Boss Analysis # 31

The thirty-first episode of Boss Analysis.
Being the good guy and saving the world is nice and all, but do you ever find yourself jealously-looking at your opposition and wishing you were them instead?
Every so often, we're treated to the always spine-tinglingly exciting concept of a Boss Role Reversal: This is when a bad guy falls under your control and you get to kick some ass when them for a change. They're even better if you get to fight the main character(s).
In this episode, I take a look at my favourite of these special occasions. There may be others out there I didn't include, either because they didn't come to mind at the time I was making this or I hadn't played the game they came from. Either way, I don't want to hear about how I "forgot" any I may have missed, okay? Okay, with that out of the way, please enjoy the video! (If you can, I don't want to force you)

[@grassfish01]

To be fair, I think the Risky Boots one is Risky telling her side of the story to some other sailor at the bar. Of course she wants to make her enemy much stronger that they actually are so she doesn’t have to take the blame for hiring a bunch of half-brained dinguses.

[@georgecortes3416]

That is forever my headcannon for Risky's story campaign and should be everyone else's!

[@georgecortes3416]

@Dominotik Ivan Tulovskiy I was making a lighthearted joke about how it should everyone's headcanon, nothing more. I'm not gonna force people to think a certain way; I leave that duty to the world's politicians.

[@lexcentrique2554]

It's also why in her story she blames the tinkerbats for the machine breaking. She doesn't want to seem like an incompetent herself, so she still says that if the tinkerbats did their job better, the machine would have worked.

[@Patafoin]

There is an extremly weird boss fight in Axiom Verge, a metroidvania game. There is a moment where your character start to be crazy ; and you reach a room where for some reason you suddendly control a boss. And you have no idea if you must kill your heroes or not. The feeling of this fight is... unique, idk if you have experimented this.

[@MasterMarx]

Hi Pata! When is Sonic vs Knucks & Tails Death Wish?

[@qty1315]

I know Arkham Asylum had that famous moment where suddenly the roles between Batman and Joker are reversed. Arkham Knight had a moment where you play as Joker murdering all of the main Batman villains then fighting Batman himself. The bit where you have to shoot those Batman statues but they keep respawning in greater numbers kind of reminds me of what you're talking about. The first one makes you hesitant, "what if this gets me the bad ending or something? Is this all the fight that Batman will put up? What's going on?" then you shoot it to satisfy your curiosity. After that, another statue appears, so you shoot that one, then another, then another, then another and you're extremely confused as you continually murder 'Batman' again and again. The tension is rising, you're confused and the music just keeps getting louder and louder as you frantically destroy all of the statues. Suddenly you realize that you're terrified, you're confused and you're not thinking rationally at all. The behavior of Batman's villains and the numerous thugs you've defeated on the adventure suddenly makes sense. It's so easy to mock Riddler and Hugo Strange for having every advantage in the world and still losing to Batman. It's so easy to mock the thugs for not being able to defeat Batman with their guns and explosives while he hides in plain sight on the conveniently placed gargoyles. "If I had a gun and I was facing Batman, I'd kill him easily," you'd probably be thinking. "Well, here's a shotgun, and here's Batman, give it your best shot," the games seems to say. The role-reversal makes you understand just how terrifying Batman can be, which is something you rarely think about when you're seeing the game from his perspective. Then, when he finally leaps out at you it's legitimately terrifying. What was the point of that? Oh shit! Batman's in control, and he's toying with me. There's nothing I can do to win against him. For all the hate Arkham Knight gets, that ending sequence is definitely worthy of praise and it needs a bit more love.

[@superfighter064]

dark pit and dark Samus (and any dark boss battle in general) pull that feeling off for me In some cases like the S.A.X. It gives that feeling like you’re fighting a stronger version of yourself I don’t think it had anything to do with the video but I just wanted to mention it But I do think it works with the S.A.X. because it makes YOU the player feel weak instead of the enemy.

