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Key Takeaways
- Facing off against themselves in final boss battles is common in video games, making for an exciting climax.
- Examples include “Black Myth: Wukong,” “Metal Gear Solid,” and “Dark Souls 3,” where players confront versions of themselves.
- Battles reflect internal struggles, moral dilemmas, and emotional journeys, providing a unique and often bittersweet conclusion.
Whether showcasing moral conflicts or internal battles, final boss battles where players face off against themselves are far from uncommon. From the moment the cutscene ends and the player is faced with themselves, as the music crescendos and grows ever grandiose – the experience can feel all too familiar to avid gamers – but when done right, it makes for an exciting climax to any journey.
Though it’s a trope that is often underappreciated, it’s always important to reflect on the occasions when it was not only done right but served as the perfect conclusion to one’s journey. Whether the battle is against the physical manifestation of themselves or a moral dilemma where someone finds themselves fighting their character’s very own instincts – here are a few occasions where players come face to face with themselves as the final boss.
This article contains major spoilers for all titles discussed.
1 Black Myth: Wukong
Complete The Cycle
After their journey to the West, players may be unsurprised to find their final enemy is none other than the Victorious Fighting Buddha himself, Sun Wukong. Not only that, but The Destined One, who serves as the game’s protagonist, is the final relic needed to make Sun Wukong whole again.
He’s characteristically an incredibly fierce opponent, using all the player character’s tricks against them, forcing them to change their playstyle constantly. Any tricks that worked on prior Yaoguais won’t be enough to defeat The Monkey King himself. The moment is played beautifully as the long boat journey prior confronts The Destined One with Wukong’s past, including his shortcomings and the Mount Huaguo-sized weight on his shoulders. However, the player must complete the cycle and take on the mantle themselves. It’s a bittersweet climax to a long journey.
An Evil Clone
Konami’s critically acclaimed espionage story is no stranger to complex storylines and plot twists. When Solid Snake was called out of retirement to infiltrate a remote militia base, he never expected to uncover a conspiracy involving genetic manipulation and evil cloning. However, that is exactly what he got.
At the crescendo of Solid Snake’s stealthy, exclamation mark-filled adventure, he’s confronted with the fact that he and his evil mirage – Liquid Snake – are both clones of Big Boss. There are few better ways to end a game than with a dramatic hand-to-hand boss fight between two genetically enhanced twins.
3 Dark Souls 3
The Soul Of Cinder
Making that all-too-familiar journey filled with hardships to link with the First Flame and prevent the world from falling into eternal darkness sounds pretty par for the course to Dark Souls veterans. Somewhere after that thousandth death, players will finally be faced with the Soul of Cinder and realize that the final boss of Dark Souls 3 is an amalgamation of all previous souls who linked themselves to the fire.
This includes the protagonist of the first Dark Souls game, and The Soul of Cinder’s fighting style clearly reflects not just some of the series’ prior bosses but also the players themselves. The resulting clash is a grandiose finale worthy of concluding the Dark Souls trilogy.
4 Middle-earth Shadow Of War: Blade Of Galadriel
Talion’s Nazgul Shortcomings
After being separated from Celebrimbor and losing his own version of The One Ring, the Middle-earth series’ protagonist Talion had no other option but to put on one of the corrupted rings of men. Subsequently, he opened himself up to the dark influence of The Dark Lord Sauron, which granted him all kinds of Ring Wraith-based abilities to protect Minas Ithil.
In the expansion pack set shortly after the events of the main game, The Blade of Galadriel sees players take control of Eltariel after her merge with Celebrimbor on her quest journey through Middle-earth after the fall of The Witch King. This all leads to a confrontation between herself and Talion, who is now corrupted by one of the rings of power and on the verge of fully succumbing to Sauron’s corruption. It’s a heartbreaking development in Shadow of War’s story to witness the main character becoming the very thing they set out to defeat. It feels more like laying an ally to rest than defeating a final boss.
5 Shadow Of The Colossus
Consumed By Grief
After defeating the 16 Colossi, the protagonist, Wander, discovers that they had been manipulated into doing so in order to release Dormin, an ancient evil who subsequently possesses Wander, taking control of their body and turning them into a large and shadowy beast.
After a large void opens up, it attempts to suck the player inside. It’s impossible to escape despite any of the player’s efforts. It’s a tragic climax that forces the player to confront their own unknowingly unjust actions and allows them to either keep desperately fighting, cling to life, and resist the abyss, or give in and put an end to Wander’s story.
6 NieR: Automata
It Was Bound To Happen
Having 26 different endings often leads players to eventually fight themselves through a process of elimination. One of the many conclusions to Platinum Games‘ robot hack-and-slash sees the player fighting off against one of the game’s deuteragonists in a heavily emotionally charged segment.
It’s a tough fight, from various sword slashes to the face to outright having time itself used against A2. It’s safe to say that this fast-paced fight requires a lot of preparation, whether physically or mentally.
7 Devil May Cry 3
Might Controls Everything
Vergil’s first ‘true’ outing as a primary antagonist in the series quickly saw him become a fan-favorite iconic gaming character. The motivational twin brother of franchise protagonist Dante is the complete mirror image of his sibling.
Each fight between the two in the game sees Vergil taking what the player has learned and completely using it against them, aside from his signature Yamato katana’s techniques. In the Special Edition release, players also get the opportunity to play through the game as Vergil. Though it does little to directly affect the story and mostly acts as a gameplay change, this does mean that the player clashes with Dante numerous times and gets to experience the joy of having the sharp-tipped rebellion stinger flying right at them.
8 Mass Effect 3
The Citadel Expansion
This paranoia-filled expansion to BioWare’s iconic space-trodding RPG series is the perfect example of why gamers should always consider a potential evil clone when making their own build ludicrously overpowered.
Created by Cerberus as a suitable replacement, this deluded clone’s only goal is to take down Shepard, and to completely assume their identity. Combined with the games’ already in-depth morality system, it’s the perfect identity crisis that culminates in a final boss fight against the sinister clone of the player’s very own Shepard – who’ll use the player’s exact skills and weapons against them in a tough brawl.
