Top 5 Video Game Bosses You Don’t Want to Kill

Do We Have To?!

Boss battles are a focal point of any video game no matter the genre, since they often display the best of the title’s mechanics as well as provide a thrilling narrative high point. However, there are times when the game throws players a curve ball by forcing them to clash with characters and creatures they’d rather have let go. Needless to say, these five fights left us wholly conflicted.

#5: Any Boss
“Undertale” (2015)

Usually we try to restrict our entries to one per source, but we honestly couldn’t narrow this down! Thanks to its complex themes and morality system, “Undertale” makes it abundantly clear that even though the player is fighting monsters, they’re not really bad people and every single boss is so thoroughly entertaining that you won’t want their fights to be over or to kill them – unless you’re going for a full genocide run. Although, even then, the game is going to make sure “you’re gonna’ have a bad time.”

#4: Sif, the Great Grey Wolf
“Dark Souls” (2011)

As we’ve already seen, boss characters based on animals can be tough to fight and it’s made all the more difficult the more realistic they look… even if this particular one is a giant wolf with a sword in its mouth. Sif is also only fought because they’re guarding their master’s grave, so the huge wolf is hardly malicious towards the player. They’re loyal even after death, which is admirable. Plus, when they start limping because you’ve staggered them, we can’t help but feel sorry for an animal in pain.

#3: Steve Burnside
“Resident Evil – Code: Veronica” (2000)

Recurring character and ally to Claire Redfield throughout this “Resident Evil” installment, Steve Burnside was imprisoned on the island the game takes place on by the sinister Umbrella corporation after his father sold their secrets. Plus, they killed his mother. Oh, and they also end up turning him into a grotesque mutant monstrosity that menaces Claire and the player. While you aren’t directly responsible for his death, it’s still sad to see him go after all he went through and because he was so endearingly goofy, with his extreme Canadian-isms. 

#2: The Boss
“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)

The aptly named Boss is the central antagonist for the majority of the third “Metal Gear Solid” game. A former mentor to the protagonist, Naked Snake, the Boss defects to the Soviet Union, prompting Snake to pursue her. After a battle with the Boss, the player is forced to shoot her while she’s unarmed. As if this wasn’t bad enough, it’s soon revealed that she was not a traitor after all and was merely acting as a scapegoat so as not to lead to war, making her an unsung hero. 

#1: The Colossi
“Shadow of the Colossus” (2005)

These 16 colossal creatures give “Shadow of the Colossus” its name and while defeating them is the main goal of the game, we’re less than enthused about killing them. Players control a young man named Wander on a quest to revive a woman from the dead and to do so, they must kill all of the colossi as a favor for a mysterious entity. Wander’s gradual corruption and the sad deaths of the majestic beasts make it clear that we’re committing some pretty heinous acts in the name of the deceased woman and we’re pretty sure he gets what he deserves in the end.

Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Really Easy Bosses in Really Hard Games.