Top 10 Hardest Video Game Bosses of the Century (So Far)
#10: Absolute Radiance
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“Hollow Knight” (2017) The final boss of “Hollow Knight” is a tough challenge to overcome. But with the “Godmaster” expansion, developer Team Cherry made it even harder. Absolute Radiance is a mix of undeniable power and an ungodly speed at which it can unleash it. Most of its attacks have either been increased in strength or, in terms of its projectile-based attacks, in capacity. Thankfully, your little knight should be well powered-up by the time you face it. And since it’s an enhanced version of a boss fought previously, you should know what to do even if actually doing it is a hassle. Fought across 6 phases, Absolute Radiance is the peak of what “Hollow Knight” can offer.
#9: Maneater
“Demon’s Souls” (2009) Bringing in a second boss while you’re in the middle of fighting the first one is a surefire way to spike the difficulty. Most bosses found in FromSoftware’s games are going to be a challenge, and Maneater easily takes the top spot for “Demon’s Souls.” Not only does it come with the necessary power to do its studio proud, but it’s also fought on a rather narrow bridge. Having less room to maneuver and attack in is a pain, but not as much as a second Maneater. After enough time has passed, or if the boss’s health bar drops to ¼ full, it will summon a pal to help do you in, doubling your workload.
#8: Gna
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“God of War Ragnarok” (2022) And here we thought Sigrun was bad. The Valkyrie Queen of 2018’s “God of War” provided a taxing battle, to be sure. But Sony Santa Monica outdid themselves with Gna. As the final big post-game mission, “Ragnarok” goes out with a bang…if you can get through it. She naturally has the highest power level of any enemy at 9. So even if you drop the difficulty level all the way down, her hits will do major damage. Most of her attacks are hard to predict and if they connect, they can drain your health bar in a matter of moments. That’s not to mention two unblockable grabs, which are far more infuriating than any of her other attacks.
#7: Raven Beak
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“Metroid Dread” (2021) Like those that came before it, “Metroid Dread” upholds the high difficulty the series is known for. And Nintendo couldn’t have included a better boss to make us feel actual dread than Raven Beak. In three brutal phases, the Chozo warrior demands extremely fast reaction time unless you want your health quickly depleted to zero. Whether you’re right next to him or on the other side of the arena, it doesn’t matter. He can blast you apart just as easily as rip you to shreds with his claws. His agility and strength is unmatched by anything “Metroid” gave us this century. In the ultra-hard Dread Mode, he may be the toughest in the whole series.
#6: Dr. Kahl’s Robot
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“Cuphead” (2017) While Chef Saltbaker of the DLC came close to matching it, there’s just no topping the frustration that comes from fighting Dr. Kahl’s Robot. “Cuphead” mostly consists of boss fights, the majority of which can easily wallop the player. But this one really tested our dedication in reaching the ending. The first phase sees the robot utilizing a variety of projectiles while you blast apart the three pieces. But with each piece destroyed, more attacks are added. Phase 2 has hombing bombs to look out for, while Phase 3 gives you more projectiles to dodge along with electrified walls. The whole ordeal is a literal bullet hell and you won’t have nearly enough firepower to make it balanced.
#5: Sans
“Undertale” (2015) If you choose to go down the Genocide Route, meaning you’ve killed every single monster you can come across instead of sparing them, Sans will be waiting for you. And honestly? You probably deserve his wrath. By far the hardest challenge “Undertale” has to offer by a mile, the fight against Sans completely clashes with his good vibes persona. You’ll approach the fight like many others, dodging attacks with your little heart. But most of these attacks are impossible to see coming and lightning fast. There is no making it through without a lot of trial and error, which means a lot of deaths at the hands of this dopey skeleton. It takes the utmost determination.
#4: Orphan of Kos
“Bloodborne” (2015) We’re not sure what’s more disturbing about this thing: its fleshy weapon or its tendency to shriek when it lunges at you. The Orphan of Kos serves as the final boss in “The Old Hunters” DLC and, in typical FromSoftware fashion, is an absolute monster to fight. Despite being much smaller than many other bosses in the game, it’s just as oppressive with its deadly leaps, if not more so. If you’re caught by one, say goodbye to a major portion of health. Thankfully, it doesn’t transform into something more unsettling for its second phase. It just gets a lot faster and more aggressive, which is saying quite a bit considering its first phase.
#3: Absolute Virtue
“Final Fantasy XI” (2002) We’ll admit this one should come with an asterisk. Found in one of the franchise’s MMO installments, Absolute Virtue was designed by Square Enix to be unbeatable, at least by the studio’s terms. This was due to an enormous health pool, a tendency to auto-heal each turn, and its use of the Benediction spell, a full heal that also cured status effects. The problem was the studio didn’t reveal this, prompting teams of players to spend literal hours fighting it only for naught. Some were still able to do it, but Square Enix retaliated by removing any methods used to beat it from the game. Only after a wave of backlash was Absolute Virtue finally nerfed, making him tough but at least beatable.
#2: Malenia, Blade of Miquella
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“Elden Ring” (2022) In any other game, a boss declaring they’ve never known defeat would make us eager to give them a rude awakening. But in a FromSoftware game? We knew we had a lot of deaths in our future. Malenia quickly gained a well-earned reputation for being the holy grail of painfully hard boss fights in “Elden Ring.” Avoiding her is extremely hard due to her long sword and multi-hit flurry attack. And taking damage will stress you out more than normal as doing so will heal her, even if you block. Phase 2 refills almost her entire health bar while adding Scarlet Rot to her attacks, a status effect that deals damage over time. There’s no shame in summoning some allies for this one.
#1: Isshin, the Sword Saint
“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019) Unfortunately, you can’t summon friends in “Sekiro.” So when it comes to the final boss, you’ll just have to hope your skills are up to snuff. It wouldn’t feel right placing anything other than a FromSoftware boss in the top spot. And Isshin, the Sword Saint certainly deserves it. You’ll already be on edge having fought Genichiro directly before this. Even if that wasn’t the case, Isshin’s three drawn out phases will make you feel painfully outclassed. His sword slashes have surprising range and will catch you off-guard, as will his AOE attacks. His patterns grow more random with each phase, making it hard to get a read on what’s coming next. It’s an incredibly satisfying victory, but one that’s definitely not earned easily.
