Ranking Bloodstained: ROTN's bosses from worst to best
Jul 30, 2019 16:41:36 GMT -6
exile, gradius, and 1 more like this
Post by lai on Jul 30, 2019 16:41:36 GMT -6
Some Background on me: I grew up playing IGA’s castlevania’s namely OOE which was the game that not only got me into gaming but taught me the joy in always try to improve, to do more than learn but to partially master every game I play. To that end I decided to make a guide on beating all of ROTN’s bosses on a nightmare new game file using only equipment, passive shards, and skill shards.
NOTE: I began writing this before it came to light that IGA made all of his boss designers beat their bosses without getting hit so this info will not be accounted for in the analysis.
Criteria: All fights will be evaluated by no hit no shard attempts on nightmare (view my guide to see where I’m coming from). Will not be accounting for where you fight them or the visuals of the fight unless they are intrusive or worth pointing out
All measurements are out of 20
Design: what makes the boss interesting or unique, are the methods for dodging intuitive or obtuse? 0=uninspired, kinda bland, basic attacks or mechanics.10=good, interesting attacks and mechanics, either hard to dodge 20= unique interesting attacks, clear dodge methods
Difficulty: How difficult is the boss is, fairness is important here although I’m more likely to dock points for being too easy 0=boss is really easy, or unfairly challenging. 10=boss difficulty is forgettable, 20=boss is hard but each time I get beat I know why.
Fun: How much fun I had fighting the bosses, purely subjective.
Next to the name of each boss will be these criteria in this order: Design, Difficulty, Fun
#21
#20
#19
#18
#17
#16
#15
#14
#13
#12
#11
#10
#9
#8
#7
#6
#5
#4
#3
#2
#1
Bonus:
So that's those are my rankings. Who's your favorite boss in ROTN? Is there any boss you think I should've rated higher? lower? Discuss and enjoy your day!
NOTE: I began writing this before it came to light that IGA made all of his boss designers beat their bosses without getting hit so this info will not be accounted for in the analysis.
Criteria: All fights will be evaluated by no hit no shard attempts on nightmare (view my guide to see where I’m coming from). Will not be accounting for where you fight them or the visuals of the fight unless they are intrusive or worth pointing out
All measurements are out of 20
Design: what makes the boss interesting or unique, are the methods for dodging intuitive or obtuse? 0=uninspired, kinda bland, basic attacks or mechanics.10=good, interesting attacks and mechanics, either hard to dodge 20= unique interesting attacks, clear dodge methods
Difficulty: How difficult is the boss is, fairness is important here although I’m more likely to dock points for being too easy 0=boss is really easy, or unfairly challenging. 10=boss difficulty is forgettable, 20=boss is hard but each time I get beat I know why.
Fun: How much fun I had fighting the bosses, purely subjective.
Next to the name of each boss will be these criteria in this order: Design, Difficulty, Fun
#21
Abyssal Guardian 0, 0, 0
With the only perfect 0 score on this list Abyssal Guardian is in my opinion the worst boss in Bloodstained.
Where do I begin? It’s just a giant dragon reskin with slow, telegraphed attacks that the normal dragons have just bigger. It isn’t even that difficult as a result and Bloodless, who you are supposed to fight before this boss, has more HP. There really isn’t anything going for this guy outside of being an uninspired roadblock before the Hall of Termination.
Also the “past boss as regular enemy” trope is among my least favorite in all of gaming so any points I might have given this boss for fun are now just dust in the wind.
With the only perfect 0 score on this list Abyssal Guardian is in my opinion the worst boss in Bloodstained.
Where do I begin? It’s just a giant dragon reskin with slow, telegraphed attacks that the normal dragons have just bigger. It isn’t even that difficult as a result and Bloodless, who you are supposed to fight before this boss, has more HP. There really isn’t anything going for this guy outside of being an uninspired roadblock before the Hall of Termination.
Also the “past boss as regular enemy” trope is among my least favorite in all of gaming so any points I might have given this boss for fun are now just dust in the wind.
#20
Craftwork 0, 0, 2
Craftwork was going to be higher but then I discovered that you can avoid his charge by crouching… really? How is anyone supposed to figure that out? It doesn’t help that once you learn this Craftwork is an extremely easy boss, there’s a bit of fun to be had watching this thing move around but that’s it. A dull boss fight just for the ability to move a few things in the entire game.
Craftwork was going to be higher but then I discovered that you can avoid his charge by crouching… really? How is anyone supposed to figure that out? It doesn’t help that once you learn this Craftwork is an extremely easy boss, there’s a bit of fun to be had watching this thing move around but that’s it. A dull boss fight just for the ability to move a few things in the entire game.
#19
Glutton Train 3, 0, 2
On Normal I’d actually rank this fight higher if only slightly, having Zangetsu help adds another level of creativity to the fight itself that it otherwise sorely lacks because without Zangetsu to carry us, this fight is extremely dull, easy, and tedious. The train only has 3 attacks each one slow and telegraphed long before the actual attack. You just dodge and swing at the tongue until you win. No strategy, no planning, just move, swing, move, swing, and let Zangetsu finish it because this fight is dull. I get that they were trying to make bearable since you have to redo the train segment each time you want a go at this boss but they also just made the fight really boring which works too I suppose.
