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(Redirected from Boss (video game))
A 'boss' is a particularly challenging computer-controlled enemy in video games. They are typically found at the end of a segment of a game, with the last enemy in the game itself called the final boss. A fight with a boss character is usually referred to as a "boss battle," which often has its own special music and environment. Bosses appear in many video games, particularly action games which often feature multiple bosses generally increasing in difficulty as the game progresses.
Early video games, like their pinball machine predecessors, could not be "won". They were designed as a contest against the machine, with the only goal to accumulate points until the machine inevitably won. For example, early Nintendo and Atari video games such as ''Pong'' repeated the same challenge, although the difficulty of the game would increase. Eventually, the game became too difficult for any player to win.
The Atari 2600 game ''Adventure'', released in 1980, had three different bosses with differing abilities. However, it was not necessary to defeat any of them to win, and there was no level advancement in the game except by manual variation selection using the Game Select switch. In the first game variation, only the two slower dragons appeared. In the second and third variations, the third and fastest dragon could be encountered. However, a player might not even encounter all of the dragons during the course of a third variation game due to their random initial placement.
The first arcade video game with a boss-like attacker was the 1979 game ''Galaxian''. In ''Galaxian'', waves of ships would attack the player. Each wave included a few "flagships". Destroying the flagships resulted in significant bonuses. The flagships appeared at the top of the screen, implying that they were directing the attack. The flagships were thus referred to as "bosses" in the games. Although the flagships were usually defeated before advancing to the next level, it was not a requirement.
The first arcade video game with a true boss was ''Phoenix'' introduced in 1980 by Centuri. In ''Phoenix'', a player was first attacked by several different smaller types of enemies. After disposing of the small ships, the player is then attacked by birds. After the birds are destroyed, the player faced a large mothership. Only by defeating the large mothership could the player advance to the next level.
The first console games with a boss were ''Vanguard'' and ''Phoenix'' for the Atari 2600. Both games were ported from arcade video games.
The first known game to explicitly list an end-level, stronger opponent as a "boss" is the arcade game ''Renegade'' (which was ported to several other platforms) in 1986.
Many single-player games have a level structure, becoming progressively more difficult as the player advances. Bosses are a consequence of this structure, appearing at the end of a level and often requiring a complex sequence of actions in order to beat them. Other games have a storyline instead of a level-based structure, but still feature bosses at various points in the story. Most games with bosses often have one as the last obstacle in the way of victory. This final boss is often the most difficult enemy in the game.
The 'boss battle' marks the climax of a dramatic buildup resulting from the player's anticipation and anxiousness, often including design elements such as suspenseful music that enhance this effect. For example, in ''Metal Gear Solid'', the penultimate battle (against Metal Gear REX) has been heavily foreshadowed in dialogue, and the threat represented by the boss enhanced by an attempt to disable or destroy it before it is mobile. The final scenes in ''Quake II'' are tensely quiet until the player confronts the Makron. In '', the cutscene before the final boss shows the world being covered in darkness and also includes the final boss of the game effortlessly reducing a previous powerful boss (, specifically) into a disembodied head, foreshadowing the difficulty of the battle.
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Some games include a special mode called a boss rush with a large number of bosses one after the other. Famous series which often have this feature include ''Mega Man'' series and the ''Castlevania'' series. A rare few games are almost entirely focused on what would be considered boss battles in other games; for instance, ''Shadow of the Colossus'' consists of nothing but sixteen gigantic monsters, each with their own long battle.
Sometimes, bosses may not be used as checkpoints but be hidden away and optional. Sometimes these bosses are irrelevant to the plot, though not always. These secret bosses, which must be actively hunted out, often protect powerful items, unlock new abilities, or allow access to other helpful abilities. Secret bosses near the end of the game may be even stronger than the final boss and exist to offer an extra bit of challenge to players who've defeated the final boss, such as various creatures in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, including Omega, who is a recurring 'mega-boss' in many Final Fantasy titles.
