All good things come to an end

Throughout a video game, a player is required to learn a set of skills and use such skills in totality at the end of the game. This is reflected in the final boss battle of a game. Marking as a final test for the player, the final boss is important, not just for narrative purposes, but in order to give the player a sense of satisfaction in mastering and conquering a game.

In the Legend of Zelda franchise, a player typically needs to be able to volley an energy ball with their sword, requiring precise timing, and the ability to fire arrows rapidly and accurately. At the end of Half-Life 2 Episode 2, the player must be able to drive, use the gravity gun to launch sticky bombs to giant machines, shoot the bombs, and do all of this under a tense time constraint. These are just two examples of a traditional means of a final boss or final encounter where the player must multitask and perform exceptionally.

But there are other examples from games that take the traditional method of a final boss and manipulate the player in some sense. The first that comes to mind is the ending of Banjo-Kazooie. Throughout the game, the player learns a wide variety of moves and abilities. However, rather than force the player to use this set of moves, the game tests the player in another manner, quite literally. The game's ultimate encounter is a quiz show that requires the player to recall minutia of details scattered throughout the game, such as character names, music cues, and overall random trivia. If the player was not aware of their surroundings and did not seek out answers to obscure questions, the player cannot beat the game. This is a simple and unique way of having the designers of the game test a player and command attention to the game.

The other example I wish to present is from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. While the game does feature a final boss encounter that is traditional to most games, meaning it is a shootout that is challenging, the final shot of the game does not happen in this moment. This game, and the series, features inventive and unique boss battles that test a player's skill and mindset. In the first game in the series, Metal Gear Solid, a player must unplug their controllers from the Playstation because the character in the game can telepathically anticipate the controller inputs, and the player must unplug and switch the controller to confuse the boss. In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, a boss can be beaten without even playing the game. If a player chooses to wait out a boss, the boss will die of old age and the player can progress without even a shot being fired. But, back to the final boss of the game, after beaten, a player must pull the trigger one last time, shooting one bullet. The reason this is difficult is not of a mechanic, but because of the emotional connection the player has invested into the artificial lives of these characters. It is an emotional conquering that is needed to beat the game.

Some games live and die by their ending bosses and sequences. The lauded Bioshock featured a dismal ending sequence that leaves a spoiled sensation in an otherwise astonishing experience. The wonderful Curse of Monkey Island had a bad ending sequence as well, but not because of any editorial or artistic reason, rather monetary. The adage remains the same: all's well that end's well.