History Main / FinalExamBoss

* The final boss of ''AlteredBeast'' for PS2 has six forms, each of which requires one of your transformations to take down.

* Defeating [[spoiler:Reflux]] in ''{{Rayman}} 3'' requires the use of every Sealed Ability in a Can in the game. There's even a part where you dogfight him with a plane used in the penultimate level.

* [[spoiler:Henry]] in ''{{No More Heroes}}'' is the pinnacle of real difficulty. You have to manage to learn how to Dark Step, emergency evade and slash the hell out of him. He manages to be completely fair, despite his various unblockable attacks and his dreaded yet awesome {{One Hit Kill}}, not to mention the {{Boss Remix}} "We Are Finally Cowboys" blaring in the background. The game actually makes sure that you're (hopefully) at the top of your game by [[spoiler:requiring you to attain all beam katanas before facing off against him.]]

*** When you run into a Darknut for the first time, you have a combo of attacks that will do a number on its armor- the Shield Attack to stun it, and then the Helm Splitter to rip apart its helmet. Just have good luck dealing with them when they lose the weighty metal plates.
*** Zant qualifies as a full FinalExamBoss, since he not only has you use almost every weapon in your bag, but even clues you in by changing the environment to that of the dungeon where you first used it. And still manages to make the solutions creative.
** Majora from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]''... assuming you don't actually use the [[GameBreaker Fierce Deity Mask]], which makes the "final exam" completely unnecessary. Granted, the Fierce Deity mask is harder to get than just beating the final boss, so in this case it's more like getting exempt from the final because you aced the entire rest of the class!

* In ''MetalGearSolid3'', the Boss, while not exactly a final exam boss, does test almost all your skills learned in the game. You have to remain hidden, use camouflage, there's still food to hunt, she hides, you have to use your gunplay and most notably all your CQC skills.
** And [=MGS4=] takes it to the extreme. The last fight with [[spoiler:Revolver Ocelot]] incorporates strategies from the three previous games, even going so far as to change the health bar to match.

* The final boss battles in ''{{Banjo-Kazooie}}'' and ''Banjo-Tooie''. In fact, this is taken to the ''literal'' extent in ''Tooie'', as Gruntilda will go easier on you if you correctly answer the trivia questions she asks ''during the fight!''
* King K. Rool in ''DonkeyKong64''. It's a five-round boxing match, and each Kong has to make use of their unique abilities to incapacitate K. Rool.

* In ''VideoGame/{{La-Mulana}}'', the Mother has five forms, and each form must be defeated with a different main weapon, of which you have five of.
** In the remake, it qualifies as this, but in a different way. Sure, now it doesn't matter which weapon you use against her in each form, but she makes it for his final form, which gains new attacks based on the signature attacks of each guardian as certain amounts of damage is dealed to her.

** The [[BrutalBonusLevel Grandmaster Galaxy]] in ''SuperMarioGalaxy2'' is a final exam level, combining most of the gimmicks in the game.

* The Titan Dweevil of ''{{Pikmin}} 2'' attacks using poison, water, electricity, and fire. That's funny, there's a type of Pikmin invulnerable for each element used! As for the [[MightyGlacier Purple Pikmin]], their strength just helps kill it in its defenseless form faster.

* The final boss of ''VideoGame/{{Wild ARMs 3}}'' has a grand total of ten forms, most of which require the use of one specific spell in your repertoire. Then again, the Clive/Finest Arts trick deals so much damage that it can bypass any other trick you might be having trouble with through sheer brute force.
** Except [[ThatOneBoss That One Form]].
** The "Reflect" Spell can also cause a CrowningMomentOfFunny if used against the right boss.

* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games tend to have at least one boss like this in each game, but the requirements for each one are not necessarily as specific as many other examples. For example, in ''DigitalDevilSaga'', the final boss of the game requires you to smash orbs floating around it to destroy the boss. These orbs are each resistant to different elements, and the boss acquires said resistances from any orbs that are still standing. You don't need EVERY spell in the game, but you do need a good variety. The most common version of this in the series is a Sequence Boss, where the boss has a set pattern of abilities, and you must plan for all of them. In true ThatOneBoss fashion, some of these bosses require to you get hit at times to avoid enraging them, like [[ThatOneBoss Trumpeter]] in ''ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne''.
** [[spoiler:Nyx Avatar]] in ''{{Persona 3}}'' has you go through each arcana one at a time, while not necessary to know what works for each Arcana, it helps.

