8 Best Video Game Boss Battles Of 2022

The moment I beat Chef Saltbaker in the long-awaited, and much-anticipated, Cuphead DLC The Delicious Last Course, I couldn't help but feel a confusing mixture of euphoria and sadness.

Strangely though, both of these emotions came from the same core thought, that this boss was so well crafted and meticulously animated, that there wasn't ever going to be anything that felt this good to fight or looked this good while kicking my ass. The excitement of finally beating this multi-staged boss was met with sadness that many other video game developers likely wouldn't be able to replicate the delicate recipe for success on show here.

Saltbaker is a brilliant example of difficulty ramping that never feels cheap, as it lays out its mechanics to the player within the first few seconds of each phase and simply adds or tweaks them across the section. I didn't walk into a beatdown that I didn't see coming, but boy howdy did it take me multiple attempts to get through this gauntlet. And yet despite having a full buffet of pain, I was more than happy to dive back in to see the outstanding animation, the brilliant mashup of styles, and of course to serve this baker his own buns.