Best bosses in shumps

[copy-paster]

Parodius had some great bosses ever.

[MRydralle]

This one, both the fight itself and the music. Oh boy, the music!

[AxelMill]

Personally I find stage 5's boss miles better. I hate fighting balls of doom as final bosses, especially after having fought a thousand-foot-tall mech.

[xxx1993]

This one, both the fight itself and the music. Oh boy, the music!

Very pulse-pounding, I know.

[vvv_stg]

My personal favorite is stage 4 boss from Ketsui. Stage 3 boss is also so-o-o-o good (though milking it for chips is hard).

[Observer]

Personally I find stage 5's boss miles better. I hate fighting balls of doom as final bosses, especially after having fought a thousand-foot-tall mech.

I have to agree. This is why I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Strania since you fight one hell of a huge asshole mech on the final stage of the Strania side. (And I feel Strania does everything so much better in most fronts, especially the music, which is plain and simply great.)

The true last bosses for each campaign are great albeit a bit gimmicky (the Strania side, the Vower side is a legit great battle, maybe nowhere near as challenging).

Most bosses in Radiant Silvergun ooze style. Same for Hellsinker, the Alltynex games, bosses from the Ray series and obviously the Darius series. Of the latter, in Dariusburst both the intro and the fights for Great Thing and Gigantic Bite are excellent. I just wish the presentation was closer to G-Darius though. Absolute Defender, Eternal Triangle, Eclipse Eye, Queen Fossil, you name it, such great fights.

edit: kane, agreed too but did you try disarming the first boss (Quiet Minstrel) until you trigger its final form? Some of the flak gets pretty ridiculous. Also cool that Rex Cavalier Air Battleframe engages thrusters and actually tries to run away from you if you pick it apart.

[AxelMill]

I'm now going to ask all of you a question: what makes you love a boss battle? Appearence? Bullet patterns? Music? Because some of the bosses I read on this topic I found extremely generic, in my humble opinion.
Bosses of games like Ketsui, or pre-DFK DonPachis aren't as memorable to me as, say, Mushihimesama's Stage 3's, any incarnation of Dobkeratops, any Darius boss...
Yeah, bullet patterns are not my decisive factor at all.

And yeah, you don't care.

[Durandal]

I'm now going to ask all of you a question: what makes you love a boss battle? Appearence? Bullet patterns? Music? Because some of the bosses I read on this topic I found extremely generic, in my humble opinion.
Bosses of games like Ketsui, or pre-DFK DonPachis aren't as memorable to me as, say, Mushihimesama's Stage 3's, any incarnation of Dobkeratops, any Darius boss...
Yeah, bullet patterns are not my decisive factor at all.

And yeah, you don't care.

When the boss is more than just a big thing that spews bullets from every pore in his body. Like how the huge mecha final boss in Strania is controlled by a recurring boss enemy, and then duke it out in a super-long tube Omega Boost-style as the boss tries to kill you as he is engulfed in flames. And then he STILL isn't dead, as the enemy pilot still tries to kill you in a sword duel even though he's at 1% HP. That's pretty damn epic as far as I'm concerned.
Or how the TLBs from Crimzon Clover and RayForce actually counter your lock-on strikes. Or how you are essentially playing ping-pong against the TLB of Ikaruga. Or how you need to choose whether you take down the blimps entirely for score or just shoot down the wings for survival in stage 4 of CRS68k. The boss needs to stand out from being just a bullet dispenser.

[Jeneki]

To answer your question:

I love boss fights that have lots of bits to blow off, which then get replaced by bigger meaner bits as the fight goes on. Lots of Raizing games do this, also see the final stage 3 boss in Radiant Silvergun, and stage 2 boss in Cyvern (probably my favorite boss fight ever).

[Xyga]

Everyone likes the idea of beating the crap out of the boss and see the bastard explode.

[Stevens]

When the boss is more than just a big thing that spews bullets from every pore in his body.

