Line #12 Main/RecurringBossTemplate


1	[[quoteright:239:[[Franchise/{{Kirby}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whispies_fight.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:239:Pictured: [[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Whispy Woods]], [[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror King Golem]] and [[VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe Flowery Woods]]. [[WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures No relation!]]]]
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4	You've decided to play through a game series you like. After the third game, you start to notice a pattern: some of these guys look or act suspiciously similar to a boss from the last few games, possibly even sharing similar moves and patterns to a scary degree in spite of no official relation existing between the both of them. You have discovered the Recurring Boss Template.
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6	This is when a game series seems to reuse a specific boss formula in some way, but with something changed, often repeatedly throughout the years. The new boss is very much an {{Expy}} of an old one, at least appearance and gameplay-wise. In fact, it may even be the same guy wielding or piloting a "different" contraption that behaves much like their older ones. It doesn't matter if it has more attacks than the one you fought last time, or if it is a completely distinct character or equipment of its own; on practice, this is still the same CosmicHorror you faced two games ago, just under a different paint job.
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8	The reason why this happens may vary. Maybe the developers do want to establish some sort of connection between those fights. Maybe the battle itself is pretty popular, but the devs don't want to commit themselves to having the same character appear over and over. Or maybe they just like the formula enough to bring it back all the time, turning it into some sort of tradition for themselves and the players.
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10	Similar to, but not to be confused with RecurringBoss and LegacyBossBattle, which are simply one character, machine, creature, or species of creature that gets the boss spot more than one time.
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12	----
13	!!Examples:
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15	* In ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'' for the NES, all of the bosses save for the [[FinalBoss Albatross]] are based on one of four templates: the Platoons and their commanders, the "Pi-Pi-Pi" robot, the Wired Gunner, and the Cyborg Soldier. The remake has more variety, but still uses each area boss template twice, with the only unique boss being Master D.'s gunship near the end.
16	* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' has several:
17	** Dracula himself. Aside from his varied OneWingedAngel forms, his first form ''always'' uses TeleportSpam while throwing fireballs. Dracula's "potential hosts" from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' as well use the teleport and fireball routine, although one switches it up by using an axe and siccing a demon familiar on you.
18	** Dracula's aide, Death, often uses different tricks from game to game, but he ''always'' summons mini-sickles out of thin air to hunt you down.
19	** Golems and giant armors as major blockades in your path or as proper boss fights. This kind of enemy is massive and slowly walks back and forth while dealing very powerful attacks at close range. Particularly notable was the final boss of ''Dawn of Sorrow'', Menace, which was about 3 times the size of the Final Armor enemies. Even Dracula discarded his usual transformation in favor of this template in ''Order of Ecclesia''.
20	* ''{{VideoGame/Contra}}'' has quite a few.
21	** The Gun Wall boss of the original game is reused many times in the series, usually as a early-game boss or a minor obstacle.
22	** The FinalBoss of the original ''Contra'', a giant heart with mook-spawning capsules, is a good contender for the most-reused boss in the series.
23	** The FinalBoss of the arcade Super Contra (a skeletal dragon-thing with [[CognizantLimbs snake-like arms]]) is a close runner up.
24	* The ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'' series has two of them:
25	** (Insert Word Here) Fossil, a coelacanth. Starting with King Fossil from Darius. Usually the [[WarmUpBoss first or second boss in the game]], and appears in almost every single one of them.
26	** [[SpaceWhale Great Thing]]. A sperm whale with a load of cannons attached to it, and often the FinalBoss in every Darius game he's appeared in. And he's usually [[ThatOneBoss incredibly difficult]] in each game he's in. In Darius Twin, he's an optional second-to-last boss, and is the only boss to have his own specialized music separate from the normal boss music.
27	* The ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' series tends to have the final boss be a non-traditional, underplayed boss fight with a tragic character, in direct opposition to the common "epic" final bosses in most games. This was initially averted in ''Dark Souls 2'' with [[spoiler:Nashandra]]; [[spoiler:Vendrick]] fits the mold perfectly, but is a OptionalBoss instead. ''Scholar of the First Sin'' changes this, however, with [[spoiler:Aldia]], the TrueFinalBoss.
28	* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series:
29	** There's a trend of using {{Blob Monster}}s as an aspect of some late-game bosses, but [[spoiler:the true form of Arkham]] in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'', and [[spoiler:V's familiar Nightmare]] in the WolfpackBoss fight of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' are both meant to evoke the original Nightmare from the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 first game]]. The dark colors of their slimy appearance are nearly identical, and all three are the penultimate bosses of their games. [[spoiler:Arkham]] is a different entity but he also shares the original Nightmare's penchant of releasing parts of its blob body to distract you. And although [[spoiler:V's Nightmare]] is not the exact same boss as the original by virtue of [[spoiler:being a LiteralSplitPersonality]], it shares some similar attacks and the same weak spot.
