History Main / BossDissonance

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[[AC:MMORPGs]]

-- '''''{{Wiiviewer}}'''''

** Elite Four Flint, from the ''Diamond/Pearl'' games, is a challenge to the ElementalRockPaperScissors crowd. He's ostensibly a trainer of Fire-types...but there are only two Fire-type pokes in Sinnoh, so he's filled out his team with representatives of other elements as well. He's probably harder than the Champion.
*** This was altered in the latest MissionPackSequel, ''Platinum'', where a few more Fire-types have been added to the list of Pokemon obtainable in Sinnoh. Flint (as well as fellow derivative trainer Volker) now has a proper PoorPredictableRock team and is much easier to deal with.

In most games, fighting enemies comes down to two phases. A) Fighting through waves of normal mooks and baddies and making your way through levels, and B) fighting boss villains. Of course, a boss is supposed to be a tougher challenge than a normal mook, but he/she/it's also a singular enemy (or at least a small amount), and bosses usually test the player's current ability instead of becoming a tyrannical wave of destruction (at least not [[ThatOneBoss most of the time]]).

See also SNKBoss. If the dissonance is intense enough (for Kirby-type, below), it's possible that the game has just gone the whole hog and become a BossGame.

BossDissonance comes in two main forms:

'''Kirby Type:''' A game that has bosses much harder than the stages that surround them. Usually, it is generally the bosses themselves that challenge the player, not the stages.

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[[AC:ActionGame]]

[[AC:MMORPGs]]
* ''WorldOfWarcraft'' fits in both the Kirby and Mario categories, but since the "Wrath of the Lich King"-expansion, it's veered more toward Kirby. Most "trash" groups can be handled by just using area-of-effect attacks (since both AOE threat generation and AOE damage got a large boost) and become little more than speedbumps to slow the players down between the bosses. There are occasional trashmob groups that do require proper tactics, but they are a minority.

** And, by extension, the Subspace Emissary portion of ''SuperSmashBros. Brawl''. Come on, you know it's a Kirby game in disguise. [[spoiler:Tabuu's attacks are somewhat similar to Nightmare and Marx's, the emphasis on the three Kirby characters above the others, Dedede's XanatosGambit...]]

*** Let's not forget that one of those boss rushes has [[spoiler:you defeat Wham Bam Rock as seemingly the final boss, then he comes back as Wham Bam Jewel, a version with more, deadlier, and faster attacks, and a crapload more health. Combined with a creepy laugh and a really scary look complete with three eyes, this is enough to make some people [[NightmareFuel wet their pants.]]]]

* Most {{RPG}}s are like this, really, because most random battles exist to tide you over until the bosses come. ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' is actually an aversion of this type of play, because there are random encounters that are easy, and battles that are difficult, all outside of [[strike:bosses]] Gym Leaders, Team Admins (and the Team Boss), and Rare/Legendary Pokémon, which are harder battles.
** ''PoPoLoCrois'' is pretty much like this; plenty of boss fights have nearly ten times the HP of a random trash mob and will take plenty of time to kill if you don't [[GameBreaker use focused attacks, especially when you get multi-hit attacks that total to over a thousand damage]], which makes them go ''much'' quicker than just having some spike damage while some party members (and summonable espers) constantly put pressure on the boss's HP.

* Most, if not all, SurvivalHorror games are ''Kirby'' games. The endless zombie hordes can be dangerous at times, but they're really there just to fill out the game and cause players to waste ammo.

'''Mario Type:''' A game that is known for having difficult normal stages, but relatively easy bosses.
!!Examples:

* ''[=~Pokémon Mystery Dungeon~=]''. The dungeons themselves will see you using up the majority of your wiles and resources, while most bosses can be made utterly harmless with a single [[StandardStatus status seed]]. Bosses with minions are exceptions, though, depending on your items and moves.

* One instance of ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' fell into this type. When surfing to Cinnabar Island, you'll constantly encounter Trainers, [[GoddamnedBats Tentacools]] and the like on your travels, either constantly forcing you to backtrack to buy some repels or heal up your Pokémon. Once arrived at the island, you must solve a puzzle before being able to even access the Gym's entrance. But once all that is finished, Blaine should seem relatively easy to most players because:
** He uses Fire Pokémon...And his Gym is on an ''Island''. This guarantees that you will have either caught or traded for a water Pokémon, as reaching the island otherwise is impossible.
** Said Pokémon is guaranteed to know Surf, which is a strong Water-type attack with 95 base power and 100 accuracy.
** Even if your Pokémon isn't at a very high level, you could easily snag a greater one with your Super Rod or train it (or both) a bit at the Pokémon Mansion, or just trade with a friend.
*** And for the G1 fans, there was a glitch that could be easily exploited to get you over 100 rare candies, which you could use to super-boost your team. Or, you could be lucky and find a Lvl. 250+ Mewtwo!
*** Blaine was also pretty easy because, unlike some other gym leaders, you could technically skip every one of his gym trainers. It just required some basic knowledge of Pokémon!

'''Other''':

** Elite Four Flint, from the Diamond/Pearl games, is a challenge to the ElementalRockPaperScissors crowd. He's ostensibly a trainer of Fire-types...but there are only two Fire-type pokes in Sinnoh, so he's filled out his team with representatives of other elements as well. He's probably harder than the Champion.
*** This was fixed in the latest MissionPackSequel, Platinum, where a few more Fire-types have been added to the list of Pokemon obtainable in Sinnoh. Flint (As well as fellow derivative trainer Volker) now has a proper PoorPredictableRock team and is much easier to deal with.

* The hyped but forgettable XBOX 360 game ''Two Worlds'' featured this due to its item combining mechanic. Duplicate weapons could be squashed together into one weapon with better stats, so those mid-level swords you find dozens of are really all pieces of the InfinityPlusOneSword. If you've done any side quests at all on your way to the boss (and it's pretty hard to avoid detouring through the gorgeous countryside), you'll probably kill the final boss in two hits. TheDragon right before the boss? Not so much.

