The Big Mighty Poo - Conker’s Bad Fur Day

This is the last thing you want to face at the end of a long struggle. In Conker’s Bad Fur Day, one of the many bosses players have to come up against is the opera-singing giant pile of poo, or the Big Mighty Poo. The only way to kill him is to throw toilet paper into his mouth while he re-tunes his singing voice.

Hitler - Wolfenstein 3D

Nazis and Hitler, usually in re-animated forms, have featured in a lot of films and games since the end of the Second World War, and Wolfenstein 3D is no different. The final battle sees BJ Blazkowicz go one-to-one with a mech-suit-wearing Hitler whose chainguns show no mercy. Destroy him and you’ll hear Hitler crying out for Eva Braun.

Psycho Mantis - Metal Gear Solid

Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid is arguably the most creative boss in video game history. A keen fourth wall breaker, not only can Psycho Mantis make your controller rattle at random, he can also read the contents of your memory card and make your TV go black altogether. To stand a chance of beating him you literally have to plug your controller into the other slot!

Titanic Toddler - Zombies Ate My Neighbours

When it comes to a title like Zombies Ate My Neighbours, you better prepare yourself for the surreal. You can’t walk into this game, find yourself pitted against a giant toddler, and complain that it’s too out there. Embrace the chaos, stow your qualms and try take down this hauntingly large diapered-toddler.

Bob the Killer Goldfish - Earthworm Jim

This boss is different in that he doesn’t really do much himself, employing others to do stuff for him. In a way, he’s probably the most realistic video game boss out there. The only thing that really makes this weird is that he’s a goldfish. At the end of Earthworm Jim, Bob the Killer Goldfish is simply picked out of his bowl and eaten.

Monster Mega Smith - The Matrix: Path of Neo

After defeating the normal Mr. Smith in the Matrix: Path of Neo, you must face a giant, robotic Monster Mega Smith made up of a host of Smith clones who assemble to finally take down that pesky Neo. Not wanting to stray too far from the image, Monster Mega Smith also manages to find a pair of sunglasses that fit like a glove!

Joe Head Joe - Skullmonkeys

A sequel the The Neverhood, Skullmonkeys follows the journey of a claymation character called Klaymen, who must get through life without succumbing to the evils of the Skullmonkeys. Oh, and Joe Head Joe. With a skull for a head and a body made up of an image of Joe Sanabria, one the game’s designers, this boss is one of the very weirdest.

The Slot Machine - Star Fox

This game’s a great shout for anyone who isn’t afraid of going insane and causing permanent damage to your eyes. In the Out of this Dimension level, the player is tasked with blasting paper planes at a smattering of smiling moons. The Slot Machine boss will then greet you. The only way to do way with this weird boss is to land three 7s.

Negative Man - Mother 3

Negative Man, a yellow, rectangular boss in Mother 3, is one of the more pathetic enemies you’ll face in a video game. Instead of fighting back with players, Negative Man will spout off several self-effacing statements, claiming he’s worthless as a boss. Now and then, he may fight back, but the damage caused is barely noticeable.

Iustitia - Bayonetta

What even is this? Say you had to write down what Iustitia looks like for someone, someone who has lost their sight, where would you start? It has three faces, some wing-looking things and a few serpent figures thrown in there. Bayonetta is made memorable thanks to this boss. Try not to have too many nightmares.

The House - P.T.

Yep, in this Silent Hill teaser/spin-off, the final boss isn’t human at all (unless you count the elusive Lisa), but a sinister looking house. How is this in any way a struggle for the player? Have you ever been trapped in a never-ending hallway in a house with zero electricity and come out laughing? I think not.

Senator Armstrong - Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance

Politicians are usually feeble and meek and nothing you’d ever be scared of in a boxing ring. And that’s what makes Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance’s final boss so brilliant. Senator Armstrong represents Colorado and has plans to be elected as the next United States president. But his policies are Darwinist and crazy – his is a vision where everybody has to literally fight to survive. Given how shredded he is (because of nanobots, apparently), he’d be fine.