30	** Nelo Angelo/Vergil has his fair share of gameplay imitators in the games past ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening''. Fittingly, all of them have the same "Angelo" suffix on their names.
31	*** In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'', Angelo Credo's fighting style is a [[KingMook souped-up version]] of the Alto Angelo armors, but on the harder difficulty modes, he also shares a few obvious traits with Vergil via the use of Summoned Swords circling around the playable character. This is on top of Alto Angelo and Credo Angelo having {{Teleportation}} or FlashStep abilities just like Nelo Angelo/Vergil.
32	*** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' has the Proto Angelos and Cavaliere Angelo as thematic {{Suspiciously Similar Substitute}}s or variants of Nelo Angelo. The former are the EliteMook versions of the recurring boss, sharing almost identical appearances, the same OneHandedZweihander fighting style, defensive gimmicks, and several moves. The latter is a boss who was designed to be an upgrade to Nelo Angelo, but ended up being a SuckSessor instead. Both are armored humanoid {{BFS}} wielders who can block your attacks, and can teleport. Cavaliere Angelo is also a demonic suit of armor [[spoiler:that contains a living being inside powering it. Fittingly, this one contains an ex-servant of Mundus in Trish]].
33	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
34	** There are similarities among the bosses at the start of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. You know, the ones where you have to refrain from attacking halfway through the battle.
35	** ''IV'', ''V'', and ''VI'' all have bosses who rely heavily on Quake and may have abiltiies to remove Float (The White Dragon, Catastrophe, and the Dirt Dragon, respectively).
36	** ''IV'' has several bosses in the form of "main boss and two flunkies," such as Baigan, the Magus Sisters, and the CPU. For these bosses, it is unwise to kill off (both of) the flunkies first: not only will they be revived to full health by the main boss, but in the case of the CPU, said revival is accompanied by a devastating attack. ''VIII'' takes the formula and changes it up a bit: in fights such as the NORG Pod and Mobile Type-8, [[InvincibleMinorMinion the flunkies are invulnerable,]] serving mainly as sources of Muggable items and Drawable magic for the player in addition to whatever they do for their bosses.
37	* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' games tend to involve {{Recurring Boss}}es, but near their ends, they have variations on a "gun wall" boss, variations on a boss whose legs the player must duck and weave through, and variations on the organic AnticlimaxBoss.
38	* 4/5ths of the bosses in ''[[VideoGame/RetroGameChallenge Haggle Man 3]]'' are the same boss - screen-sized masses of flesh and skulls that slowly crawls towards the player while firing shots out of the three main faces that also serve as their [[AttackItsWeakpoint weak spots]] - only differentiated by the different AttackDrones they're accompanied by [[spoiler: and the second to last boss deploying a secret fourth head after the first three are destroyed]].
39	* ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead'':
40	** The series commonly uses a FinalBoss that takes a humanoid form, and [[PowerFloats floats around]] throwing energy at you, often named after [[TarotMotifs the most sinister-sounding tarot cards]]. Except for ''4'', in which the FinalBoss is a giant ice insect that has its lower body underground. This one is named after The World... yeah, [[ItMakesSenseInContext It Makes (Some) Sense In Context]]. Several of these final bosses have a [[TurnsRed final attack]] in which they unleash a large number of hard-to-hit projectiles above or behind you, forcing you to deal with the attacks first before you can continue firing away at the boss.
41	** They dropped the TarotMotifs entirely for ''VIdeoGame/TheHouseOfTheDeadOverkill''. So, the final boss of that game is simply named "Mother"... which is pretty fitting, in an extremely [[BodyHorror creepy]], [[VasquezAlwaysDies misogynistic]], Freudian, and just overall {{Squick}}-laden way.
42	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' has several of these, most notably the giant "leader" boss who summons lesser foes from the ground and the "armor" boss who's made up of mechanized limbs that attack both together and separately.
43	* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'':
44	** ''Kirby'' games traditionally have [[WhenTreesAttack Whispy Woods]] as a boss, but if he doesn't appear, and sometimes even if he does, you can bet there will be some tall, tree-like object with a similar appearance, name, and attack pattern. Examples include [[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror King Golem]], [[VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn Wicked Willow]], [[VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack Floaty Woods]], [[VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe Flowery Woods]], [[VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot Clanky Woods]], [[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Yggy Woods, Parallel Woods]], and [[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand Tropic Woods]]. In fact, ''VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad'' is the only main series ''Kirby'' game not to have ''some'' variant of Whispy Woods.
