In 1975, Dnd on the PLATO system presented players with the industry’s first boss encounter, the Golden Dragon. The game was a text adventure with only a bit of animation, and the boss was designed specifically to prevent players from progressing through the game with ease.

1980's Phoenix was one of the first video games to present a boss as its own challenge separate from the rest of the game. Players went up against the Mothership, which was much faster and less predictable than the rest of the game’s enemies.

In 1987, Nintendo released Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! and players went one-on-one with some of the most colorful, if not a little stereotypical personalities. The game was all about memorizing patterns, and then Mike Tyson showed up in the final match. He was faster and stronger than the other opponents, and many players found they were no match for the champ.

Many players remember the dreaded Butcher from the widely popular PC game Diablo, and his first words to the unlucky players: "Ah, fresh meat!" Game designer Stieg Hedlund, who worked on the battle, calls it his favorite boss in the game. It helped players enjoy Diablo’s non-linear gameplay, allowing them to level up and then head back for another crack at the overpowered boss.

If one word could be used to describe the Psycho Mantis fight in Metal Gear Solid, "unconventional" would be it. The character of Psycho Mantis is certainly unconventional, with his ability to read your thoughts, counter your attacks and even tell you what save data you have on your memory card. But having to switch your controller to port two in order to counter his mind reading abilities blew players’ minds.

Stieg Hedlund names the battle with the giant robot LeChuck in Escape from Monkey Island as a great example of a successful boss battle. Two giant robots "square off and start a ‘Monkey Kombat’ fight [using] RPS-style combat that you have already learned before that point,” but players have to remember what they are playing, he says. As Hedlund adds, "you have to force yourself to remember that this is not a fighting game; it’s an adventure game, and you have to find a clever solution in order to win."

The Nintendo 64 title Conker’s Bad Fur Day is unique and humorous in many different ways, but the encounter with the Great Mighty Poo takes the cake. What makes this battle so great is the fact that as you do battle with your foe, throwing rolls of toilet paper into his mouth full of corn kernels, he goes through a musical number. Classic.

Final Fantasy is no stranger to memorable boss fights, but Final Fantasy X had the privilege at the time of having the capabilities of the PlayStation 2 behind it. This meant bigger, grander and more epic boss encounters, and Braska’s Final Aeon, Jecht, delivered on every level, whether visual, emotional or in its overall challenge. A true Final Fantasy boss battle.

The Legend of Zelda series has given fans many memorable and unique boss encounters over the years, but the final battle with Ganon in Wind Waker holds a special place in many gamers’ hearts. Whether it’s the scene where the ocean floods around you, the emotional connection as the hero of time does battle again with his arch nemesis or that climactic and memorable final scene of the battle, this encounter left its mark on all who experienced it.

Shadow of the Colossus shows just how far boss battles have come in video games, giving players a game made up entirely of bosses. Each one was emotional and unique in its own way, but David D’Angelo of developer Yacht Club Games holds the fifth Colossus, the winged Avion, as the pinnacle. "It capitalizes on emotions of sadness, awe, surprise, grandeur, beauty, etc. that the game strives to achieve," he says. "[It] really feels like a final test of the player's skills."

Ridley has always been one of Samus’ most iconic enemies, and the encounter with the space pirate in Metroid Prime 3 is one of former Retro Studios designer Kynan Pearson’s favorites. From the initial encounter in the morph ball tunnel, to frantically falling through the pit towards Ridley, to the actual battle, Pearson says that this encounter stands out as something he thoroughly enjoyed helping create.

When it comes to personality, bosses aren’t always able to make an impact. The final boss in Valve’s Portal had no such problem, though, thanks to what Pearson attributes to personality and simplicity. Glados shows arguably more personality than any other boss before, both in the final encounter as well as throughout the entirety of the game, and the final battle simply utilizes all of the mechanics you have become accustomed to over the course of the game.

It should come as no surprise that Killer Croc, one of Batman’s most deadly enemies, is one of the most memorable enemies from Rocksteady’s Arkham Asylum. From making you walk lightly across the planks on the water, always wary of Croc hearing you and having you for dinner, to keeping him at bay with your batarangs while you try to escape his lair, this encounter delivers the right mix of atmosphere and gameplay.

The God of War series has always brought players intense and cinematic driven boss battles, but God of War 3 gave us what Pearson describes as "a great example of a holistic approach" to a boss encounter. It delivers on all aspects for not just the series, but boss battles in general. "Climbing Mt. Olympus on the back of a titan as the gods are attacking — that is an epic moment in statement even before you look at execution," says Pearson.

Widely heralded as the most challenging boss encounter in an already challenging game, Ornstein & Smough pushed players to the brink of anger and frustration with their double teaming assault of speed and power.

Shovel Knight blends nostalgia and modern game mechanics, particularly in the boss encounters and battles. D’Angelo names the final boss, the Enchantress, as his favorite that he played a part in developing. Within the battle, "Shield Knight and Shovel Knight elaborate on the themes, emotions and more through gameplay, which is something we worked incredibly hard to pull off," he says.

Dark Souls’ Ornstein & Smough were brutally tough, but at least they were towards the end of the game. Bloodborne’s Father Gascoigne is only the second boss you encounter (or first if you’re incredibly unlucky), and he takes the fight to you like nothing you fought in Demon’s or Dark Souls. Incredibly fast and tricky, Gascoigne made you earn every inch, and just when you thought you had the upper hand, he transformed into a hulking beast that could easily kill with a single combo.