Video Game Boss Design Thread

[Ediros]

So, after playing Persona 5 and getting my ass handed to me by a bonus boss several times I came up with this idea for a thread. Basically, I would like to ask you what sort of boss design do you consider good, which one do you consider bad?

To me a good boss should be:

-Challenging (not being able to be beaten in basic equimpent and strategies).
-They should make you come up with different strategies and act accordingly to their attacks. For example boss, who absorbs all types of attacks, requiring you to break his defence using spells or items.
-To me, both Elizabeth and Margaret from Persona series are example of a boss, that will tear you apart, but they are doable. For Margaret Enduring Soul is a life saver, but the fight is still hard and you have to be careful.

What I hate though in these boss fights are:

-Timed Bosses (They will kill you, if you take too long, especially real time)
-Instakill attacks that wipe out you and your entire party, if you take too long or do something different from the pattern.
-Being Forcedto use very specific strategy and not giving you a choice.

SPOILER TO PERSONA 5 BONUS BOSS:

-The bonus boss in this game is just bad. You have got time limit (well turn to be more specific). You you have got one strategy of using all the strongest attacks you have got to kill them as often as you can. There is little strategy here and it is impossible to beat the boss on your own on hard, because it will kill you and nothing like Enduring Soul or an item will save your sorry ass. So just rush it and hit it with everything you got.

END OF PERSONA 5 SPOILERS:

With that out of the way, what is a good boss fight to you and what is bad?

 

[BigGuyCIA]

Bethesda's idea of boss fights is bad to me, but it's a plane above "press F to pay respect" boss fights.

My favorite boss fight was Yogg'Saron from Ulduar (World of Warcraft). The amount of execution that was required by every single member (in a 10 man group) was insane. I guess it comes down to fights that require thought, positioning, and execution.

I also liked the boss fights in Breath of the Wild. Even though they were somewhat simplistic, they used mechanics which required use of your sheika slate (using ice block to shatter ice spears being hurled at you). It was ultimately a learned experience in that some parts weren't immediately obvious (you don't have a fairy to give you hints during the battle).

 

[TorontoReign]

Boss fights rarely are worth it. JRPG's are some of the worst with the obligatory earth, wind, water, fire shit and boss fights that are there just to be there. I hate when a game has boss fight after boss fight with glowing weak points or multi phase nonsense. For instance Final Fantasy 15 skipped that with the last boss by having the last boss stay in one form the whole fight. Some didn't like that but I welcomed it. That trope with boss fights is overdone.

That isn't to say those things are not worth using at all, but when you have twenty bosses in a game change it up. It can't be that hard to come up with bosses that make you think like Psycho Mantis. I can't even think of any bosses done well recently. Well, Dark Souls is doing a good job.