5 Hardest N64 Bosses That Frustrated 1990s Gamers

The Nintendo 64 had the difficult task of following up the Super Nintendo. Not only was that console one of Nintendo’s best-selling consoles, but it also had a reputation among players for being filled with incredibly difficult games. The N64 never quite lived up to the SNES in either respect, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good platform. And while it might’ve gone much further into family-friendly territory, that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few challenging bosses that led to broken controllers.

Here are the five hardest bosses that annoyed N64 players in the 1990s.

5) Hard Mode Andross – Star Fox 64

Hard Mode Andross is a weird boss to rank because it’s not just the boss that’s difficult; you also have to figure out how to get to him. See, this boss doesn’t have you simply switching a difficulty toggle. You have to fly a very precise route through the game to even face off against the hardest mode of this flying head in Star Fox 64.

Once you get there, Andross is far from a pushover. First, you have to deal with him sucking you up, which deals big damage if you don’t properly time your bombs. You’ll also need to dodge debris and his flying hands. Once you take down his first phase, you’ll have to fight his brain, which is an even tougher task. The two-phase fight, combined with the precise routing to even get to the fight, gives it an easy spot on this list.

4) Hag 1 – Banjo-Tooie

Gruntilda Winkybottom is Banjo and Kazooie’s nemesis throughout most of the series. And while her fights can be tough across the board, it’s when she hops into her Hag 1 battle tank at the end of Banjo-Tooie that gets a spot on the list.

The actual fight, which sees you dodging magic and missiles she shoots from her tank, is tough, but Gruntilda can make it much worse if you’re not a Banjo-Tooie expert. Periodically, she’ll ask you trivia questions. If you get the correct answer, her attacks will move more slowly, but if you mess up, those attacks start to launch much more quickly. It’s an annoyingly difficult fight either way, but if you didn’t do your homework, this one can feel nearly impossible.

3) IG-88 and Boba Fett – Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Shadows of the Empire is a notoriously difficult game all around, but two of its bosses are particularly vexing. Taking on IG-88 in that junkyard is an assault on your ears as much as it is an annoying fight. The level is tough to navigate, and IG-88 can freely jump around, making him hard to pin down. Meanwhile, the noises he makes are so grating, you’ll want to mute your television.

Boba Fett has equally frustrating movement patterns that make him tough to lock down. And of course, it can’t just be over once you empty his health bar. As soon as you think Fett is down for the count, he hops into his Slave 1 ship and starts a second battle. It’s not quite as tough as the first phase, but Shadows of the Empire just never knows when to quit.

2) Wizpig – Diddy Kong Racing

Wizpig might seem like a pushover. After all, it’s an overweight pig in a racing game. You’d think speed would be important, and he would be lacking, but that’s not the case. In your first race, you’ll need to hit almost every boost, or you’ll fall behind and have to try again.

At least that one is a kart racer. The second time you come up against Wizpig in Diddy Kong Racing, you’ll do so in the frustratingly difficult-to-control plane. You’ll again need to have a near-perfect run if you want to come out on top, which becomes much harder in the plane. Diddy Kong Racing is still a fun racer, but requiring perfection in a relatively cutesy game for kids was a rude move from Rare.

1) Mizar – Jet Force Gemini

Just look at that thing! This massive bug is going to be a thorn in your side. You will not find many health or ammo pickups during this fight, so you’d better be on your toes. If you make a mistake, you won’t have an opportunity to recover. Instead, you’ll need to find a way to dodge his barrage of attacks while getting off as many homing missiles as possible.

Here’s the thing, though, most Mizar’s attacks in Jet Force Gemini are nearly impossible to dodge, especially that pesky lightning attack that can take out a huge chunk of your health bar. This nightmare of a fight never lets up, requiring you to bring your full attention, and even that might not be enough to conquer this challenge.

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