Boss Death Throes

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
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XoPachi
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Boss Death Throes

Post by XoPachi »

One detail I like in video games are over the top ends to bosses just before they finally die and sometimes even the point where they do finally cease existing depending on what happens. I guess I like it because it can tie into the character of who is k i l l.
Commonly, someone will be calm and smug but when defeated, they go apeshit. Or it's a huge monster that's just animated really crazily leaving me staring wide eyed as it dramatically dies. Or the classic twist takes place of "I'm taking your ass with me".

I always like old Nintendo bosses for all of this like the Metroid Prime just before it reincarnates into Dark Samus. The thing looks like it's phasing between dimensions before turning into a pineapple and tries to consume Samus. And not that it's really something animated but the surreal sound design of Giygas in EarthBound while it's dying was trippy shit. Strange noises like a choir scaled in pitch and then played in reverse. Which I suppose leads me to also wonder how developers come up with these sorts of scenes.
I think my favorites are definitely worm bosses writhing madly through the air or jumping sporadically through the ground before of course freezing mid air and exploding by the segment until the head remains. Simple, but always satisfying.

I dunno, is this weird? I think it's weird.
Last edited by XoPachi on Sat Jan 28, 2023 4:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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BIL
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by BIL »

As far as pure stylistics go, needless to say, great boss sendoffs are an esteemed artform, and an essential garnish of The Hard Gaming. :cool:

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Blaster Master Zero 2 spoiler
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In more dramatic terms, I found Bloodborne's boss pathos consistently strong. Most of them, even the most monstrous, have a decided pitiful aspect. Some dwell in obscure, entirely missable places, and will ignore you unless provoked; as oldschool-satisfying as those PREY SLAUGHTERED pops are, the animation and sound design detract from conventional triumphalism; nearer a primal slaying, of afflicted creatures whose utmost struggle wasn't enough to survive your merciless videogame attack.

...some are less like this than others, admittedly. Parl's a prick and Larry's a cunt. Image Even the most archly playful/daemonic feel remarkably alive, regardless. I find it notable that arguably the most climactic target is starkly without this sense; like an occult automaton serving as a fulcrum for the tale of cosmic woe. Destroying it seems to bring not closure - BB's classic Weird Fiction is never so kind - but at least a way out of the bloody proceedings, assuming the player accepts. As far as exercises in hardcore killing go, it's done with considerable thought.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Mortificator »

Star Fox 64 was great at this. Bosses kept up radio chatter during the fight, taunting at first, turning to increasing panic as you blasted away their war machine, then there's their final scream of terror (I CAN'T BELIEVE I LOST TO THIS SCUUUUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!) as they're consumed by a satisfying spherical explosion. The "Hit +10!" counter is the cherry on top.
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BIL
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by BIL »

Mortificator wrote:Star Fox 64 was great at this. Bosses kept up radio chatter during the fight, taunting at first, turning to increasing panic as you blasted away their war machine, then there's their final scream of terror (I CAN'T BELIEVE I LOST TO THIS SCUUUUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!) as they're consumed by a satisfying spherical explosion. The "Hit +10!" counter is the cherry on top.
Train Bro has my favourite sendoff, homey was so cocky until the brakes went - then all he could do was holler in outrage as he plunged into oblivion Image I once shamelessly appropriated this very scene, while observing a flamewar between rival train enthusiasts (or "foamers," as they are called!) - the outcome was mutual destruction, as the admin shitcanned them both for being insufferable :cool:

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Obiwanshinobi
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Obiwanshinobi »

Those are not quite bosses, technically, but radio chatter by air pirates dogfighting in Crimson Skies (PC), turns remarkably desperate as their machines go off. All this "radio drama" retro aesthetics of the game's audio is done expertly. I don't know about sequel for Xbox, but a lot of the original Crimson Skies gives one taste of times and age when this much loving care could go into an exclusively computer game...

