It’s not even close for me.
Isshin, the Sword Saint - Sekiro
This guy gave me fits for a solid 6 weeks. Firstly, he’s got a troubling first part where you have to fight… something else. That fight isn’t difficult, but if you’re not paying attention it can take off vital health points.
Once you’ve got through that first stage the fight truly begins. And this is where I really struggled. I’m thinking I had 80+ attempts at the guy before…I sort of just did it.
And without wishing to make it sound like I had a cheesy moment like in a sports movie where it just clicked…it definitely just clicked.
There was a bit of commotion on the street, and my partner was running in and out telling me about it…but I’m totally zoned in. Before I know what is happening I’ve got the guy down to maybe 10% of his health and then the pressure hits you…
Thankfully I used my knowledge of these games to back off and play smart (I’ve been burnt by trying to rush in many a time before), caught his parry attacks and got the job done…
Not without almost missing the final execution prompt of course.
What about you? Who’s the toughest boss you’ve ever faced?
Bloodborne. Ludwig at blood level 4.
Self imposed challenge to beat game without leveling up. 1k plus attempts. Started counting after 100 or so.
Never ended up beating it completely, but his move list is still etched in my mind.
Not really a boss but the Darker Side of the Moon in Super Mario Odyssey, the grueling end-game gauntlet of platforming challenges without any checkpoints.
For an actual boss? Probably all of Cuphead, that game was insane!
I spent hours trying to get through that level and it beat me. Eventually I gave up and haven’t been back since. I decided to take on easier challenges like… Cuphead and Sekiro 🤣
I loved Odyssey so I was really happy to have this big final challenge, and it did take me several evenings of saying “I am good at video games, I will not be beaten by a children’s game” for me to finally get though it. Cuphead though… I got to the end and it said hey, you’ve unlocked hard mode and I just thought that’s good to know.
Landing on the Mun. That was hands down the biggest achievement I’ve felt in gaming. I jumped out of my chair whooping like a mad man.
O&S in Dark Souls 1 took me years to beat, they’d kill a run, and I’d put it back on the shelf. It wasn’t until DS3 that I figured the games out, and was finally able to go back and beat the rest of the series.
My girlfriend has platinum in most Souls games, and is on Sekiro now. Really looking forward to her facing Isshin, I’ve never gotten past the big horse boss in that one myself.
Malania, Blade of Miquella. At level 30.
Normally I summon help for her and am at least level 90 if not higher, but I was level 30 and trying to twink out for invading. Something just clicked and I managed to beat her without even taking a hit; even through a bullshit spam cycle of the waterfowl attack (bitch did it 4 times in a row!).
The only thing I haven’t beaten in any of these games is Owl in Sekiro (and technically everything after him). I have a hard time in that game because it’s so damn hard to see the visual cues through all the sparks and anime bullshit that flies off your swords when you’re deflecting and attacking hella fast. 😭
The Radiance in Hollow Knight.
Huge difficulty spike compared to what comes before it. Accounted for a full 5 hours out of my 45-hour play time. Even when I was totally in the zone, it took some good RNG to get through the hardest part of the fight.
I don’t regret grinding it out, but I’m certainly not going back for seconds any time soon.