[@almaurriola2293]

:0 OMG

[@randomdudefromnowhere6205]

YAS I FOUND YOU I SUB TO YOU NOW

[@MrMixtape]

Man I hope they include a extra Mob Smash mode where you can play as Master Hand, that was easily my favorite part of World of Light. Also, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X has a mode that allows you to play as Vile, and the final boss of his mode is X and Zero. It's a really cool touch.

[@abel4475]

Yeah, that would be amazing..

[@cresoma]

They should add it after you complete the True Ending(obviously) , but you can edit the Fighters, stage, etc.

[@edgybubblegum6404]

they did it kinda only once but still

[@georgecortes3416]

@@edgybubblegum6404 It sucks the Master Hand fight is a one-and-done deal because I would be happy just redoing the fight over and over again! But no, you have to put up with the LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNG campaign to get another chance...

[@georgecortes3416]

Considering hackers have also found a playable Giga Bowser who mostly acts the same as his Final Smash from Brawl & Sm4sh, perhaps a Mob Smash - Boss Edition was looked at. Though it probably would've been TOO much, even for Sakurai and his team, to code in playable movesets for all the boss characters for just one Single Player Mode. It would've been awesome to see, but I'll probably wait several years for the next Smash game to see in action since I want Ultimate's shelf life to stew for quite a few years; something Brawl & Sm4sh were denied. Brawl because everyone hated it for not being Melee and Sm4sh because of the overall suckiness of the Wii U's sales and the fact that the 3DS version became irrelevant as soon as the Wii U version dropped.

[@thewizward8471]

I was so overtaken by actually being able to play as Master Hand that I almost lost. There was only a link left and we traded blows which killed me, but the death animation was so long that link died before I did.

[@bluekirby_64]

31:33 This moment always makes me excited; it's like Mario knows Bowser's strength after dealing with him so many times, and he's ready to use it himself for once. Also, on the topic of playable bosses, Kirby Star Allies' Guest Star mode allows you to play as characters from each mainline Kirby game, including the final bosses Marx, Daroach* and Magolor: these three have their full moveset from their original boss fights and are just as broken. On top of that, the music that plays when fighting this mode's final boss is your character's theme. Really makes you feel like *you* are the powerful guy said boss should fear. *Technically Daroach isn't the final boss of Squeak Squad, but we don't talk about Dark Nebula's battle.

[@uandresbrito5685]

It feels pretty sad for an relatively easy boss like M. Knight to be fighting against those now on the player's side monsters... ;U ...At least you can get them to fight the true hyper duper for-real final boss with them in the new update. Now it seems more like a true battle of monsters.

[@cosmicspacething3474]

You don’t get to fight Kirby tho...

[@AnjnShan]

38:00 Master Hand's official description actually implies the boss is MUCH stronger than he should be allowed to be.The reason you enjoy playing this boss is due to him not holding back, and showing he is stronger than all the fighters combined. Master hand himself could've been a weaker Galeem, though you can tell the hands are fairly neutral, deciding to "Tease their opponent" and "Play a little with their foe," rather than outright destroying them. It's not fun to destroy your competition to the point of no longer having a rival to keep you entertained and amused. If everyone died, assuming MH was immortal... that's literally forever without a foe to face or anybody to play with. It's a lonely life. When you play as him, it isn't for genocide... you do it to break the chains that bind you.... you liberate the hands and to assert dominance over the two lords of lightand dark, you absolutely go on a rampage on their creations, and show them you mean business. And you liberate your friends... the mere mortals(And goddess) who keep it content.

[@madafaka2666]

Yeah, but there is something you must correct: Olimar is a god, not a goddess...

[@Trimint123]

Yeah. Beside, Master Hand (and as well with Crazy Hand) is essentially a kid who play with his toys, which was hinted already in the very beginning of Smash. Destroying your toys shouldn't be fun and you have nothing to play with, which mentioned why he was basically holding his power as you would say. And in World of Light, he's actually with you to help defeat Galeem and Dharkon (while both of them are against with each other) because he doesn't want his world being destroyed by these unknown things.

[@Trimint123]

@@thekingslayer2178 Canon or not, it does explain a lot.

[@whomstthehecc3028]

@@madafaka2666 maybe they forgot about Olimar, because, Palutena.

