Summary
Boss fights are aclassic part of video gamesthat have been around for what seems like forever. They are usually much harder than regular enemy encounters and can take a long time to beat unless players exploit the game in some way. However, some games include boss fights that are more than just typically unfair, and the boss in question will actually cheat the game to try and beat the player.
This is a more common phenomenon than most players think, and completing a game just to be met with a boss who doesn’t play by the rules can be incredibly frustrating. With that in mind, here are somebosses who cheatand use unfair tactics to try and win against the player.
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirthis a very luck-based game to begin with. However, when players reach Delirium, a lot of the luck is taken away as this boss will simplyteleport around the playerwhile still firing devastating attacks in their direction. This feels incredibly unfair, as players can’t reliably fire shots at the boss when he moves around so much and will dodge attacks by teleportation. If players fail at defeating him, the entire run ends, which provides an extra layer on top of an already bad situation.
Delirium fromThe Binding Of Isaac: Afterbirthproduces a challenging boss fight in which he will simply break the rules of the game and teleport away from attacks. This cheating isn’t as intense as what can be seen in other games, but it still puts the player up against an unfair enemy who won’t go down quietly.
Often players' least favorite part ofBioShock Infinite, the Lady Comstock boss battle, is just as unfair as it is frustrating to get through, especially as it’s the only true boss fight in a gamefilled with other enemies. Players have to defeat her three times for one thing, but the cheating aspect comes in when she raises an army of the dead to fight the player so they can’t get to her. This dead army won’t let up on the player at all, and they have to be defeated to continue progressing on in the game, which makes it even more unfair.
Lady Comstock is a tricky boss inBioshock Infinite.She summons what essentially acts as a bullet shield to stop the player from fighting her fairly and one-on-one. Players will likely find themselves frustrated by how this battle progresses, especially once they realize that Lady Comstock cheated to gain this advantage.
The Human Kite 2 is an infuriating boss to fight inSouth Park: The Fractured But Whole, as he uses all the typical childlike excusesto heal himselfand give himself the greatest advantage against the player. For example, at certain points in the fight, he tells the player that their last turn didn’t count, so he heals himself for any damage that they might have caused. He will also block the player from taking turns and will give himself immunity against attacks, so the battle ends up being quite challenging.
Human Kite 2 inSouth Park: The Fractured But Wholeis an infuriating boss who cheats at every possible turn, so the player cannot beat him without significant effort. The real frustration here is that it’s so realistic, as this tactic is notorious for being used in games that children play together, adding an extra layer of irritation to this unfair boss battle.
Players who make it all the way to this boss battle inStar Wars: Knights Of The Old Republicmay feel prepared for this battle as, at first, it seems like a simple lightsaber clash against a Sith. However, Darth Malak reveals that he is harnessing the power of eight Jedi, and whenever his health gets low enough, he will use their energy to heal. This essentially gives him eight health bars for the player to diminish, which makes for a completely unfair fight in avery enjoyable old game.
InStar Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, players will struggle through the whole game just to be presented with a Sith who takes the idea of not playing fair to a whole new level and cheats his way to having a massively extended health bar. He attempts to cheat his way to a win, but if players are prepared, they can wear him down.
Inner Agent 3 inSplatoon 2: Octo Expansioncheats in an especially irritating manner. They spam special attacks up to three times in a row, which the player cannot do. The fight is incredibly unfair for this reason, as the player will keep losing large amounts of health while being unable to deal nearly as much damage. The in-game dialogue suggests this is because Inner Agent 3 cheated to remove the ‘specials limiter,’ which is one of the most frustrating examples of a boss cheating to win.
Inner Agent 3 is an especially annoying boss who cheats inSplatoon 2 Octo Expansionbecause they have the exact same abilities as the player but can use them far more freely. Their damage is intense, and the player can barely fight back against this unfair fighting method.
TheUndertaleboss fights are notorious for being unfair and nearly impossible for the player to win, but the Flowey fight is one of the most direct examples of the boss cheating to try and achieve victory. When the player wears their HP all the way down to 0, the sentient plant then starts abusing their power over save files and will crash the game, reload saves, and generally cause havoc. All of this chaos makes this battle one of the hardest in the game, but the satisfaction earned when the player wins, even after all of it, cannot be matched.
Flowey is a cheating boss inUndertalewho essentially hacks the game just to try and win against the player. While this becomesa frustrating tacticfor the player to try and win against, it is also one of the most satisfying fights in gaming to win after a long and intense session.
Finally, Silver The Hedgehog from thepoorly receivedSonic The Hedgehog (2006)is one of the worst cheating bosses in gaming. Ignoring the glaring bugs that take place during the fight, the way he tries to win is a frustrating cheating method in which he freezes the player and throws them upwards until they hit an invisible wall. This can basically instantly kill the player, which means a lot of patience is required to eventually succeed against the cheating hedgehog.
The Silver The Hedgehog boss fight inSonic The Hedgehog (2006)is often called one of the worst boss fights in the history of gaming, largely because of the unfair tactics he uses to beat the player. Using the design of the game to cheat makes for a completely unfair fight that quickly loses enjoyment.
