Summary
Soulslikes are known for many things, but among the high difficulty levels and bleak atmospheric settings,boss fights are arguably the cornerstonethat defines the genre. A lot of fights can be categorized into several boxes, some with easy, simplistic battles that serve as early tests of skill, some more puzzle-oriented encounters that require brains rather than brawn, and some are just outright slugfests full of amazing combat sequences, testing the player’s reaction speed and desire for victory.
There are plenty of amazing bosses that have graced the gaming world over the past decade, with FromSoftware leading the charge in terms of satisfaction and overall boss quality ever since the release ofDemon’s Soulsback in 2009. Since then, the company and developers around the globe have been breaking conventions and pushing the limits of what a boss can be, adding more and more tools to use against them and amping up the difficulty to new heights that gamers in the past could have never imagined. Each title comes with the good and the bad, but some stand above the rest for delivering a jaw-dropping battle that redefines greatness and defies any expectations previously set.
Exploding into the Soulslike genre and placing a new name on the leaderboard,Lies of Pis an absolute blast for any fans of the genre and boasts some of themost unique and engaging fights around. Toward the later stages, after scaling a seemingly endless tower full of enemies and loot, the player is face-to-face against Laxasia, a fearsome warrior with just as much might as speed. The game spent the previous 15 hours preparing the player for some serious punishment and challenge, and Laxasia is exactly that. A first phase full of fast combos, long sequences of varied attacks, and enough electricity to shock the poor puppet into dust.
The game puts a unique spin on the parry mechanic and keeps plenty of things that madeSekirosuch an amazing game, like the emphasis placed on precise timing being rewarded with significant posture damage. Being able to fight back against such rapid attacks and aggressive advances feels simply amazing, made even better by the fluidity of the weapon and gauntlet abilities. The two phases feel perfect: not too long, but enough of a fight to make the player work for it. Each of her attacks provides a distinct challenge, and with things speeding up in the second phase, the margin for error gets even smaller and requires perfect parrying to the end. She might not be at the top of lists in terms of difficulty, but she’s a great fight and gets players excited for a second playthrough where they get to encounter her for another go.
Sometimes, the best bosses are the ones that aren’t encountered down the main path and are instead tucked away behind a few extra steps and barriers. This version of Owl fits those criteria perfectly, as the first encounter with Wolf’s father atop the castle may be an amazing fight full of tricks and satisfaction; the second, further down the line, poses an even bigger challenge to the player and raises the bar for what a hidden boss can be. Defeating him is required for one of the various endings in the game, which makes taking him down after what isone of the most difficult fights in the playthroughall the more enjoyable and well worth making the detour to get to.
The reason Owl is such a fantastic fight and why it brings so much joy once the player bests him is the same reason other battles in the genre feel so good: he fights in the same style as the player and even uses some of their own tools against them. The first time the player gets Mikiri countered is as horrifying as it is amazing, and knowing that he has plenty of other tools in his arsenal to mix up the battle adds an extra level of calculation to every swing and move and makes winning in the end feel even more rewarding as a result. He’s tough, brutal, and evil at times, and he delivers an incredibly memorable fight that keeps the player begging for more.
One of the most recognizable faces in one of the most brutal fights of all time, Malenia pushes the limits of fairness and difficulty in a Soulslike, demanding so much of the player and giving very little in return. Part of what makes her such a challenging yet rewarding fight is that, much like many other bosses in the genre, a lot of the challenge comes from seemingly impossible-to-dodge moves and learning how to overcome them. For Malenia, her Waterfowl Dance is the killer move that ends a good portion of attempts against her, as she leaps into the air and slashes forward at lightning speed, with no obvious way of avoiding it.
Many players will spend 100s of attempts trying to take her down for the first time, and many were shocked to see the HP refill for round two with even more mayhem and chaos. Player-sized bosses are always the most enjoyable, as it puts the player on an even footing in terms of scale and every move feels like an elegant dance between player and foe. Malenia is no different, as she and the player go blow for blow, back and forth, until either her blade slays the Tarnished or she falls after a long and well-fought battle. The satisfaction comes from overcoming the mountainous challenge she lays out, and even though there are plenty of ways of trivializing the fight with summons or spells, she stands as one of the most memorable encounters in all of gaming.
Gael is one of the bosses that can only be truly appreciated by players who have ventured across the lands of all threeDark Soulsgames and conquered every last enemy in their way, to finally be greeted by the boss to send the trilogy off forever. It’s an emotional battle that takes place in an incredibly breathtaking and vast arena, pushing the player to their absolute limit. There is nothing about the fight that feels too much to take on or overcome, as each of his attacks has an obvious tell and method for avoiding it. The fight becomes more about endurance and whether the player can rise to the challenge or whether they will fall to the hand of the Slave Knight.