On Normal I’d actually rank this fight higher if only slightly, having Zangetsu help adds another level of creativity to the fight itself that it otherwise sorely lacks because without Zangetsu to carry us, this fight is extremely dull, easy, and tedious. The train only has 3 attacks each one slow and telegraphed long before the actual attack. You just dodge and swing at the tongue until you win. No strategy, no planning, just move, swing, move, swing, and let Zangetsu finish it because this fight is dull. I get that they were trying to make bearable since you have to redo the train segment each time you want a go at this boss but they also just made the fight really boring which works too I suppose.
#18
Gebel 5, 0, 0
WHY U SO EASY! Funnily enough this fight is easier without shards because you are less likely to kill him by accident.
To put it simply Gebel just feels anticlimactic. He’s just a watered down version of Dominique and OD and by watered down I mean a drop of soda in a swimming pool. He’s slow, fragile, and doesn’t even hit that hard. Usually the “bad end” bosses in IGA’s games are some of the best, most challenging bosses, Sisters, Albus, Hugh, Richter, here? He’s just a road-bump before the Den of Behemoths or a bad ending.
Slicing the moon is cool though I wish it was used more in the game. Points for that, but other bosses do his shtick but much better so down here he goes.
WHY U SO EASY! Funnily enough this fight is easier without shards because you are less likely to kill him by accident.
To put it simply Gebel just feels anticlimactic. He’s just a watered down version of Dominique and OD and by watered down I mean a drop of soda in a swimming pool. He’s slow, fragile, and doesn’t even hit that hard. Usually the “bad end” bosses in IGA’s games are some of the best, most challenging bosses, Sisters, Albus, Hugh, Richter, here? He’s just a road-bump before the Den of Behemoths or a bad ending.
Slicing the moon is cool though I wish it was used more in the game. Points for that, but other bosses do his shtick but much better so down here he goes.
#17
Bael 10, 2, 2
Chaos did not age well. Oh wait, wrong game. Bael is a disappointing final boss.
I get what they where trying to go for: recreate that abstract weird boss that was Chaos back in Aria of Sorrow. Problem is that while Chaos works thematically within AOS, the fight itself is really easy, simple, and plain when you get down to the basics (hit eyes then hit circle, hit hit hit and maybe dodge). Bael doesn’t have any of the thematic relevance Chaos had so what’s left? A bare-bones final boss that really needs another phase. He hits hard, I’ll give him that, but when a fight can basically be summed up as “spam divekicks” there’s only so many points I can give in design and difficulty.
That being said: As a former Divekick pro (I initially backed Bloodstained using my winnings) I can appreciate the art, but even I’ve got my limits. I really like the idea of a boss being the room itself and it is something I hope IGA revisits in the future. So points for these two things.
Chaos did not age well. Oh wait, wrong game. Bael is a disappointing final boss.
I get what they where trying to go for: recreate that abstract weird boss that was Chaos back in Aria of Sorrow. Problem is that while Chaos works thematically within AOS, the fight itself is really easy, simple, and plain when you get down to the basics (hit eyes then hit circle, hit hit hit and maybe dodge). Bael doesn’t have any of the thematic relevance Chaos had so what’s left? A bare-bones final boss that really needs another phase. He hits hard, I’ll give him that, but when a fight can basically be summed up as “spam divekicks” there’s only so many points I can give in design and difficulty.
That being said: As a former Divekick pro (I initially backed Bloodstained using my winnings) I can appreciate the art, but even I’ve got my limits. I really like the idea of a boss being the room itself and it is something I hope IGA revisits in the future. So points for these two things.
#16
Andrealphus 0, 15, 10
Andrealphus is dull, uninspired, and utterly forgettable. That being said, the fight is actually pretty good. Despite the metal bird having a limited and boring moveset, this boss is far from easy. Andrealphus is quick, slippery, and hard to read at a moments notice making good use out of its limited toolset. Being the boss you have to fight for the double jump, he certainly makes you earn it.
Andrealphus is dull, uninspired, and utterly forgettable. That being said, the fight is actually pretty good. Despite the metal bird having a limited and boring moveset, this boss is far from easy. Andrealphus is quick, slippery, and hard to read at a moments notice making good use out of its limited toolset. Being the boss you have to fight for the double jump, he certainly makes you earn it.
#15
Orobas 20, 5, 5
Orobas doesn’t deserve to be this low. On nightmare the creativity in this fights design really shines through as his attacks completely change in how you need to act depending on whether or not he’s inverted, but he’s so slow most of the time it’s easy to get out of the way regardless. This fight would be a lot higher if he was just more difficult but as he is now, just something to do before getting invert, he’s staying down here.
Orobas doesn’t deserve to be this low. On nightmare the creativity in this fights design really shines through as his attacks completely change in how you need to act depending on whether or not he’s inverted, but he’s so slow most of the time it’s easy to get out of the way regardless. This fight would be a lot higher if he was just more difficult but as he is now, just something to do before getting invert, he’s staying down here.