In my experience this is my biggest gripe with bullet hell - the bosses more or less stay at the top of the screen and spit bullets. Akai Katana does a really good job of avoiding that trap.

[Axelay]

I love the r type 3 last boss. He looks great.
And is a massive bastard

[Magma Dragoon]

* Super Gigantic Battleship Kaijin and Moving Fortress Apparetoride from 1944
* Super X Walker and Lar from Aero Fighters 2
* Mars-Vesta and Soh Takeko from Aero Fighters 3
* Double Dealer, Titanic Lance, Vermilion Coronatus and Odious Trident from Darius Gaiden
* Queen Fossil, Dimension Diver and Absolute Defender from G-Darius
* Crystal Core, Big Core Mk-II and Covered Core from Gradius II
* Shining Core and Moai Dimension from Gradius Gaiden
* Big Core Mk-IV, Huge Heart, Blaster Cannon Core and Beacon from Gradius V

[xxx1993]

Did anyone see Gigantic Bite in Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours? I already think it's the most epic boss in all of Darius.

[Squire Grooktook]

I've seen all of the above. The Embyron from G-Darius is probably still my favorite end-boss in the franchise in terms of sheer awe factor.

[AxelMill]

I've seen all of the above. The Embyron from G-Darius is probably still my favorite end-boss in the franchise in terms of sheer awe factor.

Finally someone who agrees.
It's a so much more different battle than any other Darius boss. You can feel it's the end.

I'll tell you a story about Gigantic Bite.
Let's say you watched the battle against this boss without knowing anything. "Oh, that's quite an epic battle", you think out loud. Then you watch the final mission, just to see what could possibly top that amazing fight.
You let your imagination go wild. The Embryon is behind it all? A gigantic ship that calls out Great Things as minions? Can't wait for this video to buffer.
Instead you're treated to a reversed version of a stage you've already played, with a calm music (IIRC), and surprise, Bite is the final boss. "Oh. Well. That's disappointing."
That's what happened to me. Maybe I gotta play it for myself to feel the climax that you guys who love it felt. If I ever get to reach it, of course.

Then again it's also my fault for completely excluding the bosses named in the trophy list to be the final one.

[xxx1993]

I've seen all of the above. The Embyron from G-Darius is probably still my favorite end-boss in the franchise in terms of sheer awe factor.

Finally someone who agrees.
It's a so much more different battle than any other Darius boss. You can feel it's the end.

I'll tell you a story about Gigantic Bite.
Let's say you watched the battle against this boss without knowing anything. "Oh, that's quite an epic battle", you think out loud. Then you watch the final mission, just to see what could possibly top that amazing fight.
You let your imagination go wild. The Embryon is behind it all? A gigantic ship that calls out Great Things as minions? Can't wait for this video to buffer.
Instead you're treated to a reversed version of a stage you've already played, with a calm music (IIRC), and surprise, Bite is the final boss. "Oh. Well. That's disappointing."
That's what happened to me. Maybe I gotta play it for myself to feel the climax that you guys who love it felt. If I ever get to reach it, of course.

Then again it's also my fault for completely excluding the bosses named in the trophy list to be the final one.

The Embryon is overrated.

[AxelMill]

Oh, I'm not saying that I was blown away by how amazing and epic and cool and awesome the Embryon is. No Darius boss ever did (okay, maybe Titanic Lance, Queen Fossil, and Mirage Castle (the first 50 times, that is), the bigger, the better), despite me really enjoying each and every one of them, much more than any other shmup's.
It's just that every time I replay G, I always take the same route, unlike every other game in the series, because I think that the Embryon is a better final boss than that stupid horsefish.
I didn't find a boss that blew me away yet, and that's why I love these topics.

Spoiler

If you want an overrated Darius boss, look no further than Big Stuff.

[copy-paster]

The reason that seahorse boss in G-Darius being the worst boss, because 'that' soundtrack isn't played in.