!Examples:
* Named for the ''{{Kirby}}'' series, which usually has easy stages, in most of which it's a breeze (or a [[IncrediblyLamePun Spring Breeze]]) to either avoid all enemies or simply suck them all up, and bosses which, in most cases, seriously test your ability (Damn you, Paint Roller!) [[hottip:*:Granted, compared to the heroes of most other video game franchises, Kirby's a little overpowered, especially when it comes to getting from point A to point B and destroying {{Mook}}s; he's a bit less overpowered when it comes to fighting bosses, though, hence the dissonance.]]
** And, by extension, the Subspace Emissary portion of ''SuperSmashBros. Brawl''. Come on, you know it's a Kirby game in disguise. [[spoiler:Tabuu's attacks are somewhat similar to Nightmare and Marx's, the emphasis on the three Kirby characters above the others, Dedede's XanatosGambit...]]
** Kirby Super Star cuts the fat and gives shorter stages in exchange for more bosses. And the DS remake has three boss rushes.
*** Let's not forget that one of those boss rushes has [[spoiler:you defeat Wham Bam Rock as seemingly the final boss, then he comes back as Wham Bam Jewel, a version with more, deadlier, and faster attacks, and a crapload more health. Combined with a creepy laugh and a really scary look complete with three eyes, this is enough to make some people [[NightmareFuel wet their pants.]]]]
* ''RomancingSaGa3'' seems to be infamous for this. Oftentimes, dungeon monsters will be destroyable without even having to expend any significant amounts of resources, leading the player to believe that they are overpowered, only to encounter a boss fight wherin they may be forced to use all of their item/magical resources, and still end up losing.
** Seen in ''SaGaFrontier'' as well, because of a ganked enemy-leveling system that only scales down non-bosses.
* In ''LaMulana'', once you have a healthy number of Life Jewels, the Body Armor, and the EXP-doubling Scripture, it's nearly impossible to die unless you do so on purpose. That is, until you face a boss...

* Most {{RPG}}s are like this, really, because most random battles exist to tide you over until the bosses come. ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' is actually an aversion of this type of play, because there are random encounters that are easy, and battles that are difficult, all outside of [[strike:bosses]] Gym Leaders, Team Admins (and the Team Boss), and Rare/Legendary Pokémon, which are harder battles.
** PoPoLoCrois is pretty much like this; plenty of boss fights have nearly ten times the HP of a random trash mob and will take plenty of time to kill if you don't [[GameBreaker use focused attacks, especially when you get multi-hit attacks that total to over a thousand damage]], which makes them go ''much'' quicker than just having some spike damage while some party members (and summonable espers) constantly put pressure on the boss's HP.

* ''JetForceGemini'' is notorious for having easy-ish levels... until the bosses. And they are brutal.
* ''StreetsOfRage''... God Damn ''Streets of Rage''. All of the bosses were better off taken out with the specials than losing lives over, which made the Boss Rush at the end even worse, when specials are disabled.
* ''BlastWorks'' is like this. The earlier bosses actually become easier if you manage to hold on to enough firepower, but the later bosses especially obliterate in bulk.
* ''EVO - The Search for Eden'' was fairly notorious for this, with most of the levels (except one [[ScrappyLevel bonus stage]]) presenting next to no challenge, and most of the bosses verging on NintendoHard.

* Most, if not all, SurvivalHorror games are Kirby games. The endless zombie hordes can be dangerous at times, but they're really there just to fill out the game and cause players to waste ammo.
* ''TalesOfVesperia'' falls squarely into this. Regular fights tend to not be much of a problem after you've gotten your party's healer, unless you get ambushed or end up in a massively linked encounter. The bosses, though, especially the ones following [[ThatOneBoss Gattsuo]], can be out-and-out murder the first couple of times you attempt them.
** Vesperia's normal difficulty is notably harder than the previous games' normal difficulty. And the HP just goes higher and higher with each game. (The ClimaxBoss about 2/3rds of the way into the game has ''305,550 health''. That's practically how much health you'd assume the ''final boss'' would have in a previous Tales game, on normal!)
*** And don't even get me started on the BonusBoss... even on normal, people think he's harder than [[TalesOfTheAbyss Nebilim]] (Bonus boss), or even [[TalesOfDestiny Miktran]].
* Green's level in GunstarHeroes. "Gee, that was a short level, and this boss doesn't seem that tough... wait, ''[[SequentialBoss what]]?''"
* A number of {{Earthbound}} bosses could be considered this; the Summers area is fairly easy and enemy-free, but if you attempt leaving it to go to the desert, you encounter the Kraken, who will be more than happy to completely tear your party apart with his tornado attack. The Giant Step cave is fairly easy, seeing as how all the enemies are basically vermin, but the giant ant at the end will (quite literally) chew you up and spit you out.
* ''WorldOfWarcraft'' fits in both the Kirby and Mario categories, but since the "Wrath of the Lich King"-expansion, it's veered more toward Kirby. Most "trash" groups can be handled by just using area-of-effect attacks (since both AOE threat generation and AOE damage got a large boost) and become little more than speedbumps to slow the players down between the bosses. There are occasional trashmob groups that do require proper tactics, but they are a minority.
* ''KingdomHearts''. Strategy hardly matters at all unless facing a boss (and then there's several candidates for ThatOneBoss).
** ''{{Chain of Memories}}'' is particularly extreme.
* ''DeadRising'' - The zombies in the game are hardly a threat. You can usually just push past them to reach your goals, or kill them in the thousands for the lolz. Half the game's psychopaths, however, will [[ThatOneBoss mess you up]].
* ''TheWorldEndsWithYou'' subverts, averts, plays this trope straight, and anything else you can think of. Many of the bosses are really difficult compared to the standard enemies, but some bosses are a joke and some normal enemies are ThatOneBoss. Fucking [[BossInMookClothing elephants]].