#14
Bathin 15, 15, 3
Ok, right after the snooze fest that was the train fight, we have an actual boss. He’s actually pretty easy all things considered each of his moves have a clear dodge method and the way you dodge some of these can be pretty creative while being intuitive.
There is one exception though, his reflector ray. On normal this move is no problem, on hard/nightmare, this move will be responsible for almost all of your no damage attempt resets. The sad thing is that there’s only one singular problem with this attack, it is too damn fast. You have at most a quarter-second to get a good look at the final path he’s going to take and even if you do find a safe spot he can just slide right into you after the attack is over. If they just added an extra half-second so you can actually see the laser be still then this attack would be much easier and consistent to avoid, but as it is right now, just pray you are timing your technique invulnerability frames right.
Ok, right after the snooze fest that was the train fight, we have an actual boss. He’s actually pretty easy all things considered each of his moves have a clear dodge method and the way you dodge some of these can be pretty creative while being intuitive.
There is one exception though, his reflector ray. On normal this move is no problem, on hard/nightmare, this move will be responsible for almost all of your no damage attempt resets. The sad thing is that there’s only one singular problem with this attack, it is too damn fast. You have at most a quarter-second to get a good look at the final path he’s going to take and even if you do find a safe spot he can just slide right into you after the attack is over. If they just added an extra half-second so you can actually see the laser be still then this attack would be much easier and consistent to avoid, but as it is right now, just pray you are timing your technique invulnerability frames right.
#13
Valefar 15, 15, 12
I actually like this guy more after fighting him with fortune in tow. The fact that the amount of money you have actually matters is hilarious especially when you enter the fight broke. There might be a bit of sentimental value here because I discovered super poison against this guy and still haven’t figured out how it works.
There are two major hurdles in this fight, the spikes on the ceiling and coin flip attack. The former can be circumvented by just having the Aegis Plate on a shortcut (or just have it equipped for the full fight if you don’t want to use the slot). The latter is much trickier, I discovered that you can destroy the coins with melee attacks and simple jumps will suffice during the first phase. However, during the second phase, slashing the coins out of the air is a must as there are just too many to dodge. Unfortunately, the coins can bounce at some pretty weird angles meaning that any non-Rhava weapon to destroy the coins will result in you being hit eventually.
As much as I don’t really like the spikes I get why they are there though, to prevent invert cheese and to force precise platforming against his chips attack. The chip attack is one that always stood out to me, being one of the few attacks in the game that require precision platforming to avoid. Unfortunately, this challenge is completely negated by using the Aegis Plate rendering the point kinda moot. Points for trying though.
I actually like this guy more after fighting him with fortune in tow. The fact that the amount of money you have actually matters is hilarious especially when you enter the fight broke. There might be a bit of sentimental value here because I discovered super poison against this guy and still haven’t figured out how it works.
There are two major hurdles in this fight, the spikes on the ceiling and coin flip attack. The former can be circumvented by just having the Aegis Plate on a shortcut (or just have it equipped for the full fight if you don’t want to use the slot). The latter is much trickier, I discovered that you can destroy the coins with melee attacks and simple jumps will suffice during the first phase. However, during the second phase, slashing the coins out of the air is a must as there are just too many to dodge. Unfortunately, the coins can bounce at some pretty weird angles meaning that any non-Rhava weapon to destroy the coins will result in you being hit eventually.
As much as I don’t really like the spikes I get why they are there though, to prevent invert cheese and to force precise platforming against his chips attack. The chip attack is one that always stood out to me, being one of the few attacks in the game that require precision platforming to avoid. Unfortunately, this challenge is completely negated by using the Aegis Plate rendering the point kinda moot. Points for trying though.
#12
Doppelganger 10, 20, 16
Ok I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never been a fan of Doppelganger fights in IGA’s games so immediate docked points on design for that but that doesn’t mean this is a bad fight. Far from it, Doppelganger is a fast, challenging, and rewarding fight.
There is no easy way of fighting her you need to space and anticipate her attacks and dodge accordingly. Doppelganger’s difficulty is The only move I really have an issue with is her flamethrower, which is unavoidable if you are cornered and it comes out in one frame, meaning the only way to avoid it is to anticipate it. Thankfully you don’t have to worry about her doing it out of nowhere, she will only use it after one of her other attacks. Still that comes out fast so you need to play around it for the entire fight. Which kinda kills the enjoyment, since it is less a spacing game and more “run like hell after 2 hits because frame 1 moves are fun.”
At its best, though this is a tight mirror match that demands reflexes as well as caution, but in my opinion there is a better mirror match in this game.
Ok I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never been a fan of Doppelganger fights in IGA’s games so immediate docked points on design for that but that doesn’t mean this is a bad fight. Far from it, Doppelganger is a fast, challenging, and rewarding fight.
