A game’s final boss encounter is the big, super-duper climax of the story. It’s a narrative payoff, one final test of everything you’ve learned over the course of the game, like fighting Vergil at the end of Devil May Cry 3.
There’s already plenty of weight on a final boss by default, but there are a couple of tricks a game can use to make things a little more interesting. Specifically, what if you were the final boss?
Now, when I say “you,” there are a few potential meanings there. It could be a character you controlled for a large portion of the game or a previous game turned antagonistic by the story, or it could be a mirror match against a character with abilities much like your own, just to see how well you stack up on a more-or-less even playing field.
The game can even throw you for a loop and let you be in control of a big, bad monster, terrorizing smaller foes, though this is usually just for narrative purposes. However a game goes about it, throwing this particular flavor of final boss at you is a great way to make them memorable, and these games had some pretty memorable final bosses.
To qualify for this list, a last boss must exhibit one or more of the following: They have to be a main character you previously controlled, a copy of your character with the same or similar abilities, or you must literally be in control of the boss themselves for a cinematic encounter.
Major spoilers for all of the following games.
10
Shadow Of The Colossus
Dormin Wander
At the end of Shadow of the Colossus, after our boy Wander has successfully slain all sixteen of the titular beasts, he’s not really in great shape. He’s been suffused with their collective essence, giving him an unsettling, demonic appearance, which doesn’t go over well when Lord Emon and his men show up. Emon’s troops promptly stab Wander through the chest, but that’s not quite the end of him.
Fully animated by Dormin’s will, Wander revives as a colossus-like entity himself, towering over Emon’s soldiers in the Shrine of Worship. You’re given control of this entity for a brief period, allowing you to work out some stress on the soldiers. They attempt to pelt you with arrows, but obviously, this does very little, so you pretty much have a free pass to stomp around and smash them for a few minutes.
After this sequence, Emon flees to the back of the shrine and casts Wander’s sword into a pool of water. This creates a large whirlpool of light that sucks away Dormin’s essence, leaving only a shadow of Wander behind. You can try to run from it, but eventually, you’ll be taken as well.
9
Lies Of P
The Nameless Puppet
After defeating Simon Manus in Lies of P, our protagonist ventures into a deep pit, where he’s greeted by Geppetto. Geppetto tells him that he has all he needs to make him a “real boy,” i.e. revive his son Carlo, but first he needs him to give up his heart, the P-Organ. Assuming you don’t make that obviously wrong decision, Geppetto gets snappy and sics his personal puppet on you.
This puppet, the Nameless Puppet, is a prototype of the protagonist, originally built to house Carlo’s essence before being sealed away for being too violent. As your prototype, he looks and fights similarly to you, swinging wildly with his scissors in long combo strings, as well as dodging back and forth to keep you in check. If you’re too passive, he can even use his own Pulse Cells to restore his health.
When he’s down to half health, the Nameless Puppet will begin fighting in a more lifelike manner, switching up his stance to throw you off guard. He can also use abilities reminiscent of your Fable skills, such as buffing himself and unleashing large shockwaves. Even after you beat him, he almost stabs the protagonist right in the heart, stopped only by Geppetto’s sudden intervention to save his son.
8
Doom Eternal
The Dark Lord
The final boss of Doom Eternal, specifically the second part of the Ancient Gods DLC, is the Dark Lord. Like, that Dark Lord, head honcho of Hell himself. Interestingly, though, the Dark Lord incarnates as a duplicate of the Slayer thanks to his tinkering with the Luminarium in the first part of the DLC. If you’re going to fight an all-powerful evil, you might as well fight what you know, I suppose.
While the Dark Lord’s playbook isn’t exactly the same as the Slayer’s, it’s similar enough to be noteworthy. He has his own Praetor suit with a bit of a demonic spin, and while he doesn’t fight with your guns, he is equipped with both his own Crucible and a bevy of Equipment Launchers, same as the one on your shoulder.
What’s especially awesome about this encounter is its ending. The Dark Lord, beaten and ready for his end, asks the Slayer if he has anything to say before he finishes him off. The Slayer has only one word to offer: “No.” Let nobody say the Slayer minces words.
7
NieR: Automata
9S/A2
In the last leg of NieR: Automata’s final story path, both 9S and A2 have been battling their way up the mysterious tower that sprang up in the middle of the city. A2’s looking to destroy the tower and bring an end to the endless proxy war, while 9S, enraged by 2B’s death and under the effects of the Logic Virus, is just kind of smashing anything in his line of sight.
Throughout this section, you’re regularly switching off between 9S and A2, but at the top, it’ll be time to make a decision. Whichever Android you choose to represent, you’ll have to defeat the other as the final boss. Both use the tactics you’re used to, including swapping and swinging weapons and firing Pod abilities, though they also have their unique skills like 9S’s hacking and A2’s Berserker Mode.
If A2 wins, she sacrifices herself to destroy the tower and save 9S from his terminal corruption. If 9S wins, he kills A2 shortly before succumbing to his own wounds. Afterwards, his digital consciousness is given the choice to upload to a spacefaring Ark with the Machines, or just stay and die. No particularly cheery outcomes here, I’m afraid.
6
Prototype 2
“Alex Mercer”
The overarching antagonist of Prototype 2 is the first game’s protagonist, Alex Mercer. Or, rather, the mass of Blacklight goo that was wearing his face, having shed his humanity entirely. That lack of humanity means he has no particular qualms with assimilating the entire human race, something which our current protagonist, James Heller, takes a bit of issue with.
