Top 5 Indications of a Boss Battle

As a gamer nothing will get your adrenaline rushing more than knowing you're about to enter a boss fight. You've fought your way through a level, a dungeon, a stage and now the action is about to come to a head. In mere moments you will be staring down a formidable enemy ready to end your quest and you get a knot in the pit of your stomach. From the old days of the NES to modern day games, there has always been a few ways to tell that the boss is looming just ahead, Some of them are a welcome sight to see while others serve to further the intimidation factor.

#5

The Boss Door

This is probably the most used and easily recognizable sign that you're about to be in for the fight of your life. Usually requiring some type of key that was earned elsewhere in the level, sometimes the door is huge and intimidating while other times it's subtle but with that eerie, ominous feeling of dread. Rarely is there a boss entrance that's just an open space to walk into. The developers want you to make an active decision to progress forward towards the challenge. So take a breath, steady your nerves, and open it.

#4
The Audio

So you're walking down a hallway, not sure what's coming up. You've been playing this level for 30 minutes, solving puzzles, wrecking baddies, and exploring when suddenly the music changes. The room falls quiet. A slow, deep, dark sound is rising around you as if the depths of Hell are creeping up on your shoulder. Maybe you hear sounds like growling, footsteps, or evil laughter depending on the threat that lies ahead. When the same music you've been hearing for a whole level takes a sudden change, you better put on your big boy pants.

#3

Newer Enemies

As you progress through the dungeon/level you're in you probably start seeing a repeat of the same similar enemies over and over.  And one by one you continue to trounce them with ease. Then you enter a room, and suddenly you're greeted by a new threat! It's not a boss, but perhaps a new strong creature guarding the boss room unlike any of the others you've seen so far.  These tend to be strong and serve as a means to get you warmed up (or weakened) for the even bigger threat that awaits after their defeat. Sometimes after defeating these sub-bosses you are rewarded with the next item on the list....

#2

Healing Items

Game developers aren't cruel, horrible people (most of the time) and they realize that after fighting through a whole level, you've probably taken some damage here and there.  If the boss room has some sort of guardian it's almost guaranteed that your health is low and this, my friends, is where healing items come in.  Almost all boss areas will have a major healing item (such as restoring one's health to full) outside the door. Others will have some way of healing DURING the boss fight, maybe scattered around through the room.  But if you ever see a fully healing item, it's probably safe to assume you're going to need it very soon.

#1

The Save Point

One of the most tried and true signs of an oncoming boss fight is a save point.  These come in two forms: a physical point where you must go up and actively choose to save your file (sometimes right next to #2's healing item),  and the other one is a bit more scary--the autosave!  So you walk into a room, doesn't seem too dangerous, and then you see whatever autosave icon your game has appear somewhere on the screen. Oh man, the game is saving by itself, something bad's about to---OH NO A CUT SCENE!!!  Yep, good luck with that. These two can give contrasting feelings because the physical save point is usually a sign of relief, knowing you have a place to go and save and maybe rest before continuing on.  While the autosave just sneaks up on you when it's too late.

So next time if you're playing a game and you encounter a strong enemy, defeat it and find a healing item, a save point, and a big door in the same room,  and the music starts changing....odds are you're close to the boss.  What are some other things you've experienced?  Something I may have missed?  Comment here, or contact me via the information in my profile because I'd love suggestions!