There is no easy way of fighting her you need to space and anticipate her attacks and dodge accordingly. Doppelganger’s difficulty is The only move I really have an issue with is her flamethrower, which is unavoidable if you are cornered and it comes out in one frame, meaning the only way to avoid it is to anticipate it. Thankfully you don’t have to worry about her doing it out of nowhere, she will only use it after one of her other attacks. Still that comes out fast so you need to play around it for the entire fight. Which kinda kills the enjoyment, since it is less a spacing game and more “run like hell after 2 hits because frame 1 moves are fun.”
At its best, though this is a tight mirror match that demands reflexes as well as caution, but in my opinion there is a better mirror match in this game.
#11
8-bit 16, 20, 10
This fight is very different depending on whether you are using shards/guns or not. Without ranged weapons this fight turns into a bit of a slog as you need to get close against a boss that you have to be far away from to dodge. This can be slightly circumvented with good planning but by the time phase 2 hits that only nets you 1 or 2 attacks. Usually this wouldn’t be too bad but combined with the head-only hitbox and the fact that 8-bit has the second most health in the game the fight slows to a grinding halt as you dodge attack after attack only whittle down what small amount of health he’s got left.
On the plus side, he actually punishes invert cheese by covering the ceiling in an endless stream of fire unless you invert back to normal and his attacks are hard to dodge but the method is clear from the get go. Oddly enough I actually have an easier time dodging most of his attacks once phase 2 hits, even if I can’t get in to attack. His fire stomp comes down faster so there’s less waiting involved to avoid it and the extra fire wave on the ceiling outlines the perfect path you need to take to dodge.
While with range, most of my problems with this boss go away, but that does not excuse how quickly this fight’s pacing drops like a rock if you don’t use ranged weapons.
This fight is very different depending on whether you are using shards/guns or not. Without ranged weapons this fight turns into a bit of a slog as you need to get close against a boss that you have to be far away from to dodge. This can be slightly circumvented with good planning but by the time phase 2 hits that only nets you 1 or 2 attacks. Usually this wouldn’t be too bad but combined with the head-only hitbox and the fact that 8-bit has the second most health in the game the fight slows to a grinding halt as you dodge attack after attack only whittle down what small amount of health he’s got left.
On the plus side, he actually punishes invert cheese by covering the ceiling in an endless stream of fire unless you invert back to normal and his attacks are hard to dodge but the method is clear from the get go. Oddly enough I actually have an easier time dodging most of his attacks once phase 2 hits, even if I can’t get in to attack. His fire stomp comes down faster so there’s less waiting involved to avoid it and the extra fire wave on the ceiling outlines the perfect path you need to take to dodge.
While with range, most of my problems with this boss go away, but that does not excuse how quickly this fight’s pacing drops like a rock if you don’t use ranged weapons.
#10
Gremory 20, 20,10
Confession: she’s this low purely due to my personal grudge against this boss and she probably deserves higher, but goddamnit I spent 5 hours to no hit her, she’s being docked points for causing me mental scars.
Overall, Gremory is a superb “Death” fight. Clear, telegraphed attacks that still require a bit of effort to actually dodge and props for actually being designed around the invert ability with some of her attacks actually requiring it to dodge if you don’t plan on abusing shields/invulnerable frames. As an end-game boss she hits as hard as she needs to and the Zangetsuto dealing guaranteed crits against her is a nice touch that adds to the set-up around the fight. That being said her crescents are complete RNG, sometimes being in your only path of escape or just spawning on top of you, and ruin this fight for me personally. I’d be fine with them if they contrasted better with the background but they kinda blend in with everything, making dodging and destroying them a risky prospect.
Confession: she’s this low purely due to my personal grudge against this boss and she probably deserves higher, but goddamnit I spent 5 hours to no hit her, she’s being docked points for causing me mental scars.
Overall, Gremory is a superb “Death” fight. Clear, telegraphed attacks that still require a bit of effort to actually dodge and props for actually being designed around the invert ability with some of her attacks actually requiring it to dodge if you don’t plan on abusing shields/invulnerable frames. As an end-game boss she hits as hard as she needs to and the Zangetsuto dealing guaranteed crits against her is a nice touch that adds to the set-up around the fight. That being said her crescents are complete RNG, sometimes being in your only path of escape or just spawning on top of you, and ruin this fight for me personally. I’d be fine with them if they contrasted better with the background but they kinda blend in with everything, making dodging and destroying them a risky prospect.
#9
Alfred 20, 18, 15
Alfred is a fight I personally love just from the design alone. Probably one of the most unique takes on the “endless corridor chase” boss I have seen in a game. Instead of one long horizontal chase, the room is a small circle to prevent gun cheese, but it also has the benefit of almost always keeping Alfred in sight, so you’re never blindsided by his ranged attacks. As a chase boss, keeping on Aflred’s back is top priority but the room’s design also means you can run the other way to intercept him.
On the other hand, Alfred is probably the only boss on this list I docked difficulty points for being too hard. His potions come out lightning quick sometimes and Accursed Order’s tracking can range from meh to “will do a U turn to ruin fight.” Then there’s his timeslow aka you might as well restart the fight because dodging or chasing while you are in its effect is almost impossible. Even if you aren’t going for no damage, this attack alone can spell doom to anyone who tries to finish this old man off.
