15 Hardest NES Boss Battles

Yes, there are some ways to cheat this boss fight and avoid damage, and you better take full advantage of it. Otherwise, you’re left in a “fair fight” with a bullet-style boss, whose ability to fill the screen with deadly projectiles is made much worse by the realization that he really only needs a few shots to complete your run. to end .

11. Needle Man – Mega Man 3

There is certainly no shortage of difficult bosses in the beginning Mega Man games (more on that later), but it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Mega Man 3‘s Needle Man is still regarded as one of the absolute toughest foes in the history of this tough franchise.

Needle Man is one of those classics Mega Man bosses using an attack pattern that may not technically be random, but is close enough to random to make you wonder what exactly this game expects of you. It also only takes a few hits from one of its varied attacks to deplete your health pool and inspire you to throw your controller in the air.

10. Toad Air Marshall – Bucky O’Hare

Towards the end of the already difficult Bucky O’Hare, you’ll suddenly find yourself piloting a small escape pod and navigating some particularly frustrating “shoot ’em up” phases. The change in pace is tough enough, but what really makes this series over the top is the fact that you soon find yourself battling the dreaded Toad Air Marshall and his ability to fill the screen with projectiles as you hit a wall. of fire that constantly creeps from the left side of the screen.

I can’t stress enough how shocking that change in gameplay is or the sheer amount of stuff this series throws at you and expects you to win. Even games from this era are rarely so brutal.

9. The Last Boss – Jackal

The notoriously hard Jackal (a top-down shooter in the style of Ikari Warriors) saves its most cunning challenge for the end when you’re tasked with attacking the enemy fortress and soon find yourself surrounded by suicidal soldiers, cannon fire, tanks, helicopters, and pretty much every other kind of nemesis and nuisance you can think of.