*** It's made more obvious if you ask Tatl for hints when fighting Majora, as she says "Remember your battles!". To be specific, [[spoiler:the first form, Majora's Mask, has the hint "When something resistant would deflect your weapons, what was its backside usually like?" and requires you to hit the mask in its back (Zora Link's boomerang attack works best) to stun it, then whack it with your sword. The second form, Majora's Incarnation, hints "When you fought things that ran around, didn't you battle them using your own body?", requiring you to use the Goron Mask and roll into it (however, other methods of attack, such as Deku Link's Spin Attack, are arguably more effective. The final form, Majora's Wrath, hints "Think about battles and weapons! When you had the chance before an enemy was about to attack, didn't you usually try shooting it?", meaning you need to shoot it to stun it and then hit it with your sword.]]

* [[EvilSorcerer Dark Corvo]] from BillyHatcherAndTheGiantEgg summons shadow clones of previous bosses to attack the player.

* ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'' ends with the player matching Thule Medallion powers with [[spoiler:Hans Grosse]], with access to each power being eliminated with successive stages of the battle.

** Pikmin 3 continues this tradition with [[spoiler: the Amenyuudou. On top of being able to use every hazard in the game against you, it's piercing attacks can only be blocked by Rock Pikmin, and it'll often fly up high out of reach of even Yellow Pikmin, forcing you to use Winged Pikmin to attack it. Even ''getting'' to the actual fight requires you to have a good enough grasp on commanding and managing Pikmin.]]

** This is after a similar final event in ''VideoGame/UltimaIII'', where in order to defeat Exodus, [[spoiler: you have to insert four punch cards into his computer core in the correct order]]. While random explosions are going off and ''[[EverythingTryingToKillYou the floors are trying to kill you]]''.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'' is clever about its prominent boss fights. With Byrne, you've got to cooperate with Zelda to take him down for good- she pins down his mechanical arm while you move in to strike. In the last battles of the game, you ''have'' to remember what to do to survive. To reach the Demon Train, you better know how to avoid trains that can finish you off with one strike. When you battle the Demon Train, you have to disable its cars and the train itself before the tracks run out, while dodging obstacles on the rails by switching tracks and adjusting your speed for the enemy's sudden attacks. To fight Cole and Malladus, you battle in tandem with Link and Phantom-possessing Zelda, knowing she has a fear of rats Cole will gladly exploit, then get her to pin down Malladus and her own body and launch a Light Arrow at it to cast him out. The final battle puts you to the ultimate test- using your sword to deflect a torrent of fireballs, playing the Spirit Flute to curse Malladus with a weak spot, and finally, distract Malladus with Link, while Zelda takes aim from behind until Link can hack away at his horns and exposed crystal weak point. To top it off, you both deliver the final blow!

*** The fight with Phantom is a classic case of a Zelda back-and-forth struggle with magic attacks- Dead Man's Volley. You have to use Phantom Ganon's own attacks against him to win. When you've reached the final stages of the game, it becomes a key tidbit of knowledge when becomes the most incorrigible of the game, hounding you in room after room- where you discover another secret- his sword always clatters to the ground ''pointing at the right doors of a maze.''

** Similar to the aformentioned Helm Splitter, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' has a parry move that will sever a Darknut's cape, armor straps or helmet, depending on the counterstrike.

* The final boss in ''{{Bloodnet}}'' repeatedly transforms into various major characters encountered throughout the game, requiring the player to use specific weapons and armor to take advantage of each form's particular weaknesses (for example, [[spoiler:deflecting a cyborg's laser shots by wearing a reflector shield, or instantly killing a vampire with a consecrated blade]]).

** Taken even more literally by [[EdutainmentGame Typing of the Dead]], where all the bosses test one particular area of typing [[hottip:*:Judgment: reflexes; Hierophant: not looking at the keyboard; Tower: decision making; Strength: sentences; Magician: accuracy]], and The Emperor is a test of pretty much everything.

->''"Let's see if you remember'' everything ''you learned, LetsPlay/{{Slowbeef}}."''

* Yami in ''{{Okami}}'' manages to work in a use for every single Celestial Brush technique in the game, even if it has to make up completely new functions in some cases (for example, [[spoiler:the Crescent technique normally just turns day to night, but in this battle, it summons Susano/Nagi to slice the boss vertically. Fitting, since the sword he wields is powered by moonlight. Still rather out of nowhere.]]), and the one and only Brush Technique that the SequentialBoss battle didn't require, and is otherwise useless ([[spoiler:Sunrise]]), is its [[AchillesHeel ultimate weakness]] in its final form.
* ''MetroidPrime'', from the game which is named after it, required you to use all of your beam weapons against it in the first form, and all of your visors against it in the second.

** The last form of the Emperor Ing in ''MetroidPrime 2'' subtly changed colour to reveal which beam it was weak to, though the Annihilator Beam will hurt it whether light or dark.

* El Toro in ''Wrath of the Black Manta''. He only has 4 life boxes, but he can only be hurt by specific ninja arts... in order. If you use the wrong technique, he immediately regenerates to FULL life. More annoyingly, this happens even if you use the right technique, but from the wrong side of the screen!

