2020 surely isn’t over yet but so far we’ve gotten some pretty great games since the beginning of the year. While there haven’t been many big releases, plenty of games have treated us to a few memorable boss fights.
In this list of the best video game bosses of 2020 we’ve put together, we’ve included bosses from Doom Eternal, Nioh 2, Resident Evil 3 Remake, Ori and the Will of the Wisp, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, and Final Fantasy VII Remake so beware of a few spoilers from these games.
Icon of Sin – Doom Eternal
Our first video game boss is the Icon of Sin from Doom Eternal. For many Doom fans, it’s no surprise the Icon of Sin shows up in the newest installment in the series.
On his own, he’s rather iconic since he’s a ginormous skull monster bent on the destruction of humankind. Seeing him in glorious modernized visuals on current-gen consoles is a wonderful experience especially if you’re a fan of this big bad guy.
His boss fight doesn’t disappoint either. Facing off against something so big when you’re so tiny is a little bit intimidating even when you’re in control of the guy that thought it was a good idea to use a big gun to shoot himself into Mars.
Not only do you have to deal with him, but plenty of monsters also spawn in to ruin your day. You have to use everything you’ve learned and know to survive the fight. But, of course, our Doom Slayer prevails.
Otakemaru – Nioh 2
The newest souls-like game to be released, Nioh 2, includes quite a lot of bosses that are all uniquely designed and challenging. However, the final boss, Otakemaru, takes the cake with his lore, design, and brutality.
Nioh 2 culminates in this final fight so Otakemaru delivers heavy blows, fast strikes, and essentially bullies you if you’re not careful. Akin to the Artorias fight in Dark Souls or even the Owl’s in Sekiro, it’s one of those one-on-one fights that gets you pumped and immersed.
The story surrounding this boss is also lore rich and dense with content but to spare you from too many spoilers, we’ll just leave it at the fact that you’re practically going up against a god.
Overall, Otakemaru is a vast improvement to its predecessor’s boss design and a wonderful boss to finish a great game with.
Nemesis (Clocktower) – Resident Evil 3 Remake
Our next video game boss is another classic monster. Nemesis is the Mr. X of this Resident Evil remake and you could argue that the entire game is just an extended boss fight with him. You encounter him quite a number of times like a moment in front of a beautiful clocktower.
By now in the game, Nemesis has changed forms into a very fast and angry four-legged monster so this particular encounter is a little difficult. He’s moving at a faster pace than your light jog and you continually have to avoid his swift attacks.
He essentially turns into a Dark Souls boss without you being able to roll around like a tumbleweed.
This makes the fight a lot more memorable than your other encounters with him including that giant blob at the end of the game. You have to watch your back the entire time but once you get him, it’s a satisfying accomplishment.
Shriek – Ori and the Will of the Wisp
Like its predecessor, Ori and the Will of the Wisp is gorgeously designed. Its art style truly adds something to the game’s storytelling and that extends to the unfortunate case of Shriek.
Dark, malformed, and downright creepy, Shriek is a villain that, unlike a lot of bad guys, hits you right in the feels. Her backstory is incredibly sad and you end up feeling sorry for her more so than angry that she’s evil.
She was someone who had a terrible beginning that turned into a terrible life that culminated into a terrible end. Fighting and defeating her is bittersweet and will probably make you feel really bad for beating her.
The final fight with Shriek is so incredible and memorable in both its heavy lore and its gameplay, something not many boss fights have.
Kid Buu – Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a fun, action-packed adventure that brings together all of the parts and pieces of the Dragon Ball franchise that we love and hate.
We’re treated to several smoothly and beautifully designed boss fights throughout the game but nothing compares to the final battle against Kid Buu.
Since this was back when Buu was being a meanie and not a cutie, Kid Buu relentlessly and crazily attacks Goku and Vegeta without a care in the world.
He packs a serious punch and you need to be a pretty high level to even think about beating him. Like all great final boss fights, you need to pull out all the stops to take this adolescent down.
The boss’ and the game’s difficulty are two of the things that make Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot one wild ride.
Hell House – Final Fantasy VII Remake
Our last video game boss is a literal house bent on murdering you. A lot of the time, boss designs are inspired by objects or ideas but this boss is quite literally just a house that you need to fight. That alone makes it both a ridiculous and incredibly fun encounter in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Honestly, a house boss fight is one of the least surprising things to come out of the remake.
Even without the memorability factor, the fight itself is challenging especially since Hell House’s elemental weaknesses change every so often and deadly chairs get flung at you on occasion. If you’re not careful, Cloud or Aerith can even get swallowed up inside of it.
Like much of the Final Fantasy VII Remake, this boss fight is fantastically fun and difficult. We only hope that we’ll be treated to even more ridiculous fun in the next parts to come out. Whenever that may be
Published: May 1, 2020 01:00 pm