[xxx1993]

Oh, I'm not saying that I was blown away by how amazing and epic and cool and awesome the Embryon is. No Darius boss ever did (okay, maybe Titanic Lance, Queen Fossil, and Mirage Castle (the first 50 times, that is), the bigger, the better), despite me really enjoying each and every one of them, much more than any other shmup's.
It's just that every time I replay G, I always take the same route, unlike every other game in the series, because I think that the Embryon is a better final boss than that stupid horsefish.
I didn't find a boss that blew me away yet, and that's why I love these topics.

Spoiler

If you want an overrated Darius boss, look no further than Big Stuff.

Look, there are two reasons why I hate the Embryon, and it's not because it's a hard boss. A, because I don't really consider it the true leader of the Thiima despite what everyone says since the ending for that route is non-canon to begin with, especially considering that G-Darius is a prequel to the entire series. And B, if you beat it, your pilots Sameluck and Lutia both die.

[AxelMill]

Look, there are two reasons why I hate the Embryon, and it's not because it's a hard boss. A, because I don't really consider it the true leader of the Thiima despite what everyone says since the ending for that route is non-canon to begin with, especially considering that G-Darius is a prequel to the entire series. And B, if you beat it, your pilots Sameluck and Lutia both die.

As far as I know, both DariusBurst and Second Prologue, during the J (Dark Helios) ending, call it the leader.
G.T. was/started to be seemingly mass produced, while destroying the former causes the end of a dimension. Not destroying it... Changes nothing, as the Belser still did whatever they wanted with their stuff.
Yeah, we need a sequel which explains why there hasn't been an all-out war between the Belser and the Thiima until then. They didn't want to get their fish robots be stolen and made smaller, right?

I'm pretty sure that every Darius game has only one canon endings, besides maybe AC and SP. And they had plenty of funny ("What a matter, was the whole mortal combat a dream?") or sad (Darius freaking exploded after Gaiden's Zone Z) endings as well. This doesn't make Curious Chandelier any less cool.

After all, we shouldn't take into account the aftermath, for we are talking about the battle itself. Otherwise, Ikaruga and Rayforce's final bosses would be sh*t, as the main characters also die in both, along with the whole human race, in the latter's case. And no, they are not. At all.

[EmperorIng]

Accckshually, only 98% of humanity is wiped out, and that was before the game began. You're fighting Con-Human's clone/AI army in RayForce, and it had already converted the entire earth into a hollowed out inhospitable battleship to destroy the remaining 2%. You destroy the earth, but hey, at least we made it out somewhat. The whole series is pretty somber (e.g. Raystorm's killing of 7 billion people on Secilia).

[xxx1993]

Either way, I still like Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours' final boss more. It was one epic battle.

[Squire Grooktook]

Oh, I'm not saying that I was blown away by how amazing and epic and cool and awesome the Embryon is.

I was!

Look, there are two reasons why I hate the Embryon, and it's not because it's a hard boss. A, because I don't really consider it the true leader of the Thiima despite what everyone says since the ending for that route is non-canon to begin with, especially considering that G-Darius is a prequel to the entire series. And B, if you beat it, your pilots Sameluck and Lutia both die.

Those are both very bad reasons.

Also not sure if the first one is even true, since even though G.T is always considered the "enemy flagship", there's not a lot of confirmation one what Embryon actually is.

[After all, we shouldn't take into account the aftermath, for we are talking about the battle itself. Otherwise, Ikaruga and Rayforce's final bosses would be sh*t, as the main characters also die in both, along with the whole human race, in the latter's case. And no, they are not. At all.

As EmperorIng pointed out, destroying the Earth gives a chance for the off-planet humans in hiding to survive.

Also the final stage in Rayforce (its entirety) is beautiful. The final boss is not that much harder then the stage itself, but it is a fitting climax.

[Magma Dragoon]

Look, there are two reasons why I hate the Embryon, and it's not because it's a hard boss. A, because I don't really consider it the true leader of the Thiima despite what everyone says since the ending for that route is non-canon to begin with, especially considering that G-Darius is a prequel to the entire series. And B, if you beat it, your pilots Sameluck and Lutia both die.

