Nearly one year ago I wrote a feature for IGN that said the traditional boss fight is a relic of a bygone era. My argument was that while technological and creative advancements within the games industry have resulted in modern games that are more cinematic and immersive than ever before, these advances have not extended to how many developers shape the conclusion of their games. As a result, many games end in a traditional boss fight.
Even the most casual gamer is familiar with boss fight clichés - a closed arena, glowing weak-points, increasingly exaggerated transformations, and the rule of three. It is because of this familiarity that the traditional boss fight lives on in modern games. Boss fights span genres, existing as a common narrative shorthand. The repetitive mechanics make them feel as comfortable as a well-worn pair of slippers. And quite frankly, most gamers demand and expect them.
The classic boss battle mentality. And no, we're not dissing Mario - this is iconic stuff!
For me, this familiarity breeds contempt. Without developers who innovate and push the boundaries of what games can accomplish, gamers would be left with the Frankenstein’s monster that was Deus Ex: Human Revolution – a game whose bland boss fights were outsourced and poorly grafted onto an otherwise pretty stellar game. But let’s not dwell on games that are stuck in an 8-bit mentality. Let’s celebrate games that eschew tradition - and are all the better for it.
To start, I have highlighted two games that delivered stunning conclusions without choosing the easy way out. Then, I have highlighted two sequels that vastly improved upon their predecessors by mixing up the boss battle formula.
ATTENTION: MASSIVE SPOILERS TO FOLLOW - TURN BACK NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED RED DEAD REDEMPTION OR BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY. DON'T SAY WE DIDN'T WARN YOU.
Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar San Diego’s take on the Western (and semi-sequel to Red Dead Revolver) tells the tale of John Marston. Having years earlier retired from an outlaw gang to marry and raise a family, John is tasked by the government to bring his former gang-mates to justice in return for his continued freedom. This personal journey is supported by a beautifully realised world populated with interesting, well-written characters. In short, it is engaging on nearly all levels.
For me, Red Dead Redemption’s conclusion solidified it as one this generation’s great games. After completing his mission, John settles back into farm life and rebuilds the tattered bonds he shares with his wife and son. John’s well-earned peace is ended when government troops lay siege to his property, gunning for him - their final target. A shootout ensues. Knowing he is out-numbered, John helps his family escape before taking his last stand. As John steps out into the firing-line, time slows – a mechanism employed throughout the game to enable the player to precisely line up a number of shots. John and, by extension, the player are left with a gun full of bullets, precious few seconds, and an insurmountable enemy. This segment firmly puts players in John’s doomed shoes and he desperately fights for survival, and loses.
Not all conflicts and climaxes lend themselves to traditional boss fights – a trap that many developers fall into. Rockstar San Diego recognised this and chose to be daring rather than fall back on tired, old tropes. The studio was able to present an unforgettable conclusion to its game simply by using a key gameplay concept in a new context. The team deserve all the praise they can get.
RDR had one of the best conclusions in recent years.
Bastion, a downloadable game for PC and XBLA, is probably most famous for its use of a gruff, dynamic narrator describing the player’s actions. Beyond this (pretty cool) gimmick, Bastion is predominantly an action game with RPG elements. The brilliance of Bastion’s design lies in its tight gameplay focus: simplistic, but incredibly fun and customisable weapons-based combat, while the backstory of Bastion’s floating, post-apocalyptic landscape is delivered piecemeal throughout the experience. By the time the game’s climax is reached, players are a lean, mean killing machine. Instead of presenting a traditional boss fight, Bastion offers two key moral choices. The game ties together its loose narrative threads and delivers a hefty emotional punch – all without using a boss fight. It is the type of ending that sticks with you long after you have finished the game.
I have previously been vocal about my dislike of the Joker boss fight at the end of Batman: Arkham Asylum (http://au.ps3.ign.com/articles/116/1166802p1.html). With that in mind I approached Batman: Arkham City with some trepidation. Arkham City contained a number of new villains but the backbone of both Arkham games has been the relationship between Batman and Joker. While Arkham Asylum totally dropped the ball in relation to offering any sort of fitting (if only temporary) conclusion to their dynamic, Arkham City does something more interesting.
During the game’s climax, Batman discovers that Joker had recruited Clayface to be his stand-in for much of the game. Clayface attacks Batman while the real Joker looks on. Cue a fairly traditional boss fight. Fortunately, the game doesn’t end with Clayface’s inevitable defeat. What follows is a compelling set of cutscenes that perfectly encapsulates the Batman/Joker dynamic and a pitch perfect conclusion to Batman’s ordeal.
Sure, the Joker/Clayface switcheroo could have come across as cheap, but instead it allows the game to have its bat-cake and eat it too: a big dramatic boss fight, followed by quiet character reflection. Boss fights and fitting closures are not mutually exclusive, but many games – Arkham Asylumn included – are evidence that a lot of developers will often pick the former over the later.
Uncharted 3
While not reaching the same heights as Arkham City’s conclusion, the climactic fight in Uncharted 3 also greatly improves upon its predecessors’. Uncharted, and especially Uncharted 2, ended with fairly lame, traditional boss fights in lieu of a climax and resolution best fitting their narrative and game styles.
In its opening scene Uncharted 3 showed off its improved melee combat system in a chaotic bar-brawl. This scene is bookended by the game’s final boss fight – a bad-arse fist/knife fight amidst crumbling ruins. This fight might not revolutionise boss battles, but it’s a big improvement over the previous game, where a hulked up man whose weakness was glowing resin chased you around a ravine. Uncharted 3’s fight feels more visceral and personal while also feeling like a natural extension of the gameplay preceding it.
So many incredible sequences, yet the end still stood tall.
And now it is over to you. Hit up the comments section to tell us what your favourite game endings are – and how they used or avoided boss fight clichés.
Source : http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/21/the-best-new-school-boss-battles
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