History Main / PivotalBoss

* ''WorldOfWarcraft'':

They solve this problem by sticking it in the middle of the arena. The player character will have to run about the arena while the enormous boss will pivot to face the character, and occasionally attack. Common attacks for the boss include at least one way for it to reduce the player's running room. A subtrope of StationaryBoss.

* The great guardian in EternalDarkness. All three.

* The first boss in BrutalLegend is an example, it's a giant worm that sits in the center of the boss arena and tries to eat you as you race around in your car.
* The first boss in ''{{Conduit 2}}'' is the Leviathan, a gigantic sea serpent who turns to attack the deep-ocean platform you're on.

* Belial's OneWingedAngel form in ''VideoGame/DiabloIII''.

* The first two bosses in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''

** [[BigBad Ganondorf]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' is a bit of an inversion. He's smaller than almost every other boss in the game and could very easily move around the arena. Instead he chooses to stay in the center and fling energy balls at you for you to knock back at him.

** Except for one attack, [[MetroidOtherM Nightmare]] does this. [[RecurringBoss The first time you face him.]]
** Amorbis in ''MetroidPrime 2'' can upgrade into one.
** Parasite Queen in ''Metroid Prime 1'' works this way.
** Flaaghra, the boss of the Chozo Ruins.
** Emperor Ing's first and second forms in Echoes.

* Bouldergeist, King Kaliente, Tarantox and Undergrunt Gunner in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' some you face multiple times.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', Megahammer and Squizzard in the main game and King Kaliente and Bouldergeist in the BossRush. The Boomsday Machine is a subversion; it starts out like this, but becomes mobile when it TurnsRed.
* Bowser in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine''. Not so much his other games.

* Despite being much smaller than most examples, the Angel Smile from ''{{Killer7}}'' is pivotal.

* Yiazmat is the biggest enemy in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', but unlike the other giant-wyrm bosses (ie. Fafnir, Behemoth King, Hellwyrm) is in an arena barely bigger than him. Playing this trope dead-straight, if you run around to the back of him, he can turn to face you faster than should be physically possible.
** Hell Wyrm has the misfortune of living inside a massive room inside an underground dungeon filled with small hallways, meaning that ''he physically cannot leave the room''. And you walk all the way down here to kill the poor bastard.

* Clotho in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar 2''.
** Also [[spoiler: Hades]] in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar 3'' in the final stage of the fight.
* ''JakAndDaxter'': The [[spoiler:[[GiantMecha Precursor Robot]]]] is an inversion - you run around on a relatively small platform and ''it'' moves around ''you''.

* Except for one attack, [[MetroidOtherM Nightmare]] does this.
** [[RecurringBoss The first time you face him.]]
* Amorbis in ''MetroidPrime 2'' can upgrade into one.

** So does Flaaghra, the boss of the Chozo Ruins.

* Mysterio in the [=PlayStation=] 1 ''{{Spider-Man}}'' game, who grows to an enormous size for the fight.
** In the Nintendo 64/Dreamcast {{Spider-Man}} adaptions of this game, Mysterio is also this trope.

** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', Megahammer and Squizzard in the main game and King Kaliente and Bouldergeist in the BossRush. The Boomsday Machine is a subversion; it starts out like this, but becomes mobile when it TurnsRed.

* ''WorldOfWarcraft'' loves this kind of boss fight. [[PlayingWithFire Ragnaros]], [[EldritchAbomination C'thun]], [[TheDragon Kil'jaedan]], and [[BiggerBad Yogg-Saron]] all work this way. Kologarn, Sinestra, and Kromog all use Kil'jaeden's model as a base.

* ''WorldOfWarcraft'' loves this kind of boss fight. [[PlayingWithFire Ragnaros]], [[EldritchAbomination C'thun]], [[TheDragon Kil'jaedan]], and [[BiggerBad Yogg-Saron]] all work this way.

* The final boss fight with Sigma in ''{{Mega Man X}}7'' is styled like this, but with ascending platforms instead of a circular arena.

* 9 out of the 11 bosses in {{Gauntlet}}: Dark Legacy are like this, although most of them except the Genie are stuck in the back of the arena rather than the center.