Bosses are not always at the end of a "level" (in games with well-defined levels); sometimes they appear at the beginning or even halfway through. Bosses of this type are often weaker than the later ones, and are usually referred to as 'mini-bosses' or 'sub-bosses'. When defeated, these bosses often reward the player with an item, which is usually essential for completing the level which it was located within.
Many types of bosses exist. Action games commonly feature bosses with specific weak points the player must recognize, such as an armor joint or an elemental weakness. Attacks that do not hit the boss's weak point are either ineffective or do vastly less damage. ''The Legend of Zelda'' series frequently features such bosses.
In games with more of an adventure game flavor, it is not uncommon to have to solve a puzzle in order to trigger a series of events that will damage the boss; this format appears several times in the Metroid Prime series. This is also sometimes used in turn-based RPGs, where the normal methods of dealing damage fail, and players must use a command that is not normally thought of as useful on enemies. The Phantom Train of Final Fantasy VI, for example, is incredibly powerful for the point in the game it appears, but may be defeated by using a healing item, which turns it back into a regular train.
It is common for bosses to have several different stages, changing or adding to their tactics as they progress. A multi-tiered format is very popular for, but not exclusive to, bosses in ''RPG'' strategy games, such as Lavos in ''Chrono Trigger'', and in shmups.
In fighting and adventure games it is common to encounter a sub-boss. A sub-boss may be a weaker trial version who appears early in a level or scenario of the final boss. Sub-bosses may grant the player a power-up, such as better weapons, armor or health, or they may unlock new parts of a level upon being defeated. In a story arc, sub-bosses can be narratively tied into the role of the boss who has not undergone a transformation or for being a sub-boss who is mistaken for being a boss, such as Fake Kraid in Metroid and Super Metroid.
Some boss fights are not meant or required to be "won" in games, a trope often seen in console role-playing games. They may often be "plot fights" to show off the power of a villain, or exhibition matches against allies where neither side wants to truly kill the other. Sometimes, these fights are outright unwinnable, and the player character must be defeated in order to advance the plot; this scenario occurs in several games in the Final Fantasy series, notably Cloud of Darkness in Final Fantasy III and the Dark Elf and Zemus/Zeromus fights in Final Fantasy IV (see also the protagonist's initial encounter with Balio and Sunder in Breath of Fire III). This also occurs in the beginning of Golden Sun, in which the player faces Saturos and Menardi, but are doomed to fail. This once again appears in Paper Mario, when Mario faces Bowser and after dealing several blows, the boss reveals his newly obtained invincibility, ultimately leading to Mario's loss. Daos in the Lufia series is an "optional" boss that may be defeated during the first fight at the player's option. In a variant of this format, the boss can be defeated, but only through the use of cheats or over-leveling characters; the scenario proceeds regardless of whether the boss is defeated or not. Less commonly, the objective of the fight is merely to survive a certain length of time, with the enemy (almost) undamageable or endlessly respawning. Such an example is Kratos Aurion and Mithos Yggdrasill from Tales of Symphonia, and Anubis from Zone of the Enders, who ironically is the final boss of the game.
Sometimes, the defeat of the boss directly results in the destruction of the area in which the battle took place; this is often seen in role-playing games. By destroying the home or base of the boss, the action reaches a quick and climactic conclusion which simplifies the aftermath of the battle. These types of bosses can provide a means of resolving any lingering issues posed by the conflict in a simple (but often cliché) manner. In platformer and action games this often presents one final challenge as the player has to escape the destruction; for example, at the end of Super Metroid the player has to flee the self-destructing planet Zebes after destroying Mother Brain.
In many open-ended and multiple ending games, the bosses can be avoided depending on the actions taken by the player.