Photoshop Flowey - Undertale

On your travels through Undertale, it’s easy to assume the main villain and boss you’re going to come up against was Asgore. In reality, and a Neutral Route, players end up fighting Photoshop Flowey, a mesh of eyes and teeth and pixelated smiley faces that completely err with the graphics of Undertale.

Morgan Freeman - The Fractured But Whole

You’re never going to get a serious and grave boss in a South Park game. In The Fractured But Whole, players play as “The New Kid” fighting off every single parody of a public figure Matt and Trey clearly do not like. Surprisingly, one of those figures is Morgan Freeman, who turns out to be one the hardest to fight.

Grown Men in Diapers - Yakuza 2

The Yakuza games, unlike the actual Yakuza crime syndicate, are beloved for their eccentric and silly characters. Perhaps none have been more eccentric and silly than the bosses found in the side-mission Be My Baby, where Kiryu ends up fighting a bunch of grown men in diapers.

Freddy Fazbear - Five Nights At Freddy’s

Any discussion of horror games are not fit for purpose without a hat tip to Five Nights At Freddy’s. The bosses here cannot be fought. Players can only run from these worn-down monsters, one of whom is Freddy Fazbear, the animatronic bear pizzeria mascot turned cold blooded terroriser of children. It’s certainly trippy.

Davoth the Dark Lord - Doom Eternal

Anyone familiar with the Doom series knows just how savage the Doom Slayer is. Since he’s virtually unbeatable, the creators of DOOM Eternal poked fun at his own invincibility by pitting him against… himself. Only not. This Doom Slayer was made in the image of the Dark Lord, while also being a clone of Davoth. It’s an interesting spin on the final boss concept.

Joker’s Ghost - Arkham Knight

Obviously, the final boss of Batman games Arkham Asylum and Arkham City was the Joker, but after dying at the end of the second game, the Clown Prince of Crime was brought back for the trilogy’s third installment as a ghost who serves only to get inside Batman’s head and drive him crazy. You can defeat him only by taking control of the Joker in a nightmare sequence.

The Bride - Ms Splosion Man

That picture is enough to sell this, isn’t it? You don’t need to explain anymore but we will, just in case. Ms. Splosion Man is a sequel to ‘Splosion Man. Players mostly fend off a smattering of evil genius types, usually scientists, before facing off against the bride in a final come to blows.

God - The Simpsons Game

In the final stage of The Simpsons Game, which is chock full of pop cultural cameos and references, players go up against the big man in the sky in a game of Dance Dance Revolution. When God is defeated, the camera zooms out to reveal Ralph Wiggum has been playing the game all along.

The Master of the Supermutants — Fallout

The Master of the Supermutants is a mix of mutant, human and the Cathedral’s computer network. He has several voices, too, if that wasn’t already creepy enough. Tell him/it that all super mutants will die off after one generation and it’ll end its own life.

Ansem — Kingdom Hearts

In the final battle of Kingdom Hearts, Ansem turns into the World of Chaos after merging with a giant ship. The biggest boss in the whole franchise, this combination of flesh… this is the definition of nightmare fuel.

B-Win — Sunset Overdrive

This final boss is a building. The only way to defeat it is to defragment the console’s hard drive and summon Brandon Winfrey, a community manager at Insomniac Games. Players will then have to navigate a string of lasers and mines shooting from a wall of TV screens. Does any of that make sense? No? We tried.

Giygas — EarthBound

The premise of EarthBound is simple enough: you and a group of friends have to roam the planet attempting to stop the apocalypse. In the final battle, you must travel back in time to shut off the Devil’s Machine which contains Giygas, one of the oddest bosses you’ll ever see.

Zarok — MediEvil

In MediEvil, Sir Dan Fortesque takes on the conniving sorcerer Zarok, who has robbed the souls of the townspeople and reanimated the Undead. Wait for Zarok to transform into a beast of many colours. It’s basically Zarok’s head on a lizard’s body. Oh, and it also wriggles about like a worm.

