Video game design has undergone a number of fundamental shifts throughout the past decade, whether it's in accounting for new emergent gameplay systems or live service elements. Even in that vein, regardless of the genre and goals, designing a video game boss continues to be as difficult as ever. An adversary with patterns and a clear, discernible objective may seem simple but behind the scenes, there's a mess of coding going on to present a clear threat to the player. One that's also challenging and not a pushover. Or perhaps very challenging because that's the game you're designing for. Or maybe a boss that's more cinematic, driving forward the narrative while not being a complete afterthought. And don't even get us started on a raid boss.

With all of this in mind, it's incredible to look back on some of the most legendary boss battles in gaming's history – The End from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - and marvel at just how well the entire affair encompassed all of those points, and then some.