Boss Fighting Guide

Do not position the character at ‘sniping’ distance, because attacks will take longer to hit the boss. Also, in many games the character can discharge its weapon (e.g. bullets) only after the previously fired projectile has disappeared from the screen. Thus, moving next to the boss allows the character to attack more frequently. Sometimes the character can go inside the boss (most likely by abusing temporary invulnerability after being attacked) in order to attack even faster. Some projectiles are not absorbed when they damage the boss; in this case it may be better to move closer to and to face the edge of the screen so that the projectiles from the character’s weapon go offscreen faster.

Without conflicting with the ‘be adjacent’ aspect, find a safe area. If the character must dodge the boss’ projectiles or body, then the character may need to jump or step back. This dodging entails that the character must stop attacking until it reestablishes its position and the dangerous objects have cleared out. In some games, it is faster to stand in the way and keep attacking while accepting damage than it is to avoid the boss’ attacks; the player should use this tactic only if it is the fastest possible method (i.e. do not be lazy).

Fire a long-range weapon as early into the battle as possible, if it will damage the boss. This moment could be the first frame that the character can use its weapon after a delay, such as text. In a side-scroller, the moment could be just before the boss appears on the screen, because the character, after discharging its weapon, will scroll the screen when it continues moving toward the boss. After the first shot, make the character continuously attack the boss on the earliest frame that it will accept damage.

Additionally, if a certain attack is faster than another attack, it is probably wiser to use the quicker attack, unless the quicker attack is so weak that it ultimately entails a longer fight. Example: In Zelda II, it is much quicker (and more impressive) to dance on top of the bosses and use downstab than it would be to repeatedly jump and swing.

In general, the player should choose whichever attack has the highest ratio of damage to time. If the boss has a long invulnerability period whenever it takes damage, then the speed of each attack that the character can perform is effectively reduced to the speed at which the boss becomes vulnerable; in this case, stronger-but-slower attacks may kill the boss more quickly than faster-but-weaker attacks. The player should know how much damage each type of attack does to the boss (e.g. how many bars of health an attack reduces and/or how many attacks are needed to kill it).

Sometimes particular sections of a boss may not accept damage, or may accept damage but not be essential to the death of the boss. The player should know where an attack on a boss will actually contribute to the death of the boss.

Example: In Ghosts ’n Goblins, the dragon’s tail can be destroyed, but only the attacks on its head will cause its demise.

The character should not attack the boss when it will not cause any damage, such as (sometimes) at the start of a battle or if it has a recovery period after the character does damage to it. Make sure that when the invulnerability wears off, the attack damages the boss on the first possible frame. This timing entails that the character may need to start charging the weapon while the boss is still invulnerable.

If there is a visual indication of when the boss becomes vulnerable again, such as that it stops blinking, make sure to deliver the next attack(s) on (or, possibly, before) the frame on which the indication begins, lest it become obvious that the character did not attack the boss as soon as possible. If there is a sound that plays whenever the character’s attack does damage or whenever the boss accepts damage, then the player should listen for that sound, lest it become obvious that some attacks were mistimed.

Even if the character has a weapon that can shoot upward, the character should probably stay as close to a boss as possible when it jumps. In addition to being more efficient, aerial fighting can offer the Matrix-like fighting that is sought after in TAS movies.

In some games, bosses may react to the character’s actions. Performing certain actions may prevent a boss from doing undesirable things such as jumping, becoming invulnerable, or performing an attack that takes time to avoid.

Although a boss should look menacing, search for a method that quickly and decisively defeats it. Example: In Metroid, Samus can ‘freeze’ the minibosses by repeatedly shooting them at close range.

The character may be able to use certain weapons that hurt a boss much quicker than other weapons would. These weapons can be either powerups or elemental-based. (For example, a fire-based boss may be weak against a water-based weapon.)

Example: The Jump-and-Slash technique in Ninja Gaiden is always better than the normal technique.

Some bosses are glitchy and will accept damage before they visually appear on the screen.

Examples: In Power Blade, many of the bosses can accept damage before the screen loads, while they have 0 HP ― entailing instant death. In Castlevania 2, the final boss can accept damage while it materializes onto the screen.

A boss may continue to accept damage while the game is paused, or may accept damage repeated as the game is paused and unpaused.

Example: Continuously pausing and unpausing in Mega Man can cause one projectile to damage the boss multiple times.

In rare cases, the character itself can damage a boss, possibly by making the character accept damage from the boss on the same frame that the character’s weapon hits the boss.