* ''NoMoreHeroes'' lets you slice up mooks with relative impunity. The first boss will tear you up if you rush him the same way. It just gets worse from there.
* Any given BulletHell game. Regardless of how difficult the stages get, the boss usually has a ''much'' higher chance of killing the player.
** In most ''{{Touhou}}'' games, the only excuse for dying due to the stage itself and not the resident BadassAdorable is that you're actually playing [[BonusDungeon the extra level]]. Even then, getting past the stage itself is [[HarderThanHard only the first challenge]]. Perfect Cherry Blossom has both the biggest offender (even the stage portion of Stage 3 is dominated by the boss), and the closest it comes to equal difficulty: Stage 4 is very long, with plenty of aimed bullets... and then is accompanied by a boss that is intimidating, but not as threatening as some of the other stage 4 bosses. ([[YourMileageMayVary Depending on your playstyle and which character you use, of course!]])

* ''ChronoCross'' is one of the worst offenders. Because your magic is refreshed at the beginning of each battle, you can safely use every spell you have every time, including your healing magic. You're even given the option to use any healing magic you have left after a battle to heal you to full health. So not only is each battle pathetically easy, but the battles don't wear down your health. The bosses, on the other hand, are much harder because there's no easy way to refresh your magic mid-battle--and as such, the bosses can outlast your resources until the battle simply becomes brutal.
* ''{{Ys}}: Oath in Felghana'' has this; most of the dungeons are relatively simple (although things toughen up towards the end), but bosses throughout are capable of slaughtering you within seconds if you aren't prepared.

* In ''TreasureOfTheRudra'', you'll rarely find a regular enemy that can give you any kind of trouble. Then you get to the boss, who can wipe out your whole party in 2 shots.
* Nearly ''all'' of the bosses in ''LastScenario'' can qualify as ThatOneBoss, and although the rest of the level is generally not easy, it's still much easier than what it leads up to. And it's possible to get items that prevent RandomEncounters, making the difference that much more obvious.

* ''MetroidPrime''. Retro Studios themselves that the bosses were meant to be the challenge and that the rest of the game was to be easier. Perhaps less extreme than many of these examples, but it's more noticeable on Hard mode for sure.
* Any of Koei's button mashers certainly qualify. In DynastyWarriors, SamuraiWarriors, and spin-offs, expect to kill mooks as if they were ants, but if anyone with a name shows up, you're in for a boss fight. Depending on difficulty, it can range from a CurbStompBattle where you are the stomper to one where you are the stompee.

!Examples:

** As is to be expected of a fangame, [[SonicRoboBlast2 SRB2]] is also a large offender, with bosses that are very basic compared to the stage, at least until of course you reach a [[ShoutOut familiar]] [[ThatOneBoss mechanical behemoth]]. Of course, this could be attributed to the [[DevelopmentHell ten years spent designing the game]].

* ''The Godfather: The Game'', was like this, mostly because the only characters that could be considered to be bosses (stronger body armor, powerful weapons, ungodly aim), also had the same weaknesses as the rest of the enemies (basically, headshot kills no matter what), and also took you on basically one on one, or with less minions, which meant a boss fight was much more favorable than the normal swarm of enemies coming to take you out.
* ''Spider-Man: The Movie'' game is a Kirby Type Game in the beginning of the game, when you're fighting faceless mooks, and a Mario Type Game towards the end, when you fight omnipowerful robots.
* ''{{God of War}}'' featured several really difficult and lethal environmental challenges, along with a few miniboss pile-on challenges. Fighting the bosses, particularly the end boss, was practically a relief.
** I swear once I'm the god of war, I'm going back to hell just to pull that [[ScrappyLevel FREAKING pillar out of the wall!]]
* ''WorldOfWarcraft'' high level dungeons tend to fall in this category. Getting to a boss requires carefully planned engagement with mook groups using every bit of "crowd control" the party has to offer, but most of the bosses are fairly straightforward. Some bosses do require comparable efforts... because they are accompanied by minor mooks.
** The true "Endgame" bosses (which require teams of 10 and 25 to face), on the other hand, go back and forth between this trope at a ludicrous pace; The Mount Hyjal scenario exemplifies this trope in ''both'' forms, pitting you against endurance battles with the bosses; depending on the makeup of your team, these are usually either [[AnticlimaxBoss comically easy]] or [[ThatOneBoss ludicrously difficult]]. The final boss, on the other hand, fits squarely under the Kirby category (and has an actual break before facing him, unlike the others).
** This trope is also evident in many of the smaller, 5-man dungeons, where a suboptimal group may easily beat the bosses but [[PartyWipe wipe]] hard on the [[{{Mooks}} trash]] leading up to them. [[ScrappyLevel Gnomeregan]], I'm looking at you.
** After the last expansion, neither dungeons nor raids require much crowd control, as both AOE threat generation and AOE attacks were significantly boosted. Most raids and dungeons now fall into the Kirby category.
* ''ResidentEvil4'', in some cases. Granted, the mooks aren't much harder, but there are a couple bosses that can be instantly killed with one hit from a rocket launcher, or a few shots from an upgraded magnum. Avoiding the super powerful weapons swings things closer to the Kirby end of the spectrum; the bosses will take several shots from a normal gun and can dish out serious pain.
* ''DungeonsAndDragons'', regrettably, often works out like this - singular powerful monsters can often be a trivial challenge, simply because everybody gets their one set of actions a round. So the boss gets to move and attack... and then four to six party members get to do the same thing. Boss monsters tend to get buried in a pile of player character actions. Not to mention how many spells, even at low levels, can win such fights with a single dice roll, and at high levels with ''no'' dice roll. Fourth Edition attempts to avert this with Solo monsters, which get a lot more HP than normal enemies, and may also receive multiple actions to make them a challenge for a full party.
** A Balor? No sweat. [[http://www.tuckerskobolds.com/ Tucker's kobolds]]? Run.
* Almost any FireEmblem level where the boss doesn't move. Most of the time, the boss is effectively a regular enemy at a high level with better weapons, and it's fairly easy to surround them and wear them down. It's even easier when they have no ranged attacks, allowing you to pick them off at no risk.
** ''Thracia 776'' comes to mind, considering how anticlimactic Beldo is once you get to him. The game is easily the hardest in the series in many fans' eyes.

