I've cut a bloody swath through the throngs of minion. I've collected the magical artifacts from the serpentine halls of a dark dank dungeon. I've leveled my heroes to pristine fighting condition. I've honed my skills to a razor sharp edge. I am ready to face the final boss. Controller clenched in my hands, I make my last save and walk into my date with destiny. He looks intimidating. He has sweeping orchestral music blaring in the background. He has a super flashy and ferociously titled special move like World Ender or Meteor Shower of DEATH. He goes down without me even breaking a sweat.

Its been a long time since I've faced a challenging final boss in a game. While having a less than stellar end boss doesn't ruin a game, it sure does add a certain caveat. This is supposed to be the last impression of the game and it seems like most games overlook the last encounter. I think two simple rules can fix this.

First, the last boss should challenge the player. I shouldn't steamroll over a final boss. As a game progresses the player should get better at the game, and the game should react by cranking up the difficulty with the player's improving skill level. The peak of the game's difficulty being the last boss. You should struggle to defeat the last boss. I should only win by the skin of my teeth with minimal HP, poisoned, half a heart left, magic drained, all potions empty, and one bullet left in the chamber. The final boss should facilitate climactic tension, at least one time in battle I should have that feeling of I'm going to lose. When I win I should breathe a sigh of relief. I hold a fond memory of the final boss of Final Fantasy IV. Zeromus was a tough evil doer and wiped out most of my party and I distinctly remember Edge throwing Excalibur and landing the killing blow. Needless to say, I squealed with joy.  I felt accomplished.

Zeromus was a difficult fight, but he lacked a real presence in the story (I'd been hating Golbez), which leads me to the second rule. The final boss should play a major role in the story. Let's face it, narrative plays an integral part in video games. So focus on story and follow the platitude, "have a villain you love to hate." Say what you will about Final Fantasy VII's Sephiroth, but that fellow was a bastard. He went crazy on you because of his mommy issues, burned down your hometown, killed your would-be lady love, and sported an awful hair cut. While Sephiroth may not have followed the first rule. He was a constant presence throughout my journey. I had a relationship with Sephiroth, albeit a turbulent one, and I was invested in his demise. I was much obliged to limit break the snot out of that one-winged chump.  I got satisfaction out of his demise.

Now I don't claim to be a game designer and I know a memorable boss battle is probably much easier said than done. But the final boss is the video game's version of a climax and should be treated like one, both difficulty and story wise.