10 HARDEST Final Bosses in 90's Retro Games

10 Hardest Final Bosses in 90s Retro Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re taking a look at ten of the hardest final bosses to square off against in 90s video games. Let’s do it!

Count Dracula

“Castlevania: Dracula X” (1995)

One simple word could easily sum up this entire entry: knockback. And, if I’m allowed to use a second word it would be…knockback. Well, okay – now you might be saying to yourself: that’s the same word…what gives? You see, 90s “Castlevania” games (and many retro games by extension) have character knockback that can quickly spell defeat if you aren’t careful. Such is the case when facing Count Dracula at the end of “Dracula X.” Instead of a basic floor to position yourself on, you must platform between stone pillars in this boss arena. I’ve already buried the lede here, but yes, one knockback from Dracula’s attacks can send you into the abyss to your doom, having to then restart the whole battle again. It’s a brutal fight that tests your pixel perfect precision and your pattern recognition skills. Good freakin’ luck.

Wizpig (Future Fun Land)

“Diddy Kong Racing” (1997)

There’s no way that a colorful, vibrant kart racer for the N64 could have a tough-as-all-get-out final boss, right? Haha – oh the naivety. Wizpig will punish your hubris. The final race showdown against the rocket-riding Wizpig in Future Fun Land feels completely cruel unless you have a completely perfect racing line – something that will only come from trying, trying, and trying some more to defeat this game’s big bad. Yes, persistence is key here since you will need to essentially be a flawless “Diddy Kong Racing” player to achieve that coveted first place finish in order to quell Wizpig’s on-course shenanigans. There’s just so much to contend with here that it often stopped many players from conquering the Adventure mode in this game. Electricity, lasers, space boulders…on my. What fun!

Vortex Queen

“Ecco the Dolphin” (1992)

I don’t know about you, but I for one was not at all prepared for the intense tonal shift that “Ecco the Dolphin” throws your way; from fun aquatic adventuring to full-on aquatic horror. I also never beat this game as a kid, mostly down to the game’s final boss: the Vortex Queen. This Lovecraftian/H.R. Geiger-esque alien abomination is brutal to deal with. Apart from the miniscule boss arena where the Queen takes up the majority of real estate, Ecco has to deal with all manner of damaging projectiles and alien attacks while attempting to bash the jaw off this behemoth (yes, that’s right…) before laying down the final ‘coup de grace’ on her. It’s so relentless and creepy in equal measure. Her lumbering size and tight hitbox ensures many “Ecco the Dolphin” players never saw the dolphins saved nor the credits roll.

Giygas

“EarthBound” (1994)

Seriously, what is it with 90s games and their penchant for pure nightmare fuel? Did the developers just want to scar a generation of games? Perhaps… Battling Giygas at the end of “EarthBound” is a testament of two ends of the spectrum. One end being the psychological manipulation, depravity, and despair of evil and the other being the beautiful and incredible power of human connection, togetherness, and prayer. These ideas coalesce when facing Giygas. Instead of the mechanical turn-based depth of something like Ultimecia from “Final Fantasy VIII” or the intricacy and complexity of an upcoming RPG final boss on this list, this showdown with Ness and co. against Giygas weaves in the beauty and goodness of humanity fused with divine prayer in order to defeat the powers of darkness. This is why Giygas, as a final boss, is both challenging and harrowing to face and timeless for many 90s gamers out there.

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The Dark Queen

“Battletoads” (1991)

While “Battletoads” is often remembered for its punishing gatekeeping levels such as Turbo Tunnels and Terra Tubes, its brutal boss battles are often left out of the conversation when it comes to difficulty. Well, any “Battletoads” players that made it through to the end to fight The Dark Queen know just how tense this final boss can be. The Dark Queen is a nimble and nefarious whirling tornado of death that can lead the titular toads to peril if not playing carefully and deliberately. She can knock away your health as fast as she darts about the arena. Just make sure you pummel her any chance you get and you should (hopefully) come out as the victor.

