Underwater Boss Battle: Difference between revisions

[[Down the Drain|Water]] [[Under the Sea|based]] [[Shark Tunnel|levels]] in games have an odd reputation. They can be seen as the greatest thing ever, if handled well enough, or the [[That One Level|worst possible]] section(s) of a game. But in these levels, assuming the game itself generally has boss fights at all, the inclusion of water in the arena can radically change a boss battle and how it plays out. If handled well, it can easily be a clear example of the [[Awesome Bosses/Video Game|best boss in the game]]. It can also be seen as [[That One Boss]] in the opposite scenario. Nevertheless, underwater boss battles (or generally water based battles in general) have a LOT of different possible designs, and as can be seen via the examples below, have been a standard change to the traditional [[Boss Battle]] formula since the beginning of gaming in general.

* Every boss in the ''[[Ecco the Dolphin (Video Gameseries)|Ecco the Dolphin]]'' series, but seeing as pretty much the entire game takes place underwater, this is hardly surprising.

* ''[[Castlevania Portrait of Ruin (Video Game)|Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin]]'' has Dagon, some kind of weird reptillian... thing. You fight him underwater, and one of his attacks even involves taking away all the water temporarily in order to use it like a weapon.

* ''[[Jaws Unleashed]]'' for Xbox, surprisingly, the game only had a few bosses that actually were completely underwater. The most notable was the giant squid. [[Jaws (Videovideo Gamegame)|The NES game]] has you fighting the shark underwater, like everything else.

* ''[[An Untitled Story (Video Game)|An Untitled Story]]'' features [[Fan Nickname|DeepDragon]], a [[Stationary Boss|static]], [[Kill It Withwith Ice|ice-breathing]] sea [[Segmented Serpent|serpent]].

* Shark from ''[[Clash Atat Demonhead]]''. His base is underneath the sea on Route 22, which you'll need an Aqua Lung to reach (and survive).

=== [[Action Game]] ===

* ''[[Bomberman (Video Game)|Bomberman]] Hero'' featured some levels with Bomberman turning into a vehicle. One of these was the Bomber Submarine. Essentially crappy shoot-em ups, they featured simple bosses at the end. The bad part: well, the boss rush at the end features an underwater re-encounter with a stone lion [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere|for no real reason]]. The weird controls added to a grand total of 5 health units made this battle a living hell.

=== [[Beat'Em Up]] ===

* Mech Taco from ''[[Captain America and The Avengers (Video Game)|Captain America and The Avengers]]''. (No, it's not a taco. Think [[Gratuitous Japanese]].)

=== [[First-Person Shooter]] ===

* The Alien Queen in Episode 4 of ''[[Duke Nukem 3D (Video Game)|Duke Nukem 3D]]''. Not only is she 2000 hit points tougher than the other bosses, you have to fight her underwater, she can give you a nasty zap, ''and'' she keeps laying more enemies!

** The penultimate boss in ''[[Duke Nukem Forever (Video Game)|Duke Nukem Forever]]'', the Energy Leech. Easily falls under [[That One Boss]] thanks to Duke's slow swimming speed.

=== [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game|MMORPGs]] ===

* Maws, from ''[[World of Warcraft (Video Game)|World of Warcraft]]'', is summoned out in the sea. The raid composition determines whether he's fought at the water's surface or underneath

=== [[Platform Game]] ===

* Kingfin from ''[[Super Mario Galaxy (Video Game)|Super Mario Galaxy]]''.

** Also the Octopus boss from ''[[Super Mario Land 2: (Video6 Game)Golden Coins|Super Mario Land 2]]''.

** And a giant Blooper [[Mini Boss]] in ''[[Super Paper Mario (Video Game)|Super Paper Mario]]''.

** The second battle against Wendy O. Koopa in ''[[New Super Mario Bros Wii (Video Game)|New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]''. The basic gist is that Kamek has submerged the arena; considering that you can't stomp on enemies underwater, you have to hold out until the water level becomes low enough for you to jump on Wendy.

** Eely-Mouth from ''[[Super Mario Sunshine (Video Game)|Super Mario Sunshine]]'', interestingly enough the only underwater boss in a water-based game.

* Barbos from ''[[Donkey Kong Country (Videovideo Gamegame)|Donkey Kong Country]] 3''.

* The defence wall type minibosses from ''[[Wario Land (Video Game)|Wario Land Shake Dimension]]''.

* The Hulking Lungfish in ''[[Psychonauts (Video Game)|Psychonauts]]'' is an underwater enemy whom you fight from within an air bubble. Since [[Super Drowning Skills|Raz can't swim]], you have to figure out how to damage her without leaving the bubble. Eventually, though, she leaves the bubble and starts attacking you as normal.

* ''[[Banjo-Kazooie (Video Game)|Banjo-Kazooie]]-Tooie'' has an anglerfish of the type 1 variety named Lord Woo Fak Fak. You can actually fight him as the submarine transformation in this level or as bear and bird.

