Final Levels/Bosses That Blew Your Mind [Obvious Spoilers]

[Elvis Starburst]

There's always that one final level or final boss in a game that cranks things to 11. It takes everything about the game and simply goes nuts for one huge, incredible finale. I had a big experience like that yesterday, and I wondered if anyone else had those "WOAH!" moments like I did. The only criteria needed is for it to be a final level or final boss, nothing more. As long as it's grand, and had you super excited to experience it. Have fun!

Spoiler: My example from Kirby Planet Robobot

Mecha anime fans might already get a bit of a kick out of this game, but the ending will feel quite jaw dropping the moment you experience it. In the game you can pilot a robot suit that can copy the abilities of enemies as Kirby can. In the final boss, the boss is escaping into the stars in order to find a proper place to destroy all life and replace it with machines. That's when Meta Knight appears with his Halberd and gives you the go ahead... to copy the Halberd itself. I was stunned, you get to pilot this awesome ship in the final battle!

It doesn't end there though. Once the final boss is defeated, it sends off one last laser to try and disable you. The Halberd is losing altitude, so Meta Knight fires off Kirby's robot from the ship itself. Like something out of Gurren Lagann, Kirby's arm turns into a giant drill, and you spin wildly to break through the shields the boss puts up, and then do a GIGA DRILL BREAK through the thing, ultimately destroying it! Holy shit that was awesome!!

Gurren Lagann being #2 on my anime list sure didn't help in me losing my mind when this happened. I'll never forget this finale. It was incredible!

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I'm not sure its the hardest in the game, but its certainly the most memorable boss fight to me and really is just a beautiful encounter.


But you could just take all the Colossi and that's the list right there. Each one would be the singular best boss battle in any other game.

 

[Saelune]

Well, I guess this counts. The first Two Worlds (an underrated gem of a series), not so much the final battle but the moment before it, when the bad guy says "Join me or die" and you can choose...and well, tada. So either the final boss is the bad guy cause you refused, or a bunch of Paladins who show up being like WTF, you were supposed to be the hero!?

Even my favorite game in the world, Morrowind has the final guy say "Join me or die" but doesnt let you actually choose (though Daggerfall does, silly Warp in the West) despite otherwise being a game of freedom and choice.

Also Mystical Ninja. You start off the game in a Edo period Japanese Village, and end up fighting a giant Peach space ship and snake robot in Space in a Giant Robot, but not before the main bad guys do this:

And Kirby's Dreamland 2 cause there is a secret true final boss that is a creepy eyeball. A theme that reccured for awhile that felt like it was building up to something. Even Kirby 64 had something like that.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Spoiler

The final level occurs after the last real boss fight. The Dark Prince traps The Prince in his mind in one last attempt to take over.

The level isn't particularly challenging. In fact, failing to make a jump or wall run simply causes you to go back to right before it, no matter how many times you fail. However, the argument The Prince has with his darker side, the brief flashbacks to a few major events in the series, and having Farah come to help The Prince at the end all really did a great job closing the trilogy's major conflict from a story perspective. It also ended the trilogy with a platforming segment rather than battle, which seemed proper for what it was.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Recently, I'd have to go with Inside

Spoiler: Do not click if you have not played the game and are planning to

You spend almost the entire game as a boy infiltrating a huge facility for.... reasons. Finally, you come across some blob creature made of various human parts. You free the blob, get absorbed by it, and then control it to escape the facility (maybe). You spend the entire game running from just about everything, but in the final section, you go on a destructive rampage for freedom. I'm still not entirely sure about what the fuck actually happened in this game, but I do know that the ending blew me away.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Just finished SMT IV: Apocalypse, and while I was underwhelmed with some aspects of the game, the (really for reals this time) final dungeon is mind-blowingly vast, creepy, and appropriately difficult.

Less recently, probably all the monstrous phases of Phalanx in Demon's Crest along with the decadent spiky cathedral leading up to him. Heh, one finale from heaven and one from hell.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I don't know what the guys who made that scene were on... and I don't think I wanna know either

 

[Saelune]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I don't know what the guys who made that scene were on... and I don't think I wanna know either

Im guessing you mean Mystical Ninja. That game is awesome, and I really recommend it. Its a funny, visually pleasant, quirky action-platformer, in a fantasy-Japan. There is virtually no 4th wall, considering how often they break it. And that laugh-track.

But hey, it was made by Konami. Maybe they were always crazy and just used to use it for good before it turned to evil. (Though they did release only like, 3 games in the series, while having like 20 only in Japan)

 

[Kingjackl]

Despite being very similar to the previous fights, the final battle with Bowser in Super Mario Galaxy is something I remember as being pretty spectacular, mainly because of the music. Doubly so in Galaxy 2 where he gets an unexpected comeback and you fight him in the wormhole.

The final chapter of Phoenix Wright: Justice For All was incredible, and is the sole reason I mark that game as my favourite in the series despite the other three cases being shit. Never has a final decision been so satisfying, to the point where I was actually laughing/cheering maniacally as it happened.

Spoiler

Choosing whether or not the defence pleads guilty or innocent. Like, it's a meaningless choice since Matt confesses guilty no matter what, but choosing 'innocent' and watching the dude tie his own noose was oh so satisfying.

 

[ChupathingyX]

Ace Combat 4, 5 and 0 have basically set the gold standard for me when it comes to climatic final levels.

The music is magnificent and sets the tone of each mission perfectly, the action is past paced and tense, and all three of them wrap up their respective stories in such a satisfying way.

 

[Rip Van Rabbit]

Nice thread, OP!

