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Boss (video games)
Encyclopedia
A boss is an enemy-based challenge (and a computer-controlled opponent in such challenge) which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Boss battles are generally seen at the climax of a particular section of the game, usually at the end of a stage or level, or guarding a specific objective, and the boss enemy is generally far stronger than the opponents the player has faced up to that point.
The first interactive game to feature a boss was dnd
, a 1975
computer role-playing game for the PLATO system. One of the earliest dungeon crawl
s, dnd implemented many of the core concepts behind Dungeons & Dragons
. The objective of the game is to retrieve an "Orb" from the bottommost dungeon. The orb is kept in a treasure room guarded by a high-level enemy named the Gold Dragon. Only by defeating the Dragon can the player claim the orb, complete the game, and be eligible to appear on the high score list.
The first arcade game
to feature a boss was Galaxian
, an early shoot 'em up
developed by Namco
in 1979, where aliens were often accompanied by a boss. Several more early examples appeared in 1980, including Sega
's Samurai (1980), a beat 'em up
fighting game
where the player fought multiple opponents before proceeding to fight a master samurai; SNK
's Sasuke vs Commander, a fixed shooter that featured game characters instead of spaceships and boss encounters against shinobi
who had special abilities such as shooting flame; and the fixed space shooter Phoenix
, where the player ship must fight a giant mothership in the fifth and final level.
and Doctor Eggman
from Sonic the Hedgehog. While most games include a mixture of boss opponents and regular opponents, some games have only regular opponents and some games have only bosses – for example, Shadow of the Colossus
has no enemies other than bosses. In games such as Duke Nukem 3D
, the first boss even reappears throughout the game as an uncommon enemy. However, they are weaker than the original. In a similar vein, a relatively powerful enemy may be introduced via a boss battle, but later appear as an uncommon but strong enemy, after the player has had a chance to find more powerful weaponry or a weakness it may have. An example of this is in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
, where the game's second boss, the Giant Skeleton
, reappears in later areas as a normal enemy, with the player even fighting two at once at one point.
Boss battles are typically seen as dramatic events. As such, they are usually characterized with unique music, and/or cutscene
s before and after the boss battle. Recurring bosses and final bosses may have their own specific theme music, to distinguish them from other boss battles.
Some bosses require the player to defeat them in a certain way that may be unusual to normal attacks, such as requiring the player to use a certain weapon, such as in Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
, or hitting the boss in a certain area, termed a "weak point", such as in the Metroid
series. Story-centered bosses of this type will sometimes require certain prerequisites to be performed during the fight for the player to succeed, such as a requirement that a partner must stay alive during the battle or sequence to be counted as a victory. The most common games that have these requirements are the games in the Grand Theft Auto
franchise, which players can usually have a partner during a mission that they must protect; the final mission of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
is an example of a boss battle that requires both a side character to remain alive and for additional actions to be taken in order to defeat him.
In some games, the boss returns after being defeated, sometimes in a new form with alternate attacks. This can repeat a certain number of times before the player faces their final and most powerful form. The Final Fantasy
series is well known for this style of boss, often having as many as 5 phases in a single boss battle (Sorceress Ultimecia
being this example; other FF villains such as Sephiroth
and Vayne
have from 2 to 4 stages). The Mega Man
series of games also prominently display this, with the main villain (Doctor Wily
; Sigma
; Copy X, Elpizo, Omega, and Doctor Wiel
) adopting a second and even third vehicle/body immediately after the first is destroyed to continue the fight.
As they can sustain a lot more damage than normal foes, bosses commonly have a health bar which is displayed either on/near them or in a specific location on the HUD
, usually with their name or a portrait of them attached. In lieu of a health bar, some bosses, like those in the early Metroid games, change color, change attack patterns or, in the case of larger enemies, lose parts of their overall structure as they receive more and more damage. Although health bars or indicators were less common in the early days of video gaming, they are now found in many video game boss battles.
Some games also feature a sequence of consecutive boss battles as an extra challenge, sometimes known as a "Boss Rush". Boss Rush modes often include a timer and record the time taken to defeat both the singular bosses and all the bosses as a whole. Occasionally, the Boss Rush may not be a "mode" at all, instead having previous bosses placed in the game a second time, sometimes with more powerful attacks and more demanding patterns. The Mega Man
series is most famous for and possibly the instigator of the Boss Rush, as every game in every series has the player fight the bosses again in the final stages just before the final boss.
games. Some well known video game characters who usually take the role of a miniboss are Dark Link (The Legend of Zelda
series), Vile (Mega Man X
series) and Allen O'Neil (Metal Slug). Minibosses are sometimes encountered later in the game as normal enemies.
s. They are considered optional enemies, though optional bosses are not all superbosses, and do not have to be defeated to complete the game. They are generally much more powerful than the bosses encountered as part of the main game's plot or quest, and often the player is required to complete a sidequest or the entire game to fight the superboss. For example, in Final Fantasy VII
series, the player may choose to seek out and fight the Ruby and Emerald Weapons. Some superbosses will take the place of the final boss if certain requirements are met. This is common in fighting games, including Reptile in Mortal Kombat and Akuma
in Super Street Fighter II Turbo
.
