History Main / MooksButNoBosses

* ''VideoGame/BattlestarGalacticaOnline'' dispenses with ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''-style storied raids and bosses to focus on PVP and sector control. As a result, the lategame challenge comes from swarms of EliteMook or enemy players instead.

** The three [[EldritchAbomination Reaper]] fights probably count as well, though the mechanics are significantly different from normal gameplay. Even counting those, though, ME3 has far fewer boss fights than its two predecessors.

* The videogame adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheGodfather''. The "bosses" are the dons of the other families but they're easy to kill, the real challenge is fighting all their {{mook}}s.

* The CallOfDuty series never really had any bosses, with practically all enemies fighting the same and taking the same number of bullets to kill. ModernWarfare2 upped the ante with the addition of [[MeatShield Juggernauts]], but in general all the major, plot relevant foes are either killed in a cutscene, quick time event, or as easily as any other mook.

* The fighting, even if present is actually secondary to the action and the developers want to focus the intensity on other aspects, like the general atmosphere or the {{HSQ}} of the scenario.

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* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3:'' There's only one boss in the game, and he's closer to a beefed-up [[FragileSpeedster Phantom]] than anything.

* In ''MaxPayne'', there were many fights against "boss" mobsters who could withstand boss levels of punishment before being defeated. ''Max Payne 2'' does away with these fights almost completely. There's only one enemy who's at all tougher than a regular Mook, Kaufman, and even he goes down in less than a dozen shots. The final boss fight is mostly a PuzzleBoss, although you do shoot him up after solving the puzzle. ''Max Payne 3'' is mostly like ''Max Payne 2'' in this regard, although there is one boss fight against an armored GiantMook about 4/5ths of the way through the game.

Nowadays, the vast majority of video games, even when not pure action games, include fighting enemies on the way. There may be [[{{Mooks}} a lot]] [[GoddamnBats of weak ones]] or [[DemonicSpiders a few]] [[BossInMookClothing tough ones]], they may be [[WhatMeasureIsAMook humans]] or [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman monsters]], you may kill them half-heartedly or [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential with great enjoyment]] but they will be on your path to prevent you from SavingTheWorld, rescuing the DamselInDistress, [[QuestForIdentity finding your lost memories]] or [[DevilMayCry eating your pizza]]. And at some points, you will have to fight [[BossFight big enemies, much more fearsome and dangerous than the others]] ([[AnticlimaxBoss or not…]]) with an appropriate tension buildup.

* The fighting, even if present is actually secondary to the action and the developers want to focus the intensity on other aspects, like the general atmosphere or the {{HSQ}} of the scenario.
* The climactic battle(s) will be [[TheWarSequence against an army of mooks instead of a single boss]], placing the player against seemingly impossible odds to create tension.

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* Every level in the ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' games is devoid of bosses, with the exception of the final level in the third (the Grand Intellect), fifth (the Shikadi Master) and [[GaidenGame spin-off]] episodes (Boobus Tubber).

* DeusEx: You do engage several elite enemy operatives, but they are not much stronger than a regular mook, if better armed and augmented, and die almost just as easily.

Nowadays, the vast majority of video games, even when not pure action games, include fighting enemies on the way. There may be [[{{Mooks}} a lot]] [[GoddamnBats of weak ones]] or [[DemonicSpiders a few]] [[BossInMookClothing tough ones]], they may be [[WhatMeasureIsAMook humans]] or [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman monsters]], you may kill them [[PlayerPunch half-heartedly]] or [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential with great enjoyment]] but they will be on your path to prevent you from SavingTheWorld, rescuing the DamselInDistress, [[QuestForIdentity finding your lost memories]] or [[DevilMayCry eating your pizza]]. And at some points, you will have to fight [[BossFight big enemies, much more fearsome and dangerous than the others]] ([[AnticlimaxBoss or not…]]) with an appropriate tension buildup.

* Every level in the ''CommanderKeen'' games is devoid of bosses, with the exception of the final level in the third (the Grand Intellect), fifth (the Shikadi Master) and [[GaidenGame spin-off]] episodes (Boobus Tubber).

* The videogame adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheGodfather''. The "bosses" are the dons of the other families but they're easy to kill, the real challenge is fighting all their {{mook}}s.

* {{Uncharted}} 3 suffers this really bad. The series is not exactly known for Boss battles--but they usually form a part of the setpiece levels in some degree or another. In 3, however, while the setpieces are undeniably awesome, the closest thing to boss fights in this game are basic fistfights against a guy who has a bit more HP than usual...

* ''{{Eversion}}'' has no bosses, [[spoiler:but it makes up for that with [[{{DarthWiki/Eversion}} its more famous attributes.]]]]

The extreme end of Mario-type BossDissonance.

Nowadays, the vast majority of video games, even when not pure action games, include fighting enemies on the way. There may be [[{{Mooks}} a lot]] [[GoddamnBats of weak ones]] or [[DemonicSpiders a few]] [[BossInMookClothing tough ones]], they may be [[WhatMeasureIsAMook humans]] or [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman monsters]], you may kill them [[GuiltBasedGaming half-heartedly]] or [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential with great enjoyment]] but they will be on your path to prevent you from SavingTheWorld, rescuing the DamselInDistress, [[QuestForIdentity finding your lost memories]] or [[DevilMayCry eating your pizza]]. And at some points, you will have to fight [[BossFight big enemies, much more fearsome and dangerous than the others]] ([[AnticlimaxBoss or not…]]) with an appropriate tension buildup.

Note this trope is about the absence of bosses ''in a genre where their presence is the norm''. {{Endless Game}}s and Construction Games are generally bossless for obvious reasons, as well as {{Strategy Game}}s where the notion of "Boss Battle" is pretty much meaningless (potential aversions may be added as examples though). And of course, [[CaptainObvious no need to list the games where there are no enemies in the first place]].

* The 2D PlayStation game ''Heart Of Darkness'' is like this. The final battle is against a huge number of mooks but you never actually fight the EvilOverlord, he's just [[CutsceneBoss destroyed in the following cutscene]].

* The videogame adaptation of ''Game/TheGodfather''. The "bosses" are the dons of the other families but they're easy to kill, the real challenge is fighting all their {{mook}}s.

* [[Uncharted]] 3 suffers this really bad. The series is not exactly known for Boss battles--but they usually form a part of the setpiece levels in some degree or another. In 3, however, while the setpieces are undeniably awesome, the closest thing to boss fights in this game are basic fistfights against a guy who has a bit more HP than usual...