osmund Saddler - Resident Evil 4

middle earth shadow of mordor black hand of sauron
Capcom

Each boss in Resident Evil feels like it was crafted to top the last one. Battling the Gigante is truly awe-inspiring. Mendez's unsettling design makes this confrontation genuinely creepy. Although you encounter Salazar at the half-way point, he's more epic than most final bosses. As for Krauser? He's probably the most satisfying boss to fight in the entire franchise.

After taking part in so many entertaining battles, you wonder how the face-off with the arch-villain, Osmund Saddler, is going to top them all.

Sadly, it doesn't even come close. After the cult leader mutates into a monstrous spider, you expect him to pull out all the stops.

But if you hit Saddler with anything combustible (like a mine, grenade, or an explosive round), he will shrivel up, allowing you to walk right up to him and strike his weak spot. Once you perform this action a couple of times, you can finish him off with a rocket launcher.

This "fight" is so easy, you can beat Saddler without getting hit. If you're fast enough, you can defeat him before you even know what his attack pattern is.

Contributor
Contributor

James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85