As far as I know, both DariusBurst and Second Prologue, during the J (Dark Helios) ending, call it the leader.
G.T. was/started to be seemingly mass produced, while destroying the former causes the end of a dimension. Not destroying it... Changes nothing, as the Belser still did whatever they wanted with their stuff.
Yeah, we need a sequel which explains why there hasn't been an all-out war between the Belser and the Thiima until then. They didn't want to get their fish robots be stolen and made smaller, right?

I'm pretty sure that every Darius game has only one canon endings, besides maybe AC and SP. And they had plenty of funny ("What a matter, was the whole mortal combat a dream?") or sad (Darius freaking exploded after Gaiden's Zone Z) endings as well. This doesn't make Curious Chandelier any less cool.

After all, we shouldn't take into account the aftermath, for we are talking about the battle itself. Otherwise, Ikaruga and Rayforce's final bosses would be sh*t, as the main characters also die in both, along with the whole human race, in the latter's case. And no, they are not. At all.

Sameluck and Lutia canonically never returned to Amnelia, no matter which ending you pick.

[HardcoreOtaku]

oh and this....

[xxx1993]

Look, there are two reasons why I hate the Embryon, and it's not because it's a hard boss. A, because I don't really consider it the true leader of the Thiima despite what everyone says since the ending for that route is non-canon to begin with, especially considering that G-Darius is a prequel to the entire series. And B, if you beat it, your pilots Sameluck and Lutia both die.

As far as I know, both DariusBurst and Second Prologue, during the J (Dark Helios) ending, call it the leader.
G.T. was/started to be seemingly mass produced, while destroying the former causes the end of a dimension. Not destroying it... Changes nothing, as the Belser still did whatever they wanted with their stuff.
Yeah, we need a sequel which explains why there hasn't been an all-out war between the Belser and the Thiima until then. They didn't want to get their fish robots be stolen and made smaller, right?

I'm pretty sure that every Darius game has only one canon endings, besides maybe AC and SP. And they had plenty of funny ("What a matter, was the whole mortal combat a dream?") or sad (Darius freaking exploded after Gaiden's Zone Z) endings as well. This doesn't make Curious Chandelier any less cool.

After all, we shouldn't take into account the aftermath, for we are talking about the battle itself. Otherwise, Ikaruga and Rayforce's final bosses would be sh*t, as the main characters also die in both, along with the whole human race, in the latter's case. And no, they are not. At all.

Sameluck and Lutia canonically never returned to Amnelia, no matter which ending you pick.

That's because their ships were too low on fuel after G.T.'s defeat.

[clippa]

Spidercat!

[LordHypnos]

Mecha Ritz has some sweet boss designs.

As far as Mars Matrix goes, I think that the crab is the coolest aesthetically (and is certainly fun to fight as well), but the real standouts are the battleship escape pod (2*red stapler boss), and the final boss. The former is probably a little harder, but the latter is really fun to execute for some reason (maybe something to do with the rhythm of falling back and dodging, and then getting up close and attacking with the piercing cannon), and also is difficult enough in execution that you've still gotta be pretty on to succeed, also the different transformations are cool. The hardest boss is of course the train boss, and specifically the final form. That's just some cheap shit.

I also quite like the second stage boss of Samidare. Especially the second to last attack. So intense.

Is it sinful that I also like the boss designs in Sturmwind? Both their aesthetics as well as the fact that they aren't just about the bullets (like in most oldschool games). In my memory anyway (been like a year since I last played Sturmwind), many of them have quite fun strategies. Some of them were kinda cheap though, IIRC.

[AxelMill]

I just played Mars Matrix for the first time (that took me long enough), and oh man, is it freaking brutal. I love it! It's amazing!
Unfortunately I was quite disappointed in discovering that the final boss was a generic ball of doom, a fat frisbee, if you will. Then it turned into a tower of doom. Then it turned into a flower of doom. Then it turned a crystal-fairy-skull-thingy of doom. Holy crap, that was epic.