You might argue that there is no such thing. A perfect open world gameBut there are a few releases that are really close. After spending 50 hours in a gorgeous world, progressing through the perfect story, and creating the perfect build, there's nothing more stinging than an overpowering final boss that ends your journey with a soggy fart rather than a glorious victory.
A lackluster final chapter or battle doesn't take away all the good work that came before, and all of these open world games are still 100% worth playing and are some of the best in their genre. Still, they made me think, “Is that it?” You don't want to end a long trip on a more disappointing note than “That's it!”
Spoiler alert for all upcoming games.
The Legend of Zelda: Calamity and the Beast of Darkness Ganon in Breath of the Wild
Style over challenge or substance
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Calamity Ganon is too easy.
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Dark Beast Ganon looks dazzling and is visually stunning. However, it's more of an interactive cutscene rather than combat.
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Edit: Monk Maz Koshia provides a much better blueprint for the final boss fight. They should have used one Ganon.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is without a doubt one of the most important open world games of all time, and Nintendo has succeeded in almost every area. Still, the game has its problems, such as its polarizing weapon durability system, which are bigger problems than even the most mediocre boss fights. None of the Divine Beasts are particularly great, but they are all better than Ganon..
If you defeat all (or most) of the Divine Beasts before facing off against Calamity Ganon, Link will be so overwhelmed and heart-stacked that he will destroy his eternal enemy without risking defeat. To be fair, Calamity Ganon would be a decent first step if followed by a solid sequel, but Dark Beast Ganon is much worse. For the ultimate fight, Nintendo pursued spectacle at the expense of challenge, interesting mechanics, and player agency..
Dark Beast Ganon is just a slow-moving set piece with a non-threatening full body attack. for BOTW While the game rewards a “figure it out yourself” mentality, handing Link the Bow of Light for the final battle betrays the entire game. One of the most ambitious and free-spirited open world games shouldn't end up as a shooting gallery.
Joseph Seed in Far Cry 5
atomic fart
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The ending is the worst of the franchise and is generally infuriating.
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The final section is repetitive and doesn't provide any room for the strategy that the rest of the game offers.
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Edit: Turn the final battle into a full-scale siege of Joseph's base with your allies.
Far Cry They have a habit of dropping the ball on final bosses, with the third entry being perhaps the most famous example. while Hoyt has been a huge disappointment since Vaas. Far Cry 5 Even worse, the climactic meeting with Joseph Seed drops the ball and ends in a disappointing ending.
rather than fighting large-scale or intimate battles. Far Cry 5 Forces you to perform repetitive escort missions. It's a tedious, uninspiring, and consistently overstaying process as you free your companions from Joseph's hallucinations of bliss. Throughout most of the campaign, players can try a variety of tactics as they approach outposts, which are thrown completely out the window in the climax.
Then there is the ending. Joseph brought about Armageddon and locked you in the bunker with him.This has unpleasant implications when we consider the following: Far Cry: New Dawn. Everything you do throughout the game is for nothing.
Alduin in Skyrim
The World-Eter is unimpressive.
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An over-the-top encounter that ends in yet another dragon fight.
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NPC allies trivialize already trivial combat.
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Fix: Turn Alduin into a puzzle that requires constant use of Shouts and other magical abilities.
To be honest, no one plays. Skyrim Because of the main story Alduin's 'final boss' status is not that important.Players can continue playing indefinitely after defeating the dragon. Still, this doesn't make this encounter any better, and its overwhelming nature doesn't really provide any motivation to complete the core mission.
By the time he faced Alduin, the Dragonborn would have already slain many dragons, so he needed to bring something new. Not so with World-Eater. Instead, it's basically a reskinned Frost Dragon.. Unless someone streamlines the main story and ignores everything else, they'll be overpowered at the start of this fight, making these legendary monsters a piece of cake.
If that's not enough, Skyrim Eliminate all stakes by providing three Nord heroes as allies.
Pope Alexander VI in Assassin's Creed 2
A fist fight with the Pope seems more fun than it actually is.
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Fist fight. This is what the final fight is all about.
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An unsatisfying ending unchallenged and forced by allegiance to historical accuracy.
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Edit: Ezio is an assassin, so make him act like one. Turn your final encounter into an intense stealth assassination.
Assassin's Creed 2 It is considered one of the franchise's true strengths, and its quality has cemented the IP as a staple in the gaming industry. Even though it's light these days, the game is still a wonderful experience built around a likable protagonist and beautiful setting. However, his last meeting with Rodrigo Borgia, also known as Pope Alexander VI, was anything but pleasant and was largely relegated to memes.
“Ezio fights the Pope in the Vatican” is a memorable way to end. Assassin's Creed 2But the execution isn't incredible or epic. For the final fight, AC2 Remove your assassin tools and utilize awkward and clunky mechanics to engage in a boxing match with Rodrigo. Thanks to the forgiving counterattack system, Ezio never feels any danger. This makes sense, considering the opponent is a 68-year-old knight wearing a suit that impedes mobility.
The ending isn't good either. Because Ezio cares for Rodrigo for seemingly no real reason. Of course, he knows revenge won't bring his family back, but he says he's already killed too many people by then. because Assassin's CreedBecause of its adherence to historical accuracy, the story could not have had Rodrigo killed off in 1499 when the real version of him died a few years later.
Lord Scrotus from Mad Max
It's not a masterpiece of a boss fight.
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Magnum Opus' climate change-resistant handling.
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Weird final step.
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Edit: This is Mad Max. The final battle must consist of vehicle combat only.
avalanche Mad Max is a great open world game that has grown in reputation in recent years, but doesn't always get the love it deserves. A few issues aside, the game progresses with an incredible driving and vehicle combat system, along with car customization that allows you to create the ultimate death machine, the Magnum Opus.
Unfortunately, the final boss doesn't really lean into the game's strengths. It starts off well with a chase sequence, but things fall apart when Max destroys the Magnum Opus, basically killing his only friend in the process. Not only is the second part brutal, but the first part also undercuts the rest of the campaign, which spends too much time fostering the connection with the car.
The fight then climaxes when Max chases Scrotus' vehicle and throws a spear at it. At least we could have had a traditional foot fight. Mad MaxSimple but brutal combat system.
I think the narrative ending is good and fits the bill. Mad Max universe.
