If you’re brand new to the blog, you might not be familiar with my feelings towards boss battles. I was not a Nintendo kid growing up where boss battles seem to be pretty prevalent. Instead, I grew up with games like The Sims where I’m the one running the show. Not being forced into an un-skippbale boss battle scene that pulls me from the story for thirty minutes. Anyway. I have since done my best to find some enjoyable in boss battles over the years. So, here are  my top 5 favourite boss battles and why they don’t suck as much as the others.

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim –Alduin

Alduin is established as a big bad very early on in the game. I mean, he’s literally called, ‘The World Eater’. So yeah, not a super chill bloke. Most of the main quests in the game aretaking you closer and closer to your final battle with Alduin. Taking place technically over 2 parts, you first fight the dragon you’re your buddy Paarthurnax. Before chasing Alduin into Sovngarde for round 2, to ensure he can’t return. Considering it’s just a long-teased battle, the risk of it not paying off is high. But Bethesda really delivered with this baddie and the boss battles you have with Alduin are certainly top tier. Utilizing all your skills gained as the Dragonborn, it is incredibly rewarding to save the world one Dragonrend shout at a time.

2. Alice Madness Returns – The Dollmaker

Unlike in the case of Alduin, this is a boss battle that you don’t see coming. Spoilers ahead for Alice Madness Returns. Basically, the friendly Dr Bumby who we meet at the beginning, turns out to not be so friendly. The Doctor is actually a rather twisted man, who warps minds for his own gain. In Alice’s case, he poisons her Wonderland to make her forget about his involvement in her families’ murder. When his true intentions are revealed before the final battle, it is incredibly rewarding to put him in his place. (And Alice does it beautifully in a cutscene afterwards by pushing him right into the path of an oncoming train!). The Battle itself is also pretty fun, and Dr Bumby’s twisted Wonderland design is fittingly disturbing.

3 Bioshock Infinite – Lady Comstock

This is the only boss battle on the list that is not a final boss, but she honestly could have been. Lady Comstock is one of the only proper boss battles in the Bioshock series, but she certainly delivers. The Lady Comstock boss battle is honestly of the toughest fights in the game and requires a whole lot of smart plays to come out on top. I tossed up for a while between this boss fight or the Fontaine one, but I ended up settling on Lady Comstock as her stakes were a little more emotionally interwoven with the story. Her strained relationship with both her husband and Elizabeth really add to the complexity of this battle and is no doubt a large part of what make it so memorable despite it not being the big bad. Definitely a battle with a lot more layers to it than a standard issue boss battle does.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Eredin

From one emotionally charged boss battle to another, this fight at the end of The Witcher 3 certainly has some high stakes. Before anything else, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt makes it clear how close Geralt and his proxy daughter Ciri are. So, the fact that these ghostly looking dudes are after her definitely encourages you to go full dad mode on them when you finally face off. After taking out all of his generals before him, Eredin is a fierce foe and even takes down Geralt’s friend Crach an Craite, raising the stakes even higher. But no-one threatens the White Wolf’s cub and gets away with it! It is also even more a satisficing victory if you know about Geralt’s history with the Wild Hunt prior to this game (which I definitely recommend looking up if you haven’t already).

5. Wolfenstein: The New Order – Deathshead

Finishing it off with another epic battle, this time in Wolfenstein: The New Order. Like Alduin, you knew this boss battle was coming since the start, and it very much delivers! Despite not even appearing in a large chunk of the game, Deathshead is a looming figure throughout the whole journey. After forcing you to pick one of your squad members to sacrifice to Deathshead’s terrifying experiments, having them thrown back into the mix to fight against during the final battle is particularly cruel, and perfect for someone as twisted as Deathshead. And despite him doing some really awful things through the game, its really that emotional beat that really makes sticking it to him in the end satisfying. A boss battle that very much leaves you cheering for the enemy’s defeat, and it is a very gratifying one at that.

So, those were my picks for the top 5 favourite boss battles.

Did I miss one of your favourite boss battles? Well, leave it in the comments and let me know!

And before you click away, why not check out our other gaming posts right about here or cruise over to our YouTube channel to see more cool content from us!