Docked points for fun because while Alfred is the best take on this type of fight yet, it’s still a chase fight with all the grievances and frustrations of trying to catch up to him it entails.
Alfred is a fight I personally love just from the design alone. Probably one of the most unique takes on the “endless corridor chase” boss I have seen in a game. Instead of one long horizontal chase, the room is a small circle to prevent gun cheese, but it also has the benefit of almost always keeping Alfred in sight, so you’re never blindsided by his ranged attacks. As a chase boss, keeping on Aflred’s back is top priority but the room’s design also means you can run the other way to intercept him.
On the other hand, Alfred is probably the only boss on this list I docked difficulty points for being too hard. His potions come out lightning quick sometimes and Accursed Order’s tracking can range from meh to “will do a U turn to ruin fight.” Then there’s his timeslow aka you might as well restart the fight because dodging or chasing while you are in its effect is almost impossible. Even if you aren’t going for no damage, this attack alone can spell doom to anyone who tries to finish this old man off.
Docked points for fun because while Alfred is the best take on this type of fight yet, it’s still a chase fight with all the grievances and frustrations of trying to catch up to him it entails.
#8
Valac 20, 20, 17
This, my friends, is a spectacle boss done right. Big, intimidating, yet claustrophobic at the same time and it does this without making the attacks either too easy to avoid or unreasonable.
First the cons, Valac much like Bael has weirdly shifting hitboxes that make no-hit runs harder than they should be forcing me to stay back when it really feels like I should be going on the offensive. His Jaw crush is also impossible to know how to avoid on a first attempt. This fight can also be cheesed in a sense since you can rapid-fire divekicks off of the right head during the first fire breath attack.
The pros? Everything else. The idea of a boss being the walls is quite novel and most of Valac’s attacks have pretty clear dodge methods right from the get-go. He also hits as hard as a dragon that big should. There’s a fair bit of creativity in the design of the fight as well. You slowly descend the tower as the fight progresses both chasing and being chased by the boss. Both heads will attack in tandem, creating tight dodge timings but the heads will attack separately first to foreshadow where the openings on the tandem attacks will be, prime example being the tongue attacks. The only thing they really missed here in terms of design was combining the heads ala cotm but that would admittingly ruin the whole “surrounded” aspect of the fight.
This, my friends, is a spectacle boss done right. Big, intimidating, yet claustrophobic at the same time and it does this without making the attacks either too easy to avoid or unreasonable.
First the cons, Valac much like Bael has weirdly shifting hitboxes that make no-hit runs harder than they should be forcing me to stay back when it really feels like I should be going on the offensive. His Jaw crush is also impossible to know how to avoid on a first attempt. This fight can also be cheesed in a sense since you can rapid-fire divekicks off of the right head during the first fire breath attack.
The pros? Everything else. The idea of a boss being the walls is quite novel and most of Valac’s attacks have pretty clear dodge methods right from the get-go. He also hits as hard as a dragon that big should. There’s a fair bit of creativity in the design of the fight as well. You slowly descend the tower as the fight progresses both chasing and being chased by the boss. Both heads will attack in tandem, creating tight dodge timings but the heads will attack separately first to foreshadow where the openings on the tandem attacks will be, prime example being the tongue attacks. The only thing they really missed here in terms of design was combining the heads ala cotm but that would admittingly ruin the whole “surrounded” aspect of the fight.
#7
Zangetsu 1 20, 20, 18
I was initially going to dock points for Zangetsu being too difficult, but when I thought it over I realized that Zangetsu is more fair than I initially believed.
As the second boss of the game, it is Zangetsu’s job to shatter any confidence you might’ve had and oh boy does he do a good job. He’s fast, hits hard, and you don’t have many options to use against him outside of your starting ones. Which is my main issue with this boss, he’s still loads of fun, but being limited in options hurts more here than it does any other fight. He’s just begging to be divekicked over. However, Zangetsu follows a very strict rhythm that I don’t exactly get it I know it exists so any hits I take are definitely more my poor timing than anything else. It’s an intense fight through and through but the spots that remind you how limited your tools are hurt the enjoyment just a bit.
I was initially going to dock points for Zangetsu being too difficult, but when I thought it over I realized that Zangetsu is more fair than I initially believed.
As the second boss of the game, it is Zangetsu’s job to shatter any confidence you might’ve had and oh boy does he do a good job. He’s fast, hits hard, and you don’t have many options to use against him outside of your starting ones. Which is my main issue with this boss, he’s still loads of fun, but being limited in options hurts more here than it does any other fight. He’s just begging to be divekicked over. However, Zangetsu follows a very strict rhythm that I don’t exactly get it I know it exists so any hits I take are definitely more my poor timing than anything else. It’s an intense fight through and through but the spots that remind you how limited your tools are hurt the enjoyment just a bit.
