Many games have really cool bosses with amazing design, and great moves. Some bosses are intimidating while some are maniacal, nevertheless most of them are memorable and sometimes players wish they could take control of them instead of the boring heroes. This rings especially true when games carry over bosses through multiple sequels, almost taunting the players with their unavailability.
Fortunately, some games do let you play as the boss, and it usually feels great. It’s a new sense of power and control and scratches an itch many games ignore. Whether it be for a special event, a few missions or a post game level, players controlling bosses is getting more common, and it's definitely a welcome change
7 Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey is one of the best Nintendo games ever. Released on the switch it features tons of new features, one of these features is Mario’s hat which lets him control different enemies, including the Mario franchise’s most iconic villains Bowser. And yes, Mario uses Cappy to control Bowser. Whilst players have played as the big brute before, this is special.
This is Mario controlling Bowser canonically. Players get to play as the big bad and go to through the levels. Bowser has some special abilities such as Goon job which lets the player control one of Bowser’s smaller henchmen as well.
6 Lord Of The Rings: Conquest
The Lord of the Rings Conquest game lets the player control soldiers from Gondor, Rohan and even members of the fellowship to hack and slash through different key moments in the book. This game is good fun but what makes it really special is the second half of the game.
Here the player controls the bad guys. The player plays as orc in their conquest through middle earth, and then later players get to play as The Witch King and even the big bad Sauron. Playing as Sauron and pummeling the heroes of the fellowship with a massive mace is truly cathartic. Especially when Sauron and his armies raze the shire. A different take on middle-earth lore letting players smash through the game as the bad guys is truly unique.
5 Mortal Kombat 9
Mortal Kombat 9 is one of the most memorable fighting games ever. This is largely due to the massive roster which includes fan favorites from every iteration of the game, and yes this includes the original Mortal Kombat boss, Shao Kahn.
Mortal Kombat 9, while featuring a massive roster, also makes players play as parts of the main story campaign as Shao Kahn, a phenomenon completely novel to the series before this, and it was worth the wait for sure.
4 Dead By Daylight
Dead By Daylight follows four players working together to escape the map, doing various tasks and running from their lives trying to escape an old-school horror movie boss. The one caveat? A fifth player controls the boss.
From Micheal Myers to Freddy Kreuger and dozens of horrifying killers in between, players have access to all of them when it's their turn. Each killer has their own unique skills and perks and their own strategies to make sure the 4 escapees have a miserable time.
3 Jack The Ripper - Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Assassin's Creed Syndicate follows the Frye twins, Jacob and Evie, as they combat the Templars in London during the late 19th century. The game features several historical figures the twins interact with including Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale.
The most memorable part of Syndicate, however, must be the Jack the Ripper DLC which sees the twins battle it out with one of the most nefarious serial killers ever. Obviously, Ubisoft takes some creative liberties with the Ripper, making him more ‘comic-book’ like in his actions and motivations, integrating him into the Assassin's Creed mythos. The best part of this DLC has to be when players take control of Jack and carry out his plans over the course of multiple missions, truly eye-opening.
2 Vergil DMC 3 Special Edition
A Devil May Cry mainstay, players wouldn’t have been shocked to see Vergil as a boss in the third game. What may be surprising however is that one of the hardest bosses in the game; the final boss even, is playable.
Players can start a new save file to play as Vergil after completing the game once. This features a completely new prologue and all of Vergil’s unique moves. All of Vergil’s Devil arms are noticeably different from Dante’s, and he boasts a completely different play style gamers can enjoy, featuring more swords, including the yamato, and fewer guns.
1 Dark Souls 3
A boss list without a Dark Souls game on it would be impossible to do. This may be surprising however, as the series is known for putting players through the ringer, there’s no way they’d let players feel the joy of playing as a boss.
Except, the Ringed City DLC in Dark Souls 3 did exactly that. If a player is online, when they go into the Halflight, Spear of the Church boss arena, the game tries to summon in a player from the Spear of the Church covenant to act as the boss. This is quite fun as players can essentially stall the progress of others and simply skill-check them. It’s a completely new feature that would do well in similar games as well.