The 10 HARDEST Roguelike Bosses of All Time

The 10 Hardest Roguelike Bosses of All Time

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re looking at the most challenging boss fights to emerge from the rougelike and roguelite genres!

Hundun “Spelunky 2” (2020)

If you thought the precision platforming demanded of you before was a lot, then get ready, because if you want to scramble this particular egg, you can’t afford to waste any moves. It’s not just that Hundun can throw you off your game by blasting out fireballs while destroying your remaining platforms as it chases after you, but it also drags up the spiked floor with it. Lose your grip or fail in your jump, and you’re likely going to meet your end. Might want to invest in plenty of bombs and paste along the way.

Nemesis “Returnal” (2021)

Every gamer knows that Returnal is not a casual jaunt, but a trial by fire. But even the most masochistic may find themselves in over their head when Nemesis shows up to bury any last hope of completing their run. The first phase alone is bad enough as it bombards you with non-stop projectiles, aided by its own set of sentient turrets. Get through all of that, and Nemesis will see to it that you put that new grappling hook to good use by dividing the battleground into a series of platforms you have to navigate while still doing your darndest not to get overwhelmed by the interstellar arsenal being flung your way.

Theseus and Asterius “Hades” (2020)

By themselves, taking on the axe-swinging minotaur or the douche imbued by the powers of the gods would be tricky, but together, they caused no end of deaths for Zagreus in his attempts to escape the underworld. Your best hope for survival is to focus on one while trying to avoid incoming damage from the other. Of course, the second you slay one, the other will go into overdrive. Whether you’d rather try to dodge Asterius’ charges or Theseus’ gauntlet of godly boons is down to you, but it's going to sting either way.

Heart of Darkness “Darkest Dungeon” (2015)

The gruelling excursions to undo the nightmares lurking around this particular estate will undoubtedly cost you countless dungeon delvers, given that you not only have to fight the eldritch horrors within but also an unforgiving sanity meter. Both of which get raised to exponential levels when you encounter the Heart of Darkness. Along with its substantial health pool, it has the power to instantly kill one of your party members – something it will flaunt multiple times throughout the fight! Between that and its tendency to rapidly inflict stress, chances are most if not all of your squadron are heading right to the graveyard.

The Voidling “Risk of Rain 2” (2019)

If you’re a glutton for punishment and want to seek the worst that this game can throw at you, then take your strongest build, hold your breath, and get ready to enter the void. We guarantee you won’t enjoy your stay. If you’ve got enough firepower then whittling down the Voidling’s first phase is wholly doable, provided you can stay on your toes and avoid its swarm of projectiles. It’s when it shifts into phases two and three that things get dicey, since inbetween both, players will have to follow it through the void, requiring you to complete a tricky platforming section while also taking ongoing damage due to it being polluted with Void Fog. The battle only gets harder from there, as the Voidling will start to summon elite-level assistance, and try to blast your ass to pieces with its very own doomsday laser.

Delirium “The Binding of Isaac” (2011)

It truly is a toss up between this abomination, as well as fellow bosses Mother and Hush as to who stands tall as the biggest threat to Isaac. But as the name suggests, Delirium isn’t just a damage sponge, but a whole bunch of WTF rolled into one. Throughout the fight, it will instantly teleport around the arena, switch appearances, sizes, as well as the amount of projectiles it’s spewing. It doesn’t take long for things to get out of control. Even if you know all the forms it can take, the suddenness of its shifts and attack patterns ensure that you’re just one bad surprise away from an end to your run.

Corrupt Heart “Slay the Spire” (2019)

You’d best hope the cards are in your favour, because unless you can kill it quickly, then this unholy organ waiting for you at the top of the spire will snuff you out before you can scramble together a winning strategy. It will continually buff itself while debilitating you every step of the way, all the while busting out some hard-hitting offensive cards of its own like Blood Shots and Echo. The Heart wants what the heart wants, and here, it wants nothing more than to crush you before you can finally beat the game.

The Lich “Enter the Gungeon” (2016)

It's high noon in the gungeon, so unless you’ve got one hell of an arsenal on you, you’re not making it out alive, especially when the final boss is an undead cowboy who fills the entire screen with bullets. Expect to spend every last drop of ammo you have on hand, since your only chance of surviving the onslaught is to deal enough damage to the Lich so you can stagger him, or find the pixel-perfect space between each projectile, of which there are frighteningly few. It's classic bullet hell at its finest that doesn’t let off for even a second.

Dracula “Dead Cells” (2018)

One of the greatest bosses in Metroidvania history makes his grand return in one of the century’s most beloved roguelikes, and the combination is a spectacular slaughter-fest. The Return to Castlevania DLC brought with it all the grandeur found in Symphony of the Night with a fresh coat of paint, including a final showdown with Dracula. The king of the vamps pulls no punches here. He’s tricky enough in his classic bloodsucker form, attacking from both sides of the screen while unleashing a net of projectiles that you have to slide under in time to avoid. But then he lets the demon out of the bag for an absolute monster of a final phase. With falling debris acting as a platform, Drac will unleash everything from giant fire balls, lasers, part of his own castle, as well as fisticuffs, all with you having very limited ground to retreat to. No matter the decade, Dracula means business.

Typhon, Father of All Monsters “Hades II” (2025)

Oh, so you thought Chronos was tough? You haven’t known roguelike despair until you’ve made your way to the top of Mount Olympus, where Typhon will be waiting to knock you all the way back down. Just getting him in one piece is already a tall order given the abundance of mini-bosses you’ll face along the way. As for Typhon himself, don’t think just because his ugly mug fills the entire screen that you can easily layer on the damage. The number of wide-reaching attacks he’ll throw at you in quick succession will have you dancing around the arena, and that’s all before he summons help from his countless spawn to shred away the last of your death defiances. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, there’s the Vow of Rivals, which will not only increase the difficulty, but will add Chronos to the fight, making the whole affair the tag team from hell. Not even Heracles could pull off this labour!

Which roguelike challenged you the most? Let us know in the comments!