The Credits — NieR: Automata

In NieR: Automata, the final boss is in the end credits weirdly enough. Worse yet, it’s pretty much impossible to defeat it. We say it, cause the final boss is just a group or orbs. A prompt will eventually show up, asking players if they need help. Take the help. We’re all human and this battle is very, very hard.

Ultimecia — Final Fantasy VIII

Ultimecia has three forms, like a lot of final bosses. The first is in human form, the second is with the aid of a tiger, and the third comes in the form of a massive creature after she and Griver merge themselves into an exploding ball. The creature has six arms and a head hanging off the bottom of it.

Eve — Parasite Eve

Eve is a parasite that infects a girl called Melissa in order to mutate her and birth an ultimate being. In the final fight, you kill Eve and then have to take on said ultimate being. The ultimate being’s second form has about 15 breasts hanging off its body. If you’re a teenage gamer, that might sound cool but trust us, it isn’t. It’s pretty horrifying.

Saddler — Resident Evil 4

Saddler, leader of the neopagan cult Los Illuminados, is a fairly normal looking final boss. He’s basically a religious leader with a taste for killing people. That’s not to say he isn’t hard to beat in a one-on-one confrontation. Oh, and did we mention he has a giant eyeball inside his mouth and transforms into a giant spider demon?

Maledict — Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil

The Maledict is a large dragon with no eyes. No eyes? That sounds easy, no? Well, on its tongue is the head of Dr. Bertuger so it’s not exactly blind, or easy on the eye. To make things just that little bit harder for players to concentrate and fell the dragon, it has a piercing scream that would strike fear into the coldest gamer’s soul.

Fatman - Metal Gear Solid 2

In case you feel this entry is a touch “fat-phobic,” bear in mind it’s not just the ample size of this boss that makes him stand out in a world of bosses. It’s the fact he wears roller blades during your scuffle with him. Metal Gear Solid has never shied away from irreverence and this is no exception.

Mom - The Binding of Isaac

The Binding of Isaac is a weird game so this boss is perfectly fitting with the story. If you, however, went into it not knowing anything, you’d probably be thrown off by the Mom boss; avoid her dumpy, veiny foot stomps lest you turn into mush.

Vortex Queen - Ecco the Dolphin

Ecco the Dolphin begins normally. Players enjoy a stunning journey through the coral reef as a dolphin, taking in the surroundings, generally having a swell time. And then you’re launched into a batttle against an extra terrestrial race called the Vortex. And its Queen looks like an alien with the teeth of a lion.

Scarecrow - Arkham Asylum

Although you, to a degree, anticipate the Scarecrow in Batman: Arkham Asylum, it’s still a shock to the system when you actually see him in all his horrible glory. To defeat him, you’re gonna have to shine a Bat-signal at his eyes and blind him, making it much easier to throw hands.

Armadillo - Ninja Gaiden II

In Chapter 7 of Ninja Gaiden II, players come up against a giant armour-plated Armadillo, who has a knack for killing you through self destruction. Even when you’ve already beaten him… So this is not just one of the weirdest video game bosses of all time but one of the most annoying. Public opinion of armadillos plummeted following the release of this game.

Mutoid Man - Smash TV

Mutoid Man is a classic example of the ‘get rid of every single limb on this person’ staple that beset so many video games in the 1990s. What’s crazy is that even if you behead the Mutoid Man, he will continue to fight, making this boss one of the hardest ever to beat.

Jeep Convicts - Dead Rising

In Dead Rising’s Prisoners mission, Frank is ambushed by a stolen jeep driven by three escaped convicts out to cause utter mayhem. Armed with a mounted Heavy Machine Gun, they rule the roost that is Leisure Park, attacking anything with a pulse. When you defeat them the jeep, and Leisure Park, is yours.

