So, last week I was playing a lot of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and I got stuck on a boss level. It literally took me almost the entire week to beat one of the bosses in Chapter 9.
My insane frustration with the game actually got me thinking about some of the boss fights that I struggled with the most. So, I decided to list five bosses I’ve faced in recent years that have made me just want to do some questionable things with peripheral devices. I’ll say that some of these bosses aren’t all that hard to beat but sometimes player stupidity makes up for lower stats.
Beppi the Clown (Cuphead)
If I didn’t limit this list to just one boss from each game, it would probably be filled with Cuphead characters. There was one boss that nearly made me quit the game multiple times, nearly made me smash my controller and even hold my head in my hands in despair.
That boss was Beppi the Clown. Although Beppi the Clown is technically not supposed to be anywhere near the hardest boss in the game (as he is only on the second isle), I spent hours trying to get past him. It didn’t matter that I knew the pattern of attacks, he’d always get a few hits on me with his stupid baseball playing penguins and I’d have to start over.
I’m not even afraid to say that I didn’t beat Beppi because of my skill at the game, but rather I just got lucky. He’d totally destroy my mug in a round two match up.
Lady Comstock (Bioshock Infinite, 1999 Mode)
So, I’ve played Bioshock Infinite three times now; twice on normal difficulty and once on 1999 mode. I can honestly say that while the game isn’t all that hard on normal for an experienced FPS player, it can be the damn devil when you play through it in 1999 mode.
Of all the challenges players face while trying to finish the game on 1999, trying to defeat Lady Comstock has got to be the worst. I mean, it’s been four years since I finished the game on this difficulty level and I can still remember how dear beloved Lady Comstock walloped me in Columbia’s bank over and over again until I was (ironically) almost out of cash.
With regards to gaming, I would say that I suffer from obsessive desire to complete games once I start them just to say that I did, even if the game is irrationally hard. It’s really tough for me to walk away from a challenge even if I keep on getting beat down, so it’s saying quite a bit that Lady Comstock got me to walk away from Infinite even if only for a couple of months. Unlucky for her though, the obsession to complete the game on 1999 mode and earn some stupid achievements won out.
Imlerith (The Witcher 3, Death March mode)
Just like Lady Comstock, Imlerith isn’t really that hard to beat when you go up against him on lower difficulty levels. It’s when a player decides to play The Witcher 3 on Death March difficulty that all hell breaks loose.
Although my perfectly devised strategy to beat was simple enough to follow and understand, keeping it going wasn’t always that easy for reasons not entirely game related but rather due to user impatience. I mean, all you have to do to beat Imlerith on Death March difficulty (if I can remember correctly) is spam Quen, eat food to keep regenerating health in battle and then attack him when he’s open. That’s it.
Unfortunately, using this method (and not upgrading Geralt’s armour because you have an obsessive desire to finish the game on the hardest difficulty after your initial playthrough to earn achievements) means that cutting away at Imlerith’s health bar can take a while – an impatient gamer’s bane.
I had to retry this boss fight a few times over, simply due to the fact that I got greedy with striking at Imlerith towards the end of the battle and I paid for it by having to restart the fight again and again. If anything, it really just goes to show that a boss fight doesn’t always need to test your skill to be difficult. Sometimes, all it needs to do is test the strength of your patience to get you back to the beginning.
The Arishok (Dragon Age 2)
So, quite honestly, The Arishok isn’t all that difficult to beat either. The last boss of Act 2 in Dragon Age 2 may seem fierce but really if you play the game properly, you should be able to get past him with no sweat.
That is, again, if you actually do play the game like you’re supposed to, which I didn’t on my first playthrough.
What can I say? A friend had lent me the game right before exams started and I rushed to complete it so that I would have no distractions while I was studying. But, what’s that old saying, again? Haste makes waste.
I had rushed through the story and had arrived at The Arishok boss fight not only severely underleveled, but also without crucial party members, basically resulting in an unwinnable situation. So, in order to proceed, I had to reload a save from the Act 1 and redo everything I had done before the I reached the stage and more just to make sure I was able to beat The Arishok when I faced him a second time (which I did on the first attempt because I was the right level.)
You know, when I was younger my mother always used to tell me that if you’re doing something, do it right the first time. Yeah, little did I know that this apparently applies to video games too.
The Skulls in Metallic Archaea Extreme (Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain)
So, remember how I said earlier that I become obsessive compulsive about finishing games even on stupidly hard difficulties and that it takes a lot to get me to walk away. Well, this was one such game I walked away from twice because I just couldn’t beat the damn Skulls in Metallic Archaea Extreme because of own ineptitude at preparing properly for missions in MGS: V.
I retried Mission 42 so many times that I could hear Ocelot screaming Snake before I even properly started the mission. All the Skulls really need to do is get a few good hits on you and you’re back at the retry screen. I watched so many different YouTube videos, along with reading tons of walkthroughs just trying to pick up tips on how to beat the level (which I eventually did with an insane stroke of luck.)
You know, I’ve always found it funny that although I struggled greatly in trying to beat the Skulls, I beat Sahelanthropus Extreme on my second attempt. I guess developers don’t always put the hardest levels in order.
This is my list though; what are some of the boss levels you have struggled most with? Please share in the comments down below.