Some superbosses can also yield special items or skills that cannot be found any other way that can give a player a significant advantage during playthrough of the rest of the game, such as added experience or a superpowered weapon. The Ultima Weapon from Final Fantasy VIII
is an example of this; players can draw the Eden summon monster from Ultima Weapon, which is the game's most powerful summon. Neither this summon nor the fight itself is required to complete the game, but getting them makes the game significantly easier than if the player goes without it. Another example is Dragon Quest VI
s superboss Dark Dream, which if defeated quickly enough will then defeat the final boss Mortamor on the player's behalf.
History
Dnd (computer game)
dnd is a computer role-playing game. The name dnd is derived from the abbreviation "DND" from the original role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which was first released in 1975....
, a 1975
1975 in video gaming
-Events:*In Fall, Magnavox discontinues the original Odyssey video game console.-Notable releases:*Atari and Tele-Games release the first official home version of Pong through Sears department stores....
computer role-playing game for the PLATO system. One of the earliest dungeon crawl
Dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
s, dnd implemented many of the core concepts behind Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
. The objective of the game is to retrieve an "Orb" from the bottommost dungeon. The orb is kept in a treasure room guarded by a high-level enemy named the Gold Dragon. Only by defeating the Dragon can the player claim the orb, complete the game, and be eligible to appear on the high score list.
The first arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
to feature a boss was Galaxian
Galaxian
is an arcade game developed by Namco in 1979. It was published by Namco in Japan and was imported to North America by Midway in 1980. A fixed shooter-style game in which the player controls a spaceship at the bottom of the screen and shoots enemies descending in various directions, it was designed...
, an early shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
developed by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
in 1979, where aliens were often accompanied by a boss. Several more early examples appeared in 1980, including Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Samurai (1980), a beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
where the player fought multiple opponents before proceeding to fight a master samurai; SNK
SNK
SNK is a former name of SNK Playmore, a Japanese video game company . This may also refer to:* SNK European Democrats* SNK Union of Independents* Southeast Airlines ICAO code...
's Sasuke vs Commander, a fixed shooter that featured game characters instead of spaceships and boss encounters against shinobi
Shinobi
Shinobi is the Japanese word for male ninja. It may also refer to:*Shinobi , a series of video games**Shinobi , the original video game in the series developed by Sega**Shinobi , the PlayStation 2 sequel...
who had special abilities such as shooting flame; and the fixed space shooter Phoenix
Phoenix (arcade game)
Phoenix is a shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Amstar Electronics in 1980, released by Centuri in the United States and by Taito in Japan. Bootleg versions of Phoenix were released by TPN and others...
, where the player ship must fight a giant mothership in the fifth and final level.
Characteristics
Bosses are usually significantly superior to regular enemies, and are usually found at the end of a level or area. Most games also include a "final" boss, which is usually the main antagonist in the story, at the very end of the game. Some examples include Bowser from the Mario seriesMario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
and Doctor Eggman
Doctor Eggman
, also known by his alias , is a fictional video game character, the main antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series created by Sega. Dr. Eggman is a rotund, mad scientist with an IQ of 300 who plans to conquer the world in order to build his Eggman Empire and is the archenemy of Sonic the Hedgehog...
from Sonic the Hedgehog. While most games include a mixture of boss opponents and regular opponents, some games have only regular opponents and some games have only bosses – for example, Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as , is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006...
has no enemies other than bosses. In games such as Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 3D Realms and published by GT Interactive Software. The full version was released for the PC . It is a sequel to the platform games Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II published by Apogee...
, the first boss even reappears throughout the game as an uncommon enemy. However, they are weaker than the original. In a similar vein, a relatively powerful enemy may be introduced via a boss battle, but later appear as an uncommon but strong enemy, after the player has had a chance to find more powerful weaponry or a weakness it may have. An example of this is in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, known in Japan as , is the third Nintendo DS installment of the Castlevania franchise, developed by longtime Castlevania developer Koji Igarashi.-Gameplay:...
, where the game's second boss, the Giant Skeleton
Skeleton (undead)
A Skeleton is a type of physically manifested undead often found in fantasy, gothic and horror fiction, and mythical art. Most are human skeletons, but they can also be from any creature or race found on Earth or in the fantasy world.- Myth and folklore :...
, reappears in later areas as a normal enemy, with the player even fighting two at once at one point.
Boss battles are typically seen as dramatic events. As such, they are usually characterized with unique music, and/or cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s before and after the boss battle. Recurring bosses and final bosses may have their own specific theme music, to distinguish them from other boss battles.
Some bosses require the player to defeat them in a certain way that may be unusual to normal attacks, such as requiring the player to use a certain weapon, such as in Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
is a side-scrolling platform game produced by Capcom originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. It is the third game in the Ghosts'n Goblins series...