Example: Many bosses in Castlevania can accept critical damage from the character if they are hit on the correct frame.

Against bosses in RPGs, a fight probably will be faster if the player manipulates randomness in order to make the character deliver critical hits instead of normal hits. This randomness may be based on the frame that the attack is selected.

In some games, bosses will take an unexpected amount of damage if hit at a certain time or from a certain position, or it may be unclear which weapons are strongest against a boss. If the game doesn’t display the boss’s exact HP value onscreen (and most games don’t), watching the value in memory while trying different techniques may yield a way to deal more damage than normally possible (or at least convince you of which weapon is best to use). For example, many bosses in Pulseman can take 10-12 damage per hit under the right circumstances, where a normal hit only does 2.

Sometimes defeating a boss will cause a scene where the character must wait. If possible, this delay should be avoided.

Example: In Super Mario Bros. (Warpless), it is faster to use fireballs on the bosses in order to prevent the slow bridge-destruction scene.

That is to say, sometimes the purpose of a boss fight is not to defeat the boss. The character may need to press a button or accept a certain amount of damage.

Example 1: In Super Metroid, the first fight against Ridley ends when Samus accepts a certain amount of damage. Therefore, the player’s goal should be to lower Samus’ energy level as quickly as possible, instead of trying to fight against Ridley.

Example 2: In Final Fantasy VI, after Vargas uses his Blizzard Fist technique, simply using Blitz Pummel will start a cutscene in which Vargas resigns the fight, ending the battle much more quickly than defeating him conventionally.

If an exit appears after a fight, position the character so that it can go through the exit as early as possible. It may be a good idea to draw the boss toward the exit during the fight. If the boss drops an important item after the fight, make the character grab it as early as possible. For example, in Mega Man, the bosses release their weapon upgrade. Megaman should be placed to grab it as soon as it appears.

If the character must accelerate from a complete stop, then have the character already moving at its fastest speed.

Often a boss explosion will cause lag as it explodes into debris. Having the boss at the edge of the screen can minimize this lag. Example: In Mega Man 5 & 6, it is optimal to have the boss in one of the far corners of the room so that some of the debris leaves as soon as possible.

The debris of a boss may have to leave the screen entirely in order to progress. In Mega Man 4 & 7 the debris from the boss must clear the room before Megaman can get the power up. In this case, the boss should be in the center of the screen.

A boss may be invulnerable or impassible without a particular item. Know which item, if any, is necessary in order to overcome the boss, and whether or not the item is really necessary.

Some games have a ‘2-player simultaneous play’ option. 2 players often can destroy a boss quicker than 1 player alone could.

Example: In Rush ’n Attack, the 2 players can cover both sides of the screen, use teamwork, etc.

It may be possible to use a different route, or pass through a wall, or use another method that prevents a boss from appearing where it should. From there, the character may be able to continue onward as if it had already defeated the boss.

Example 1: In Maniac Mansion, if a kid is in the room with Purple Tentacle when a cutscene occurs, Purple Tentacle will become unable to move afterward, and so the kid will be able to bypass it.

Example 2: In Mega Man, the cutman refight is avoided entirely using the Magnet Beam glitch to zip to the next room.

Even if a boss does appear, there may be a way to end the level without defeating it.

Example: In the Battletoads Rat Race level, killing any running rat will cause the game to think that the boss has been defeated.

Sometimes it is incorrectly assumed that a boss must be defeated in order to allow the character to advance to the next screen. If the boss does not offer any useful item when it is defeated, see whether or not the game’s programmers actually sealed the room’s exit.

See whether or not the character can trick a boss into falling into a hole or spike pit. A famous example is from Double Dragon, where it is possible to knock Abobo onto a conveyor belt that takes him into a hole.

Some games have a final boss lair that is normally accessible only after defeating the game’s minibosses. However, there may be a way to enter the final boss’ lair without defeating the minibosses. The clearest example of this evasion is in Metroid, where Samus can access Tourian by luring a rio into the entry bridge room, freezing the rio, and using it as a floor.

Although it may not be possible to avoid some bosses, there may be an unorthodox way to skip part(s) of a level and quickly access a boss’ lair or enter it in a different place.

Example 1: In Mega Man 2, it is possible to zip right up next to the enemy at the beginning of the fight.

Example 2: In Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA), level 6–3, it is possible to quickly jump over the high wall instead of slowly going underneath it.

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Note: These strategies are not restricted to boss fighting; many of them can apply to other situations in games.

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BossFightingGuide last edited by Arc on 2007-03-05 10:32:31
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