45	** There's an entire archetype of "Knight" bosses, from the four so far with Knight in their name (Meta Knight, Dark Meta Knight, Galacta Knight, and [[spoiler:Morpho Knight]]), variants of those (Dark Meta Knight's Revenge, Mecha Knight, Parallel Meta Knight, etc.), to slightly more esoteric ones (Metal General and Security Force). They share a common tendency of being ''much'' more [[LightningBruiser fast-paced]] [[ConfusionFu and erratic]] than other bosses, shimmying back and forth and sometimes attacking without any warning, and even outright blocking attacks, forcing you to pay close attention to their patterns and get your hits in ''during'' their own attacks rather than after.
46	** ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' has the [[NunTooHoly Three Mage-Sisters]], [[AnIcePerson Francisca]], [[PlayingWithFire Flamberge]], and [[ShockAndAwe Zan Partizanne]]. Despite all appearing in the same game, they use variations of the same MagicKnight-style moveset: swinging their weapon of choice at Kirby, performing a DashAttack, using [[SpellBlade magically-charged attacks]], and firing an elemental WaveMotionGun from a second weapon that they only bust out at [[TurnsRed half health]]. They also each have an [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elemental weakness]] that can be exploited -- if Kirby or an ally uses the correct elemental attack when the Mage-Sister is readying her special weapon, it'll backfire on her and leave her stunned for several seconds.
47	** The series seems to love using either limbless cyclopean {{Eldritch Abomination}}s or TeleportSpam wizards as the final bosses, the first example being Nightmare in ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure''. Starting with Drawcia in ''VideoGame/KirbyCanvasCurse'', these bosses often share identical attacks involving raining balls of paint (or some equivalent) and firing beams out of portals. They also tend to share one of her attacks where she grows huge and fiery, then charges into Kirby. Marx and his Soul variant from ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' have some recurring attacks as well; namely, his attack where he sends out four cutters and the one where he splits into two balls of energy and has them charge across the arena individually. ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', from the same creators, also uses some of these patterns with Master Hand, Crazy Hand, [[spoiler:Tabuu]], Galeem, and [[spoiler:Dharkon]].
48	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' frequently has bosses that either:
49	** [[PlayingTennisWithTheBoss Play tennis with Link]] (Fireblight Ganon, Ganondorf, Phantom Ganon.)
50	** Have an [[GoForTheEye eye as a weakness]]. (Queen Gohma, all four Blight Ganons.)
51	** Are killed [[FeedItABomb by throwing bombs into their mouths]] (Molduga, King Dodongo, Snake Dodongos.)
52	** The FinalBoss that ends with an elaborate sword duel (Ganon, Ganondorf, Demise).
53	* ''VideoGame/MajorStryker'' has three templates, each used once in each episode, though with differences.
54	* ''Franchise/MegaMan''
55	** ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic''. Doctor Wily. Big, two-stage mecha with TeleportSpam second stage.
56	** ''VideoGame/MegaManX''. Sigma. Two- to three-stage boss, first with a robot body with [[Franchise/StarWars lightsaber]]/[[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} twin claws]]/[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica a spiked throwing shield]]/[[GrimReaper energy scythe]]/whatever, then more on the level of OneWingedAngel variants.
57	** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZX''. Various characters. A human form, followed by a OneWingedAngel. Reversed for Omega and [[spoiler:Albert]].
58	** There's quite a variety of Devils to be seen throughout the entire series. Whether they're Yellow, Green, Black, or Rainbow, they are all able to split themselves into globs to launch at you and form into various weapons. They also tend to be ThatOneBoss; the exception is in ''VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission'', where they're [[DegradedBoss demoted into regular enemies]]. That being said, if you purposefully beef them 2 of them up by hitting them with the attacks of their own element, they not only get healed but become stronger as well at the benefit of increased experience and [[ItemCrafting FME]]: the effect is cumulative and once you power the experience-increasing variety to the point where killing one will practically guarantee a level-up for the entire cast, they can easily kill anyone in 1 hit and get a boatload of turns to easily do so as well. Although usually at that point, they rarely if ever take advantage of their massively powered up status and actually attack you and instead opt to run away on their next turn, taking the EXP with them.
