Boss fights are meant to be hard. It’s in the name. These foes rank higher than your usual mobs and bad guys, but for some, they're still not challenge enough.
These gamers like to take things to the next level, imposing bizarre, arbitrary and begrudgingly impressive restrictions on themselves, and still defeating them anyway. Join us as we take a look at some of the most outrageous, arguably pointless challenges in gaming, all completed with ease, either through skill, luck, or disturbing perseverance.
Beat Final Fantasy VII’s Emerald Weapon in 7 seconds
Irate underwater titan Emerald Weapon is one of the hardest optional bosses in any Final Fantasy game, even if you've managed to acquire the Underwater materia that removes the 20-minute time limit to defeat it. With one million HP to whittle down, it's no easy task, but one absurdly focused gamer has managed to kill the weapon in seven seconds. Yeah, seven. And not minutes, seconds.
Vincent's one-shot kill in the video above isn't just a fluke though – it's the result of an awful lot of hard graft. His Death Penalty limit break increases in strength with every enemy you kill, and in order to deal enough damage, he's had to slay more than 65,000 monsters first. Now that's what we call perseverance.
Sinistar - One Life Run
Nerves of steel, a steady hand and an accurate trigger finger are what you need to take on most gaming bosses, but Sinistar requires even more from you, not least plenty of lives remaining. Its booming, screaming voice still scares plenty of veteran gamers - “Beware, coward!” – but it can be toppled, and even with just one life. See YouTuber 64supermarioreturns take on what’s arguably the arcade’s toughest-ever boss with just one ship, powering through the space giant's underlings to eventually take on Sinistar itself – all without a single scratch. Raise a glass for this gaming hero.
Super Mario Bros. 3 - Bowser in 10 seconds
Skip to 10:30 in the astonishing speed run of NES classic Super Mario Bros 3 above to see Zero1two take out the final boss in almost embarrassingly easy style. Anyone who smashed a joypad playing this game as a kid will know simply dashing towards the green shelled baddie and leaping on him repeatedly is far more difficult than it looks, not least because you need to successfully glitch the game into invincibility first.
Chrono Trigger - Lavos
Lavos, the antagonist and final endgame boss of Squaresoft's time travelling SNES classic Chrono Trigger, is one of the toughest foes to grace 16-bit systems, thanks to its numerous forms and vast reserves of hit points, but unusually, you can fight him much earlier on in the game if you so choose. You're supposed to lose and carry on with the story, but if you're prepared, it's actually beatable. Many gamers have carried over their file saves into a NewGame+, preserving their high levels and equipment to take on the early encounter, but this YouTube gamer has managed to take on Lavos during his regular first play through, and emerged victorious – finishing the game early with a secret bonus ending too.
Final Fantasy XII - Yiazmat
The Final Fantasy saga is known for its tough bosses, but it’s Final Fantasy XII’s Yiazmat that takes the top prize for taking the longest to kill. Usually, gamers who take on the legendary dragon need to stay glued to their gamepads for over three hours, as it boasts well over 50 million hit points – but this gamer managed to fell the beast in just 18 minutes. YouTuber Andy Dusky played the International Zodiac Job System version of the game, which brings several changes to the base game and also removes the damage limit, showing that you’ve dealt more damage than the previously capped 9,999 – but this dragon is still a worthy foe, and still packs the same insane amount of hit points. Take a peek at the second half of his epic slog above to see how he managed to fell the great Yiazmat in at such short notice – strategy is only half the battle.