* Big Core in any version of the original ''{{Gradius}}''. His only attack is a four-laser spread, albeit one that gets faster the more your ship is powered up. The only time where he might be more difficult is on Stages 1 and 4, where dormant volcanoes will reduce your flying space. And even if you have a hard time hitting him (as a result of being underpowered or possessing the Double powerup, which halves your firing rate), you can still "defeat" him by [[HoldTheLine waiting until he self-destructs]], which usually takes no more than a minute.
* Arguably, ''ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink''. The game itself was pretty hard, but many of the boss fights weren't. The most extreme example was a wizard boss who was basically a gear check (whether the player won came down to whether he had the Reflect spell or not).
** How hard the bosses are really depends on how good you are at dealing with ''Zelda II'''s somewhat "squirrelly" jumping and attacking physics. If you're good at it, then the bosses aren't that hard compared to getting through the levels. If you're not good at it, then even the Horsehead can be a challenge.
** This trope applies to the post-''Majora's Mask Zelda'' titles as well. Some of the dungeons are very tough, ending with an unmemorable and anti-climactic boss fight.
*** Even before ''MajorasMask'' - we had ''{{Ocarina of Time}}'s'' [[ThatOneLevel Water Temple]], one of the most hair-pulling 3D temples with [[AntiClimaxBoss Morpha]], one of the easiest bosses ever (sit in a corner, and watch how you effortlessly get a no-damage win).
* In the RPG ''{{The 7th Saga}}'', random encounters are invariably more dangerous than a typical boss; just walking from one town to the next requires a ton of ForcedLevelGrinding. There are a few [[ThatOneBoss obscenely overpowered bosses]], but they're [[RubberBandAI special]].
** The Japanese version, Elnard, is quite a bit easier. [[DifficultyByRegion The localizers]] [[FakeDifficulty increased enemy stats, reduced player stats, cut experience gain, and overpowered the rival encounters.]]
* In the various ''FinalFantasyTactics'' games, bosses are almost always easier than regular battles. This is because you have five people and they have only one, so you can move five times as fast as them, and more often than not their attacks can't hit everyone at once, or take a long time to charge.
** [=EXCEPT=] for Wiegraf/Belias. Even if you survive Wiegraf, Belias is tough.
*** Belias is accompanied by three particularly nasty [[EliteMooks Altima Demons]] though. He wouldn't be anywhere near as tough without them.

* ''NinjaGaiden'' games can in the early levels be Mario type. For example: Even the second level in Ninja Gaiden 2 for the NES has gusts that blow Ryu into pits and takes a bit of mastery, but Baron Spider (the boss) is trivial, especially if you have the Fire Wheel and the Clones. A lot of the difficulty of bosses comes from having half one's life bar from the previous stage and trying not to die.
* In both ''Nanostray'', the obstacles in the stage makes the stage much harder than the boss.
* In the first two ''ShinMegamiTensei'' games, random encounters come hard and fast and you're pretty lucky if you can get to the end of the boss without being horribly mangled. The Boss you fight, on the other hand is at best marginally harder than one of the standard enemies outside... that you had to fight like eighteen of every two steps.
* Captain Cabot Toth of ''StarWars: Jedi Starfighter'' is mindnumbingly easy. Especially compared to the level you just faced. Made all the worse by the fact that he's vulnerable to your [[ValuesDissonance Force lightning]].
* One instance of ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' fell into this type. When surfing to Cinnabar Island, you'll constantly encounter Trainers, [[GoddamnedBats Tentacools]] and the like on your travels, either constantly forcing you to backtrack to buy some repels or heal up your Pokémon. Once arrived at the island, you must solve a puzzle before being able to even access the Gym's entrance. But once all that is finished, Blaine should seem relatively easy to most players because:
** He uses Fire Pokémon...And his Gym is on an ''Island''. This guarantees that you will have either caught or traded for a water Pokémon, as reaching the island otherwise is impossible.
** Said Pokémon is guaranteed to know Surf, which is a strong Water-type attack with 95 base power and 100 accuracy.
** Even if your Pokémon isn't at a very high level, you could easily snag a greater one with your Super Rod or train it (or both) a bit at the Pokémon Mansion, or just trade with a friend.
*** And for the G1 fans, there was a glitch that could be easily exploited to get you over 100 rare candies, which you could use to super-boost your team. Or, you could be lucky and find a Lvl. 250+ Mewtwo!
*** Blaine was also pretty easy because, unlike some other gym leaders, you could technically skip every one of his gym trainers. It just required some basic knowledge of Pokémon!
* WarioLand 1-3, being based off the Mario series, fell into this, bar the one boss in the first game that actually posed a challenge.
* Nearly every boss in ''ThunderForce III'' is much easier than the stage preceding it, especially if you have [[GameBreaker Sever]], in which case they'll go down in under 20 seconds each.
** And in ''Thunder Force VI'', if you're using the Rynex-R, and have at least one Over Weapon gauge ready, most bosses will go down in at most ''five'' seconds. I'm not exaggerating. On [[HarderThanHard Maniac]] difficulty, this is a big relief from a normal shooter-turned-BulletHell.

* The bosses in ''[[BackyardSports Backyard Skateboarding]]'' are incredibly easy compared to the challenges on each level.
* Richter Mode in ''{{Castlevania Symphony of the Night}}'' is a fairly extreme example. Even the easiest mooks can kill you if you aren't careful, and some of the more challenging mooks can kill you in one or two hits. On the other hand, bosses can usually be kept at a distance and killed without too much difficulty (and if you use [[GameBreaker Hydro Storm]] on them, most die as fast as your average mook).