59	* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
60	** Most games are guaranteed to end with a melee battle. You can ''try'' to shoot The Boss in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', but she'll deflect your bullets, strip you of your gun, and force you into CQC. It's not just melee battles, either. There is almost always the following;
61	** Battle against a giant robot that must be taken down with missiles (Metal Gear Rex/Metal Gear Rays/The Shagohod/Metal Gear Ray/[[spoiler:Metal Gear Sahelanthropus]])
62	** Battle where you use a sniper rifle (Sniper Wolf/Vamp/The End/Crying Wolf/Quiet)
63	** Battle against someone in a maze-like area (Vulcan Raven/Fatman/The Fury/Raging Raven/Eli [[spoiler:aka Liquid Snake]])
64	** Battle against an opponent who can hide from you and attacks from above (Gray Fox/Vamp/The Fear/Laughing Octopus/The Skulls Parasite Unit)
65	* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' comes with a recurring MiniBoss template, whenever you fight Morden's [[TheDragon dragon]], Allan O'Neil, whose arrival can be expected whenever you reach an area with two platforms on either side. Even in ''6'', where O'Neil is absent, has the Controller boss (faced right before the FinalBoss) being fought in a similar arena.
66	* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' games have a few examples of this. For example, the final bosses of ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' have a similar early attack pattern (walk slowly forwards, stop, swing their claws in a huge arc) and weak spot (in the chest), although the one in ''Zero Mission'' spices things up a bit by also firing missiles and lasers.
67	* The first boss battle in a ''VideoGame/{{Raiden}}'' game is usually against a duo of machine, with one appearing slightly before the other.
68	* All games in the ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' series have a boss based on Tamacoss from ''VideoGame/{{Koudelka}}''. It's a grotesque ball of flesh with limbs sticking out, and the upper body of a CreepyDoll on top. Examples include Orb Chaos from ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts1'', King Tamakos from ''[[VideoGame/ShadowHeartsCovenant Covenant]]'', and Tamaris from ''[[VideoGame/ShadowHeartsFromTheNewWorld From the New World]]''.
69	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' usually has one of two things for a final boss (though not necessarily the TrueFinalBoss), either a giant walking robot, as seen in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', ''VideoGame/SonicAndKnuckles'', ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', ''VideoGame/SonicRush'', and ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Advance\|Trilogy}} 2'' (though there it can't move), or the final boss is a flying serpent like robot, as seen in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', and ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. The TrueFinalBoss is usually a fight where you use [[EleventhHourSuperpower Super Sonic]]. As such, you are always invincible, and you merely need to chase/get to the boss while keeping hold of as many rings as possible. These bosses generally involve merely dashing forwards and slamming either yourself or one of its own attacks into it, regardless of whether it's one of Eggman's machines or an EldritchAbomination.
70	* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
71	** The ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series for the Nintendo handhelds take pride in using ghostly, (most of the time) purple final bosses [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga (Cackletta,]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Elder Princess Shroob,]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Dark Bowser.]])]] [[spoiler:And Bowser getting possessed/mind controlled/fused with/whatever else by the BigBad ([[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Bowletta,]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Shrowser,]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam Dreamy Bowser,]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam Shiny RoboBowser]].)]] And every game in the series has a Wiggler boss (the Swiggler from ''Partners in Time'' being a Shroob variation), which will have a ShockwaveStomp.
72	** ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'':
73	*** The Koopalings in the three games where they appear take their cues from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' (especially with the magic scepter attacks), while sharing the spin attack Ludwig premiered in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''.
74	*** Every time you fight Bowser in the series, the battle is some variant of the battles against him in the original ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' (the ones with the bridge and the axe). It also shows up in ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DLand''.
75	** Bowser also has a habit of fighting Mario in arenas with fragile floors that he can be tricked into breaking. First seen in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', but makes a comeback in ''VideoGame/MarioParty5'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''.
76	** ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' has a habit of including at least one boss that goes as follows: wait until the boss stands up or heads to the edge of the arena, hit them with a few eggs to make them fall over, hit their exposed weak spots, repeat two more times ([[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland Hookbill the Koopa,]] [[VideoGame/YoshisWoollyWorld Snifberg the Unfeeling.]])
77	* ''VideoGame/ToontownOnline'' did this ''all the way'' through 2008. The lower half is the ''same since 2003'', the jumping was used for the V.P. and C.J. fights, and once more, the undercarriage was used ''until 2006''. Because of this, the C.E.O. never uses his undercarriage, not even ''one bit''.
78	* Several bosses' gimmick(s) have actually been reused in different expansion packs in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. Such as, for example:
79	** Mind control. Mostly used by Jammal'an and first by Arugal.
80	** Gruul petrifies the party and shatters them if they're too close. Later in ''Wrath'', another boss does the same thing. In ''Cataclysm'', Ozruk does the same thing ''again''.
81	** Brutallus and Argaloth share the same model and a very similar Meteor Slash mechanic (an attack that must be absorbed by several people stacking up to split the damage, then switching off after a while), albeit with Argaloth being a considerably simpler fight.
82	** Sapphiron's ice bomb mechanic and the required LOS cover is reused in the Sindragosa encounter. The two also happen to be reanimated blue dragons.

Context Main / RecurringBossTemplate