A boss is a computer-controlled opponent which is found in video games.[1] Their purpose is to test the skills that the player has accumulated over the course of a game. Boss battles are generally seen at the climax of a particular section of the game, usually at the end of a stage or level, or guarding a specific objective, and the boss enemy is generally far stronger than the minions the player has faced up to that point.[2] A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle.[3]
The first interactive game to feature a boss was dnd, a 1975 computer role-playing game for the PLATO system.[4] [5] One of the earliest dungeon crawls, dnd implemented many of the core concepts behind Dungeons & Dragons.[5] The objective of the game is to retrieve an "Orb" from the bottommost dungeon.[6] The orb is kept in a treasure room guarded by a high-level enemy named the Gold Dragon. Only by defeating the Dragon can the player claim the orb, complete the game, and be eligible to appear on the high score list.[4] [7]
The first arcade game to feature a boss was Phoenix, a fixed shooter developed by Taito in 1980.[8] Phoenix includes five levels ("Rounds") which pit the player against swarms of alien birds. During the first two Rounds, the player is assaulted by the pigeon-like "Scouts", whereas the more formidable "Soldiers" are introduced in Rounds 3 and 4. On disposing these enemies, a giant mothership appears in the fifth and final Round.[9]
Bosses are "super-powered" in comparison with regular enemies, and are usually found at the end of a level or area.[10] Most games also include a "final" boss, which is usually the main antagonist in the story, at the very end of the game. While most games include a mixture of boss opponents and regular opponents, some only have one or the other—for example, Shadow of the Colossus for the PlayStation 2 has no enemies other than bosses.[11]
A "miniboss" or "sub-boss" is an intermediate kind of enemy, typically appearing in the middle of a level or immediately prior to the level's actual boss.
A "boss rush" is a round in which boss characters from earlier in the game are fought in succession, often leading up to a bigger boss.