Best. Boss. Battle. Ever.

I recently completed the game Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon.

What a story.  When it kicked into high gear, WOW.  And that final battle ... I'd rather not spoil it, it deserves to be experienced firsthand.

But it does remind me that Super Mystery Dungeon is one of the few games with what I consider the ideal combination of factors for end-game epicness:

1 - A "just right" level of difficulty against the final boss.  Boss battles are gameplay challenges, and the final boss should not disappoint in this respect.  It shouldn't be too difficult, but not too easy either.
2 - Victory on the first attempt.  Because receiving a "Game Over" and having to make a second attempt breaks the immersion; you can only make a blind attempt once!
3 - A truly epic musical theme.  Sure, you can have your Ominous Latin Chanting (and/or Ominous Pipe Organs), but I find the best tracks aren't necessarily the ones that proclaim how ominous and powerful your foe is -- the best tracks are the ones that announce how you are about to overcome this threat and WIPE THE FLOOR WITH THEM.

I've played countless adventures which hit one or two of these points, but rarely do I find a game that manages to hit all three in combination.  So today I'm going to list the few games that succeeded -- with a particular focus on the last point, the musical score:

- Okami.  The final boss was long and with multiple phases, but when you finally arrive at Yami's final form, the musical track that switches in isn't the boss's theme ... it's YOUR theme.  Because now you have all the power you need to finish him off -- every move he has can be read, dodged and/or countered and all you have to do is remain on your toes to emerge victorious.

- Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.  Time is about to collapse but you have all the artifacts you need to fix it, and only one thing stands between you and saving the world:  "Dialga's Fight to the Finish".  The song isn't just climactic on its own merits, it concludes the "Time Gear" melody which you've heard at least five different ways throughout the course of the game.  The song also hits sad and melancholic notes, reminding you of the tragic fate that awaits your character even after saving the world.

- Shovel Knight.  Admittedly I died several times against the first form of the Enchantress, but I had no such problems against her final form.  Teaming up with a rescued Shield Knight for one last battle, to a musical score that echoed both Shield and Shovel Knights' respective themes ... again, another battle that demands to be be experienced firsthand, as blind as possible.

- Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon:  "It doesn't matter how small we are!  It doesn't matter how weak we seem!"  We still have the strength to take down the final boss, the will to use it, and a reprise of the "Partner's Theme" to underscore our efforts ... then the boss's armored shell finally cracks, a ray of hope shines bright, and an epic musical score kicks in, right in time for the second wind.  There's no tragic or melancholic notes here, this battle theme is all about courage and hope and the strength to never give up, and if you don't immediately recognize the partner's theme underscoring the melody then there's something wrong with you.


Last but not least, an honorable mention....

- Shadow of the Colossus.  The tragedy that struck right before reaching the final Colossus left me in tears; if it didn't do the same to you, either you've been spoiled in advance (thank you Internet! boo) or you have no soul.  The climb to defeat the final Colossus was long and arduous, but what really drove it home thematically was the music -- I don't remember the piece exactly (hence the honorable mention), but emotionally the tune is slow and sad.  Unlike the ominous orchestrations and heroic songs of previous Colossus battles, here you have lonely piano, melancholic choir, and a soft orchestra to illustrate the tragedy of a doomed hero who's sacrificed everything just to reach this point.


I may reprise this list in the future if I find another game that belongs in this crowd.  You don't come across them very often, but when you do, nothing can replace them.

Got any similar moments of your own?