, or hitting the boss in a certain area, termed a "weak point", such as in the Metroid
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
series. Story-centered bosses of this type will sometimes require certain prerequisites to be performed during the fight for the player to succeed, such as a requirement that a partner must stay alive during the battle or sequence to be counted as a victory. The most common games that have these requirements are the games in the Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
franchise, which players can usually have a partner during a mission that they must protect; the final mission of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
is an example of a boss battle that requires both a side character to remain alive and for additional actions to be taken in order to defeat him.
In some games, the boss returns after being defeated, sometimes in a new form with alternate attacks. This can repeat a certain number of times before the player faces their final and most powerful form. The Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series is well known for this style of boss, often having as many as 5 phases in a single boss battle (Sorceress Ultimecia
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
being this example; other FF villains such as Sephiroth
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
and Vayne
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
have from 2 to 4 stages). The Mega Man
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
series of games also prominently display this, with the main villain (Doctor Wily
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
; Sigma
Mega Man X
The Mega Man X series is the second Mega Man franchise released by Capcom. It debuted December 17, 1993 in Japan on the Super NES/Super Famicom and spawned sequels on several systems, with the PC platform notably having the most releases within the series...
; Copy X, Elpizo, Omega, and Doctor Wiel
Mega Man Zero
The Mega Man Zero series, known as in Japan, is the series succeeding the Mega Man X story-line, and the fifth series in Capcom's Mega Man video game franchise, co-produced by Keiji Inafune, and directed by Mega Man Legends series director Yoshinori Kawano...
) adopting a second and even third vehicle/body immediately after the first is destroyed to continue the fight.
As they can sustain a lot more damage than normal foes, bosses commonly have a health bar which is displayed either on/near them or in a specific location on the HUD
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
, usually with their name or a portrait of them attached. In lieu of a health bar, some bosses, like those in the early Metroid games, change color, change attack patterns or, in the case of larger enemies, lose parts of their overall structure as they receive more and more damage. Although health bars or indicators were less common in the early days of video gaming, they are now found in many video game boss battles.
Some games also feature a sequence of consecutive boss battles as an extra challenge, sometimes known as a "Boss Rush". Boss Rush modes often include a timer and record the time taken to defeat both the singular bosses and all the bosses as a whole. Occasionally, the Boss Rush may not be a "mode" at all, instead having previous bosses placed in the game a second time, sometimes with more powerful attacks and more demanding patterns. The Mega Man
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
series is most famous for and possibly the instigator of the Boss Rush, as every game in every series has the player fight the bosses again in the final stages just before the final boss.
Miniboss
A miniboss, also known as a middle boss, sub-boss, or midboss, is a boss smaller and usually weaker than the main boss in the area or level. Some minibosses are simply stronger versions of regular enemies, like in the KirbyKirby (series)
The series is a fantasy video game series developed by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo, and produced by Nintendo. The gameplay of a majority of the games in the series consists mainly of action, platform and puzzle-solving elements...
games. Some well known video game characters who usually take the role of a miniboss are Dark Link (The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
series), Vile (Mega Man X
Mega Man X
The Mega Man X series is the second Mega Man franchise released by Capcom. It debuted December 17, 1993 in Japan on the Super NES/Super Famicom and spawned sequels on several systems, with the PC platform notably having the most releases within the series...
series) and Allen O'Neil (Metal Slug). Minibosses are sometimes encountered later in the game as normal enemies.
Superboss
A superboss is a type of boss most commonly found in Role-playing video gameRole-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s. They are considered optional enemies, though optional bosses are not all superbosses, and do not have to be defeated to complete the game. They are generally much more powerful than the bosses encountered as part of the main game's plot or quest, and often the player is required to complete a sidequest or the entire game to fight the superboss. For example, in Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
series, the player may choose to seek out and fight the Ruby and Emerald Weapons. Some superbosses will take the place of the final boss if certain requirements are met. This is common in fighting games, including Reptile in Mortal Kombat and Akuma
Akuma (Street Fighter)
Akuma known in Japan as , is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Akuma made his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss. In the storyline of the Street Fighter video games, he is the younger brother of Gouken, Ryu and Ken's...
in Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Super Street Fighter II Turbo, released in Japan as , is a competitive fighting game released for the arcades by Capcom in . It is the fifth arcade installment in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Super Street Fighter II...
.
Some superbosses can also yield special items or skills that cannot be found any other way that can give a player a significant advantage during playthrough of the rest of the game, such as added experience or a superpowered weapon. The Ultima Weapon from Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
is an example of this; players can draw the Eden summon monster from Ultima Weapon, which is the game's most powerful summon. Neither this summon nor the fight itself is required to complete the game, but getting them makes the game significantly easier than if the player goes without it. Another example is Dragon Quest VI
Dragon Quest VI
, Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie in Europe, is a console role-playing game developed by Heartbeat and published by Enix for the Super Famicom as a part of the Dragon Quest series. It is the last Dragon Quest game in the Zenithia trilogy. It was released on December 9, 1995 in Japan...
s superboss Dark Dream, which if defeated quickly enough will then defeat the final boss Mortamor on the player's behalf.
External links
- Top 5 boss battles at MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
- Top 10 Video game Bosses at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- Retro Junk - Top 10 Bosses of the 2D Era at Retro Junk