Boss battles are a staple of gaming. FPS games, RPGs, platformers, no matter what kind of video game you like to play, there is surely a boss battle that stands out in your mind. One such way that these fights stand out from the typical interactions with a game’s enemies is where they take place.
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Volcanoes,gothic castles, other planets, and so many more places are the setting for some of the boss fights that stand out in gaming. Here are the best of those places, the ones that make the challenge feel that much more epic, the best arenas in boss fights.
10Aegean Sea - God Of War
There are plenty of impressive places in theGod Of Warseries, and in most of those locations, there’s usually a boss you need to kill.
There was no boss fight arena that felt as dramatic as the ship on the Aegean Sea. Floating there, the hydra that had been harassing you for some time finally decides to rear its head(s) one last time. This time though, the cold water around you and the rickety ship being torn apart as you stand on it really amp up the tension—everything you could want from a good boss arena is here.
9Arkham Asylum Roof - Batman Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylum has a handful of varied areas where inmates pose a threat to the Dark Knight. It isn’t until the end of your adventure though that you come across the most impressive scene. Here, on top of the roof, in a makeshift arena surrounded by inmates, you fight The Joker. Engorged on venom, it is the perfect fight to end the game. Helicopters circling overhead, the arena being torn apart around you, and inmates wanting to take their anger out on you all make for an incredible ending.
8Sovngarde - Skyrim
After making a name for yourself as The Dragonborn, you take your fight to the head of the dragon issue plaguingSkyrim, Alduin himself. The only place to fight him is in the afterlife. Sovngarde: where warriors of Skyrim go to live their afterlives in peace, here among the heroes of ages of yore, you take your fight to The World Eater.
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It is a beautiful view, seeing the auroras and nature around you, knowing that may be where you reside too, at the end of your journey, as you fight your final foe. Unless, of course, you’ve promised your soul to a few daedra.
7Immora - Doom Eternal
The first city, now sitting firmly in hell and surrounded by demons, the undead, and possessed. Oh, and not to mention The Dark Lord himself. The Doom Slayer, having killed everything else that has stood in his way, has now brought the fight back to hell to kill the thing wearing his face. While you travel through realms, you begin your fight here amongst the damned in the first city, with mechs and demons battling all around you. It is quite the set-piece for a final battle.
6Ashina Reservoir Field - Sekiro
After cleaving through every boss up to now, you go back to the beginning to fight Isshin, The Sword Saint, capping off your journey inSekiro.
This fight may not have a flashy setting, but there is something dramatically fitting about the field of flowing flowers around you and Isshin as you face off. It feels so much like the samurai movies of past decades, serene in a final kind of way. Analmost calming place for such a stressful battle, and one that will be remembered for some time.
5The Leviathan - Destiny 2
Emperor Callus' spaceship and traveling throne room all in one. The Leviathan is a massive craft suited for war and relaxation in equal qualities. There are plenty of dramatic settings in the Destiny series, butDestiny 2’s Leviathan Raid will hold a special place in your heart.
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From the beginning, on the surface of The Leviathan, seeing all the gold and sconces, you get a sense of how Callus lives, and you all but can’t wait to take the fight to him directly, if only to knock him down a few notches.
4Bowser’s Castle - Super Mario
Emblazoned with the face of your mortal enemy, Bowser’s Castle is the lair of the evil mastermind that has kidnapped Princess Peach and sentGoomba’s and Koopa’sthroughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Here, surrounded by bricks and lava, you fight Bowser to save the princess and ultimately end your journey.
It is perfect to see your journey around such pretty landscapes end in the castle of your enemy. Your progression eventually has you taking the fight directly to him. Pretty good job for a plumber, right?
3Dracula’s Throne Room - Castlevania
Speaking of castles, the ending ofCastlevania, of course, takes place in the throne room of Dracula himself – the vampire ruler who has corrupted the lands with horrible monsters. There are definite similarities between him and Bowser. But who’s eviler? Who’s to say?
Dracula’s home of opulence and depravity is a deadly place, but the throne room is the worst of all. Still, it feels so good for the Belmonts to face such a monster in the place where he rules, even though it isn’t an easy fight to win.
2On Top of A Train - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is an over-the-top game, to be sure. But fighting the dashing Jetstream Sam at the beginning of the game is a powerful way to start off.
It feels like such a mix of samurai and western themes combined with a bit of modernity to fight on top of a high-speed train. Granted, this feeling doesn’t last long as the fight doesn’t go all that great, but it’s still an amazing time and sets the tone for revenge and the rest of the game as a whole.
1Divide Nuclear Silo - Fallout New Vegas
While it may be a DLC,Fallout New Vegas' Lonesome Road storyline is one to be remembered. Questions are answered, and the complex relationships between factions in the Mojave Wasteland are brought to the forefront.
Here you face Ulysses, another courier like you. But, he is diametrically opposed to you and wants to further irradiate Nevada for the sins of the surrounding factions. Here in the ruined and already ravaged nuclear silo, you face an enemy far more intelligent than most others you see in the game, the results of which will echo throughout the Mojave’s future.
