History Main / FinalExamBoss

A Final-Exam Boss is a boss (usually the [[FinalBoss last]] or [[PreFinalBoss second-to-last]]) that can only be defeated by using every (or almost every) item and power you've acquired throughout the game (often in the same order you got them, even). Sometimes you just have to use those items to [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer make the boss vulnerable to conventional weapons]], like freezing a water monster form before bashing it with your WeaponOfChoice. Such a boss often employs [[BarrierChangeBoss weakness-changing abilities]]. A variant applies this to the whole stage instead of, or in addition to, the boss: you have to use all of your special abilities to get through TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon for the big showdown. Of course, this is the finale of the PlotTailoredToTheParty.

* ''VideoGame/{{Furi}}'': The DLC's BonusBoss uses similar attacks from the other bosses in the game, in order of boss appearance for each phase. His final phase is just him using nearly every move he used from the whole fight until his invulnerability wears off.

*** There is a BonusBoss introduced in "The Champion's Ballad" [=DLC=], [[spoiler:Monk Maz Koshia]]. He uses some of Thuderblight Ganon's attacks (specifically his flash step and summoning metal objects to electrify), creates clones that need to be dealt with using arrows or bombs, has Guardian lasers and fires the various elemental arrows at you. All this to create a boss that requires a lot of different skills to beat.

** In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'', the final boss makes use of all the brothers' (and Bowser's) defensive actions (as series tradition). Another example 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 ''turn limit'' on the fight, and that means the player is required to be proficient with just about every special attack.
** The BonusBoss of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', [[spoiler:Bowser Jr.]] pulls a similar trick to the previous game's ultimate boss; he steals special attacks as well.

* ''VideoGame/AbsentedAgeSquarebound'': The Final Boss, Karen Alias, is immune to Foxtrot during ARPG Mode. However, various obstacles like iron balls, water pumps, auto-cannons, and logs will spawn, and the player has to remember how these obstacles work so they can use them against the boss.

* [[EldritchAbomination Akylios]] in ''VideoGame/{{RIFT}}'', at least or especially in the [[PickUpGroup Intrepid Adventure]] mode, tests every core player skill of a RIFT player. After completing the usual generic tasks Intrepid Adventures require of you, you will be faced with an utter ''horde'' of small, weak {{Mooks}} you will need to use {{Herd Hitting Attack}}s to deal with, testing your ability to deal with such hordes effectively. Following this is a smaller group of [[EliteMooks stronger]] minions you'll need to use your stronger, fewer-target spells against, again testing your ability to deal with such smaller, stronger groups. Defeating them will prompt [[TheDragon Akylios' seeming lieutenant]] [[MiniBoss Jornaru]] to challenge you, and summon waves which are an ultimately fatal CycleOfHurting if not avoided, as well as his own area-effect attacks, challenging your single-target damage skills and situational awareness. [[note]](The waves are safespotable in the Intrepid Adventure version, but not in the original fight, as the terrain used to avoid them appears earlier in the Intrepid Aventure version of the fight, but this still requires you to avoid the area-effect attacks.)[[/note]] Upon his defeat, you will have to deal with 4 EliteMook [[CognizantLimbs tentacles]], which are too far away from each other to be [=AoE'd=] down, and have to be attacked either in parallel or sequentially, while also dealing with their powerful melee and magical/area effect attacks. This again tests your situational awareness and single target [=DPS=] abilities, while also testing the healers' abilities to handle multiple target damage. Once this is done, Akylios itself finally rises from the depths, and brings several more nasty tricks to the table. Its basic attack is a quite powerful and quick to cast magic attack, though manageable by healers and interruptible. However, it will also periodically "rear" in a certain direction and spew an incredibly powerful water blast capable of overwhelming all but the most overgeared healers, forcing you to evade by also moving in that direction, and testing players' abilities to deal with immensely powerful abilities preceded by prompts. Wasting interrupts on its basic attacks is also actually a bad idea, as it will also grab raid members ''in its mouth'' and attempt to devour them for an instant kill if this move is not interrupted. Throughout all this, the CycleOfHurting wave attacks will also continue, although they are safespotable by [[ViolationOfCommonSense standing immediately in front of Akylios]]. This forces raid members to stay attentive to avoid both the overwhelming area-effect attacks, and (demonstrate their ability to) judiciously use their stun and interrupt abilities to interrupt key enemy abilities and save their comrades, while not wasting them on its easily spammable magic attack.
** The original, pre-Intrepid Adventures version of the fight, though even more complex and challenging through additional factors, did not have as obvious a sequence of testing player skills, though it was undeniably a trying challenge, to the point that it received a celebratory video commemorating its world first defeat.

* ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'': The Stylized version of the game (Wii, {{PS2}})makes the final boss a Final-Exam Boss. You will use all the various nozzles and weapon types available on your pack to finish him off.

* ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'': The Stylized version of the game (Wii, PS2)makes the final boss a Final-Exam Boss. You will use all the various nozzles and weapon types available on your pack to finish him off.

* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution''

** On a recent update for A20 Plus, [=DDR TAGMIX - Last DanceR=] does the same thing. Additionally, the song samples various boss songs [=TAG=] has composed.

* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' has [=PARANOiA=] Revolution's Expert charts, which are mishmashes of past charts, many of which are boss charts.

** Previously, ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' had Xemnas, the previous final boss as its true test. You had to master Reaction Commands, managing your party, fighting him ''without'' your party and therefore without Drive Forms, fighting him when he uses all the Organization XIII weapons, managing without your [[spoiler:main character Sora]], and fighting him with backup Nobodies in one phase. Hope you were paying attention!

* The four legendary ships from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' are optional SuperBoss challenges, and taking them down involves you using every trick you have learnt in navigation, use of resources (chain shot, heat shot, broadside, fire barrels), and controlling the sail speeds. It's all strategy and represents the culmination of the Franchise's naval component. Special mention has to go to the two Spanish ships -- ''[[MightyGlacier La Dama Negra]]'' and ''[[LightningBruiser El Impoluto]]'', with the latter being almost ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'' worthy as a fight.

* [[spoiler:Henry]] in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' 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 OneHitKill, plus the BossRemix "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.]]
* Yami in ''VideoGame/{{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,[[note]]For example, 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.[[/note]] and the one and only Brush Technique that the SequentialBoss battle didn't require, and is otherwise useless in combat ([[spoiler:Sunrise]]), is its [[AchillesHeel ultimate weakness]] in its final form.

*** The eponymous final boss of ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' requires 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 first form of Gorea from ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' requires you to use all six of your beam weapons against it in a game of ElementalRockPaperScissors if you want to fight [[TrueFinalBoss the second form]] and get the good ending.
*** The last form of the Emperor Ing in ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'' subtly changes colour to reveal its weakness to either the Dark Beam or Light Beam, though the Annihilator Beam will hurt it in both situations.
*** Gandrayda in ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' is a shapeshifter that cycles through the forms of several bosses you have already fought (as well as a couple standard mooks, and Samus herself). Each form must be dealt with using the correct weapons.
** The Queen Metroid in ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' requires you to use virtually every upgrade to win. On top of having to use careful free-aiming of missiles to hit it in the mouth, you also have to use the Space Jump and Spider Ball to avoid its very widely-reaching attacks, with the Spider Ball also helping you avoid being blown into an electrified wall at one point. You can also speed up the fight by performing a Melee Counter on it, then latching onto its tongue with the Grapple Beam to pull it down and give you an opening to Morph Ball into its mouth and plant a Power Bomb in its stomach. [[spoiler:This helps hide the fact that it isn't the final boss]].
** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' gives us [[spoiler: Raven Beak, a Chozo general armed with the peak of his race's technological might]]. To fight and evade him optimally Samus has to use nearly ''everything'' her arsenal has. One attack is best beaten back by super missiles, storm missiles are excellent for unloading damage on the boss in the tiny openings given as he flies, his speed requires use of both the flash boost and space jump to safely evade, the melee counter can be used to force big openings sooner than they would come naturally, and in the last phase power bombs can be used to outright neutralize the miniature suns that otherwise turn the fight into a periodic space jump evading nightmare. Truly a fitting boss to close out the saga of Samus and the Metroids with.