1) Vergil - Devil May Cry 3

I'll admit that this is pure nostalgia talking. BUT! That final boss fight on the Dante Must Die difficulty hits all the right notes for a climactic showdown. Vergil starts the fight with an unflinching walking towards the player, on a first playthrough I hesitated to dive right in. Both parties have their complete arsenals at their disposal. Vergil has a new weapon for you to counter. He pulls off stunts with his extended Devil Trigger that the player cannot replicate. He doesn't stagger or get stun-locked in Devil Trigger form, but you bet your ass that you have to attack that juggernaut and pray to the gods of reflexes that you can dodge/jump-cancel any attacks coming your way because unless you fail to knock him out of his Devil Trigger, his health will continually regenerate.

Special mention to Vergil's distorted, crackling demonic voice in Devil Trigger mode.
Bonus points if you can wreck him Nevan.

2) Metal Gear EXCELSUS/Armstrong - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

To be honest I wish the fight against Excelsus could have been extended to the point where you have to completely delimb the beast save for it's final arm. Nothing like getting into a swordfight with three-story-building-sized-blades clashing against one another. Also, the fight could have benefitted from a missile barrage that you have to cut down with blade mode, similar to Metal Gear RAY in the tutorial.

It's starting to sound like I have more suggestions than praise! O_O
Don't get me wrong, I loved the sheer spectacle of the fight so much that I want more.

Armstrong was a pleasant surprise. Not a difficult fight by any means, but again, an achievement in spectacle that I absolutely adore.

3) XCOM 2 - Final Mission

The final arena and the sheer amount of enemies present truly felt like I was attacking at the heart of my enemies. Maybe it's because my sniper pulled off some live-saving shots with a pistol, my heavy soldiers functioned as bodyguards to tear anything that warped too close to shreds. My assault troops were taking a beating, some hanging on their last thread, but the damage they had caused was vital to the completion of the mission.

It's the little moments in XCOM, I tell ya.

Special mention goes to having my heart drop when multiple chrysalids warped in with greater numbers.

4) Dark Souls 3 - Soul of Cinder

As a final nod to the fans by demonstrating popular builds/playstyles through its ability to change its moveset and attack patterns on the fly. This boss was relentless on my Farron Greatsword character. No longer could I pay tribute to the Abyss Watchers by performing swishy-spins and swoopy-aerial attacks. Nope, this guy is guaranteed to apply chip damage through even the best of shields, so this battle of attrition was not stacked in my favor.

After many maaaaany deaths later, victory had never tasted so sweet.
Oh Dark Souls, how I love thee.

 

[Here Comes Tomorrow]

Asura's Wrath will always stand out to me because you get to beat the creator of everything so badly that he fails his own QTEs

The fist fight between Ocelot and Snake at the end of MGS4 is another one, probably because I've been playing the games for years at that point and I have a big sentimental attachment to the series. As much as Kojima hated making MGS4 that last fight still gets me. Two old men having an over the top fist fight on top of a submarine even though their conflict of duty has been resolved, they're fighting because of their own personal reasons and it basically sums up the message of the series for me.

 

[DrownedAmmet]

The ending to Sleeping Dogs was phenomenal. I had come into the game expecting an average GTA clone set in Hong Kong. I never expected to completely fall in love with the characters, so the last level realllly hit me

Spoiler: Final Mission

Damn that was intense to play, marred a little bit by the bottlenecking and way points

 

[Casual Shinji]

The final level in Journey got me pretty moist (in the eyes you pervert). I could try and describe it, but why would I soil it with me filthy human words when I can just show it.

 

[Neverhoodian]

"The Maw" from Halo: Combat Evolved. You're careening through the Pillar of Autumn in a Warthog at top speed as the soundtrack is pounding you over the head with an amped-up version of the iconic theme...all while literally everything is exploding around you. For a teenager recently weaned off of the N64, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring. No other game in the series managed to top such a pulse-pounding final level for me.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

"The Maw" from Halo: Combat Evolved. You're careening through the Pillar of Autumn in a Warthog at top speed as the soundtrack is pounding you over the head with an amped-up version of the iconic theme...all while literally everything is exploding around you. For a teenager recently weaned off of the N64, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring. No other game in the series managed to top such a pulse-pounding final level for me.

I can agree with this: It was such a good ending they decided to do it again for Halo 2...and I think Halo 3...wait, maybe there wasn't an explodie-chase in Halo 2 but Halo 3 copied it...and I can't think of any of my own. Maybe the final boss from Dawn of Sorrows because this is a guy who you've fought before and his final betrayal came out of nowhere. The actual fight isn't tough but there's a good deal of spectacle to it.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

The final level in Journey got me pretty moist (in the eyes you pervert). I could try and describe it, but why would I soil it with me filthy human words when I can just show it.

Good pick! There were so many emotions felt there from nought but visual and audio input alone....David Cage can only dream creepily of such things probably in some rape attempt scenario. The highs and lows were contrasted and timed so seamlessly. That part was truly exhilarating to experience...and even that word alone cannot do it justice!

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I'm not sure its the hardest in the game, but its certainly the most memorable boss fight to me and really is just a beautiful encounter.


But you could just take all the Colossi and that's the list right there. Each one would be the singular best boss battle in any other game.

I must play this game! But the only option is streaming it through psn now service (720p at best, frame rate...umm well) for me. Is it worth these current restrictions still?

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I'm not sure its the hardest in the game, but its certainly the most memorable boss fight to me and really is just a beautiful encounter.


But you could just take all the Colossi and that's the list right there. Each one would be the singular best boss battle in any other game.

I must play this game! But the only option is streaming it through psn now service (720p at best, frame rate...umm well) for me. Is it worth these current restrictions still?

Honestly try and find a cheap PS2 and a copy of it. A low framerate could really fuck with the grandeur of the game.