** [[BigBad Ganondorf]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' is a bit of an inversion. He's smaller than almost every other boss in the game and could very easily move around the arena. Instead he chooses to stay in the center and fling [[IdiotBall energy]] [[IncrediblyLamePun balls]] at you for you to knock back at him.

* Half of the fight with [[spoiler: Ra's Al Gul]] in ''BatmanArkhamCity''. The other half is fighting his mooks.

* Chthon from {{Quake}}.

* Chilly Willy and Chilli Billy in ''BanjoTooie''

* Targitzan in ''[[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo-Tooie]]''.

* NinjaGaiden's resident giant [[CombatTentacles tentacle monster]] is one of these. You fight it several times throughout the game.
* The Orochi in ''{{Okami}}'' fights like this.

* Belial's OneWingedAngel form in ''DiabloIII''.

* Sepulcher in ''SilentHillHomecoming'' works this way.

* The MCP fight in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' is odd about this: There are two bosses, [[{{Tron}} Sark and the MCP]], and the one that you can kill permanently is pivotal.

* Clotho in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar 2''.
** Also [[spoiler: Hades]] in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar 3'' in the final stage of the fight.
* Mysterio in the [=PlayStation=] 1 ''{{Spider-Man}}'' game, who grows to an enormous size for the fight.

* The final boss fight with Sigma in ''{{Mega Man X}}7'' is styled like this, but with ascending platforms instead of a circular arena.

* Bowser in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine''. Not so much his other games.

* Jumbo Champloon in "LittleKingsStory"
* The great guardian in EternalDarkness. All three.

* 9 out of the 11 bosses in {{Gauntlet}}: Dark Legacy are like this, although most of them except the Genie are stuck in the back of the arena rather than the center.
* NinjaGaiden's resident giant [[CombatTentacles tentacle monster]] is one of these. You fight it several times throughout the game.
* Despite being much smaller than most examples, the Angel Smile from ''{{Killer7}}'' is pivotal.
* ''Magic Carpet 2'' had such an ending boss. You only saw him from the waist up, in the center of his mountain fortress. Due to the game mechanics, immobility meant he was [[ForegoneVictory unable to finish you off]] unless you happened to build your castle close to where he appeared.
* The Factory boss in ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil.'' The way to win is to actually get yourself and your partner on opposite sides of it, and attack it that way.
* The [[spoiler: first]] fight against Red in ''SpyroTheDragon: A Hero's Tail.'' He can both expand ''and'' decrease the size of the arena by using either ice magic (to expand it) or fire magic (to melt the ice).
* Yiazmat is the biggest enemy in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', but unlike the other giant-wyrm bosses (ie. Fafnir, Behemoth King, Hellwyrm) is in an arena barely bigger than him. Playing this trope dead-straight, if you run around to the back of him, he can turn to face you faster than should be physically possible.
** Hell Wyrm has the misfortune of living inside a massive room inside an underground dungeon filled with small hallways, meaning that ''he physically cannot leave the room''. And you walk all the way down here to kill the poor bastard.
* The first boss in ''{{Conduit 2}}'' is the Leviathan, a gigantic sea serpent who turns to attack the deep-ocean platform you're on.
* Except for one attack, [[MetroidOtherM Nightmare]] does this.
** [[RecurringBoss The first time you face him.]]
* One level of a ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' Xbox game did this with the final boss of the segment. You were running around on catwalks throwing ExplodingBarrels at it as it swiped at you with its arms.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', [[spoiler: Wheatley]] does this while throwing bombs at the player.
* In the Playstation/Nintendo 64/Dreamcast {{Spider-Man}} video game, Mysterio is this trope.
* Chthon from {{Quake}}.
* ''JakAndDaxter'': The [[spoiler:[[GiantMecha Precursor Robot]]]] is an inversion - you run around on a relatively small platform and ''it'' moves around ''you''.
* The first boss in BrutalLegend is an example, it's a giant worm that sits in the center of the boss arena and tries to eat you as you race around in your car.
* Chilly Willy and Chilli Billy in ''BanjoTooie''
* Belial's OneWingedAngel form in ''DiabloIII''.

* Clotho in ''GodOfWar 2''.
** Also [[spoiler: Hades]] in ''GodOfWar 3'' in the final stage of the fight.

** Phytops, Cragma, and Skeldritch in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks''.