** The Shadow of Nightmares, the final boss in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]''. It morphs into a grand total of five different enemies you've fought before (excluding the Giant Bot), and if you're familiar with them, you know exactly how to counter their moves. Then, you have to endure the true form of the Nightmare, and the ''real'' final battle is underway.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' requires that you remember the Phantom Ganon battle to combat Ganondorf (or how to use a bottle in unorthodox ways), and figure out the Light Arrows are designed to smite evil. Running down the Tower forces you to face Stalfos again, who only drop their guard when attacking, but also regenerate if their comrades aren't all slain quickly enough, and hopefully you remember how to stop a Redead without the Sun's Song. On to the final battle, where Ganon swats away your sword. So, unless you got the Biggoron Sword, you have to use basically everything else in your arsenal: Megaton Hammer, bombs, arrows, even [[ImprobableWeaponUser Deku Nuts]]. Finally, you have to unleash the Master Sword's InformedAbility at last -- use it to deliver the final blow.
** Majora from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]''. Each phase of the battle requires a strategy that, in one way or another, mirrors that of a previous boss. But that's assuming you don't actually use the [[GameBreaker Fierce Deity Mask]], which makes the "final exam" completely unnecessary. Since the Fierce Deity mask is harder to get than just beating the final boss, it's more like getting exempt from the final because you aced the entire rest of the class.
** The final fight in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Ages]]'' rehashes an old battle wherein you had to use Mystery Seeds and the Switch Hook. Move on to simple swordplay and seed shooting, plus a couple tricks to find out how to move those Dark Links around. Finally, it's time to use bombs, sword, and the seed shooter. Also, Pegasus seeds help a ''lot''.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap The Minish Cap]]'': The first fight with Vaati requires a jar of winds, you need a bow for his next stage, and his final form requires the Cane of Pacci. The ability to multiply is also required for form 2 and 3.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'':

*** The final boss fights. In the very first part of the battle, against [[spoiler:Puppet Zelda]], you need to practice your defensive skills, such as your various dodging techniques, the Shield Attack, etc. The next section is played as Wolf Link, and you have to use the trick you learned for catching runaway rams to beat him. After that, you engage in some horseback combat. Wrap it all up with some serious need for the special sword techniques. [[spoiler:[[AttentionDeficitOohShiny Or distract him with the fishing rod.]]]]
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'' has a final battle that involves the grappling hook, the bow, a new form of the drawing gimmick, and even some boat combat. To finish it all off is a form of swordplay you've been developing by battles against Jolene.
** The final boss of ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'', [[spoiler:Ganon]], starts off by mimicking attacks from some of the earlier bosses in the game, and you have to use your bombs, boomerang, bow, and hookshot at the right times in order to weaken it to start dealing actual damage to it.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'':

* Senator Steven Armstrong from ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' uses tactics that echo all of the previous [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad Winds of Destruction]], making those four bosses lead-ups to him. If you haven't mastered parrying, countering, dodging, blade mode and virtually every gameplay mechanic that the game has to offer, he will '''''[[ThatOneBoss wreck]]''''' you.

* The final boss battles against Gruntilda in ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' 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''. This was also seen on a smaller scale in the interquel ''Banjo Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge'' as well as in ''Nuts & Bolts''.
* King K. Rool in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64''. It's a five-round boxing match, and each Kong has to make use of their unique abilities to incapacitate K. Rool.

* 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 ''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'', Remix 10 for ''Heaven'' and ''Heaven Fever'', and the Left-Hand, Right-Hand, and Final Remixes in ''Megamix''. ''Megamix'''s Final Remix takes it a step further by becoming a ContinuityCavalcade about halfway through, playing each of the main themes of the Rhythm Heaven games in chronological order of release, each time switching to stages from the corresponding games- first the sequel games in the order they appear in the towers from left to right, and then that game's representative endless game. The penultimate section is a subversion, as instead of playing Charging Chicken, you play the Rhythm Test from the start of the game.

* [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon The Vault of Typhon]] in ''VideoGame/ImmortalsFenyxRising'' is this before facing [[BigBad Typhon]] himself. Fenyx has to go through four corners with challenges representing the other four vaults that contained the gods' essences: Changing the direction of wind (Hephaistos), pushing chained boxes (Athena), burning poison seeds (Aphrodite) and using gravity cubes (Ares).

* The final stages of the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series use all the different microgame styles you've learned, though they do give a call in advance so you're not completely on your toes. ''Get It Together'' ends on [[spoiler:a TrueFinalBoss battle against Pyoro]] that uses every [[spoiler:non-Pyoro]] playable character.

* The final stages of the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series use all the different microgame styles you've learned, though they do give a call in advance so you're not completely on your toes.