* The bosses of {{Bayonetta}}, while not easy, per se, are much more pattern-based than the regular enemies. As well, {{Mooks}} tend to appear in packs that synergize well with each other (at least on Hard+ difficulty), whereas the bosses are sporting/dumb enough to engage the player by themselves, making their patterns all the more evident and exploitable. The result is a series of impressive-looking but less stressful encounters.
* Sly Spy, an obscure arcade-only game, has extremely simple boss fights. All the actual bosses have only a single, easily dodgeable attack with the motorcycle and underwater levels being the worst offenders. However, some boss fights are just rushes of EliteMooks which are very good at eating away at your health.

* ''[[SpyroTheDragon The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night]]'' has some killer boss battles and regularly throws regular-and-above-regular enemies at you right in the MIDDLE of difficult fights. One example of this being the final stage of the battle against Skabb the pirate, seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjNIIRJ51As&feature=related here]].

* ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' is generally considered to be either one or the other. Technically, it might be a Kirby Type game, since Gym Leaders are essentially harder versions of the normal random battles, but also have the same crippling weaknesses as the main battles. In addition, bosses usually [[PoorPredictableRock use only one type]] (making ElementalRockPaperScissors too easy), while many normal battlers use varied types, making this one contested.
** Elite Four Flint, from the Diamond/Pearl games, is a challenge to the ElementalRockPaperScissors crowd. He's ostensibly a trainer of Fire-types...but there are only two Fire-type pokes in Sinnoh, so he's filled out his team with representatives of other elements as well. He's probably harder than the Champion.
*** This was fixed in the latest MissionPackSequel, Platinum, where a few more Fire-types have been added to the list of Pokemon obtainable in Sinnoh. Flint (As well as fellow derivative trainer Volker) now has a proper PoorPredictableRock team and is much easier to deal with.

* ''Legend Of Kay'' has boss battles that are a relief compared to the evil stage difficulty. You will often find yourself overrun with mooks, all with different weaknesses which makes the situation a clusterfuck. The exception is the second form of the final boss who is an example of unfair difficulty, as the only way to dodge his combo is to use the Breakable Jongs on the outside of the arena to keep away. Each jong can only be destroyed by one weapon type and the types aren't in a logical order E.G. Sword, Claws, Hammer. So you can't just press the cycle button once per jong you often end up whacking futilely against one with the wrong weapon and falling into the lava.
* The first ''{{Splatterhouse}}'' game has only two examples:
** The fifth boss, Mutant Jennifer, is a pain in the ass compared to her long but somewhat easy stage... that is, if you avoid taking the path to the necromancer midboss.
** The very short sixth stage, being the most annoying stage in the game because of those evil, constantly-spawning life-sucking fetus monsters, has a fairly easy boss right at the end. All you had to do is keep hitting it, killing the bubbles that form around it in the process. Of course, the hard part is dealing with the bubbles that drop from the ceiling.

* ''BatmanArkhamAsylum'' is [[ZigZaggingTrope a weird, complicated example.]] Getting through the levels isn't too easy or too hard. The standard enemies, on the other hand, start off easy and get easier and easier as you get new abilities and gadgets...except for the knife-wielding ones. Until you figure them out...then there are the ones with guns, who are impossible to fight head-on...but incredibly easy to take out with stealth in most levels...then the ones with stun batons, who are really hard but pretty rare. Whew. Then you have the bosses, who span the difficulty scale from one end to the other, including two repeat bosses (both of whom are technically a PuzzleBoss and both use the same puzzle each time...kinda), one that gets ''easier'' every time and one that might actually get ''harder'' every time. The former also takes to surrounding itself with the aforementioned enemies, including the easiest ones and the hardest ones, which means that the difficulty of the fight swings wildly ''throughout the fight...'' throw in [[spoiler: the Killer Croc]] for an AnticlimaxBoss and the first boss, which is a BreatherBoss that can ''kick the crap out of you anyway'' before it gets around to [[spoiler: dropping dead on its own]] and you have a game that has no idea how hard it's trying to be. [[ParanoiaFuel Do not let your guard down.]]
** Another interpretation is that the game knows exactly how hard it's trying to be, and only throws anticlimax sequences at you to lull you into a false sense of security. "Oh man, that last fight was a cakewalk, I guess I'm getting bett- * gets their ass kicked* "
** Or maybe seeing as the studio had only made one game before they're not too good at it. Or the difficulty is thematically tied instead of how far into the game you are.
* ''RockBand'' has some songs that don't fit where it sorts them when sorting by difficulty. On the first one, "Don't Fear The Reaper" appears towards the middle of the songlist for Drummers (there's TWO sections that will kill untrained and trained ones alike, even if the drummers in question can clear [[HarderThanHard Impossible]] charts). DLC, however, is where this problem is especially evident, as "I.V." (part of the 20 Free songs for ''RockBand 2'' owners) is slotted as a 4/7 (3 dots) [[FakeDifficulty despite numerous ''charted'' double-kicks on the drum chart.]]
** Even more infamous are some of the guitar parts. "Constant Motion" in particular is a 6/7 which looks fairly accurate until you hit the guitar solo, which is widely considered to be one of the most difficult (if not ''the'' most difficult) one in the entire game, including the 1000+ DLC songs.
* In ''MickeyMousecapade'', the shortest level in the game, the Pirate Ship, houses ThatOneBoss, Peg Leg Pete (Captain Hook in the Japanese version).

