Some games find it hard to create impactful boss battles that go beyond mashing buttons. As far as franchises go, Metal Gear often gets ranked as a series with some of the most in-depth boss battles, including the encounter with Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid. Mario’s various RPG adventures also rank up there, since players have more to do during the turn-based encounters.

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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door contains some of the toughest battles in the franchise. To win against these bosses, players will have to bring in plenty of items to stand a chance. Let’s go over these challenging encounters and offer some words of wisdom.

6 Cortez

Can Revive Multiple Times

• Encountered in Pirate’s Grotto

Cortez is one of the bosses that shows up during the fifth chapter of the game. He appears as a floating skeletal head, but once the battle commences, he has a lot more bones in his body. Cortez will go through three forms and, on the final one, he will consume half of the audience. This will regenerate some HP and make players lose their unofficial third ally, the audience, at full force.

Players should jump into this match with strong jump-capable party members. Goombella would be one example, but the Yoshi hatchling would be a strong choice too. In the Cortez's blade phase, Vivian’s fire magic will come in handy too, along with magical items that can hit all enemies like Fire Flowers.

5 Macho Grubba

Can Attack Multiple Times

• Encountered in Glitzville

Macho Grubba is the transformed version of Mr. Grubba, the promoter at the Glitzville tournament ring. He hulks out using the power of a Star. What makes this fight troubling is that he can cast an ability allowing him to attack multiple times per turn.

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Sometimes this can unfairly put players in a corner with no way out, especially if Macho Grubba knocks an ally unconscious. Thankfully, there are no restrictions on what can hit him, and all allies and Mario power-ups are a good fit for this battle. Go in knowing Macho Grubba is the only enemy, so solo attacks are the best option, including Mario’s Power Jump.

4 Bonetail

A Trial Through Time

• Encountered in the Pit of 100 Trials

Bonetail is the boss that awaits players at the bottom of the Pit of 100 Trials. It is a literally 100-floor dungeon that players have to go through in one run. Some floors have a shopkeeper to replenish items, but he charges exorbitant amounts of gold coins in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Eventually, players can get a safety net to start at level 50 if they die.

Pit of 100 Trials aside, it will be a miracle if players even make it to Bonetail. That's kind of the hardest part about this boss, as Bonetail behaves like the other two dragons in the game, which is a good thing. It can bite, stomp, and blow various elemental breaths. With the right counters and persistence, players should be able to beat this enemy. Also, hopefully, players will be able to keep enough items handy throughout the gauntlet, otherwise this boss fight may be more challenging.

3 Grodus/Bowser And Kammy

Two Fights Unfairly In A Row

• Encountered in the Palace of Shadow

This is a tough round of fights because they are back-to-back. The battle will commence with Grodus, who is tricky because he mostly uses powerful magic that can hit both party members. Also, shield robots will regenerate every round. After dealing with Grodus, hopefully, as quickly as possible, players will have to fight Bowser and Kammy next.

Their combined strength is stronger than Grodus, but the worst part is players can’t take a break and heal in between rounds. Players may end the fight with Grodus on death’s door and begin with Bowser finishing them off. Even worse is that retrying the battle means redoing Grodus too.

2 Shadow Queen

The Final Boss Will Test The Resilience Of Players

• Encountered in the Palace of Shadow

The Shadow Queen is the final boss of the game, but not necessarily the toughest boss. After Grodus awakens the Shadow Queen, he has her possess Princess Peach. After that, the final battle will begin. The fight isn’t too hard as the Shadow Queen only has a few attacks.

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After players deal enough damage to her though, the Shadow Queen will morph and all damage will become impervious. The boss fight will cut shortly, followed by a cutscene wherein the world of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will empower Mario and his party, and then the fight will recommence for real. The best piece of advice is to not waste items in the first round and use Flower Point attacks as much as possible because HP and FP will be restored in round two.

1 Prince Mush

A Strong Offense And Defense For This Super Saiyan Toad

• Encounter in Glitzville

Prince Mush is a new addition to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door as an optional fight. Mario may have the advantage since he can be joined by a partner, but players should not forget Prince Mush used to be the reigning champion of Glitzville and it shows. He will go through two major stances in the fight.

One will increase his power and leave him open to attacks. The other will increase his dodging ability. Overall, his defense stat is huge, meaning that even with the best Badges equipped to Mario in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, he may only deal between three and four bits of damage. Without a good understanding of blocks and counters, Prince Mush could kill a party member in a single hit, so lots of items are necessary.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2024)

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

May 23, 2024

Developer(s)

Nintendo