★ Player character
★ General-purpose Boss Fighting Guide
★ Boss battles – article discussing good boss design
Flag Ship from the video game ''Gorf''
A 'boss' is a particularly challenging computer-controlled enemy in video games. They are typically found at the end of a segment of a game, with the last enemy in the game itself called the final boss. A fight with a boss character is usually referred to as a "boss battle," which often has its own special music and environment. Bosses appear in many video games, particularly action games which often feature multiple bosses generally increasing in difficulty as the game progresses.
| Contents |
| History |
| Bosses in game structure |
| Bosses by type |
| See also |
| References |
| External links |
History
Early video games, like their pinball machine predecessors, could not be "won". They were designed as a contest against the machine, with the only goal to accumulate points until the machine inevitably won. For example, early Nintendo and Atari video games such as ''Pong'' repeated the same challenge, although the difficulty of the game would increase. Eventually, the game became too difficult for any player to win.
The Atari 2600 game ''Adventure'', released in 1980, had three different bosses with differing abilities. However, it was not necessary to defeat any of them to win, and there was no level advancement in the game except by manual variation selection using the Game Select switch. In the first game variation, only the two slower dragons appeared. In the second and third variations, the third and fastest dragon could be encountered. However, a player might not even encounter all of the dragons during the course of a third variation game due to their random initial placement.
The first arcade video game with a boss-like attacker was the 1979 game ''Galaxian''. In ''Galaxian'', waves of ships would attack the player. Each wave included a few "flagships". Destroying the flagships resulted in significant bonuses. The flagships appeared at the top of the screen, implying that they were directing the attack. The flagships were thus referred to as "bosses" in the games. Although the flagships were usually defeated before advancing to the next level, it was not a requirement.
The first arcade video game with a true boss was ''Phoenix'' introduced in 1980 by Centuri. In ''Phoenix'', a player was first attacked by several different smaller types of enemies. After disposing of the small ships, the player is then attacked by birds. After the birds are destroyed, the player faced a large mothership. Only by defeating the large mothership could the player advance to the next level.
The first console games with a boss were ''Vanguard'' and ''Phoenix'' for the Atari 2600. Both games were ported from arcade video games.
The first known game to explicitly list an end-level, stronger opponent as a "boss" is the arcade game ''Renegade'' (which was ported to several other platforms) in 1986.
Bosses in game structure
Many single-player games have a level structure, becoming progressively more difficult as the player advances. Bosses are a consequence of this structure, appearing at the end of a level and often requiring a complex sequence of actions in order to beat them. Other games have a storyline instead of a level-based structure, but still feature bosses at various points in the story. Most games with bosses often have one as the last obstacle in the way of victory. This final boss is often the most difficult enemy in the game.
The 'boss battle' marks the climax of a dramatic buildup resulting from the player's anticipation and anxiousness, often including design elements such as suspenseful music that enhance this effect. For example, in ''Metal Gear Solid'', the penultimate battle (against Metal Gear REX) has been heavily foreshadowed in dialogue, and the threat represented by the boss enhanced by an attempt to disable or destroy it before it is mobile. The final scenes in ''Quake II'' are tensely quiet until the player confronts the Makron. In '', the cutscene before the final boss shows the world being covered in darkness and also includes the final boss of the game effortlessly reducing a previous powerful boss (, specifically) into a disembodied head, foreshadowing the difficulty of the battle.
Bowser, the repeated boss in the ''Super Mario Bros.'' series as seen in the original ''Super Mario Bros.''
Some games include a special mode called a boss rush with a large number of bosses one after the other. Famous series which often have this feature include ''Mega Man'' series and the ''Castlevania'' series. A rare few games are almost entirely focused on what would be considered boss battles in other games; for instance, ''Shadow of the Colossus'' consists of nothing but sixteen gigantic monsters, each with their own long battle.
Sometimes, bosses may not be used as checkpoints but be hidden away and optional. Sometimes these bosses are irrelevant to the plot, though not always. These secret bosses, which must be actively hunted out, often protect powerful items, unlock new abilities, or allow access to other helpful abilities. Secret bosses near the end of the game may be even stronger than the final boss and exist to offer an extra bit of challenge to players who've defeated the final boss, such as various creatures in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, including Omega, who is a recurring 'mega-boss' in many Final Fantasy titles.
