Final Fantasy: 15 Most Brutal Boss Battles

8. Barthandelus (FFXIII)

Whilst Barthandelus is nowhere near as hardy as the aforementioned Long Gui, its position in the middle of the game's fifteen hour long tutorial segment before arriving on Gran Pulse is an utterly horrendous interruption, and entirely unavoidable.

Barthandelus is an archetypal JRPG boss. He's a big, evil, bearded chap who transforms into a massive robot for no good reason, more than prepared to wage war on his own airship despite the obvious dangers such a stunt presents. When the player first confronts the Primarch, it's at a point before the game's 'crystarium' is fully open, so it's not possible to do the usual and out-power the boss with tedious grinding. Instead, it requires - *gulp* - tactics.

Barthandelus appears twice more in the game, but oddly enough his level decreases each time and his fights become exponentially easier. Practice doesn't make perfect.

Cactaur Needles O' Pain: 250

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.