Also, "regular" enemies (or player characters) rather than bosses, but getting kicked off the track with a - neatly powerful - side attack in F-Zero GX results in a similarily convincing scream of despair as they fall to meet their final explosion (like Super Monkey Ball scream PLUS an explosion). Voice jobs in general are pretty good there, Sega cheese way.

I need to play Drakengard 3 properly at last for I recall stuff spoken there to be this kind of entertaining.
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dojo_b
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by dojo_b »

Oniken (2012):
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nah bro.
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XoPachi
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by XoPachi »

Mortificator wrote:Star Fox 64 was great at this. Bosses kept up radio chatter during the fight, taunting at first, turning to increasing panic as you blasted away their war machine, then there's their final scream of terror (I CAN'T BELIEVE I LOST TO THIS SCUUUUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!) as they're consumed by a satisfying spherical explosion. The "Hit +10!" counter is the cherry on top.
Yeah!! I can't believe I wasn't thinking about this when I made this thread. There was a surprising detail to the machines also dying with them sparking and smoking while they start to either drift in space or fall to the ground. The Forever Train's alt kill especially was rather intense.
(Why did that conductor have the best VA in the game? Lol)
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Sumez »

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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Durandal »

Sumez wrote:Image
"Yup. He's very definitely dead THIS time. Absolutely beyond the point of no return, believe me."
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XoPachi
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by XoPachi »

Digging this up since this fits. I like when a boss is nearing death and they just throw all elegance out the window and go fucking crazy.
Just absolutely trying everything to stop you be it fear or anger bubbling over their sense of self. Not necessarily harder, though that's a plus. They just get absolutely goddamn erratic in their patterns, motions, and audio if they have any. Bonus if the music is either already fittingly wild or gets to be as much. Not really just the same fight sped up, rather something fundamentally changes in the boss's presented emotion and attack plan while it's still active.
STG's do this well enough. I think of the last bosses in Cho Ren Sha, Eschatos and DEFINITELY Battle Garegga.


But outside of that, I think Majora's Mask is a decent example. Mainly with Majora's Incarnation but Wrath kinda has an unhinged rage to it if a bit more calculated in it's movements.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Ed Oscuro »

my all-time favorites are in SNK games where they turn into a cardboard cutout and fall over (technically, y-height squash through deleting lines, I guess?)
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Rastan78 »

This was one of the first final boss fights I encountered as a kid in the arcade. It totally blew my mind then, but you have to imagine it through the lense of how this level of sprite work looked way back then. The game is China Gate. One of those where I had these very fond vague memories of playing coop on the cabinet and it took me years to find out what game it was.

He just wont die! Boss fight is after about 7:15:
https://youtu.be/HVC-89JcxxM
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Stevens »

https://youtu.be/-FTy_AEd3bw?t=359

HUGE SPOILERS FOR SEKIRO

All boss kills in that game are fucking dope.
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XoPachi
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by XoPachi »

The nuclear annihilation of Ganondorf in Tears. lmfao
Good lord.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by BryanM »

Diablo games traditionally gave every enemy a unique death animation. It was part of the basic ASMR that made the games work that a lot of the dudebros who got their mittens on it later didn't really... didn't really "get". Death Knights were always a favorite of mine, these eight foot tall dudes of walking metal.

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As an inversion, the player character in The Immortal has a few dozen different ways to die.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Air Master Burst »

I always love how the Orc King on stage 1 of King of Dragons has his flails just go shooting straight up off screen like Superman trying to impress a kid by throwing a baseball into orbit.