* Many Robot Masters from the ''[[Mega Man (Videovideo Gamegame)|Mega Man]]'' games, including the first-ever Robot Mistress, Splash Woman from ''[[Mega Man 9 (Video Game)|Mega Man 9]]''. Also Bubble Man from ''[[Mega Man 2 (Video Game)|Mega Man 2]]'' and Dive Man from ''[[Mega Man 4 (Video Game)|Mega Man 4]]''. Since the main effect of water is super-high jumping, they usually put insta-kill spikes on the ceiling.

** In ''[[Mega Man X (Video Game)|Mega Man X]]'', Launch Octopus among others.

* A few examples from the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series include:

** ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Video Game)|Sonic CD]]'''s Tidal Tempest fight against Eggman's Eggmobile. Eggman is kind of gentle to be surrounded by bubbles Sonic can breathe through...

** ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble (Video Game)|Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble]]'''s Tidal Plant Zone against Knuckles (!).

** ''[[Sonic Colors (Video Game)|Sonic Colors]]'''s fight with Admiral Jelly in Aquarium Park.

** ''[[Sonic Rush Series (Video Game)|Sonic Rush Series]]'''s Water Palace with Eggman's Egg Turtle is another example where you actually can't drown, though occasionally the water level will drop.

* In ''[[Kirby (Video Game)|Kirby]]'s Dream Land 3'', Acro the orca starts off as a land-based boss until he destroys the floor and begins the second phase in an underwater arena. He also appears in ''[[Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards (Video Game)|Kirby 64]]'', but this time the whole fight takes place underwater.

=== [[Role -Playing Game]] ===

* King Kuraselache (boss of the First Epoch) and King Rogon (one of the bosses of the Fifth Epoch) in ''[[EVO Search for Eden]]'', a great white shark and a [[Creature Fromfrom the Black Lagoon|Gillman]] respectively.

* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' had [[The Little Mermaid|Ursula]], an underwater battle.

* In ''[[Romancing Sa GaSaGa]]'', one of the [[Evil Minions]] of the [[Big Bad]] ambushes you after getting the [[Cosmic Keystone]] from the Underwater Temple

** In ''[[Romancing Sa gaSaGa 2]]'', you actually fight Subier either underwater or on a boat depending on your actions. {{spoiler|Killing Master of Ocean will always net you his second form and immediately after clearing the shipwreck}}

* ''[[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VII]]'' has Emerald WEAPON, an [[Bonus Boss|optional boss]] who hangs out at the bottom of the sea. And you don't even fight him in your submarine. There's also a couple of underwater (though air-containing) areas.

* The Giant Slaughterfish in ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion (Video Game)|The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'', which you encounter during the Thieves' Guild questline.

=== [[Shoot'Em Up]] ===

* ''[[Star Fox 64 (Video Game)|Star Fox 64]]'' featured the giant clam boss in Aquas, the underwater level, while piloting the submarine vehicle exclusive to the level

** The boss of Zoness is a submarine, though battled at the water's surface while in the Arwing

=== Above Water Boss Battle ===

** MorphaPhytops from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: OcarinaSpirit of Time (Video Game)Tracks|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina ofSpirit TimeTracks]]''.

* ''[[Castlevania Chronicles of Sorrow (Video Game)|Castlevania: Chronicles of Sorrow]]'' has an unusual case in the form of Rahab, a large fish of some type. The area where you fight him is a pool, and there are no platforms for your hero to stand upon(he instead floats on the surface of the water), but the boss will frequently leap out of the water to attack in one of three ways. Defeating it nets you the ability to move around underwater.

* Rahab from ''[[Legacy of Kain (Video Game)|Legacy of Kain]]: Soul Reaver'' is a straight example. He swims around, Raziel jumps between 8 pillars while Rahab shoots water at him or tries to bite him.

=== [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game|MMORPGs]] ===

* Maws, from ''[[World of Warcraft (Video Game)|World of Warcraft]]'', is summoned out in the sea. The raid composition determines whether he's fought at the water's surface or underneath

** The Lurker Below in Serpentshrine Cavern, must be fished out of a pool of water (it's a gigantic sea monster sort of thing) to initiate the battle. The raid's preparation determines whether the water around it is filled with flesheating bastardly fish (bad) or boiling (not as bad), so it's generally advised to stay on the solid ring around the boss' pool.

=== [[Platform Game]] ===

* Cheepskipper from ''[[New Super Mario Bros (Video Game)|New Super Mario Bros.]]''

* Kroctopus from ''[[Donkey Kong Country (Videovideo Gamegame)|Donkey Kong Country]] 3''.

* Possibly Catbat from ''[[Wario Land (Video Game)|Wario Land]] 4''.