The second phase is a perfect transition in difficulty and style, taking his hunched form that seems far more animalistic and adding even more aggression and might with every swing and attack. The setting is perfect, in a pile of ash surrounded by echoes of the past, bringing in so many memories from the series and knowing that this is the final hurdle before the end. When it’s finally over, the satisfaction is quickly met with a bleak feeling that this is the last in the series, and it can finally be put to rest. It is a bittersweet ending where victory over one of the most expertly crafted fights of all time is met with silence and an empty world.
A decade on, and chills still form when mentioning their names. Ornstein and Smough stand as the pinnacle of a gank-fight, finding a perfect balance in styles across both bosses and introducing an element of choice that has rarely beenreplicated to the same level of greatness.Dark Soulswas, for many people, their first introduction to the Soulslike genre, and this boss fight was and is still one of the biggest challenges that the player faces in the game. Having two completely different enemies to deal with at the same time, each with their own attacks and attributes, gives a level of challenge that isn’t found anywhere else, being incredibly fair in its difficulty but brutal all the same.
The setting helps build up the scale of the fight, with the sprawling rooftops of Anor Londo creating a beautiful backdrop that the players traverse across, culminating in a glorious boss fight that has challenged gamers for years. By being able to decide on which boss to take down first, players can alter their approach during the fight, whether it be pulling Smough behind a large pillar away from Ornstein or letting the smaller of the two close the gaps and create space for the player to exploit. The gratification that comes from knocking the first down, then taking the 1-on-1 with the supercharged second, and finally winning against all odds makes the fight unforgettable and still stands out as one of the best in the genre all these years later.
Nine Solsis an unexpected gem that entered the Soulslike genre with little to no preconceptions about the quality of the game or the bosses within. As it turns out, the game is one of the greatest Metroidvanias ever made, rivaling titans likeHollow Knight. After battling through countless amazing fights and enemies, the player is pitted against Eigong, the final barrier before the end. Not only is she ludicrously difficult and physically draining to fight, but she brings together all the lessons learned throughout the entire game and forces the player to use every last tool at their disposal to take down thetoughest challenge the game has to offer.
Deflection in games always pushes the pleasure a cut above just regular old dodging, so having to remember specific combinations and button inputs for each kind of attack and parry requires immense levels of focus and concentration, and thankfully the fight isn’t over too quickly, giving players even more time to love and appreciate the fluidity and perfection that the game has to offer. The sense of fulfillment and triumph that washes over the player once she finally falls after countless attempts is tough to beat.
Some might callBloodbornethe forgotten child in the FromSoftware catalog, having sat untouched for over a decade with no mention of a remaster, sequel, or even a crumb of additional appreciation from the company. But one could argue that the reason it has been left in the past is that the title is perfect the way it is and doesn’t need a follow-up to compare to or taint the image of one of the best games ever created. Excluding a final secret boss, Gehrman is the end of the game and is one of very few bosses that presents the player with a choice: fight to the death or allow him to release the player from the Nightmare with a swift execution. The former is what many players will have chosen and, as a result, are gifted with a gorgeous dance in a beautiful field of flowers that, while not pushing the limits of difficulty, rounds out the Hunter’s generation in the most poetic way possible.
A large part of the enjoyment in the fight comes from the knowledge that Gehrman was there the whole time, watching the player come and go from the Dream and all the while playing a much bigger role in the story than anyone could have imagined. And the fight itself is just cinema, set to a haunting soundtrack that sends shivers long after it finishes, and lets the player use all the tools and skills they have learned along the journey, to put the first of the Hunters to sleep. Because the fight isn’t nearly as hard as some others in the genre, players get to appreciate the spectacle of it all and can glide across the stage, showing off their capabilities with as much style and power as they choose. It is a beautiful end to an amazing title.
When ranking Soulslike games based on their overall greatness, it is hard to findSekirooutside the top three.No other game makes use of parrying mechanicsand timing-based combat in the same way, though many have come close, and the level of satisfaction that comes from every single encounter is truly unmatched. The fights transcend gaming and enter a realm that combines rhythm, dance, and acrobatics all into one glorious and unforgettable experience that may never be replicated. At the end of all the trials and tribulations stands Isshin the Sword Saint, arguably the best boss that the Soulslike genre has ever created. Starting with a final encounter with Genichiro, a three-phased battle full of spears, guns, and swords ensues.
With so many attacks to learn and such a long and arduous fight ahead, players have to spend countless attempts perfecting their skills of deflection against a masterful opponent who is unrelenting and full of tricks and techniques that seem to have no end. A big factor for whySekirofeels as good as it does is because, for the most part, the player cannot rely on any tricks or easy methods for taking down the bosses. Parrying is pretty much the only way forward, and once the player understands how it works and how to employ it in battle, the joy that comes from striking back against an onslaught of steel-edged blows is immeasurable. Isshin is the diamond standard for a final fight and is a crowning achievement of FromSoftware’s game design, delivering a body-tensing, heart-racing duel that may never be matched in caliber and quality.
