Summary
Boss fights have evolved considerably with the way gaming has progressed by leaps and bounds since its inception. Technology has helped everything from photorealistic graphics to complex gameplay loops become a common thing, and it’s only a given that games featuring bosses that are as tough as they come also elevate a game’s quality to new heights time and time again.
Aninteresting boss concept that a lot of games toy withis mirror bosses, a trope that has the skills and abilities of the player replicated and “mirrored” by the boss they are fighting. The gameplay and narrative surrounding these boss fights are as engaging as ever and a huge reason why players love mirror boss fights that have been executed to perfection.
There are many memorable dungeons to explore inthe vast expanse ofBaldur’s Gate 3, and one of the more important ones that players will find in Act Two is the Gauntlet of Shar. Players must accomplish several trials to get through this area, with one such challenge being the Self-Same Trial where the party must battle against their copies. The game coaxes players to make a character fight these mirror versions by imposing penalties on the off-chance that someone else damages a different copy instead.
Thankfully, there are ways to reduce the overall challenge of this trial, with the most popular exploit involving players removing all armor and weapons from their party to spawn copies with no valuable equipment to speak of, leaving their copies in the nude. After this, all players need to do is re-equip themselves and make quick work of these mirrored foes to get a valuable Umbral Gem.
Many people would love to seeanInfamousremake, with this open-world game by Sucker Punch being an absolute blast to play through. A bike messenger whose life changes after a package he carries explores and gives him electrical superpowers, Cole slowly comes to grips with his superpowers as Empire City becomes a hub of villainy and ruin. After helping the city out and uncovering Kessler’s malicious presence, Cole engages in one last encounter with a man whose superpowers are too similar to his own to be a mere coincidence.
The battle against Kessler is quite interesting, especially since his powers seem like souped-up versions of the abilities that Cole has used and developed throughout the series. It takes a ton of effort, but players who beat down Kessler will learn that this character is Cole from the future who warned him about the threat of the Beast, a mysterious and powerful entity who ruined his world. He goes back in time to prevent this reality from coming to pass, even his methods were more extreme than they had any right to be.
Before blowing up withthe launch ofHades, Supergiant Games already made a name for themselves with titles likeBastionandPyre. Another game that uses a unique variant of real-time with pause combat to let players enjoy a tactical combat system isTransistor, where players control a mute woman called Red who uses the eponymous talking sword to cut down her enemies and uncover the central mystery of this game.
The revelations come near the end when Red confronts Royce, the architect of the Camarata. He makes the first move with a Turn of his own, making for an epic start to this boss fight that establishes the rules. Players must deplete his HP with the best abilities they have to overload his Transistor numerous times until he’s down and out for the count. The fact that he comes equipped with the same abilities as Red makes this encounter a memorable way to set up the game’s melancholic ending.
The very definition of a mirror boss, Dark Link isa miniboss players encounter inOcarina of Time’s Water Temple. The boss arena itself is as beautiful as they come, with players seeing their reflection in a pond of water only to find said reflection stare back at Link, the darker hue pointing to a sinister fight that certainly lives up to its first impression. There’s no beating around the bush here — Dark Link is a challenging boss and will counter whatever Link does. Players must be wary of how solid this figure looks since that’s a visual depiction of how powerful he is at that point.
There are ways players can circumvent this difficulty. As a mirror boss, Dark Link comes with the same amount of hearts as Link himself, meaning that players who know what they’re doing can gimp this boss fight and do exactly what needs to be done to take out this boss in no time. The Megaton Hammer is also a great strategy against this boss since he can’t counter this attack, so players should ideally complete the Fire Temple first if they’re struggling at this stage.
Yakuza 0is one of the best places for players toget into the series and experience its richness. The origins of Kiryu and Majima are entertaining for new fans and eye-opening for existing ones. Players will go on an action-packed thrill ride as both characters embody the spirit of a rebel and uncover a plot centered around the Empty Lot that eventually serves as the foundation for the Millenium Tower. After uncovering the brains behind this operation, the final fight sees Kiryu go up against Shibusawa. Both stake their claim to the Dragon of Dojima moniker, with their tattoos mirroring how similar yet vastly different the two characters are.
Shibusawa himself uses three of Kiryu’s styles across the battle. He starts off with swift attacks reminiscent of Rush Style before becoming slower and more monstrous as he embraces his Beast. Finally, Shibusawa whips out the Dragon Style, making it highly cinematic if players have beaten the Real Estate side story, since they can switch to a Dragon Style of their own to show him who’s boss.
