Video Game Boss Basic Design

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When you're making a video game one of the most important staples is a boss. What should you do with the boss? How regularly should they be? See step 1 below to learn more about how to make a great boss.

Steps

1

Make sure the boss fits with the current level's theme. No matter how far fetched the game is, it's much better if you make it fit with the level's theme. For example if the level is in a dense jungle no one's going to enjoy a fight against a whale. However, if the boss fight is in the ocean or some place filled with water (I.E. The stage in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Final Mix's Monstro boss fight after being spat out), people will expect a whale or other sea creature to be the boss of the level.
2

Make sure it's harder than the average enemy. If the level's common enemy is harder to defeat than the boss then it won't sit at all well. Also, make sure that the boss has more attacks than the common enemy.

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3

How difficult the boss should be should depend on what point in the game it's encountered. If it's Level 1 don't make it impossible to beat but if it's the final boss don't make it a one-hit kill. However, each boss should have a weak spot (but not an obvious one if it's the final boss unless you're using a lock-on feature in your game).
4

Not every level has to have a boss. This is especially true in war games such as Call of Duty. In that scenario do you really need a strong and heavily-armed German at the end of every mission? No, but some bosses can have multiple phases.
5

Sometimes make the boss fight complex. For example does the player have to do something within the arena to make the boss vulnerable, or can the player lock-on to the vulnerability?
6

Make sure the music changes from the normal level tune to the boss tune. This helps define the difference between a new enemy and an actual boss. If a boss is of the same type, it may help to use the same theme.
7

If possible make every boss' tune its own. Normally every boss fight has the same music but the final boss, but this doesn't have to be true for your game. One of the easiest ways to go through with this is to make the music a remix of the regular level music.
8

Make sure as the boss' health gets lower it actually begins to vary its attacks. This makes it tougher which is the point in a boss fight.
9

Give the player a reason to fight your boss, this way the player will be more determined to thwart the boss, even if the player still can't beat the boss after 8 solid hours of fighting (I.E. in Kingdom Hearts II, Sephiroth wants to steal your Keyblade via defeating you, so it's natural you'd want to thwart him even if it takes months, like it does with most people who use the Kingdom Key instead of the Ultima Weapon.)
10

Don't restrict yourself when making the boss. There is no rule stating that every boss must appear at the end of every third level, and just because the level theme's is in a sewer, doesn't mean you can't give your rat boss some wings (after all, you could explain that waste in the sewers are tampering with the rat's biological DNA and thus, the reason why it is has wings!)

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Add New Question

Question

You say to make the boss fit with the level's theme, but how would you explain Phantom Ganon in Ocarina of Time's Forest Temple?

It's the introduction to being adult Link. As child Link, the mission seemed more like a game to stop the bad guy, but when you become adult Link, everything takes on more of a darker feel, and phantom Ganon is pretty much pitch black, representing the transition from the happier side of the game to the darker, more serious side of the game.
Question

How do I make a video game boss memorable?

Make a memorable transition from the level or dungeon to the boss. For example, if your boss is early in the game, give it an intimidating intro and a satisfying death. If your boss appears later in the game, such as near the end or as an important character, make them do something that the player will absolutely despise them for, such as causing some traumatizing recollection of events in your main character, or permanently killing off a side character. Alongside buildup, don't forget to add great music and atmosphere too. Basically, to make a boss feel memorable, you have to make the player relate to what the character(s) in the game is/are feeling as best you can.
Question

Let's say I make a sand worm for a boss. Would it be logical if it somehow got lost and ended up in a forest? Could that make sense?

That could provide a shock to the player, so yes, it would be good, but you should make sure to include a desert somewhere in the game so that players can see where the sand worm came from. But when it comes to fantasy video games, you don't have to worry too much about logic.
Question

Can you show some other pictures of different bosses for different areas?

Here are some ideas: Volcano: fiery dragon, lava monster, pyromaniac. Haunted Mansion: possessed doll, dark spirit, giant spider. Tundra: mutant yeti, ice golem, something against Santa Claus. Desert: resurrected pharaoh, devil scorpion, evil cactus. Cave: stalactite manipulator, vengeful bat, earth ruler. Futuristic: rebel machine, alien leader, mad scientist.
Question

Do I need a certain website or app to do this?

No, you don't. You can use any kind of design or art website to create your video game boss.
Question

Should I plan it out on paper?

Yes, it is always a good plan to plan it out on paper.
Question

Is there an app I can try to create a boss design?

Yes! There's a lot of drawing apps out there for all sorts of drawing. I've been rather fond of one called Sketch recently, but there's also Autodesk Sketchbook, ibisPaint X, MediBang Paint, and many others. There's also a variety of PC programs you can download for free, such as Gimp, Krita, FireAlpaca, and Paint.net. However, you don't need a particular app or tool to design a boss. You could just use pencil or paper if you find that easiest. The most important part is establishing your ideas in a way that you can understand so that you have a reference when it comes time to code the boss in your game, or just for yourself to enjoy.
Question

How can you explain the Japanese shooter game, Parodius? Some bosses don't fit in with the environment.

Parodius is, unsurprisingly, a parody game. It makes fun of Gradius by using similar level design and mechanics, but it is ultimately a game made as a joke to be flamboyant, over-the-top and completely ridiculous; it freely ignores many game design rules.
Question

Could I use a genie boss in a desert level?

Possibly, but it would only work well if the desert is established as Arabian, where genies originated from.
Question

Can I do opposites for a video game boss, like a fire boss in a water area?

Do whatever works for you. I would suggest tying it together, but you don't have to if you have a plausible reason why a fire creature would live in a water habitat.