Everyone has a different reaction to boss rushes in their favorite games. You may be thrilled to have a chance to flex your honed skills against all the bosses you’ve previously beaten, or you may roll your eyes at the fact that you have to re-fight that one cheap boss. Regardless of where you stand, boss rushes always make for a serious challenge and can add a lot to a game, especially when it’s an optional mode.
Some boss rushes let you take on everything the game has to offer at full strength, but others opt for an even more difficult approach. Some games feature a boss rush mode that imposes additional challenges like limited health and items, or even a time limit to defeat all the bosses. But which games took these potentially groan-inducing gameplay segments and made them challenges to remember fondly?
10 Sonic Adventure 2
One of the most beloved 3D Sonic games is Sonic Adventure 2. It’s a game filled with incredible music, fun and varied levels, and a ton of different characters to play as. In a game packed to the brim with content, it should come as no surprise that there is a boss rush challenge.
The game gives you the opportunity to take on every single tough boss in the game in a row — either from each individual story or every story put together. For people who like to go fast, the entire challenge is timed and ranked, so it’s worth it to put in some practice.
9 Spider-Man And Venom: Maximum Carnage
In reality, Spider-Man And Venom: Maximum Carnage is actually filled with boss rushes. The side-scrolling beat-em-up is often seen as a simple, but under-appreciated gem of both the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis.
The game has quite a few unique bosses to face throughout the story, but things get really hectic once you reach the final battle of the game. Rather than a simple one-on-one with Carnage, you have to take on every single boss that you’ve faced up to that point at the same time. It’s difficult, chaotic, and a ton of fun.
8 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
A lot of people may not even know that Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has a boss rush mode considering it is hidden behind a cheat code. The game actually has quite a few unique codes worth searching up, but the boss rush mode is a fun challenge for people who can’t get enough of the game.
It’s worth it to note that you’ll need a mastery of the game to even stand a chance, as anyone who’s played the game knows that the bosses can be fairly tough at times. Regardless of the difficulty, the rush is a lot of fun from a game that oozes charisma and a retro style.
7 Ocarina Of Time 3D
One of the biggest wishes that seem to come up in the Zelda community is for the ability to refight the various games bosses at any point throughout the games. Ocarina Of Time 3D addressed that wish by adding in the Boss Gauntlet mode.
You get the opportunity to fight through the game's bosses with limited supplies and severely reduced hearts. After each win, you get a little bit of help, but the rush is brutally difficult if you aren’t a veteran at taking on the game's many bosses.
6 Mega Man Zero 3
The Mega Man series is often credited with the invention of the boss rush trope, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to learn that many of the various series games feature some kind of rush. One of the best comes in Mega Man Zero 3.
This game's boss rush sees you facing eight of the toughest bosses from the Zero series before eventually taking on one of the most epic final bosses in the series. You’ll need a lot of skill and in-depth knowledge of the mechanics of the game to breeze through the rush with little resistance.
5 Kingdom Hearts 3
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The Kingdom Hearts series is filled with imaginative boss fights, but Kingdom Hearts 3 clearly sought to make its final segments feel as epic as possible. The entire final section of the game throws boss after boss at you, but there is a specific section that could be considered a true boss rush.
Everyone has wanted to take on the game’s dastardly Organization 13 since their introduction, and everyone got that wish. You have to face a series of the group's members in quick succession with only a few moments to catch your breath between the fights. It may not be the toughest boss rush, but it’s one of the best visually.
4 The Pokemon Series
No conversation about boss rushes is complete until someone mentions the Elite Four and Pokemon Champion from the Pokemon series. They are usually the toughest fights in the game, and lock you into doing the fights without being able to head out for more supplies.
You need to enter the fights with an inventory stocked with healing items in order to make it through if you aren’t over-leveled. Some people swear against using items in Pokemon games, something that likely only makes the boss rush even harder but more rewarding.
3 Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards
You may be surprised to hear that a Kirby game has a boss rush, and you may be even more surprised to hear that a surprisingly high number of Kirby games offer boss rushes. Even more shocking than all of that, it’s an incredibly tough boss rush.
You have to fight through some of the game's bosses in succession, but you don’t have access to any copy abilities. That can make each boss not only tougher, but also take a lot longer to finally defeat. That added length leaves more time for mistakes, making it quite difficult.
2 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
A lot of people were thrilled to see that Nintendo decided to go back to a more cinematic feel for portions of the game's single-player adventure. The game has quite a few tough bosses that can take you down fairly quickly, so it was surprising to see the game feature a boss rush.
To be fair, that boss rush is reserved for people who want to see the game's true ending, something that you’ll need to hone your skills to see. Despite the crushing difficulty, the rush is worth it as the true ending of the game is something that every Smash fan should experience.
1 Super Mario Odyssey
Most boss rushes don’t change up the game formula all that much. Usually, the added challenge of facing a number of tough bosses in a row is enough for the developers. For Nintendo, Mario Odyssey would have had a simple boss rush if they didn’t make a few changes.
The internet was shocked at how difficult this game's boss rush was, and the main reason for the difficulty came from the gravity change thanks to the moon location. Rather than your usual quick hops, Mario floats around, something that created a huge difficulty curve for the familiar bosses.