* The hyped but forgettable XBOX 360 game Two Worlds featured this due to its item combining mechanic. Duplicate weapons could be squashed together into one weapon with better stats, so those mid-level swords you find dozens of are really all pieces of the InfinityPlusOneSword. If you've done any side quests at all on your way to the boss (and it's pretty hard to avoid detouring through the gorgeous countryside), you'll probably kill the final boss in two hits. TheDragon right before the boss? Not so much.
* ''ZombiePanicInWonderland'' manages to hit BOTH kinds of dissonance on the same game. The first world is what you'd expect (i.e.: Easy), but the boss is ThatOneBoss, with [[TurnsRed attack patterns that change as his health goes down]] and hard-to-dodge moves. The other two worlds are notable harder, but their bosses are really easy, with their predictable, non-changing patterns and dodgeable attacks. Clearly the dev team took more time to make the first boss than the other two combined.
* {{Diablo}}2 does both kinds. Act 1 and 2 have bosses that can chew you up in the matter of seconds if you blink. Especially [[ThatOneBoss Duriel]] who's not only super tough and super fast, but you must also [[BossRoom fight him in a small chamber that doesn't even leave any room for strategy]], so if you're playing a ranged character, you can kiss him goodbye. In Acts 3, 4, and 5, the EliteMooks and their [[BossInMooksClothing leaders]] that you need to fight before facing the boss, are MUCH harder than their infernal masters. Mainly because when facing the boss, all you really need to do is dodge.
* ''CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence'' varies depending on the characetr you use. With Leon Belmont's defensive abilities and special weapons mean that levels can be quite challenging, especially when you have to engage in any platforming due to CameraScrew, but the bosses are easy once you learn their pattern (yes, even [[ThatOneBoss Death]]). With bonus character Joachim Armster it's the opposite - his attacks blaze through regular enemies, most of the platforming challenges are removed (since he has no whip swing), but because he can't block or use healing items the bosses are ''insanely hard''. The worst is [[BonusBoss the Forgotten One]], who is hard enough for Leon to beat, and nigh impossible for Joachim to beat. While the Orb it drops acts as Leon's InfinityPlusOneSword, for Joachim the Orb does [[{{Wallbanger}} nothing at all]].

<<|TropeNamers|>>

** ''{{Chain of Memories}}'' is particularly [[strike:bad]] [[TropesAreTools extreme.]]

'''Mario Type:''' A game that is known for having difficult normal stages, but relatively easy bosses. Or at least stages that are marginally harder than the bosses.

* ''IWannaBeTheGuy'' is like this to an extent. Both parts are [[PlatformHell ungodly hard]], but the bosses are easier.
** "Easi'''''er'''''" being the key word here.
*** I believe the correct phrase would be "slightly less hard".

* ''ResidentEvil4'', in some cases. Granted, the mooks aren't much harder, but there are a couple bosses that can be instantly killed with one hit from a rocket launcher. Considering how plentiful rocket launchers/the money to buy rocket launchers is, this makes the boss battles pathetic, including the final boss. Talk about the AntiClimax when you climb the towers, watch Leon exchange sharp wit, and the villain gives death threats, only to kill him instantly.
** Now try it without a rocket launcher; your pride will ''bleed''.
*** Salazar is supposed to be a very difficult boss... but if you've been playing pretty normally to that point, you have a max firepower Broken Butterfly Magnum that can take him out with about 8 shots.
* ''DungeonsAndDragons'', regrettably, often works out like this - singular powerful monsters can often be a trivial challenge, simply because everybody gets their one set of actions a round. So the boss gets to move and attack... and then four to six party members get to do the same thing. Boss monsters tend to get buried in a pile of player character actions.
** Not to mention how many spells, even at low levels, can win such fights with a single dice roll. And at high levels, with ''no'' dice roll.
** Fourth Edition attempts to avert this with Solo monsters, which get a lot more HP than normal enemies, and may also receive multiple actions to make them a challenge for a full party.
** The greatest threat to a balanced party is a balanced party.
** A swarm of pit vipers works, too. It only takes one natural twenty on the enemy's part or a natural one on a player's... Whups, poisoned for 1d4 Con and 1d4 Con secondary! Rez, please! To contrast, another game had a tank character who at level 8 pretty much singlehandedly took out two CR 12 bosses. One immediately after the other.
*** Uhh... 1d4 con with 1d4 con secondary needs you to A: Fail two easy fortitude saves, B: not be immune to poison (pretty easy at any level) and C: have 5 constitution, lower than you can actually get in point buy, to die on average, and even on amazingly bad rolls, you'd still need below average constitution. As for taking out two CR 12 bosses: the CR system in D&D is really bad.

*** Even before ''MajorasMask'' - we had ''{{Ocarina of Time}}'s'' [[ThatOneLevel Water Temple]], one of the most hair-pulling 3D temples with [[AntiClimaxBoss Morphia]], one of the easiest bosses ever (sit in a corner, and watch how you effortlessly get a no-damage win).

* Named for the ''{{Kirby}}'' series, which usually has easy stages, in most of which it's a breeze (or a [[IncrediblyLamePun Spring Breeze]]) to either avoid all enemies or simply suck them all up[[hottip:*:Granted, compared to the heroes of most other video game franchises, Kirby's a little overpowered, especially when it comes to getting from point A to point B]], and bosses which, in most cases, seriously test your ability (Damn you, Paint Roller!)

* ''RomancingSaGa3'' seems to be infamous for this. Oftentimes dungeon monsters will be destroyable without even having to expent any significant amounts of resources, leading the player to believe that they are overpowered, only to encounter a boss fight wherin they may be forced to use all of their item/magical resources, and still end up losing.
** Seen in ''SaGaFrontier'' as well because of a ganked enemy-leveling system that only scales down non-bosses.

* Most {{RPG}}s are like this, really, because most random battles exist to tide you over until the bosses come. ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' is actually an aversion of this type of play, because there are random encounters that are easy, and battles that are difficult, all outside of [[strike:bosses]] Gym Leaders and Rare Pokémon, which are harder battles.