* The final boss battles in ''{{Banjo-Kazooie}}'' and ''Banjo-Tooie''. In fact, this is taken to the ''literal'' extent in ''Tooie'', as Gruntilda will go easier on you if you correctly answer the trivia questions she asks ''during the fight!''
* King K. Rool in ''DonkeyKong64''. It's a five-round boxing match, and each Kong has to make use of their unique abilities to incapacitate K. Rool.
* [[AIIsACrapshoot GLaDOS]] in ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', only with portal-using techniques instead of weapons or powers. Even more obvious if you've heard the developer's commentary, which constantly keeps mentioning how the game is supposed to teach you how to use the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device.
** Also in ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', where the use of all three types of gels and redirection of bombs is necessary to beat [[spoiler: Wheatley]].
* The True Destroyer in ''{{Romancing SaGa 3}}''. However, completely optional if you kill the Abyss Devil Lords beforehand.

* [[TarotMotifs "The Emperor"]], the final boss from ''{{House of the Dead}} 2'', is a variation; his second attack pattern is to throw at you metallic clones of the previous bosses. These can only be stopped by shooting at their specific weak point, which you saw at the end of the original levels.
** Taken even more literally by [[EdutainmentGame Typing of the Dead]], where all the bosses test one particular area of typing [[hottip:*:Judgment: reflexes; Hierophant: not looking at the keyboard; Tower: decision making; Strength: sentences; Magician: accuracy]], and The Emperor is a test of pretty much everything.
* Beating Wizeman in ''[[NightsIntoDreams NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams]]'' requires use of all three of the Personas you acquire in the game.

* The final boss of ''VideoGame/{{Wild ARMs 3}}'' has a grand total of ten forms, most of which require the use of one specific spell in your repertoire. Then again, the Clive/Finest Arts trick deals so much damage that it can bypass any other trick you might be having trouble with through sheer brute force.
** Except [[ThatOneBoss That One Form]].
** The "Reflect" Spell can also cause a CrowningMomentOfFunny if used against the right boss.
* A literal example is from ''VideoGame/UltimaIV''. Rather than fighting an overt evil, the game is about mastering the world's code of moral virtues and behavior. At the bottom of the final dungeon, rather than a tough boss, the player is quizzed on the virtues.
** This is after a similar final event in ''VideoGame/UltimaIII'', where in order to defeat Exodus, [[spoiler: you have to insert four punch cards into his computer core in the correct order]]. While random explosions are going off and ''[[EverythingTryingToKillYou the floors are trying to kill you]]''.
* The final battle of ''VideoGame/HalfLife2: Episode 2'' requires the player to use numerous tactics introduced throughout the game.
* The final boss of ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheTwoThrones'' [[spoiler:not counting the unlosable scripted part after the fight]] has three forms. The first is fought as a straight fight, the second requires you to use the environment to set up a [[ActionCommands Speed Kill]], and the final part is a tricky platforming challenge, while being shot at by the boss.
* The final boss in ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter: Under the Knife 2'', Aletheia, attacks by [[BossRush spawning copies of earlier bosses]]. You have to repeat your methods for destroying them before you can deal damage to Aletheia.
* The Titan Dweevil of ''{{Pikmin}} 2'' attacks using poison, water, electricity, and fire. That's funny, there's a type of Pikmin invulnerable for each element used! As for the [[MightyGlacier Purple Pikmin]], their strength just helps kill it in its defenseless form faster.
* The final boss in ''{{Bloodnet}}'' repeatedly transforms into various major characters encountered throughout the game, requiring the player to use specific weapons and armor to take advantage of each form's particular weaknesses (for example, [[spoiler:deflecting a cyborg's laser shots by wearing a reflector shield, or instantly killing a vampire with a consecrated blade]]).
* In ''VideoGame/{{La-Mulana}}'', the Mother has five forms, and each form must be defeated with a different main weapon, of which you have five of.
* Silver, the [[spoiler:penultimate]] boss in ''{{Silver}}'' requires you to use all the magic you've acquired to destroy an object that is holding his power. Yes, even Healing orb and Time orb which normally have no offensive power on its own can hurt that thing.