#6
Zangetsu 2 19, 20, 20
Sooo close, my only gripe with this fight is how obtuse the dodge solutions to his hard/nightmare exclusive ofuda attacks are. I’m talking specifically about the 1 hit kill attack or DOOM ofuda as I like to call it. I looked all over youtube and the only consistent method of getting out was one I found on my own, by accident. How on earth you’re supposed to figure out that inverting while the circle is trying to move will get you out of that attack is beyond me.
That aside Zangetsu’s rematch is one of the most fun fights in the game and would’ve been perfect if avoiding the DOOM ofuda was more consistent/intuitive. He’s fast, hits hard, and can take hits like a champ. He uses the same basic moveset throughout the fight but his elemental mode changes how you need to react to some of his attacks. Flame kunai need to be given a wide berth, thunder kunai spawn a vertical pillar of lightning, and ice kunai shoot out ice shards that you also have to dodge. His slams also change depending on his element but they follow suit in how you need to react to them.
In hard/nightmare he has new screen filling ofuda attacks that are creative, hard to dodge, and yet finding how to dodge them isn’t actually all that difficult. Flame ofuda can be destroyed by melee, lightning has clear dodge points and a safespot all the way on the right, and ice needs precise timing to avoid cleanly. These new attacks and how Zangetsu subtly changes his attacks across the phases put him at a near perfect score.
Sooo close, my only gripe with this fight is how obtuse the dodge solutions to his hard/nightmare exclusive ofuda attacks are. I’m talking specifically about the 1 hit kill attack or DOOM ofuda as I like to call it. I looked all over youtube and the only consistent method of getting out was one I found on my own, by accident. How on earth you’re supposed to figure out that inverting while the circle is trying to move will get you out of that attack is beyond me.
That aside Zangetsu’s rematch is one of the most fun fights in the game and would’ve been perfect if avoiding the DOOM ofuda was more consistent/intuitive. He’s fast, hits hard, and can take hits like a champ. He uses the same basic moveset throughout the fight but his elemental mode changes how you need to react to some of his attacks. Flame kunai need to be given a wide berth, thunder kunai spawn a vertical pillar of lightning, and ice kunai shoot out ice shards that you also have to dodge. His slams also change depending on his element but they follow suit in how you need to react to them.
In hard/nightmare he has new screen filling ofuda attacks that are creative, hard to dodge, and yet finding how to dodge them isn’t actually all that difficult. Flame ofuda can be destroyed by melee, lightning has clear dodge points and a safespot all the way on the right, and ice needs precise timing to avoid cleanly. These new attacks and how Zangetsu subtly changes his attacks across the phases put him at a near perfect score.
#5
Vepar: 20, 20 ,20
This is probably one of my more controversial picks given the discussions I’ve seen around this boss, but this is my list, my choice.
On normal I don’t believe Vepar to be all that great of a fight, yeah she looks cool, but she is all too easy to just beat down and move on, mid-tier boss at best. On nightmare? Completely different story. Not only does she now actually have the damage to back up her size, she as a brand new attack to give everyone thinking they could just blow through nightmare with violence alone a harsh lesson in restraint.
Of course I’m referring to her new water gun attack that everyone but me seems to absolutely hate. This attack is amazing as it teaches players to be careful while also telling them to not be “too careful”. There is a delicate balance between hiding between the seamas and not being killed by them. You can stunlock them with attacks, but if you are too fast you’ll get hit by the water gun, too slow and the seamas will shoot you in the face. However you can’t always let the seamas live, Vepar will only do the water gun after spawning more seamas so you need to take them out ASAP if Vepar doesn’t prep the water gun so that you aren’t overwhelmed when the boss actually does it. This balance is design philosophy that is also present in OOE with bosses such as Rusalka and is one I absolutely love.
All perfect scores from here on, the ranking is now solely my personal opinions on the boss.
This is probably one of my more controversial picks given the discussions I’ve seen around this boss, but this is my list, my choice.
On normal I don’t believe Vepar to be all that great of a fight, yeah she looks cool, but she is all too easy to just beat down and move on, mid-tier boss at best. On nightmare? Completely different story. Not only does she now actually have the damage to back up her size, she as a brand new attack to give everyone thinking they could just blow through nightmare with violence alone a harsh lesson in restraint.
Of course I’m referring to her new water gun attack that everyone but me seems to absolutely hate. This attack is amazing as it teaches players to be careful while also telling them to not be “too careful”. There is a delicate balance between hiding between the seamas and not being killed by them. You can stunlock them with attacks, but if you are too fast you’ll get hit by the water gun, too slow and the seamas will shoot you in the face. However you can’t always let the seamas live, Vepar will only do the water gun after spawning more seamas so you need to take them out ASAP if Vepar doesn’t prep the water gun so that you aren’t overwhelmed when the boss actually does it. This balance is design philosophy that is also present in OOE with bosses such as Rusalka and is one I absolutely love.
All perfect scores from here on, the ranking is now solely my personal opinions on the boss.
#4
Bloodless: 20, 20, 20
Ah the sexy vampire turns out she’s an excellent boss fight too. Bloodless is probably the easiest boss with a perfect rating, but that doesn’t mean she’s bad. Far from it, she’s creative, difficult without being ridiculous, and a blast to go up against.
