Top 10 Most Difficult Video Game Enemies and How to Beat Them

Top 10 Most Difficult Video Game Enemies and How to Beat Them

Don’t rage just yet - there IS a way to defeat them! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Most Difficult Video Game Enemies and How to Beat Them.

For this list, we’re looking at a handful of difficult boss battles and giving you the best strategies on how to beat them. However, we’re only looking at one boss per franchise because - let’s be honest - this would just become another Dark Souls list.

#10: Gafgarion

“Final Fantasy Tactics” (1998)

Just to clue you in on how hard this fight gets, you start out separated from your party, and Gaffgarion uses his Duskblade ability to damage you and heal himself. If you aren't prepared for this fight in advance, he will likely kill you on his second turn before you can get to the winch and open the gate to get help. Even if you get to it in time, you'll still likely be downed given his attack has unlimited height, allowing him to hit you from ground level. The best way to win this battle is to set yourself up to take him head on and have the foresight to either steal or break his sword.

#9: Puss in Boots

“Shrek 2” (2004)

You would think a game aimed at children would have some pretty basic boss fights. Puss in Boots is simple, but the whole fight plays like “PaRappa the Rapper”. Instead of giving the ferocious feline a beatdown, you’re subjected to a rhythm minigame where you have to press buttons to dodge and attack. What makes the whole experience painful is that your hits do very little damage, and to make matters worse, the delayed animations and sound effects can throw you off easily. Our advice? Mute the TV so you only have to pay attention to the button prompts. It also helps to buy upgrades from the Spooky Forest in advance.

#8: Sinistar

“Sinistar” (1983)

It may be the oldest entry on the list, but “Sinistar” still manages to terrify us decades later. Perhaps that’s part of the reason why beating him was so difficult. The other struggles are due to how the game works. For starters, the only way to get bombs is to shoot asteroids, and the bombs are only a single pixel wide, making it difficult to pick up. On top of that, Sinistar has a tendency to be on the player’s ass until they’re dead. This means your best strategy is to grab as many bombs as you can before Sinistar can be constructed. If you need to grab more bombs while he’s chasing you, you better have a grip on the ship’s controls!

#7: Morgan Freeman

“South Park: The Fractured but Whole” (2017)

“The Fractured But Whole” presents a true test of skill after beating the main story. Go into Freeman’s Tacos and whack Morgan Freeman three times to begin the ultimate challenge. Freeman has a few tricks up his sleeve; not only does he boast wide-ranged attacks and 9,999 HP, but he has a second phase where he can take two consecutive turns. Your best defense? Have two characters alternate on aggro-ing him each turn. Freeman will have to attack them, but they gain a shield that negates all damage during that turn. You can also limit his mobility (and thus, his attack range) by surrounding him with your party members. It also helps to have your healer away from the danger and use farts wisely!

#6: Dracula

“Castlevania” (1987)

We thought the boss fight against Death was brutal (what with the teleporting scythes), but Dracula was a real threat! How many times did we die from his fireballs and constant teleporting? Too many to count. And yet, there’s an easier way to beat him than just wailing on him with your whip. If you stand roughly two to three ground tiles away from Drac and jump towards him at the right moment, you can dodge the fireballs completely. His second phase is where things get dicey. Just try to keep your distance and use any ranged items you can.

#5: Orphan of Kos

“Bloodborne” (2015)

Yeah, it was a matter of time before a FromSoftware game made it on here. “Bloodborne” has been infamous for arguably being tougher than the “Dark Souls” games (to some extent), but the hardest boss didn’t come until the “Old Hunters” DLC was released. This terrifying monstrocity - the Orphan of Kos - will do everything it can to kill you. Using its placenta as a club, the Orphan boasts incredible speed and damage, and its second form is even worse, unleashing explosions of gore and lightning. Patience is the key to victory here, and you best sharpen your skills if you want to feel that you’ve truly conquered “Bloodborne”. ...Or just get him stuck in a corner and cheese the crap out of him.

#4: Sans

“Undertale” (2015)

You Pacifists may know him as a jokester, but those of you who went for the Genocide Run will know him as the bane of your existence. While the fight with Sans starts off relatively easy (being consisted of a few minigames), it gets hard quickly if you get hit since Sans deals poison damage. If you want to make it out alive, you’ll have to stock up on items and try to do some healing before you reach the second phase. Once you hit Phase Two, pay close attention to his patterns and expect the unexpected.

#3: The Nameless King

“Dark Souls III” (2016)

The Orphan of Kos may have been an intense fight, but it is nowhere as vicious as the fight against the Nameless King. While the dragon may be intimidating to some players, this is actually the easy part of the fight. Keep your reticle locked onto the dragon, and you’ll be able to anticipate swooping attacks and the King’s lightning bolts. Once you’ve killed the King’s pet, the second phase begins, and this is where you need to play defensively. A careless mishap can allow the King to wipe out a good majority of your health, and if you don’t have a crap ton of Estus, you better play it smart!

#2: Isshin, the Sword Saint

“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019)

“Sekiro” holds many incredibly difficult boss fights, but of them all, Isshin has got to be the toughest. In addition to having three health bars, the guy’s attacks have an absurd amount of range, requiring more than a single dodge to successfully avoid his strikes. Of course, what kind of a boss fight would this be if not for a few phases to mix things up? After his first health bar, he’ll change weapons, and upon losing the second, he’ll bombard you with lightning strikes. Oh, and you can fall off the edge of the map here. So, load up on Healing Gourds and make sure you’re aware of your position on the field.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions…

Senator Armstrong
“Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” (2013)

Wizpig
“Diddy Kong Racing” (1997)

Sephiroth
“Kingdom Hearts II” (2006)

Alma
“Ninja Gaiden” (2004)

Ultimecia
“Final Fantasy VIII” (1999)

#1: Mike Tyson

“Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!” (1987)

Whereas most of “Punch-Out’s” fighters give a reasonable amount of time to hit them, Tyson requires split-second reactions as well as some predicting. Some moments, he’ll just wail on you without hesitation. Other times, he’ll wait for you to throw a punch or dodge before counter-attacking. However, if you manage to sock him while he’s blinking, you may be able to knock him down instantly or gain a star. His winks can also give away which direction he’ll be swinging from. Try not to focus on quickly KO’ing him, though; it most likely won’t happen, and the fight will end on a judge’s decision. Just play it smart and refine those dodging skills!