** For the most part (except for the endgame bosses with superarmor, and even then some), all fights can easily be won by spamming [[{{Gamebreaker}} anti]]-[[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard AI]] moves
* ''JetForceGemini'' is notorious for having easy-ish levels...until the bosses. And they are brutal.

*** And don't even get me started on the BonusBoss...even on normal, people think he's harder than [[TalesOfTheAbyss Nebilim]] (Bonus boss), or even [[TalesOfDestiny Miktran]].

* ''WorldOfWarcraft'' fits to both Kirby and Mario categories, but since the "Wrath of the Lich King"-expansion has veered more toward Kirby. Most "trash" groups can be handled by just using area-of-effect attacks (since both AOE threat generation and AOE damage got a large boost) and become little more than speedbumps to slow the players down between the bosses. There are occasional trashmob groups that do require proper tactics, but they are a minority.

** ''{{Chain of Memories}}'' is particularly [[strike: bad]] [[TropesAreTools extreme.]]
* ''DeadRising'' - The zombies in the game are hardly a threat. You can usually just push past them to reach your goals, or kill them in their thousands for the lolz. Half the games psychopaths, however, will [[ThatOneBoss mess you up]].

* Any given BulletHell game. Regardless of how difficult the stages get the boss usually has a ''much'' higher chance of killing the player.
** In most ''{{Touhou}}'' games, the only excuse for dying due to the stage itself and not the resident BadassAdorable is that you're actually playing [[BonusDungeon the extra level]]. Even then, getting past the stage itself is [[HarderThanHard only the first challenge]]. Perfect Cherry Blossom has both the biggest offender (even the stage portion of Stage 3 is dominated by the boss), and the closest it comes to equal difficulty: Stage 4 is very long, with plenty of aimed bullets... and then is accompanied by a boss that is intimidating but not as threatening as some of the other stage 4 bosses. ([[YourMileageMayVary Depending on your playstyle and which character you use, of course!]])

* In ''TreasureOfTheRudra'' you'll rarely find a regular emeny that can give you any kind of trouble. Then you get to the boss, who can wipe out your whole party in 2 shots.

* ''CrashBandicoot'' in the first two games the bosses were often times the only thing that didn't kill you.
* Named for the ''[[SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' series, which has over time, been known for this; the bosses seem to get easier with every new game. One of the reasons of it is bosses being stunned after getting hit and thus not not being able to unleash their attacks.
** Also, near every ''SuperMarioWorld'' or other game hack ever created, simply because the bosses are far more difficult to edit than the levels and hence most hacks usually leave the normal bosses after massively tough, NintendoHard levels, meaning the bosses go down in about 2 seconds as a result.

*** Inverted by ''Brutal Mario''. The levels are harder, but not mind-numbingly hard. The ''sub''-bosses include [[ChronoTrigger The Mammon Machine]] and [[DonkeyKongCountry King K. Rool]] and the koopa kids are simply brutal, brutal fights.

* The ''[[SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]'' series usually has bosses much easier than the stages before them, with the exception of one boss per game who gives people trouble.

*** [[WakeUpCallBoss Good morning]] today we have a heaping helping of bottomless pits, stupid sidekicks, and [[MercyInvincibility going through the boss]] because of said sidekick
** As is to be expected of a fangame, [[SonicRoboBlast2 SRB2]] is also a large offender with bosses that are very basic compared to the stage, until of course you reach a [[ShoutOut familiar]] [[ThatOneBoss mechanical behemoth]]. Of course, this could be attributed to the [[DevelopmentHell ten years spent designing the game]].

* ''Spider-Man: The Movie'' game is a Kirby Type Game in the beginning of the game, when you're fighting faceless mooks, and a Mario Type Game towards then end, when you fight omnipowerful robots.

* ''WorldOfWarcraft'' high level dungeons tend to fall in this category. Getting to a boss requires carefully planned engagement with mook groups using every bit of "crowd control" the party has to offer, but most of the bosses are fairly straightforward. Some bosses do require comparable efforts... because they are acompanied by minor mooks.
** The true "Endgame" bosses (which require teams of 10 and 25 to face), on the other hand, go back and forth between this trope at a ludicrous pace; The Mount Hyjal scenario exemplifies this trope in ''both'' forms, pitting you against extremely difficult endurance battles with the bosses (depending on the team) either being comically easy or ludicrously difficult, until the final boss, who fits extremely under the Kirby category (and has an actual break before facing him, unlike the others).

** After the last expansion neither dungeons nor raids require much crowd control, as both AOE threat generation and AOE attacks were significantly boosted. Most raids and dungeons now fall into the Kirby category.

*** Salazar is supposed to be a very difficult boss...but if you've been playing pretty normally to that point, you have a max firepower Broken Butterfly Magnum that can take him out with about 8 shots.

* Almost any FireEmblem level where the boss doesn't move. Most of the time, the boss is effectively a regular enemy at a high level with better weapons, and it's fairly easy to surround them and wear them down. It's even easier when they have no ranged attacked, allowing you to pick them off at no risk.
** ''Thracia 776'' comes to mind considering how anticlimactic Beldo is once you get to him. The game is easily the hardest in the series in many fans' eyes.
* ''Super [[GhostsNGoblins Ghouls & Ghosts]]'', which lives on almost every [[NintendoHard top-10 hardest games of all times lists]], has some of the easiest bosses ever. Not just easy for SG&G, or easier than the levels around them. Drop dead simple. The Hydra is perhaps the easiest boss in any videogame (and his level is one of the hardest. There's dissonance right there); you stand there and shoot him with his weapon, while dodging rock attacks that he telegraphs a mile away and only throws out every 3-5 seconds anyway. The final boss is pathetically whimpy.
** ''However'', there is one exception: The Hardest Thing To Do In The Entire Game. It happens to be a boss fight. Having to beat Asteroth and Nebiroth [[spoiler: with the Goddesses' Bracelet, one of the crappiest weapons in the game,]] is absolutely brutal, and probably the place where even the die-hard NintendoHard fan throws the controller across the room.