The creativity in this fight comes from how some of Bloodless’ attacks serve multiple purposes. Her umbrella attack creates drones you need to watch for but at the same time they can be divekicked off of for extra height or used as cover during Blood Rain. While Scarlet Cyclone at first looks like a simple laser attack, it is later revealed to be setting up the horrendously difficult to dodge Blood Rain. I’m a sucker for this kind of multi-purpose design as it makes paying attention to what’s happening now all the more important for avoiding attacks in the future.
Bloodless is a fight that demands you observe, react, and plan ahead. Even though most of her attacks can be dodged with well-timed double jumps, with the umbrellas in the air you need to be wary of when you land unless you want to find yourself falling helplessly into an attack. Then there’s the connection between Scarlet Cyclone and Blood Rain. The former will put blood on the ceiling for the latter and the way you are supposed to avoid it is to stand under the umbrellas. This is much harder than it sounds as Bloodless will go for a cheapshot during the Blood Rain, but there is a much easier way to avoid this whole scenario, just stand under a spot that isn’t covered in blood which you can easily set up by keeping the fight in one corner of the room. Unlike most bosses, Bloodless rewards strategy and planning over just straight aggression and reaction, making her a standout even among IGA’s other games.
Ah the sexy vampire turns out she’s an excellent boss fight too. Bloodless is probably the easiest boss with a perfect rating, but that doesn’t mean she’s bad. Far from it, she’s creative, difficult without being ridiculous, and a blast to go up against.
The creativity in this fight comes from how some of Bloodless’ attacks serve multiple purposes. Her umbrella attack creates drones you need to watch for but at the same time they can be divekicked off of for extra height or used as cover during Blood Rain. While Scarlet Cyclone at first looks like a simple laser attack, it is later revealed to be setting up the horrendously difficult to dodge Blood Rain. I’m a sucker for this kind of multi-purpose design as it makes paying attention to what’s happening now all the more important for avoiding attacks in the future.
Bloodless is a fight that demands you observe, react, and plan ahead. Even though most of her attacks can be dodged with well-timed double jumps, with the umbrellas in the air you need to be wary of when you land unless you want to find yourself falling helplessly into an attack. Then there’s the connection between Scarlet Cyclone and Blood Rain. The former will put blood on the ceiling for the latter and the way you are supposed to avoid it is to stand under the umbrellas. This is much harder than it sounds as Bloodless will go for a cheapshot during the Blood Rain, but there is a much easier way to avoid this whole scenario, just stand under a spot that isn’t covered in blood which you can easily set up by keeping the fight in one corner of the room. Unlike most bosses, Bloodless rewards strategy and planning over just straight aggression and reaction, making her a standout even among IGA’s other games.
#3
Dominique: 20, 20, 20
Ok before I move on to the fight can I just say I love Fryda Wolff’s voice here, she’s going full ham and it is a delight to listen to. Also Repentance is my favorite song in the game.
Unlike Gebel this is truly a mirror fight, Dominique has many of the same tools you do with extras. A whip, spells that cover the entire screen, divekicks and more. She not only has your tools but in some cases straight up better versions such as her Tis Rozain being two lasers instead of one. It’s always interesting seeing these attacks that share the same name as to what you use but are used in a completely different way such Riga Dohin being turned into a screen filler and movement inhibitor rather than a straight projectile.
Although she uses the moveset of a souped-up Gebel she did not inherit his speed, Dominique just might be one of the fastest bosses in the game. Her moves that come out quick have a short reach while her moves that don’t typically have a good half-second of start-up. Having these traits doesn’t mean that Dominique is easy, far from it. She’s much faster than Bael and hits just as hard. That being said, every one of her big attacks can be reacted to and dodged accordingly making this a fun fight through and though. Her faster attacks can all be avoided with proper spacing and her whip is slow enough to dodge on reaction making controlled aggression a viable strategy. She may be a bit on the fragile side and can be DPS’d down but that doesn’t mean she’s going to make it easy.
Ok before I move on to the fight can I just say I love Fryda Wolff’s voice here, she’s going full ham and it is a delight to listen to. Also Repentance is my favorite song in the game.
Unlike Gebel this is truly a mirror fight, Dominique has many of the same tools you do with extras. A whip, spells that cover the entire screen, divekicks and more. She not only has your tools but in some cases straight up better versions such as her Tis Rozain being two lasers instead of one. It’s always interesting seeing these attacks that share the same name as to what you use but are used in a completely different way such Riga Dohin being turned into a screen filler and movement inhibitor rather than a straight projectile.
Although she uses the moveset of a souped-up Gebel she did not inherit his speed, Dominique just might be one of the fastest bosses in the game. Her moves that come out quick have a short reach while her moves that don’t typically have a good half-second of start-up. Having these traits doesn’t mean that Dominique is easy, far from it. She’s much faster than Bael and hits just as hard. That being said, every one of her big attacks can be reacted to and dodged accordingly making this a fun fight through and though. Her faster attacks can all be avoided with proper spacing and her whip is slow enough to dodge on reaction making controlled aggression a viable strategy. She may be a bit on the fragile side and can be DPS’d down but that doesn’t mean she’s going to make it easy.
