Many games have very cool bosses with fantastic design and great movements. Some bosses are terrifying while some are crazy, yet most are memorable and sometimes players wish they could take control of them instead of the boring heroes. This is especially true when games carry bosses through multiple sequels, almost taunting players with their inaccessibility.
Fortunately some game lets you play as a boss, and it usually feels good. It’s a new sense of power and control and claws that many games ignore. Whether it’s for a special event, a few missions, or a post-game level, player controlling bosses are becoming more common and it’s definitely a welcome change
7/7 Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey is one of the best Nintendo games ever. Released on the Switch, it has tons of new features, one of those features being Mario’s hat that allows him to control various enemies, including the Mario franchise’s most iconic villain, Bowser. And yes, Mario uses Cappy to control Bowser. While players have played as the great brute before, this is special.
This is Mario controlling Bowser canonically. Players get to play as the big bad and progress through the levels. Bowser has some special abilities like Goon job which allows the player to control one of Bowser’s smaller minions as well.
6/7 The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
The The Lord of the Rings Conquest the game allows the player to control soldiers from Gondor, Rohan and even members of the community to hack and slash through various key moments in the book. This game is fun, but what makes it really special is the second half of the game.
Here, the player controls the bad guys. The player plays as an Orc in his conquest through Middle-earth, and later players get to play as The Witch King and even the big bad Sauron. Playing as Sauron and beating the community heroes with a massive mace is truly cleansing. Especially when Sauron and his armies raze the Shire. Another way to learn Middle-earth that allows players to fight their way through the game as the bad guys is truly unique.
5/7 Mortal Kombat 9
Mortal Kombat 9 is one of the most memorable fighting games ever. This is largely due to the massive roster that includes fan favorites from every iteration of the game, and yes, this includes the original Mortal Kombat boss, Shao Kahn.
Mortal Kombat 9while it has a massive roster, players also get to play as part of the main story campaign as Shao Kahn, a phenomenon completely new to the series prior to this, and it was definitely worth the wait.
4/7 Death in daylight
Dead By Daylightt follows four players working together to escape the map, performing various tasks and running for their lives trying to escape an old school horror boss. The one caveat? A fifth player controls the boss.
From Micheal Myers to Freddy Kreuger and dozens of gruesome killers in between, players have access to them all when it’s their turn. Each killer has their own unique skills and advantages and their own strategies to make sure the four escapees have a miserable time.
3/7 Jack The Ripper – Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate follows the Frye twins, Jacob and Evie, as they battle the Templars in late 1800s London. The game features several historical figures the twins interact with, including Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale.
The most memorable part of syndicators, however, it has to be the Jack the Ripper DLC which sees the twins battle one of the most vicious serial killers ever. Obviously, Ubisoft is taking some creative liberties with Ripper, making him more “cartoon” like in his actions and motivations, integrating him into Assassin’s Creed mythos. The best part of this DLC has to be when players take control of Jack and carry out his plans over the course of several missions, truly eye-opening.
2/7 Vergil DMC 3 special edition
ONE devil may cry mainstay, players wouldn’t have been shocked to see Vergil as a boss in the third game. However, what may be surprising is that one of the hardest bosses in the game; the final boss is even playable.
Players can start a new save file to play as Vergil after completing the game once. This has a brand new prologue and all of Vergil’s unique traits. All of Vergil’s devil arms are noticeably different from Dante’s, and he boasts a completely different playstyle for players to enjoy, with more swords, including the yamato, and fewer weapons.
1/7 Dark Souls 3
A boss list without one Dark souls betting on it would be impossible to do. This might be surprising though, since the series is known for putting players through the ringer, there’s no way they would let players feel the joy of playing as a boss.
Apart from the Ringed City DLC i Dark Souls 3 did exactly that. If a player is online, when they enter Halflight, the Spear of the Church boss arena, the game attempts to summon a player from the Spear of the Church pact to act as the boss. This is pretty fun as players can essentially stop the progress of others and simply skill check them. It’s a brand new feature that would also do well in similar games.