I couldn't find a gif for this post, but while searching I DID find this dope ass model maker who has done cover versions of a bunch of the King of Dragons characters and enemies. Their Richter Belmont is pretty cool, too.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by cfx »

XoPachi wrote:Digging this up since this fits. I like when a boss is nearing death and they just throw all elegance out the window and go fucking crazy.
Just absolutely trying everything to stop you be it fear or anger bubbling over their sense of self. Not necessarily harder, though that's a plus. They just get absolutely goddamn erratic in their patterns, motions, and audio if they have any. Bonus if the music is either already fittingly wild or gets to be as much. Not really just the same fight sped up, rather something fundamentally changes in the boss's presented emotion and attack plan while it's still active.
STG's do this well enough. I think of the last bosses in Cho Ren Sha, Eschatos and DEFINITELY Battle Garegga.
Not quite the same thing since it happens because of a failure on the player's part, but bosses in Hitogata Happa do this if you don't finish them off before the timer runs out.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

I always liked Mother Brain's death throes as she's being eaten by FRIENDLY METROID, only for her to recover, murder your friend, then get get RAINBOW LASER'd to oblivion.

Eschatos's final boss is a great example too. I also liked the giant humanoid enemies in Deathsmiles 1 and 2, they shake and behave very manic as they're damaged.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by BIL »

On the subject of believably organic quaking in the face of impending doom, just played a few credits of COSMO GANG THE VIDEO, and holy fuck. :lol: You can tell they were really caning it to freshen up the Gal* series; mad shit happening constantly. Machinegunning a whole two rows like corn on the cob only for the stragglers to flee the screen with a squeaky "Gomen!" was a surprisingly evocative touch, didn't even feel bad I missed the poor pricks.

EDIT: Oh - checking the replay, seems the BOMBA scurred 'em. One even trips over, daww. Image
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by BrianC »

Some enemies and bosses in the Trails in the Sky series have a damaging explosion when defeated. There's also an ability that some enemies have that's called "Death Throes" that ups other enemies stats after they are defeated.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by drauch »

Man, swore we talked about this in a different thread but I can't find it. Maybe just my imagination! No .gif since I'm at work, but I've always been obsessed with the Splatterhouse 3 deaths. Boreworm in particular with his freakout spazz on the floor and exploding maggots. Make my heart go a'flutter.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

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Besides the utter explosive gore, Boreworm's sendoff (and Boreworm himself!) is a great example of narrative augmentation. His death is ultra-ultra-satisfying since it's the first time you see the smug fucker express anything but sadistic glee. Even after you beat him until his head explodes, he remains one rude SOB! In fact he might be even more troublesome post-decap, a running theme with SH3 bosses, now I think about it. But then *BAM* FUCK OFF "AROOOOOO!" (we all know that's what it sounds like >_>) *BLAOW* Maggots and guts everywhere. He's not laughing now!

Bit-Part Rival Pricks own. :cool: See also Final Fight's iconic Damnd - comes in riding high, goes out with a massive heat-building squash for our enraged fighting men, all his goons laid waste to - and the lesser-known but similarly annoying Blue Guy and Purple Guy from Shock Troopers, who escape all manner of vehicle explosions, until pushing their luck a fatal bit too far by enterting the fray mano-a-mano, where you can finally shoot and stab the shit out of them!

The st1 bosstype, whose name escapes me offhand but I recall it being pretty fuckin rad (another running theme with SH3) has a helluva sendoff too, and you get to see it several times later on when he returns as Great Value Midboss Type! That's some seriously impressive use of the classic "missing" frames trick to simulate blinding speed. Headless brute thrashes and roars like he's trying to wrest free of death's grip, with that obscenely grainy GWAAAAAARRRRRR sample.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Lander »

Palenque, boss of the Chamber of Extinction in La Mulana, is particularly good. (Death throes start at 1:20)
Though mute, you can totally see the NOOOO before he flips on the kamikaze tac-nuke for one last shot at ending you. Which he will, if you miss or hesitate.

Who can blame him - it must suck to have your top-line mayan spaceship shot down by a tiny man flying a giant miniature model plane.
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by Sumez »

Man I still can't believe that La-Maulana is a game that actually exists! It's so unreal
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XoPachi
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by XoPachi »

Again. Nintendo was amazing with this.

https://imgur.com/7iVqQU8
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BIL
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Re: Boss Death Throes

Post by BIL »

Shinobi non Grata:

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