Jasper Rolls - Psychonauts

You have to respect any developer that makes a chubby theatre critic a boss. Jasper Rolls has orange hair, a pink nose, purple skin and dodgy yellow teeth. His head is detached from his body so making quick work of him proves to be pretty difficult. When defeated, he’ll shrink to the size of a mouse.

Dennis - The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Game

In the fifteenth level of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Game, our favourite little sponge faces off with Dennis while riding on the back of David Hasslehoff. Say no more.

Paul - Saints Row IV

When you rescue Pierce from his nightmare simulation at the hands of the Zin Empire, you’ll come up against Paul, a giant fizzy drink can. To beat him, open him up and throw him onto where the Steelport statue stood on Magarac Island. This entry is mainly here because we love the idea of a boss being called Paul.

Ripper Roo - Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

There’s no time trying to reason with the Ripper Roo. He only speaks in cackles and other noises. This mutated kangaroo features in both Crash Bandicoot and Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes. In the second, he’s a bit more lethal, launching several explosives around the arena. He’s also called Dr Roo in the second game and sports a top hat and cane in addition to his mandatory straightjacket.

King Bob-omb - Super Mario 64

Super Mario 64 is full of colourful characters, most of whom are bosses. The first boss you deal with in the game, King Bob-omb, is a sentient, big, round explosive with a crown and moustache. Beating him is quite simple: just throw him on his backside. Weirdly, he never threatens to blow himself up.

The Biolizard - Sonic Adventure 2

At the end of Sonic Adventure 2, the titular character has to face up to the “ultimate life form”, a dinosaur with a giant life support system attached to its back. The Biolizard a cumbersome and confusing boss in that it isn’t really good at anything. It’s slow to attack, tires easily and has shocking mobility.

The Sorrow - Metal Gear Solid 3

The Sorrow is one tricky customer, alright. He cannot be beaten by any traditional means. I.e. kicking and punching him to a pulp. No, you have to walk down a river in the middle of a storm and confront the ghosts of each enemy soldier killed up to that point. Then use a pill players normally use to stop faking death.

Brooke Augustine - inFAMOUS: Second Son

Brooke Augustine has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? It certainly doesn’t seem like the type of person has the potential to morph into a whole disturbing manner of objects and animals. Well, Brooke Augustine, at the end of inFAMOUS: Second Son will turn into a giant scorpion made of concrete. If that doesn’t work, she’ll turn into a giant boulder or snake.

Dr Letz Shake - Desperate Struggle

In No More Heroes’ sequel, Desperate Struggle, players face off againsts the bizarre likes of Dr Letz Shake who can only be described as a brain stuffed into a black rocket ship. He’s obsessed with causing earthquakes, or what the developers of this game think earthquakes are, sending anything on ground level flying up into the air.

Big John - Viewtiful Joe 2

The tricky thing with Big John the talking dinosaur is even after you’ve beaten him, he returns in pretty much every level, solely to heckle and bother the player. What makes this a kick in the teeth is that Big John is usually killed (the first time round) by being blown up!

Belcha - Donkey Kong Country 3

Prior to Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble, Donkey Kong and co had been laying waste to barrels like it was going out of fashion, so naturally they created a villain that is a giant, vengeful barrel called Belcha. The way to beat him is to throw the bugs he throws right back at him, and in his mouth, so that he belches and throws himself off the tip of his arena.

Killer Rabbit – Dragon Crown

You’d think a character called Killer Rabbit would be this huge, garish monstrosity capable of causing real harm but it’s actually just a normal sized rabbit. The only difference is its taste for murder. Actually, normal rabbits have a pretty violent indifference to other rabbits. Basically, Dragon Crown features a rabbit.

Magaki - King of Fighters

Look at that face and tell us you aren’t scared. Tell us you’ll sleep soundly tonight. Tell us you aren’t having a seizure right now. We don’t believe you. Show us proof. Magaki is a bug-man-thingy with a a serious tremor that you’ll find in King of Fighters. Brush up on your dodgeball skills before taking him on as that’s kind of his “thing”.