History Main / MooksButNoBosses

* ''VideoGame/HalfLifeBlueShift'' is notably the only title in the entire ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' series that lacks boss fights. While a single Abrams tank is present in the chapter "Captive Freight", it's not given much fanfare, and your opposition during the finale while you're powering up the prototype teleporter amounts to a few houndeyes and a squad of HECU soldiers.

* ''VideoGame/MonstersIncScreamTeam'': There are MechaMooks in all levels, and the objective in each level is to scare the mechanical dummies (Nerves) to earn medals. However, there are no bosses of any sort; not even Randall, who is challenged via races and you simply have to reach the goal first (collecting a specific amount of coins is also necessary). It's also justified, because this game is a prequel to the ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' movie, and the actual confrontation between Randall and the starring duo doesn't happen until the climax of said movie.

* In ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1'', Jaffar is the FinalBoss only in the sense that, unlike any other enemy, you have to kill him; he fights like all the other {{Mooks}}, and though he does have more health, that advantage is nullified by an [[DisneyVillainDeath obvious situational weakness]]. Other [[BossInMookClothing pseudo-boss]] enemies include the [[InvincibleMinorMinion Skeleton]] in Level 3, [[FatBastard the Fat Guard AKA Politician]] in Level 6, and the [[MirrorMatch Doppelganger]] in Level 12. A few ports throw in a conventional BossBattle with Jaffar after this, and the SNES version adds many original bosses.

* In ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1'', Jaffar is the FinalBoss only in the sense that, unlike any other enemy, you have to kill him; he fights like all the other {{Mooks}}, and though he does have more health, that advantage is nullified by an [[DisneyVillainDeath obvious situational weakness]]. A few ports throw in a conventional BossBattle with Jaffar after this, and the SNES version adds many original bosses.

* The ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series never really had any bosses (with the exception of a CutsceneBoss fight at the end of each game since ''Modern Warfare''), with practically all enemies fighting the same and taking the same number of bullets to kill. ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' upped the ante with the addition of 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. This is averted by ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsIII'', with each of the major antagonists being fought in a boss battle, including a giant mecha, a giant aerial assault vehicle, a FlunkyBoss, and a ProactiveBoss.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLifeBlueShift'' is notably the only title in the entire ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' series that lacks boss fights. While an single Abrams tank is present in the chapter "Captive Freight", it's not given much fanfare, and your opposition during the finale while you're powering up the prototype teleporter amounts to a few houndeyes and a squad of HECU soldiers.

* ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'' only has one boss-like encounter, [[spoiler:Delford "Iraq" Wade, fought at the top of his building]]. And it's only barely stronger than an Armored Guard. All other plot-critical targets are killed in cutscenes, quick-time events or in the same way a traditional enemy is.

* In ''VideoGame/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.

** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' only has one enemy resembling a boss in the main story, with the other main targets being more like EliteMooks in combat - and indeed, every other target in the game can be assassinated just like any mook. There are even bonuses for one-shotting them in specific ways. There are also four BonusBoss ships in the form of the four legendary ships.

* World 4-1 in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' is the only level in the game where Birdo or any bosses don't appear. Instead the end of the level is a brief obstacle course where the player has to avoid Flurries and Autobombs. The crystal ball is waiting out in the open for them at the very end, just waiting to be picked up.

* Alternatively, [[BossInMookClothing boss-like enemies]] may be encountered outside of a traditional BossRoom. These enemies are only boss-like in their difficulty, and are otherwise designated as "normal" enemies.

* Alternatively, [[BossInMookClothing boss-like enemies]] may be encountered outside of a traditional BossRoom.

* ''VideoGame/TheEndTimesVermintide'' features five heroes against Warhammer's Skaven in a mission-based game similar to ''VideoGame/Left4Dead''. Until its third DLC of missions, the only "bosses" were the usually one-per-level Rat Ogres, miniboss enemies who are mindless mountains of muscle and hit points that berserk their way into the party, and the Stormvermin Patrols, which are simply an unusually large collections of EliteMooks who patrol together and are much easier to avoid than fight. The invasion's leader, a Grey Seer, cannot be fought directly at all, and beating him simply requires fulfilling level objectives while ignoring the Seer. The third DLC finally added a true boss in the clan's Chaos-infused chieftain. [[VideoGame/VermintideII The sequel]] fully averts this with five full boss fights (two Chaos Champions, two Chaos Sorcerer Lords, and the same Grey Seer now riding a Stormfiend) and several miniboss types who usually show up once or twice per level (on top of the ogres there are now Stormfiends, Bile Trolls, Chaos Spawn, and, in the DLC, Minotaurs).

* ''VideoGame/MaximumForce'' doesn't have any bosses, with all your enemies being terrorists, gunrunners, and generic-looking mooks (and occasionally an attack helicopter). While the final level have you taking on a drug baron's army, once you reach the end of the level... you then blow up the drug baron via rocket launcher, in a cutscene. And then the game ends.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' and ''VideoGame/GoldenEyeWii'': The only boss you fight is Alec Trevelyan, who doubles as the FinalBoss. During the rest of the game, you confront numerous mooks, solve puzzles and complete objectives, but no bosses appear.

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* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooieNutsAndBolts'' only has the FinalBoss, Gruntilda, fought at the end. Though Mr. Patch (who first debuted as a boss in ''Tooie'') appears as well, he's merely a BossInMookClothing target in two challenges.

* ''Videogame/BioshockInfinite'' has exactly one actual boss character, who is fought [[RecurringBoss several times]], while all other significant antagonists, including a giant monster who would have been an ''extremely'' obvious candidate for a boss fight and was practically ''[[AdvertisedExtra advertised]]'' as such in pre-release marketing, are killed in cutscenes. The first DLC chapter also has a boss fight, but it's against the BossInMooksClothing MascotMook from the original ''Bioshock'' games rather than something new or truly unique.

* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie: Nuts and Bolts'' only has the FinalBoss, Gruntilda, fought at the end. Though Mr. Patch (who first debuted as a boss in ''Tooie'') appears as well, he's merely a BossInMookClothing target in two challenges.

* 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 Tuber). Even among the exceptions, the Shikadi Master is invincible, as the goal in that level is to defuse the energy source of the Armageddon Machine while avoiding the big enemy's attacks. The majority of {{Fan Sequel}}s are devoid of bosses as well, with one of the notable exceptions being Episode 9 in its last level, where you confront the Grand Intellect [[spoiler:in his true human form, Mortimer (Keen's vicious rival)]].
* The second episode (game) of ''VideoGame/CosmosCosmicAdventure'' doesn't have any bosses at all, and the first and third only have a FinalBoss (the same in both cases).

* A large portion of ''VideoGame/ChipsChallenge'' is spent dodging, killing or even ''creating'' mooks (through a [[MookMaker clone machine]]), but there's no boss in any of the 149 levels of the game. This also applies to the CC Level Pack {{Fan Sequel}}s as well as the official sequel.

* ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' is almost like this. There's really only one regular boss (the avatar of Kamulos); the few other boss-ish characters include a unique named character who's not actually powerful, a more powerful version of a regular bandit who's only here for being unique (more powerful versions of monsters being otherwise common), a strong guard you don't have to fight, and a HopelessBossFight. Most of the time, the final fight somewhere will just be a group of powerful regular enemies.

* ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'': the closest thing is has are Grox and even then they act more like EliteMooks.