- Primary Subject: Final Boss Fights (Single-Phase Design vs. Multi-Phase Endurance)
- Key Update: A new "Phase Checkpoint" standard is trending in 2026 action games, allowing players to save progress mid-fight to reduce the "endurance test" frustration of multi-phase bosses.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: March 23, 2026
- Quick Answer: Single-phase final bosses like Dark Souls' Gwyn offer higher quality and emotional impact compared to multi-phase battles that often feel like tedious endurance tests.
Usually, when you reach the end of a game, there's going to be a final boss fight for the grand finale. Once you beat it, it's expected that there will be another phase, one that's much harder than the first. Sometimes, there's even another, and in the rare instances, one more after that.
The point is that boss fights at the end of the game are usually multi-phased, and people have come to accept that. While such a type of battle can make for an impactful conclusion, which is why it's done many times, I would say that it's not the only way.
Final boss fights can still be outstanding if they're a single phase rather than having multiple, and I believe that more games should consider integrating that idea. I expect that some of you will disagree, and to help you at least consider it as something good, I'll go over a couple of points.
One is that while a boss with multiple phases can be fun when done right, they're more often than not endurance tests. Okay, so let's say that you've spent countless hours playing a particular game, thinking that you're ready to beat the big baddie in the end. You get to take him down the first time with everything you've learned, but then he gets up, with an even bigger health pool than before and newer attacks, and continues to wail on you until you're defeated.
After spending a few more hours or so figuring out what to do, you finally take him down, only to find out that was just part two of three, with the last one being stronger and sturdier than before. Something like that can genuinely break a person, as what was supposed to be a great experience became a frustrating grind. Such a final obstacle, instead of feeling satisfied upon beating it, will instead make you feel relieved that you no longer have to endure endless hours of trial and error, which should not be the case.
The only exception to this I can think of is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's final boss fight, as even though it's multiphased, it's the culmination of everything you've learned spread out reasonably through each phase, making it a fulfilling conclusion despite the slight endurance test. Yet, such grand finales are few and far between, as it's usually the extremely long and tedious ones that are the norm, which can easily exasperate many, as one failure means having to repeat everything from the start.
To prevent people from experiencing tiredness and annoyance that come with multiple phases, it's better to have them go through a final boss with a single hard-to-overcome phase. That way, even if they die to it repeatedly, they don't feel so bad, as it's just one last difficult problem to deal with, even if they're forced to restart because of a mistake or two.
In fact, they'll likely be more welcoming of dying to a single phase repeatedly, as it's like telling them that they're fighting the big baddie at its absolute best without the need to grow into something more powerful, which is much more satisfying to beat and worth spending time on.
Now, the second reason we need more final boss fights with only a single phase is that it allows the developers to put more effort into making it a quality experience. Again, multiphased final bosses can be amazing when done right, but there is the possibility that some phases could be much better or worse than others.
Using an old game as an example, Chrono Trigger's last boss was supposed to be amazing, as you're finally facing the entity known as Lavos that has been hyped up as something that needs to be absolutely stopped since the very beginning. The first phase was indeed incredible, but the subsequent ones were more or less of a letdown, as not only did they come out of nowhere and feel out of place, but one of them also had a gimmick that most likely didn't figure out immediately, which prolonged the fight and made players waste more time.
It felt like the developer stretched it to make it more amazing, but it ended up dulling the experience instead. It is a problem that persists in most final bosses with multiple phases, which is rather unfortunate. Such an issue can be avoided if the last fight had only a single phase, as the game's developer only has the pressure of thinking about everything needed to make one exceptional battle rather than multiple ones, allowing for a more quality grand finale.
For example, take the first Dark Souls' final boss, Gwyn. While it wasn't the hardest, it was still tense, and with it accompanied by a simple yet great music piece, it made for a fantastic last battle that many players remember. A single phase allows for more love and effort to be put into it, leading to players being more satisfied and appreciative of their entire journey, which is something every developer should strive for.
If a game wants a good end, then I believe it's more achievable with single-phased final bosses rather than their multiphased counterparts. While it seems unlikely, I hope that the future sees more of them, as they have better potential to create more memorable and enjoyable experiences.
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