Alien Brain/Armored Alien Brain

“Contra III: The Alien Wars” (1992)

It’s “Contra,” of course it’s going to be hard. But it’s hard to say if even “Contra” fans were prepared for the Alien Brain showdown in SNES’ “Alien Wars.” While the final form of this Alien Brain, its armored version, might be quick to put down if you constantly fire without a break, it’s the pre-armored form – the fleshy, gooey, one-eyed – brain form that tests your “Contra” resolve and nerves. Even getting to the Alien Brain is a relentless task. But, once you do enter its domain, you best be prepared to stay mobile, stay on the offensive, and never cease attacking. Yes, its brain is obviously exposed but trying to get pot shots of your own on it while avoiding the barrage of projectiles that fill the screen is a tough task. Only the most skilled “Contra” players will make it through this final boss battle.

Lavos/Lavos Core

“Chrono Trigger” (1995)

Here we are at the RPG final boss that I alluded to earlier in this list: Lavos. Lavos is not to be trifled with, not by a long shot. You and your party better know how and when to use your attacks, combos, and tech if you hope to survive this intense and brutal gauntlet – one that will likely require you to revive more often than you’d like. The first part of this final boss against Lavos is challenging enough as you attempt to quell its varied attacks and powers, all while keeping up your resistances without getting on the backfoot. Then, after some dialogue, Lavos augments into its Core form, a form that draws from various sources of power. Here, your party can quickly be decimated. You must rely on each other’s synergies if you hope to have a fighting chance. It’s a time-consuming two-part final boss battle that ensures you haven’t taken its turn-based combat lightly.

Queen Metroid

“Metroid 2: Return of Samus” (1991)

Sometimes the shortest final boss showdowns are the toughest since they toss so much at you so quickly that you have little time to prepare or even react. Well, such as the case when battling Queen Metroid in 1991’s “Return of Samus” for Game Boy. If her extendable neck melee attacks that seemingly hone in on you weren’t enough to deal with then her deadly projectiles will ensure you don’t have any breathing room. And, to add fuel to the fire, Samus’ back will quite literally be up against a wall since she basically has nowhere to dodge except for up and down. How anyone can beat Queen Metroid without taking damage is beyond me.

Dr. Wily

“Mega Man 7” (1995)

“Mega Man” and hard bosses are sort of synonymous by this point. But none truly takes the cake more than the two-part showdown against Dr. Wily in “Mega Man 7.” To be fair, phase one against Dr. Wily’s hulking skull robot isn’t too bad since it moves slow and you are able to avoid attacks fairly easily – well, apart from the self-destructing ‘mini-me’ robots. However, it’s phase two that truly ups the ante. Just when you thought you could take a moment to chill, Dr. Wily pops back in, floating around the arena in his spike-adorned, elemental-imbued mini spacecraft. Here, Dr. Wily can zip and dart about the boss arena, swiftly avoiding you all while spamming powerful elemental projectiles that can stop Mega Man dead in his tracks. It’s a surprisingly lengthy phase since his health bar feels like it barely whittles down with each shot you land. The sense of accomplishment for besting this foe is second-to-none, though.

Death Egg Robot

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” (1992)

I honestly still get a twinge of terror anytime I see gameplay for this final battle in “Sonic 2;” the game my older sister and I spent the majority of time with back in the early 90s on our Sega Genesis. Yes, just getting to Death Egg Zone as a whole back as a kid was challenging enough, requiring us to often just leave our Genesis on, game paused, so we wouldn’t lose progress when we had to go to Sunday school – hoping our Mom or Dad wouldn’t mistakenly reset or turn off our beloved console. But, I digress. On the surface this boss fight doesn’t look too bad. But, trying to pummel this robotic behemoth while avoiding his stomps, lock-on attacks, and mini robots isn’t easy in the slightest. And, Heaven help you if you happen to start this battle with zero rings…

So, what did you think of our picks for this list? What are the hardest bosses from 90s games that you battled your way through? Let us know in the comments.