History Main / PivotalBoss

** Head Thwomp in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Ages]]'', where there are four platforms rotating around him.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' has the Dreaded Octonozzle, a rusty can-shaped machine that launches balls of ink from the center of the arena, where it is surrounded by a moat of Octarian ink. After you destroy the tentacle suckers holding it up, it falls down stunned and exposes its [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak point]], a large tentacle on top, for you to jump on and attack.

* The Orochi in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' fights like this.

* Clotho in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar2''. Also [[spoiler: Hades]] in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar3'' in the final stage of the fight.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/{{Shantae}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9wij1s3.png]]]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}: Half-Genie Hero'':

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* Air Buster, the second major Boss in the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. The party surrounds it on two fronts (Cloud on one end, Barret and Tifa on the other) and Air Buster will swivel around to choose its target. Naturally, it's best to time it that the characters wait until Air Buster has its back turned on them to deal higher damage.
* 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.

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

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

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* The ''VideoGame/GabareGoemon'' series had a few in its 3D iterations:

** The eponymous WeatherControlMachine FinalBoss of VideoGame/YsVITheArkOfNapishtim''.

* Targitzan, Chilly Willy and Chilli Billy in ''[[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo-Tooie]]''
* 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.

* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'': The [[spoiler:[[GiantMecha Precursor Robot]]]] is an inversion - you run around on a relatively small platform and ''it'' moves around ''you''.

* In ''VideoGame/HarryTheHandsomeExecutive'', Dr. Ubermann spins in place on his [[SwivelChairAntics swivel chair]].

* Bowser in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'' stays in his hot tub while breathing fire towards Mario. Meanwhile, Bowser Jr. does move around as he operates a floating vehicle that shoots Bullet Bills.

* The Devil Gundam from ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsGundam 2''. When you begin fighting it, it's just sitting there doing nothing, with an occasional attack from its CombatTentacles. When you hurt it, it starts doling out massively-damaging short-range attacks that make it a necessity for you to destroy its CombatTentacles to stun it; thing is, said CombatTentacles aggressively bash you away when close and fire an EyeBeam when far. When it TurnsRed, ''it uproots its CombatTentacles which promptly burrow into the ground and start to chase you around the battlefield, hiding invincible underneath a {{Wormsign}} until they erupt from directly beneath you''.
* Half of the fight with [[spoiler: Ra's Al Gul]] in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''. The other half is fighting his mooks.
* The final fight against Smith in ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' is this. He can only turn to follow you when he's not throwing things or grabbing at you.
* Crushto in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction'' sits in the middle of the arena and tries to shoot you, as well as [[BlowYouAway use his breath to push you off of the platform]].
* All of the boss fights in ''VideoGame/TheCatInTheHat''
* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}: Half-Genie Hero'':
** Wilbur is a rare example coming from a 2D side-scrolling platformer.
** [[spoiler:The Tinkerbrain]] late in the same game follows the same pattern. [[spoiler: You have to exploit this by forcing it to turn too far in one direction to expose its weak points.]]
* ''[[VideoGame/{{Ys}} Ys Origin]]'' has "Gelaldy, The Murderous Construct" the giant boss that is fought in the middle of a [[LethalLavaLand lava arena]] surrounded by a circular plataform, which the playable character stands. Only the upper half of the giant is exposed and he will either attack with his GiantHandsOfDoom or try to destroy the plataform, causing you to drop on the lava.
* Squirt from ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'' is a rare 2D example, as he sits in the middle of the screen and spins vertically as he shoots water to try to knock you (as Ellie) off the screen.
* ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'' has the Snatcher, who spends most of his boss battle in the center of the arena attacking Hat Kid by throwing exploding potions, summoning pillars of flame, and spinning his minions around the limited space. This changes in the second portion of the battle, when the Snatcher will periodically leave the center to attack more directly, [[TacticalSuicideBoss leaving himself open to counterattack in turn]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' has the Dreaded Octonozzle, a rusty can-shaped machine that launches balls of ink from the center of the arena, where it is surrounded by a moat of Octarian ink. After you destroy the tentacle suckers holding it up, it falls down stunned and exposes its [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak point]], a large tentacle on top, for you to jump on and attack.