* WarioLand 1-3, being based off the Mario series fell into this, bar the one boss in the first game that actually posed a challenge.

** Mostly, this is because the characters grow disproportionately powerful compared to the bosses, provided you find the items. There's no excusing [[AnticlimaxBoss Minji-Jongo]]. Try the bosses on Boss Replay, the final boss suddenly becomes hair-pulling.

* ''AtlanticaOnline's'' many dungeons have an odd version of both types. In order to complete a dungeon, each level must be cleared of enemies including mooks and a boss and usually a couple minibosses.
** It is a Mario type in that if you fail to kill all enemies on a floor within an allotted time, you fail the dungeon. Also, nearly all enemies will group together in 3s and most are much stronger than their level indicates.

** Oh and the Nation dungeons also throw in EscortMission aspects into the mix.

* ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' is generally considered to be either one or the other. Technically, it might be a Kirby Type game, since Gym Leader are essentially harder versions of the normal random battles, but also have the same crippling weaknesses as the main battles. In addition, bosses usually [[PoorPredictableRock use only one type]] (making ElementalRockPaperScissors too easy), while many normal battlers use varied types, making this one contested.

** Those goddamn disappearing blocks...and SpikesOfDoom...and BulletHell...

** Fan games are almost universally Type I, perhaps because creators are willing to put work into their robot masters but treat the regular enemies as the sprite rips they are.

* ''Legend Of Kay'' has boss battles that are a relief compared to the evil stage difficulty. You will often find yourself ovverrun with mooks, all with different weaknesses which makes the situation a clusterfuck. The exception is the second form of the final boss who is an example of unfair difficulty, as the only way to dodge his combo is to use the Breakable Jongs on the outside of the arena to keep away. Each jong can only be destroyed by one weapon type and the types aren't in a logical order E.G. Sword, Claws, Hammer. So you can't just press the cycle button once per jong you often end up whacking futilely against one with the wrong weapon and falling into the lava.

** The fifth boss, Mutant Jennifer, is a pain in the ass compared to her long but somewhat easy stage... that is if you avoid taking the path to the necromancer midboss.

* Named for the ''{{Kirby}}'' series, which usually has easy stages, in most of which it's a breeze (or a [[IncrediblyLamePun Spring Breeze]]) to either avoid all enemies or simply suck them all up, and bosses which, in most cases, seriously test your ability (Damn you, Paint Roller!)

** Also, near every Super Mario World or other game hack ever created, simply because the bosses are far more difficult to edit than the levels and hence most hacks usually leave the normal bosses after massively tough, NintendoHard levels, meaning the bosses go down in about 2 seconds as a result.

** Mario games have shaken the trend a bit recently. ''Galaxy'' has some tricky bosses, particularly in the daredevil runs. The bosses in ''New SMB Wii'' always retreat into their shell after each hit, so even the easier fights at least take some time to win. Then there's the final boss.

* ''Jet Force Gemini'' is notorious for having easy-ish levels...until the bosses. And they are brutal.

* ''ChronoCross'' is one of the worst offenders. Because your magic is refreshed at the beginning of each battle, you can safely use every spell you have every time, including your healing magic. You're even given the option to use any healing magic you have left after a battle to heal you to full health. So not only is each battle pathetically easy, but the battles [[DeathOfAThousandCuts don't wear down your health]].

* ''{{Persona 3}}'' swings like a weathervane in a tornado. On the one hand, Tartarus is [[StealthPun Hell]] to go through, stuffed to the gills with DemonicSpiders, and if you can handle Tartarus, you will not have any trouble whatever with the Full Moon bosses. On the other hand, the Tartarus bosses? They're nearly all ThatOneBoss, designed as [[BeefGate Beef Gates]] par excellence, and only get harder as you climb the tower - and LevelGrinding won't help you. And then just when you think that's the rule, there's the FinalBoss...who is a Full Moon boss, fought in Tartarus. And it is ThatOneBoss to end all [[ThatOneBoss Those One Bosses]]. [[NintendoHard It's a Megaten game.]]

* Almost any FireEmblem level where the boss doesn't move. Most of the time, the boss is effectively a regular enemy at a high level with better weapons, and it's fairly easy to surround them and wear them down.

* Almost any FireEmblem level where the boss doesn't move.

* Most {{RPG}}s are like this, really, because most random battles exist to tide you over until the bosses come. ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' is actually an aversion of this type of play, because there are random encounters that are easy, and battles that are difficult, all outside of bosses, which are harder battles.

* {{Diablo}}2 does both kinds. Act 1 and 2 have bosses that can chew you up in the matter of seconds if you blink. Especially [[ThatOneBoss Duriel]] who's not only super tough, but you must also fight him in a chamber that doesn't even leave any room for strategy. In Acts 3, 4, and 5, the EliteMooks and their [[BossInMooksClothing leaders]] that you need to fight before facing the boss, are MUCH harder than their infernal masters. Mainly because when facing the boss, all you really need to do is dodge.

** ''MegaManX 6'' had such horrible and brutal level design that the bosses were actually ''easy'' in comparison.
*** The level design wasn't horrible, just extremely challenging. This Troper thinks you need to suck less.

* ''[=~Pokémon Mystery Dungeon~=]''. The dungeons themselves will see you using up the majority of your wiles and resources, while most bosses can be made utterly harmless with a single [[StandardStatus status seed]]. Bosses with minions are exceptions, though.
** [[YourMileageMayVary Speak for yourself for the bosses with minions.]] This Troper just uses an Invisiseed, a certain seed that he can't remember the name of [[GameBreaker but maximizes attack and special attack]], and a Ginseng-boosted Thunderbolt. The enemies go down even if only Pikachu is left and all of the enemies are still alive along with the boss. With the exception of [[spoiler: the end game boss Darkrai]], all of the bosses are easy