Top 10 Hardest Mini-Bosses in Video Games

Script written by Johnny Reynolds

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most challenging mini-bosses in gaming.

#10: Mad Clown Puppet

“Lies of P” (2023)

Any game inspired by FromSoftware’s ‘Soulslike’ formula is bound to be challenging. And “Lies of P” had plenty of bosses to make players rage. But when it comes to those of the ‘mini’ variety, the Mad Clown Puppet takes the cake. You’ll find this walking nightmare near the Estella Opera House in the Entertainment District. He specializes in melee combat, spinning around in a tornado of fists and directly following it up with another attack to catch players off guard. Trying to keep your distance can be tricky since he can also lunge with a belly attack and has an extendable punch. Needless to say, your health will quickly drain unless you properly block, and do it often.

#9: Malformed Typhonops

“Returnal” (2021)

As a roguelike third-person shooter, “Returnal” can get pretty stressful. In fact, we’d say the whole game is a recipe for being on edge. But few things within it make us feel dread like the Malformed Typhonops. These mini-bosses can only be found in the sixth and final Biome, which is fitting considering their power. Their attacks come quickly whether they’re long or close-range, and each one is hard to avoid. As if hitting hard and fast didn’t make it deadly enough, its attacks can also cause your suit to malfunction in different ways. Essentially status effects, these malfunctions can be a major pain to deal with as a giant, speeding beast is hurling your way.

#8: Muffet

“Undertale” (2015)

It may come as a surprise, given her incredible music and unique battle system, but Muffet is actually a mini-boss. Well, you could’ve fooled us; she’s harder than most actual bosses in the game. During the fight, she’ll hurl spiders and baked goods at your tiny heart, as well as sick her pet monster muffin on you. Why yes, “Undertale” IS a strange game. Just like her music, Muffet’s attacks move at a ferocious tempo, unless you bribe her with gold to go easy. But both the option to attack and spare have been disabled for you on account of Muffet webbing you up. Creator Toby Fox admitted he made Muffet too hard, even after nerfing her several times during development.

#7: Lynels

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)

Upon the release of “Breath of the Wild,” Lynels quickly gained a reputation for being the most challenging foes in the game. These centaur-like creatures have stunning speed and strength and, like many other enemies in the game, come in different colors and power levels. Whether they’re firing off elemental arrows, charging Link like a raging bull, or emitting AOE attacks like deadly roars and massive fireballs, Lynels will certainly test the Hylian Hero. DLC even added Gold Lynels to up the ante for any players brave enough to face them. While they returned in “Tears of the Kingdom,” the endless possibilities of the weapon Fuse mechanic made them easier to deal with. But here, they put up one Hell of a fight.

#6: AntiSora

“Kingdom Hearts” (2002)

Even with a slew of Disney characters to choose from, the hardest fight in “Kingdom Hearts,” at least against a mini-boss, is AntiSora. Players face off against multiple shadowy versions of the hero on Captain Hook’s ship. However, once they reach the Captain’s quarters, the true fight begins. AntiSora has three health bars, surprising for a mini-boss. But it’s by far his defensive strategy that makes this such a struggle. Not only can he produce copies of himself, but he also turns invulnerable when he flattens against the floor to run away. When he’s on his last health bar, that evasive maneuver will also turn him invisible. Any time you corner him, he’ll likely vanish and hit you with a surprise attack.

#5: Marauder

“Doom Eternal” (2020)

Most enemies in “Doom” can be defeated with the sound strategy of “Never stop moving and never stop shooting.” But with the Marauders, there’s a bit of strategy to factor in with your reaction time. These mini-bosses have energy blasts for long-range and a shotgun for short-range, but they themselves can only be damaged when lunging with their axe. They also carry a shield which, if hit too many times, can cause a Wolf to spawn, making for two quick enemies that want to put you in the dirt. With such high defense and offense, as well as a miniscule window for when you can damage them, the Marauders will make the Slayer’s job much more difficult.

#4: Boost Guardian

“Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” (2004)

While most mini-bosses are hard simply due to their mechanics, others have environments that add to the challenge. The Boost Guardian from “Metroid Prime 2” is one of those special, annoying cases. The fight takes place on Dark Aether, whose poisonous environment will be damaging Samus the entire time. Then there’s the enemy itself. The Boost Guardian can roll into a ball, zipping across the arena while invincible. It can also turn into a puddle, which damages Samus should she so much as dip a toe in. Interestingly, this fight had its difficulty increased just days before launch. But when the game was ported to Wii, the developers thankfully scaled it back.

#3: Berserkers

“God of War: Ragnarok” (2022)

We fully admit that the Valkyries from 2018’s “God of War” are some of the hardest mini-bosses in gaming. But as we usually only include one entry per franchise, the Berserkers of “Ragnarok” just beat them out. These new behemoths will make the God of War look like the God of Kittens and Puppy Dogs. Each one can deplete your health bar with just a couple of attacks, though they all have their own frustrating qualities. One makes their attacks deal even more damage than normal with the Bifrost status effect. Another just happens to have two companions with them, making for a variety of damage to look out for. Berserkers…yeah, you got that right.

#2: The Chained Ogre

“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019)

When talking about the hardest challenges in video games, developer FromSoftware is bound to show up sooner or later. And while yes, the Chained Ogre of “Sekiro” is imposing in both size and power, it has a unique quality that makes it more infuriating than almost anything else in the game. It’s fought right next to a cliffside, which it just loooooooves hurling players off the side of. It enjoys it so much, in fact, that it has three different throwing animations to look out for. Any of its regular attacks that land will definitely hurt. But it’s the mini-boss’ ability to dole out immediate death that has earned it the ire of players.

#1: Shark-Giants

“Bloodborne” (2015)

There’s only one thing harder than a FromSoftware fight: another FromSoftware fight. But seriously, the Shark-Giants from “Bloodborne’s” “Old Hunters” DLC can burn in the deepest pits of the underworld. There are a handful of these monstrosities to face, but you’ll find the most difficult fight down the well in Fishing Hamlet. The confined space makes avoiding attacks near-impossible, which would be a huge problem in any other fight. Here, your enemy has the ability to eat you whole, so…that’s less than ideal. As if its power, range, and ferocity wasn’t bad enough, a second Shark-Giant will join the fray once the first is down to half its health. It’ll take all your mastery from across the game, and even that may not be enough.

Which of these challenging mini-bosses caused you the most grief? Share your painful memories in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe for more great gaming videos!