History Main / WhackAMonster

* The Mole Train boss in ''DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' has segments like this where you have to whack {{Mole Miner}}s (and their leader) off the banana-filled mine carts they hide in. Bonus points for the enemies being moles.

* Sandworm from ''FinalFantasyV''
* Ultros from ''FinalFantasyVI'', during the opera house battle. Ultros regains hitpoints when he switches locations, requiring you to whack one mole as hard as possible.

* You don't really find any holes for them in ''FinalFantasyXI'', but when those black Antlions ''do'' pop up, they hurt like hell. They also stay above ground after the ambush. The brown Antlions always stay above ground, however. Of course, the game also has worms, which only move through popping in and out of the ground.

* They [[AWorldwidePunomenon pop up]] in ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' too. A quest in [[DoomedHometown pre-Searing Ascalon]] requires you to take them out in the fields near Ashford Abbey, and they also drop Baked Husks, required for gifts from Nick Sandford.

* They [[AWorldwidePunomenon pop up]] in ''Guild Wars'' too. A quest in [[DoomedHometown pre-Searing Ascalon]] requires you to take them out in the fields near Ashford Abbey, and they also drop Baked Husks, required for gifts from Nick Sandford.

* ''LegendOfZelda'' has used plenty of variations:
** ''ZeldaII'': The Dragon in the hidden palace pops out of holes in the floor to spit fire at you. You need to stab in in the head on the way up/down.
** Extremely literally for Volvagia, in ''{{Ocarina of Time}}''. You even hit him with a hammer as he pops randomly from a number of holes dispersed through the arena.

** Non-boss example: Wizrobes in ''MajorasMask''. They can create illusory copies of themselves and pop from warp point to warp point. The trick is to pay attention to the solid one. Finding the one that's gearing up to attack you helps too.

* The first fortress boss in ''VideoGame/MegaMan 8'' acts like this. Four parts of the ceiling, and the boss appears in one of them, along with three dummies. What makes it worse is its weakness: the Mega Ball, which is always fired at an angle.

* ''{{Chrono Trigger}}'' had the Son of the Sun, which is surrounded by a circle of flames. Most of them provoke counterattacks, one is the boss' weak point, and they rearrange themselves on a regular basis. It's possible to attack the boss itself, but that really isn't recommended...

* In ''SonicAdventure'', it's revealed that Eggman has a whack-a-Sonic game. Amy has to beat the high score to unlock the prison door.

* Some mole noises in ''TheWorldEndsWithYou'' have the ability of digging away and pop up in either of the two screens. Normally it changes screens when you manage hit him before it leaves a bomb and hides again.

* {{Terranigma}} has a boss like this.

* Monty Moles in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64's'' Tall Tall Mountain level, and by extension in Mario Kart's Moo Moo Farm level (although in that you can't fight them).
** You DO get to play a Whack a Mole type mission with the Moo Moo Farm moles in ''VideoGame/MarioKart DS'' though, in mission mode. Another variant later in the same game has you do the same with Stars and Rocky Wrenches in the Airship Fortress level.

* The first boss in ''BeyondGoodAndEvil'' has so much resemblance to Volvagia that it might as well be a ShoutOut.

* The fire dragon boss in ''{{Ys}} V'', similar to the aforementioned Barbagia/Volvagia.

* PlantsVsZombies has a stage that lets you do this, with graves as holes. You also have the option of removing the graves/holes with a special weed.

* The first fortress boss in ''Game/MegaMan 8'' acts like this. Four parts of the ceiling, and the boss appears in one of them, along with three dummies. What makes it worse is its weakness: the Mega Ball, which is always fired at an angle.

* ''StarFox Adventures'' features monsters like this in the "Crater" area. But it isn't enough to whack them over the head--you have to stun them to expose their [[ForMassiveDamage weak point]] first.

** You DO get to play a Whack a Mole type mission with the Moo Moo Farm moles in ''MarioKart DS'' though, in mission mode. Another variant later in the same game has you do the same with Stars and Rocky Wrenches in the Airship Fortress level.

** In ''NewSuperMarioBros'' there is a Whack-a-Monty! minigame.
** In ''NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', Roy Koopa's battle in the world 2 castle is an inverted version of this, with him moving around via pipes on the ceiling and dropping down to attack. You have to jump just before he hits the ground to avoid the shockwave, and then jump on him, otherwise he blasts Mario with magic while Mario can't run or dodge.

** Lemmy and Wendy in ''SuperMarioWorld'' pop out of pipes along with two fakes.

** In ''[=~Luigi's Mansion~=]'', Luigi has to win a "[[AnIcePerson Freeze]]-a-Jarvis" game before he can catch Jarvis.

** ''SuperMarioRPG: Legend of the Seven Stars''. Pipe Vault. Whack-a-Goomba minigame.

* Monty Moles in ''SuperMario64's'' Tall Tall Mountain level, and by extension in Mario Kart's Moo Moo Farm level (although in that you can't fight them).

* The "[[ThatOneBoss Dual Sockets]]" boss in ''AlienHominid''. Don't hit the [[AttackItsWeakPoint pink glowing core]] (out of the multiple cores) in time? Prepare to be '''''[[ShockAndAwe electrocuted]]'' [[OneHitKill immediately]]!
* [[Plants vs. Zombies]] has a stage that lets you do this, with graves as holes. You also have the option of removing the graves/holes with a special weed.