In video games, a boss is a significantly powerful non-player character created as an opponent to players. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the players have faced up to that point in a game. Boss battles are generally seen at climax points of particular sections of games, such as at the end of a level or stage or guarding a specific objective. A miniboss is a boss weaker or less significant than the main boss in the same area or level, though usually more powerful than the standard opponents and often fought alongside them. A superboss is generally much more powerful than the bosses encountered as part of the main game's plot and is often an optional encounter. A final boss is often the main antagonist of a game's story and the defeat of that character usually provides a positive conclusion to the game. A boss rush is a stage where players face multiple previous bosses again in succession.
Soulcalibur III is a fighting video game produced by Namco as a sequel to Soulcalibur II and the fourth installment in the Soulcalibur series. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. An improved arcade version, Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition, was released in 2006. It was the last Soulcalibur game to receive an arcade version, as IV onwards did not have an arcade release, and was also the last to be released by Namco as an independent company, as it would merge with Bandai's video game division to form Bandai Namco Entertainment in 2006. It is the second in the Soulcalibur series’ 1590 A.D. trilogy games, between II and IV.
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara is an arcade game developed and published by Capcom in 1996 as a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom. The game is set in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting of Mystara.
X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse is a video game for the Game Boy Advance featuring the X-Men comic book characters. It was designed by Digital Eclipse and released by Activision in 2001.
Deep Dungeon (ディープダンジョン) is a series of role-playing video games developed by HummingBirdSoft. The first two installments were released on the Family Computer Disk System by Square's label DOG; the third one was released on the regular Family Computer by Square directly and the final one by Asmik.
Cadash is an action-adventure video game which combines elements of the platform game and role-playing video game genres. The game was originally an arcade video game released by Taito in 1989, then published for the TurboGrafx-16 in 1991 and the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1992. It is included in Taito Memories Volume 2 released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005 and the Xbox and Microsoft Windows versions of Taito Legends 2 released in 2007. The 1989 arcade version was made available for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch via the Arcade Archives series in August 2023.
Chaos Rings is a role-playing video game developed by Media.Vision and published by Square Enix. It was released worldwide in 2010 as an exclusive title for iOS, but it was later ported to the Android, Windows Phone 7, and PlayStation Vita. Effective May 31, 2016, Square Enix ended distribution of this title, and it is no longer available for download or purchase. Produced by Takehiro Ando, characters were designed by Yusuke Naora, the art director of Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X among other successful titles.
Kingdom Rush is a tower defense game developed by Ironhide Game Studio and published by Armor Games. It was released on July 28, 2011, as a browser game, followed by ports for iOS in December 2011, Android on May 13, 2013, and Windows and macOS on January 6, 2014. In the game's medieval fantasy setting, players take control of a general serving under King Denas of Linirea, who must defend the land from an onslaught of evil monsters. Each level is composed of a number of pre-set roads, which the player can place defensive towers around to fight off the approaching monsters. Slaying enemies gives the player gold, which they can use to buy new towers or upgrade existing ones to improve their capabilities.
Rogue Legacy is a 2013 platform game with roguelike elements developed and published by Cellar Door Games. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. A sequel, Rogue Legacy 2, was released on April 28, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.
Darkest Dungeon is a roguelike role-playing video game developed and published by Red Hook Studios. The game was first released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in January 2016, which followed a year-long early access development period. Later that year, it was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Linux, with a port for iOS being released in 2017, and ports for Nintendo Switch and Xbox One being released by 2018.
Marvel Contest of Champions is a 2014 fighting video game developed and published by Kabam. It was released on December 10, 2014, for iOS and Android. The fighting game is primarily set in the Marvel Universe. The game is strongly based on the events of the limited comic book series Contest of Champions. An arcade version was released in 2019, developed by Raw Thrills and exclusive to Dave & Buster's locations.
Dungeon of the Endless is a roguelike tower defense game developed and published by Amplitude Studios. It is the third game of their loosely connected Endless series, which includes Endless Space and Endless Legend. It was released in October 2014 for Microsoft Windows and OS X, August 2015 for iOS, and for Xbox One in March 2016. The PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch ports were released in May 2020. A revamped version for iOS and Android devices, called Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee, was released in March 2021 by Playdigious.
Adventures of Mana is an action role-playing video game developed by MCF and Square Enix, and published by Square Enix. It is a 3D remake of the 1991 Game Boy game Final Fantasy Adventure, the first game in the Mana series. It was released worldwide for Android and iOS on February 4, 2016; a PlayStation Vita version was also released on the same date in Japan, and in June 2016 in North America, South America and Europe. In addition to these releases, Square Enix has said that they are considering developing versions for PlayStation 4 and personal computers.
Enter the Gungeon is a 2016 bullet hell roguelike game developed by Dodge Roll and published by Devolver Digital. Set in the firearms-themed Gungeon, gameplay follows four player characters called Gungeoneers as they traverse procedurally generated rooms to find a gun that can "kill the past". The Gungeoneers fight against bullet-shaped enemies, which are fought using both conventional and exotic weapons. Enter the Gungeon features a permadeath system, causing the Gungeoneers to lose all obtained items and start again from the first level upon death. Between playthroughs, players can travel to an area called the Breach, where they can converse with non-player characters and unlock new items randomly encountered while playing.
Runestone Keeper is a roguelike video game developed and published by Blackfire Games, with the iOS version developed by Cimu. It was released on March 23, 2015 for Windows and Mac OS X, October 31, 2015 for iOS, and August 11, 2017 for Android.
Dicey Dungeons is a roguelike deck-building game developed by Irish game designer Terry Cavanagh. It was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in August 2019, for Nintendo Switch in December 2020, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in November 2021, and for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in February 2023. Ports for iOS and Android were released in July 2022.
Wizard of Legend is an indie roguelike video game released by American studio Contingent99 and Humble Bundle in May 2018. Funded through Kickstarter in 2016, players take control of a wizard as they traverse a procedurally generated dungeon, using a wide variety of spells to defeat mobs, three major bosses, and a final boss to earn the title "Wizard of Legend". The game received generally favourable reviews. A sequel, titled Wizard of Legend II, is in the works by Dead Mage.
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is a roguelike puzzle game co-developed by Vine and Yacht Club Games, and published by Yacht Club Games. A spin-off of the platform game Shovel Knight, the player takes control of the namesake adventurer as he becomes trapped within a magical artifact, the Pocket Dungeon, and is forced to fight his way out while battling other knights who befell the same fate.
Death Road to Canada is a 2016 roguelike video game developed by Rocketcat Games and Madgarden, and published by Rocketcat. Set during a zombie apocalypse, the player attempts to guide a group of survivors from Florida to "the last zombie-free nation" of Canada. The game released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on July 22, 2016, with later releases for iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Pixel Dungeon is a 2012 roguelike indie game created by Oleg Dolya. Through turn-based gameplay, the player must descend and battle through dungeon floors to obtain the Amulet of Yendor. Initially developed for Android, it expanded to iOS and PC platforms. Dolya stopped updating the game in 2015. Since it is open source, the game's small community have created mods and games based on Pixel Dungeon's code, the most notable of which is Shattered Pixel Dungeon. While it received little attention from game critics, the few who reviewed it found the gameplay addictive, striking a balance between approachability and roguelikes's defining difficulty.