After powering himself up by absorbing the Evolved, Mercer begins fighting using his old tactics from the first game. He starts with his signature Blade form, and will automatically punish Heller if you try to use your Blade as well, forcing you to use your other forms. He’ll cycle through all his major modes, including Whipfist and Hammerfist, as well as conjuring spikes up from the ground.
In one final QTE sequence, Mercer uses all of his forms one after the other, forcing Heller to sever his arms to force him to change. When he finally runs out of transformations, Heller beats him into the ground and tears him apart with his Claws, devouring him and absorbing his memories.
5
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Terra-Xehanort
In the final story of Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, unlocked after clearing Aqua, Terra, and Ventus’s stories, Aqua is trying to track down Terra after he disappeared from the Keyblade Graveyard with Master Xehanort. She manages to find him in Radiant Garden, but his body is still under Xehanort’s influence, and she has no choice but to fight.
Terra-Xehanort uses the same basic kit as he did in Terra’s story, using a bevy of Terra’s magic and Keyblade skills with a pinch of Xehanort’s darkness mixed in and the Guardian backing him up.
He’ll smack you upside the head with his Keyblade, perform offensive dodges around the arena, and even fire off Shotlocks. He’ll also make extensive use of Terra’s Dark Impulse Command Style, including its titular attack where he leaps out of the shadows with a giant, outstretched hand.
Even after Aqua defeats him, it’s not enough to save Terra from sinking into darkness, forcing her to dive in after him and sacrifice herself to get him safely back to the Realm of Light. Poor Aqua really couldn’t catch a break until Kingdom Hearts 3. Shame it took almost ten years.
4
Pokémon Gold And Silver
Red
The second generation Pokémon games have a few Trainers you might consider a “final boss,” such as the newly-crowned Champion of the Elite Four, Lance. However, the game’s true, definitive final boss is only encountered after you’ve completely bested both the Johto and Kanto leagues and gained access to the game’s last major area, Mt. Silver.
Camping out at the top of Mt. Silver, the literal pinnacle of Pokémon Trainers, is none other than Red, the protagonist of the first generation Pokémon games and one of the strongest Trainers in the world. Red doesn’t have much to say, as talking isn’t really his thing, but he’s down to tussle for the proverbial throne.
Red’s team includes all three of the fully evolved Gen 1 starters, plus a Snorlax and Espeon, as well as a beefed-up Pikachu just to stay on brand. Red doesn’t have much in particular to say if you defeat him, merely wandering off the mountain, presumably to continue his endless training elsewhere. There’s a bona-fide Pokémon Master if ever there was one.
3
In Stars And Time
Siffrin
In the last chapter of In Stars and Time, our protagonist Siffrin has, to put it politely, gone off the deep end. Numerous loops with no discernible exit have left him a dangerous combination of overpowered and emotionally unstable, prompting him to tell off his party members before trying to surmount the House and defeat the King all on his own.
The party comes to his rescue when the King overpowers him and they successfully defeat him, but when Siffrin realizes the party will go their separate ways now that the adventure is over, he suffers a full-blown meltdown, magically growing to titanic size and facing off with the party. In this overwhelmed state, Siffrin can only attack the party or himself, with Mirabelle quickly providing heals to keep anyone from getting hurt.
In the end, after a lengthy, heartfelt back and forth, the party finally gets Siffrin to admit what he wished for before everything started: that they could all stay together. Finally, the Wish Craft empowering him runs out, and Siffrin returns to normal, safe in his friends’ embrace.
2
Black Myth: Wukong
Stone Monkey/Great Sage’s Broken Shell
By the end of Black Myth: Wukong, our protagonist, the Destined One, has pretty much assumed Wukong’s mantle in all but official capacity. He’s got the moves, he’s got the relics, he’s got the look, and as the Old Monkey reveals, he actually already has Wukong’s discarded mind. All that’s left is to get his full strength back from his old body.
Of course, even a mindless Wukong is still Wukong, and Wukong is no pushover. The game’s final boss is Wukong’s cast-off remains, first as the Stone Monkey. In this form, Wukong doesn’t have much of a moveset, merely swinging wildly at you with his bare hands and pounding the ground.
After you defeat his first form, he’ll assume his full splendor as the Great Sage’s Broken Shell, using tactics you’re more familiar with. He’ll come at you with staff combos in all three of your stances, as well as all of your magical abilities, including Vengeful Mirage, Rock Solid, Pluck of Many, and Ring of Fire.
Once the cast-off shell is finally destroyed, the Destined One can finally take on the mantle of Wukong in full, though whether he gets to go free or ends up imprisoned again depends on whether you bothered to beat the secret boss.
1
Live A Live
Oersted/Odio, Lord Of Dark
After you complete the seven main scenarios of Live A Live, you unlock the game’s secret eighth scenario, The Middle Ages, where a knightly hero named Oersted ventures out on a quest to vanquish the Lord of Dark and rescue the princess.
Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors, Oersted ends up getting framed as the Lord of Dark himself and shunned by the world, prompting him to take up the derelict mantle and become a threat to all of time and space.
This then unlocks the game’s true final scenario, the Domain of Hate, where you take control of the other heroes to battle him as the newly christened Odio, Lord of Dark. You may have noticed that the boss of every other scenario had a name reminiscent of “Odio,” and this is because all of them are manifestations of Oersted’s grudge.
While you’re supposed to defeat Odio as the heroes, you can take this list’s concept in a more literal direction and choose Oersted as your final protagonist, playing as each of the scenarios’ bosses and killing the heroes to doom the world. You know, if you’re into that.