** In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam'', you face all seven Koopalings at once before fighting the final boss. The first four are fought in pairs and function exactly like you fought them earlier in the game. The last three are new and their only method of attacks are to use two chase attacks and one attack which involves using Paper Mario as a trampoline to deflect a Chain Chomp back at the group. Failing to execute the last one correctly results in an instant death.

A Final-Exam Boss is a boss (usually the FinalBoss, or at least [[ClimaxBoss late in the game]]) that can only be defeated by using every (or almost every) item and power you've acquired throughout the game (often in the same order you got them, even). Sometimes you just have to use those items to [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer make the boss vulnerable to conventional weapons]], like freezing a water monster form before bashing it with your WeaponOfChoice. Such a boss often employs [[BarrierChangeBoss weakness-changing abilities]]. A variant applies this to the whole stage instead of, or in addition to, the boss: you have to use all of your special abilities to get through TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon for the big showdown. Of course, this is the finale of the PlotTailoredToTheParty.

Obviously overlaps with ThatOneBoss, SequentialBoss and PuzzleBoss. For the television version, see FinalExamFinale. For the dungeon version, see AllTheWorldsAreAStage. For an entire series, see MegamixGame.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'' has a final battle that involves the grappling hook, the bow, a new form of the drawing gimmick, and even some boat combat. To finish it all off is a form of swordplay you've been developing by battles against Jolene. And it is ''awesome''.

*** There is a BonusBoss introduced in "The Champion's Ballad" [=DLC=], [[spoiler: Monk Maz Koshia]]. He uses some of Thuderblight Ganon's attacks (specifically his flash step and summoning metal objects to electrify), creates clones that need to be dealt with using arrows or bombs, has Guardian lasers and fires the various elemental arrows at you. All this to create a boss that requires a lot of different skills to beat.

* El Toro in ''VideoGame/WrathOfTheBlackManta''. 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!

** VideoGame/Pikmin2'': The Titan Dweevil attacks using poison, water, electricity, and fire. Four of the five types of Pikmin are invulnerable to each element used, while the [[MightyGlacier Purple Pikmin's]] strength helps kill it in its defenseless form faster.
** ''VideoGame/Pikmin3'' continues this tradition with [[spoiler:the Plasm Wraith. On top of being able to use every hazard in the game against you, its 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.]]

* 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 the Healing orb and Time orb, which normally have no offensive power on their own, can hurt that thing.

* ''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.]]

* Happens with Emperor Sun Hai in ''VideoGame/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]].

** The BonusBoss of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', [[spoiler: Bowser Jr]] pulls a similar trick to the previous game's ultimate boss; he steals special attacks as well.

** At the end of a True Pacifist Run, [[spoiler:you engage in a BossRush against all your friends in the form of Lost Souls, and you have to ACT to SAVE them. They use similar attacks to their earlier boss battles, albeit extremely easy to avoid.]]

** In ''Typing of the Dead: Overkill'', the final boss allows you to type any word you want in order to deal damage -- as long as said word is somehow related to a displayed topic. The instructions before the fight even literally say ''Final Exam''!

* VisualNovel/MonsterGirlQuest has Black Alice, mainly her [[SequentialBoss third form]]. In this form she will cancel your [[StatusBuff spirits]] if you have more than two summoned at once, forcing you to fight with only one at a time (as you've done for most of the game). Moreover, she has a variety of attacks that each requires a specific tactic to counter, all of which (summoning a particular spirit, struggling, attacking, guarding) you've used in previous battles. Though as it turns out, [[spoiler:Black Alice isn't actually the final boss, that would be Ilias]].

** 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.
** ''Pikmin 3'' continues this tradition with [[spoiler:the Plasm Wraith. On top of being able to use every hazard in the game against you, its 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.]]

* ''VisualNovel/MonsterGirlQuest'' has Black Alice, mainly her [[SequentialBoss third form]]. In this form she will cancel your [[StatusBuff spirits]] if you have more than two summoned at once, forcing you to fight with only one at a time (as you've done for most of the game). Moreover, she has a variety of attacks that each requires a specific tactic to counter, all of which (summoning a particular spirit, struggling, attacking, guarding) you've used in previous battles. Though as it turns out, [[spoiler:Black Alice isn't actually the final boss, that would be Ilias]].

* The final level of ''VideoGame/NordAndBertCouldntMakeHeadOrTailOfIt'' incorporates wordplay puzzles from some of the previous levels.