#2
OD: 20, 20, 20
Robbie Belgrade is back to voice another vampire and oh boy does it feel like fighting Alucard. From the way he moves, to the attacks he uses Robbie Belgrade voices another loveable OP vampire.
OD is actually a fairly slow boss for Nightmare/Hard difficulty so instead he’s tricky, many of his attacks (namely his spells) all have the same startup animation and speed. However all of these spells can be dodged on reaction by just divekicking off his head. As the fight goes on though he relies less on his spells and more on his quick teleports and transformations. This is a fight of reactions and planning, pure and simple. Whenever OD does anything you need to prepare for all possibilities, and that’s what’s so fun about this fight, keeping on the aggressive while also making sure you have enough space to get out of the way when he gets tricky.
I was going to dock points for the timestop but the non-shard solution is easy enough to figure out and I wasn’t even the only one who had the idea of using divekicks to dodge the sword and the ice this time. So perfect score for being one of the hardest bosses to read and a fun fight at the same time.
Robbie Belgrade is back to voice another vampire and oh boy does it feel like fighting Alucard. From the way he moves, to the attacks he uses Robbie Belgrade voices another loveable OP vampire.
OD is actually a fairly slow boss for Nightmare/Hard difficulty so instead he’s tricky, many of his attacks (namely his spells) all have the same startup animation and speed. However all of these spells can be dodged on reaction by just divekicking off his head. As the fight goes on though he relies less on his spells and more on his quick teleports and transformations. This is a fight of reactions and planning, pure and simple. Whenever OD does anything you need to prepare for all possibilities, and that’s what’s so fun about this fight, keeping on the aggressive while also making sure you have enough space to get out of the way when he gets tricky.
I was going to dock points for the timestop but the non-shard solution is easy enough to figure out and I wasn’t even the only one who had the idea of using divekicks to dodge the sword and the ice this time. So perfect score for being one of the hardest bosses to read and a fun fight at the same time.
#1
IGA 20, 20, 20
For what looks like a Dracula fight, it definitely doesn’t feel like one. IGA definitely has the traits fire, teleporting, head only hurtbox, etc, but in practice the fight is its own beast.
With only 6 attacks at most and yet he still manages to be a truly challenging boss regardless of how you fight him. His attacks can be lighting fast but they all have distinct and clear tells that let you know what’s coming. However just because they have clear telegraph's, doesn't mean that they are easy to dodge. Dodging IGA’s attacks requires a strict timing that is unique to each attack and each attack hits for a lot of damage. Despite this, IGA is always a blast to fight, never being frustrating or feeling unfair. If you get hit, it’s your fault. A consistent yet challenging fight that in turn demands consistency and speed from the player, and if you don’t meet those demands, say goodbye to your health bar.
IGA’s speed isn’t all there is to him though. The fight follows a form of rhythm he’ll use one of his spells and if you are close he can swing with the swordwhip before he uses another spell. This is important as without the brief delay given by the swordwhip he will throw spell after spell and you will get overwhelmed. Despite the intimidation factor, the safest place to be in this fight is in IGA’s face and as a more aggressive player I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. My favorite boss of all time takes the #1 spot.
For what looks like a Dracula fight, it definitely doesn’t feel like one. IGA definitely has the traits fire, teleporting, head only hurtbox, etc, but in practice the fight is its own beast.
With only 6 attacks at most and yet he still manages to be a truly challenging boss regardless of how you fight him. His attacks can be lighting fast but they all have distinct and clear tells that let you know what’s coming. However just because they have clear telegraph's, doesn't mean that they are easy to dodge. Dodging IGA’s attacks requires a strict timing that is unique to each attack and each attack hits for a lot of damage. Despite this, IGA is always a blast to fight, never being frustrating or feeling unfair. If you get hit, it’s your fault. A consistent yet challenging fight that in turn demands consistency and speed from the player, and if you don’t meet those demands, say goodbye to your health bar.
IGA’s speed isn’t all there is to him though. The fight follows a form of rhythm he’ll use one of his spells and if you are close he can swing with the swordwhip before he uses another spell. This is important as without the brief delay given by the swordwhip he will throw spell after spell and you will get overwhelmed. Despite the intimidation factor, the safest place to be in this fight is in IGA’s face and as a more aggressive player I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. My favorite boss of all time takes the #1 spot.
Bonus:
Things I discovered while making my guide:
- You can crouch under Craftwork’s charge
- Valefar super poison glitch
- Valefar’s coin attack can be destroyed by melee (I have not found other videos showing this off)
- A consistent method of avoiding Zangetsu’s DOOM ofuda
- OD timestop dodge (technically this was also found by someone else parallel to me)
- IGA’s swordwhip blindspot (or at least I’m the first to exploit it)
So that's those are my rankings. Who's your favorite boss in ROTN? Is there any boss you think I should've rated higher? lower? Discuss and enjoy your day!
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