Miniboss A miniboss, also known as a "middle boss", "mid-boss", "half-boss", "sub-boss" "semi-boss", or occasionally "guardian" (when the miniboss is protecting an important item), is a boss-like enemy weaker or less significant than the main boss in the same area or level. Some minibosses are stronger versions of regular enemies, as in the
Kirby games. Others may be a recurring version of a previous boss, who is either weaker than previously encountered or is less of a challenge later in the game due to character or equipment progression. An example is
Castlevania: Symphony of the Nights Gaibon and Slogra. Other video game characters who usually take the role of a miniboss are RT-55J (
Mega Man X series), Allen O'Neil (
Metal Slug), and Dark Link (
The Legend of Zelda series).
Superboss A superboss is a type of boss most commonly found in
role-playing video games. They are considered optional enemies and do not have to be defeated to complete the game. However, not all optional bosses are superbosses. They are generally much more powerful than the bosses encountered as part of the main game's plot or
quest, more difficult even than the final boss and often players are required to meet certain conditions in the game or complete a sidequest or the entire game to fight the superboss. Though what qualifies as the earliest superboss is unclear, the concept dates back to at least the late 1980s with the optional bosses Warmech in
Final Fantasy and the Night Terror in
Wasteland. In
Final Fantasy VII, players may choose to seek out and fight the Ruby and Emerald Weapons. Some superbosses will take the place of the final boss if certain requirements are met. Some superbosses can yield special
items or skills that cannot be found any other way that can give players a significant advantage during playthrough of the rest of the game, such as added experience or an extremely powerful weapon. For example, the "raid bosses" from
Borderlands 2 give rare loot unavailable anywhere else. Some superbosses in
online games have an immense amount of health and must be defeated within a time limit by having a large number of players or parties working together to defeat the boss. Examples of such superbosses can be found in games like
Pokémon Go and
World of Warcraft, and are generally referred to as a
raid.
Toby Fox's games
Undertale and
Deltarune both feature superbosses in the form of
Undyne the Undying,
Sans,
Jevil, the
Roaring Knight, and the
Hammer of Justice. In each act of
Ultrakill, achieving a perfect rank in every level unlocks a secret level containing an exceptionally challenging boss in the form of a Prime Soul. The two currently accessible Prime Souls, Minos Prime and Sisyphus Prime, are both regarded as the most difficult bosses in the game. Some major video game series have recurring superbosses, such as the Ultima Weapon and Omega Weapon in
Final Fantasy and the Amon clan in
Yakuza.
Wolfpack boss A wolfpack boss is a group of enemies who may be considered weak on their own, but in large groups can be considered strong enough to be a boss. They come in many variations, such as the Chargin' Chuck Swarm encountered in
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, the Armos Knights from
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or the Battle of 1000 Heartless from
Kingdom Hearts II. A main requirement with most wolfpacks is that the whole group must be defeated in order to win; in order to prolong the fight, many wolfpacks, particularly in games with turn-based combat in lieu of real-time, will summon reinforcements to replenish their lost numbers. An example of this is
Astaroth in
Diablo IV. Many other wolfpack bosses empower themselves when one of the other enemies in the battle is killed to keep the threat level from falling over time.
Final boss The final boss, last boss or end boss, is typically present at or near the end of a game, with completion of the game's storyline usually following victory in the battle. The final boss is usually the main antagonist of the game; however, there are exceptions, such as in ''
Conker's Bad Fur Day, in which the final boss, Heinrich, is the alien pet of the antagonist, Professor Von Kriplespac. In Mario & Luigi: Brothership'', Zokket serves as the main antagonist, but the final boss is Reclusa, the overarching antagonist. Final bosses are generally larger, more detailed or better animated than lesser enemies, often in order to inspire a feeling of grandeur and special significance from the encounter. In some games, a hidden boss, referred to as the "true" final boss, is present. These bosses only appear after the completion of specific additional levels, choosing specific dialogue options or after obtaining a particular item or set of items, such as the Chaos Emeralds in the
Sonic the Hedgehog series or performing a series of tasks in
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. These bosses are generally more difficult to defeat. In games with a "true" final boss, victory leads to either a better ending or a more detailed version of the regular ending. Examples of a "true final boss" include the Radiance in
Hollow Knight and the Moon Presence in
Bloodborne. The term "Foozle" is used to describe a
cliché final boss that exists only to act as the final problem before players can complete the game.
Scorpia stated in 1994 that "about 98% of all
role-playing video games can be summed up as follows: 'We go out and bash on critters until we're strong enough to go bash on Foozle. ==History==