* ''[[Metroid (Video Game)|Metroid]] Fusion'' has Serris. It jumps out of the water frequently, its entire attack pattern revolves around snaking in and out of the water while you either try and dodge from one of several platforms or hang on an overhead ladder on the ceiling and try and avoid from there.

** The Chykka larva from ''[[Metroid Prime (Video Game)|Metroid Prime]] 2'' swims around in toxic water while you stand on a platform. You can attack it while it's swimming, though it's very hard to hit. He does occasionally jump out of the water and also occasionally jump onto onto the platform partially to try to eat you.

* Fatty Whale from ''[[Kirby Super Star (Video Game)|Kirby Super Star]]'' and its [[Video Game Remake|remake]] (''Super Star Ultra'') attacks either by bouncing atop the floating platform Kirby's standing on or by swimming around said platform while attack.

* The grotesquely hideous [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO72bE_gZKo Jinmen-Gyo (Man-Faced Fish)] from the 4th stage of ''[[Contra (Videovideo Gamegame series)|Contra]]: Shattered Soldier''. It attacks by jumping out of the water, trying to eat the player from one of three floating platforms, as well as sucking the platforms into his mouth in a bid to swallow the player alive.

* Planet Wisp's Rotatotron in the DS version of ''[[Sonic Colors (Video Game)|Sonic Colors]]'' is above water while you are too, but its major weak spots are underwater, only reachable by use of the drill wisp.

* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Video Game)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' has two bosses like this, neither of which actually involve water:

=== [[Shoot'Em Up]] ===

=== [[Stealth Based Game]] ===

* Vamp in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]'', kind of. He'll swim through the water in the room, but only attack you when above it.

=== Boat Based Water Boss Battle ===

=== [[Platform Game]] ===

* ''[[Donkey Kong 64 (Video Game)|Donkey Kong 64]]'' has the player, as Lanky Kong, motor around in a boat while navigating a maze of electrified bouys during the battle with a giant pufferfish.

* The second boss of ''Super [[Ghosts N'n Goblins (Video Game)|Ghouls 'n Ghosts]]'', the Kraken, is fought from a tiny raft.

* ''[[Bug! (Video Game)|Bug]]!'' has the third boss, a swamp worm. You ride a platform floating on the water, once the boss takes enough damage, the platform sinks, and then you have to [[Goomba Springboard]] on the boss' body onto an even smaller platform. Getting hit once will probably result in Bug falling off and [[Super Drowning Skills|drowning instantly]].

=== [[Role -Playing Game]] ===

* ''[[Mega Man Legends (Video Game)|Mega Man Legends]]'' has MegaMan fighting against Tron's Frog Bot at Lake Jynn while he's riding in a boat he got from Wily's (no relation to the [[Mad Scientist]] of [[Mega Man (Videovideo Gamegame)|the original series]]).

=== [[Survival Horror]] ===

* Del Lagos of ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'' is fought while on a boat, using harpoons if I'm not mistaken.

=== [[Third-Person Shooter]] ===

* ''[[Gears of War (Video Game)|Gears of War]] 2'' features the Leviathan, a Kraken/piranha mix that tried to drag your boat down, then eat it whole.

=== Character in Water, Boss Above Water ===

=== [[Shoot'Em Up]] ===

=== [[Stealth Based Game]] ===

=== Multiple Cases ===

=== [[Platform Game]] ===

* Demonic from ''[[Purple (Video Game)|Purple]]'' is normally a waterless battle, but he can raise water into the room in an attempt to electrify you.

* ''[[Sonic Rush Series (Video Game)|Sonic Rush Adventure]]'''s Coral Cave boss, the Ghost Kraken, is mostly above water, but sometimes it drags you and the platform down to fight you underwater for a bit. Like the Rush example above, you can't drown. Bizarrely, the first part of [[Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble (Video Game)|Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble]]'s ''first boss'', the Grand Motobug, has you underwater and the turtle boss above water, but you can jump out to hit him.

* In ''[[Mega Man X (Video Game)|Mega Man X7]]'', both the player and Splash Warfly start off above water, but Splash Warfly's modus operandi is diving into the sea and reappearing from random locations to attempt a sneak attack. [[Super Drowning Skills|Trying to follow his example will get you killed.]]

* In ''[[RockmanRock Man 4 Minus Infinity]]'', the battle against Dive Man starts off this way, but he and Mega Man can jump up to the platform above the aquatic arena.

=== [[Role -Playing Game]] ===

* One of the early boss battles of ''[[Final Fantasy VI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VI]]'' is against Ultros while riding a raft. The GBA remake also adds Leviathan as a [[Bonus Boss]], who is fought underwater.

* ''[[Monster Hunter (Video Game)|Monster Hunter]] Tri'' features underwater locations for the first time and, as you would expect in a series dedicated to the slaying of giant monsters, a number of underwater creatures have been created, the majority of them can come onto the land for periods of time too but the final offline monster is completely waterbound.

=== [[Wide Open Sandbox]] ===