Bosses are not always at the end of a "level" (in games with well-defined levels); sometimes they appear at the beginning or even halfway through. Bosses of this type are often weaker than the later ones, and are usually referred to as 'mini-bosses' or 'sub-bosses'. When defeated, these bosses often reward the player with an item, which is usually essential for completing the level which it was located within.
Bosses by type
Many types of bosses exist. Action games commonly feature bosses with specific weak points the player must recognize, such as an armor joint or an elemental weakness. Attacks that do not hit the boss's weak point are either ineffective or do vastly less damage. ''The Legend of Zelda'' series frequently features such bosses.
In games with more of an adventure game flavor, it is not uncommon to have to solve a puzzle in order to trigger a series of events that will damage the boss; this format appears several times in the Metroid Prime series. This is also sometimes used in turn-based RPGs, where the normal methods of dealing damage fail, and players must use a command that is not normally thought of as useful on enemies. The Phantom Train of Final Fantasy VI, for example, is incredibly powerful for the point in the game it appears, but may be defeated by using a healing item, which turns it back into a regular train.
It is common for bosses to have several different stages, changing or adding to their tactics as they progress. A multi-tiered format is very popular for, but not exclusive to, bosses in ''RPG'' strategy games, such as Lavos in ''Chrono Trigger'', and in shmups.
In fighting and adventure games it is common to encounter a sub-boss. A sub-boss may be a weaker trial version who appears early in a level or scenario of the final boss. Sub-bosses may grant the player a power-up, such as better weapons, armor or health, or they may unlock new parts of a level upon being defeated. In a story arc, sub-bosses can be narratively tied into the role of the boss who has not undergone a transformation or for being a sub-boss who is mistaken for being a boss, such as Fake Kraid in Metroid and Super Metroid.
Some boss fights are not meant or required to be "won" in games, a trope often seen in console role-playing games. They may often be "plot fights" to show off the power of a villain, or exhibition matches against allies where neither side wants to truly kill the other. Sometimes, these fights are outright unwinnable, and the player character must be defeated in order to advance the plot; this scenario occurs in several games in the Final Fantasy series, notably Cloud of Darkness in Final Fantasy III and the Dark Elf and Zemus/Zeromus fights in Final Fantasy IV (see also the protagonist's initial encounter with Balio and Sunder in Breath of Fire III). This also occurs in the beginning of Golden Sun, in which the player faces Saturos and Menardi, but are doomed to fail. This once again appears in Paper Mario, when Mario faces Bowser and after dealing several blows, the boss reveals his newly obtained invincibility, ultimately leading to Mario's loss. Daos in the Lufia series is an "optional" boss that may be defeated during the first fight at the player's option. In a variant of this format, the boss can be defeated, but only through the use of cheats or over-leveling characters; the scenario proceeds regardless of whether the boss is defeated or not. Less commonly, the objective of the fight is merely to survive a certain length of time, with the enemy (almost) undamageable or endlessly respawning. Such an example is Kratos Aurion and Mithos Yggdrasill from Tales of Symphonia, and Anubis from Zone of the Enders, who ironically is the final boss of the game.
Sometimes, the defeat of the boss directly results in the destruction of the area in which the battle took place; this is often seen in role-playing games. By destroying the home or base of the boss, the action reaches a quick and climactic conclusion which simplifies the aftermath of the battle. These types of bosses can provide a means of resolving any lingering issues posed by the conflict in a simple (but often cliché) manner. In platformer and action games this often presents one final challenge as the player has to escape the destruction; for example, at the end of Super Metroid the player has to flee the self-destructing planet Zebes after destroying Mother Brain.
In many open-ended and multiple ending games, the bosses can be avoided depending on the actions taken by the player.
See also
★ Player character
References
External links
★ General-purpose Boss Fighting Guide
★ Boss battles – article discussing good boss design
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