* Defeating [[spoiler:Reflux]] in ''{{Rayman}} 3'' requires the use of every Sealed Ability in a Can in the game. There's even a part where you dogfight him with a plane used in the penultimate level.
* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games tend to have at least one boss like this in each game, but the requirements for each one are not necessarily as specific as many other examples. For example, in ''DigitalDevilSaga'', the final boss of the game requires you to smash orbs floating around it to destroy the boss. These orbs are each resistant to different elements, and the boss acquires said resistances from any orbs that are still standing. You don't need EVERY spell in the game, but you do need a good variety. The most common version of this in the series is a Sequence Boss, where the boss has a set pattern of abilities, and you must plan for all of them. In true ThatOneBoss fashion, some of these bosses require to you get hit at times to avoid enraging them, like [[ThatOneBoss Trumpeter]] in ''ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne''.
** [[spoiler:Nyx Avatar]] in ''{{Persona 3}}'' has you go through each arcana one at a time, while not necessary to know what works for each Arcana, it helps.
** And beyond [[spoiler:Nyx]], there is the secret boss, [[spoiler:Elizabeth]], whom you have to fight with ''only'' your main character, and who, like you, can change Personas, thus switching her weaknesses and defenses. You ''better'' know the traits of each of her Personas, and you better learn the partner of her fight and be equipped with a good variety of Personas yourself if you expect to win.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': Lavos's first form has shades of this, in the form of a BossRush you can heal between stages of. Do you remember how Magus's Barrier Shift trick worked? Or which hand to kill first on Giga Gaia? Oh, you'd better not have forgotten what dinosaurs are weak to. However, none of the bosses have scaled at all, so it's pretty likely you'll just brute force most of 'em with the benefit of dozens of levels. There's a bit of FridgeLogic there, too, as [[spoiler:Lavos evidently took its DNA from the strongest creatures on the planet... who were promptly thrashed by the heroes. Also, at least one boss shows up from the future. And is a robot.]]
** ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' plays it even more straight. [[ChekhovsGun At several points in the game, you see colors flashing in sequence. Note the order. It is also the order required before using the eponymous item.]]
* The ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'' series have these in the form of Remixes, which are basically mashups of the past 4-5 levels you've played. Then each game has a ''true'' Final Exam Boss in the form of Remix 6 for ''Tengoku'' and Remix 10 for ''Heaven'' and ''Heaven Fever''.
* Bowser in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' makes use of previous spin techniques and such for defeating him when you battle him in Bowser's Galaxy Reactor.
** The [[BrutalBonusLevel Grandmaster Galaxy]] in ''SuperMarioGalaxy2'' is a final exam level, combining most of the gimmicks in the game.
* The final boss of ''BitTrip Core'' is a compilation of a bunch of patterns from the entire game, with the beats looking like asteroids that each move at different speeds.
* Happens with Emperor Sun Hai in ''JadeEmpire'', although to a lesser extent than many of the examples- he becomes immune to each type of style you use against him, so you have to repeatedly switch between Martial, Weapon and Magic styles to take him down. Or you can just hit [[GameBreaker Jade Golem Transformation]].
* [[EvilSorcerer Dark Corvo]] from BillyHatcherAndTheGiantEgg summons shadow clones of previous bosses to attack the player.
* The FinalBoss for ''Franchise/YuGiOh World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia'' has to be dueled multiple times, one for each form of gameplay in the game: first a race, then a Turbo Duel, then 2-on-1 (plays like a tag duel for your side), then finally a regular duel.

* In ''MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'', the final boss makes use of all the brothers' (and Bowser's) defensive actions (as series tradition). A better example, however, is the game's ultimate BonusBoss. [[spoiler: Bowser X]] is the final battle of the BossRush and temporarily disables any special attack the brothers can use after being used once. Add in a ''time limit'' on the fight, and that means the player is required to be proficient with just about every special attack.
* The Sorceress' Tower in ''KingdomOfLoathing'' is this. First you must use potions, then meat pasting, clovers,and instruments, fight a regular monster, use combat items, heal yourself, and equip familiars, before you face a boss that is designed to stop your strategies (she takes away your buffs and often keeps you from using skills and combat items).
** The developers have stated they consider this a weakness of the quest and game, as changes to the game slowly expand the potential set of resources a player might have, and it becomes less clear to new players why post-quest additions aren't working in a challenge they appear to fit. Rather than expand the exam or add alternate solutions when adding to the game, they'd rather abandon this trope entirely as a bad idea.
* In almost all of the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games for handheld Nintendo consoles, you have to go through a cave called Victory Road before getting to the Pokemon League. This cave usually makes use of all of the HM moves that you acquired throughout the game.

* ''VideoGame/EOEEveOfExtinction'' [[spoiler:Agla]] cannot be damaged unless you use a Legacy weapon of the corresponding color they change into.

* ''{{Wolfenstein}}'' ends with the player matching Thule Medallion powers with [[spoiler: Hans Grosse]], with access to each power being eliminated with successive stages of the battle.

* In ''videogame/EOEEveOfExtinction'' [[spoiler:Agla]] cannot be damaged unless you use a Legacy weapon of the corresponding color they change into.

** The [[BrutalBonusLevel Grandmaster Galaxy]] in SuperMarioGalaxy2 is a final exam level, combining most of the gimmicks in the game into a NintendoHard level.