5 Underwhelming Boss Fights That Almost Ruined Masterpieces

Boss fights are make-or-break scenarios, especially for action-focused games. They need to have a memorable build-up and provide players with a sense of accomplishment. When a game is regarded as a masterpiece, whether it’s an adventure like The Legend of Zelda or a Soulslike such as Sekiro, its boss fights are typically flawless. But there have been times when an underwhelming boss fight almost ruined even a masterpiece. This list is about the biggest fumbles in great games made with bosses. Scenarios like mechanically poor, narratively anticlimactic, and boring design choices are on here.

If you’re a gaming savant, you’ll be thrilled to learn about the spectacular titles below, and how they almost messed up big time.

1) Adam Smasher — Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 takes you on a wild ride across a futuristic universe. The open world is larger than life. The NPCs have devices implanted within them, so their designs are creative. Movement is smooth, gunplay is top-notch, and customization for V is abundant. Cyberpunk 2077 did have a rocky launch, but in its current state, its aesthetic and gameplay are unmatched.

However, inarguably, the biggest mistake in Cyberpunk 2077 is the final boss fight. Adam Smasher is hyped up from the prologue as the ultimate mercenary. He’s talked about as a killing machine, and he even looks menacing. By the final mission, his ruthlessness is glorified to an insane extent, so glorified that you have mentally prepared yourself in anticipation of an hour-long war. But the actual boss fight is disappointing. 

Adam Smasher barely has any attacks. He does little damage and is easily predictable. If you’re someone who has done plenty of side missions before ending the story, Adam Smasher is a walk in the park. The overall boss design is weak, as Adam Smasher simply spams attacks. All in all, the encounter is forgettable and one of the worst in the game. If it wasn’t for Cyberpunk 2077’s amazing quest design and story, Adam Smasher would have been a big stain on an otherwise perfect game. Let’s hope CDPR doesn’t make the same mistake with Cyberpunk 2. 

2) The Arkham Knight — Batman: Arkham Knight

For a game considered to have one of the best combat systems of all time, Batman: Arkham Knight has the worst boss fights. Gotham is gorgeous, the Batmobile is incredibly fun to drive, and beating up thugs dressed up like a bat is satisfying. But when it comes to the bosses, not a single one stands out in any way as unique or innovative. 

For instance, there is one encounter where you fight Deathstroke, but he’s driving a tank, so you just have to fight him using the Batmobile. You fight the Arkham Knight, the main antagonist, on four separate occasions during the story. In the first, he’s driving a helicopter, in the second, a tank, in the third, a drill, and in the fourth, you have to sneak up behind him. It’s laughable how bad the boss fights are. 

There’s not a single boss encounter where Batman actually fights the boss. All of them are beaten indirectly and using tedious methods. Having said that, Batman: Arkham Knight has stood the test of time because of its appealing free roam and mind-blowing combat. Its boss fights may be disaster pieces, but the game itself is definitely a masterpiece.

3) The B.T.s — Death Stranding

Death Stranding is claimed to be a “strand-type” game. In easier words, it’s a traversal simulator set in a giant open world with some action elements. The story, the visuals, and the gameplay all work really well together in Death Stranding, but like all the other games mentioned in this list, it is severely lacking when it comes to the boss fights.

The main enemies in Death Stranding are B.T.s or “Beached Things.” They are supernatural creatures covered in all-black tar and attack the protagonist, Sam, on sensing his presence. While the normal B.T.s roaming in the open world are intimidating, the bosses surprisingly aren’t. There are several instances when Sam fights super-sized Beached Things. However, calling the encounters a fight sounds too generous. 

The bosses barely attack Sam. They slowly move around and stalk Sam while you’re hitting them with a billion bullets. They are just bullet sponges that look cool and aren’t the least bit harmful. Seeing the potential of Death Stranding, it was sad to see how mundane the bosses felt. Thankfully, Kojima Productions realized that and made the bosses of Death Stranding 2 more challenging.

4) Basim — Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

The Basim boss fight in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is one of the most anticlimactic set pieces ever. For nearly the entirety of Valhalla’s 50-hour storyline, Basim gives Eivor a helping hand throughout the conquest of England. Eivor’s only goal for a giant chunk of the narrative is to bring England under Viking rule. But then, in the last few hours, Basim suddenly turns against Eivor for some sort of revenge.

Basim becomes the antagonist, and the plot takes a massive turn, almost ruining Valhalla. Just after the betrayal, Eivor tails Basim, and an underwhelming boss fight with mediocre combat and chasing ensues. Then, the story ends right after that without ever resolving Eivor’s fate and own narrative about conquering England. Despite this, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is still an amazing game because of its open world and gameplay. But on the other hand, it definitely could have done better without that ending with Basim.

5) Elden Beast — Elden Ring

Elden Ring won Game of the Year 2022 and hundreds of other awards. It’s got it all: challenging exploration, a beautiful open world, and 300+ tough boss fights. However, where Elden Ring almost fumbled the bag was with its final boss. Leading up to the ending, you fight about a hundred bosses, including Rykard, a giant lizard, and Godfrey, the First Elden Lord.

Obviously, with the level of boss fights you face on your journey, you’d expect the final one to be unique, but the final boss ends up being a little underwhelming. The first phase of the final boss pits you against Radagon, a mini powerhouse who’s as tough as he is unique. The second, and main phase, though, is the total opposite. 

You take on the Elden Beast in the second phase, and it’s a giant blob with a dull moveset. The only thing unique about it is its massive health pool, but other than that, the Elden Beast was a total letdown. Having said that, Elden Ring has so many bosses that it more than compensates for how the Elden Beast plays out.

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