[@zoruafox7512]

The Kingslayer there are kirby fights in world of light yet kirby was never captured making that impossible I think that makes it pretty clear that they don’t give a damn about story

[@starscorpia4005]

There are a few games where you play the bad guy, in Nefarious you get to use knockoffs of some villainous machines, play as the boss in an rpg, or just one shot a boss, the final boss in fact has 2 possibilities, you play as your death machine or you fight against it and in umbral soul, you are a dark mage and you go around corrupting people and summoning demons to appease a dark lord

[@dingochungis6814]

YESSS UMBRAL SOUL! That game is *so* good, and it really does the whole "playing as bosses" thing for practically the whole game, and so well, too!

[@GameMasterWLC]

What system is it on?

[@starscorpia4005]

@@GameMasterWLC both are on pc and nefarious i think has a switch release coming or it is out already

[@cosmicspacething3474]

Yeah sadly the heroes in the first game you mentioned are all really easy looking

[@extremmefan7305]

Big Mac… heh. Mac had too much McDonald's. XD Also, one thing you didn't note that's actually REALLY interesting: listen to the music that plays against Metal Mario. It's "Metal Battle" from Melee! Just like how Giga Bowser had his theme from that game. It's a great throwback to both 64's Metal Mario fight and Melee's Metal Bros fight.

[@almaurriola2293]

Abobos ending is violent

[@almaurriola2293]

With that metal glove you saw he DECAPITATES Mac and his head flies very far

[@almaurriola2293]

i was a kid when i saw this :(

[@barktrap]

@@almaurriola2293 that was the Power Glove. It's so bad.

[@ChristopherMoom]

I can't believe Nintendo made Red Luigi a boss fight

[@viviisthebest]

Ikr???

[@miguelolandesca9342]

You are becoming the new Justin Y, chara

[@gianaidengapayao125]

Why do I always see you in every vid?

[@amongblox_usa]

STINKY GREEN MARIO

[@bluekirby_64]

You mean Red Wario?

[@zander3312]

So when do we get to play as Lub Lub?

[@BohepansTheThird]

Surprise DLC in Smash, the last character that will be announced. CALLING IT NOW.

[@scatterbrain8764]

The world isn't ready for playable Lub Lub.

[@_pulstar]

Yeah all those intros with lub lub killing generic humans *PROVES* that lub lub should be in smash. In fact, there should be an *E N T I R E* (fangame or not) KZbin OC SMASH BROS. GAME!

[@mateuszodrzywoek8658]

no

[@ShibuNub3305]

Input “ a b right left right left down down up up” on the character selection screen.

[@GuidingLightAngel]

"i guess these monsters are far more dangerous when they aren't in the HANDS of a dumb computer" Shows master hand when he says that, i bloody love that that pun is priceless i love it

[@fauxdude9756]

I actually really, really liked the final part of the Odyssey Bowser sequence; it really pumped up my adrenaline, especially with that shot of the Earth right in the background. But, I can understand why a lot of people didn't like it. I mean, it's a pop song that comes completely out of nowhere, after all. By the way, I never knew that the Hydrocity boss in Sonic Mania was a call-back. Just add it to the list of reasons why that game is perfect.

[@scatterbrain8764]

I didn't mind it. I would never listen to the song on its own, but when played in that segment it has a Sonic Adventure finale vibe to it (maybe moreso Sonic Adventure 2 because it's in space and involves a hero and a villain having to work together to overcome the final obstacle).

[@RazanAr51]

holy fricc did you just TOUCHED tails thats it im calling peta

[@geckmelon1724]

Chill out. **JOKE**

[@TheBreakingBenny]

In all honesty, people who express _genuine_ anger over this should be called SJWs.

[@aagh8714]

@@TheBreakingBenny being an angryass kid who likes sonic?

[@TheBreakingBenny]

@@aagh8714 Naw, they're just getting their panties in a bunch over a fictional character. Let Whoisthisgit do it if he wants to, just like you allow a streamer to kill Toriel (unintentionally or not) or walk down the Genocide route. After all, Markiplier had fecal matter thrown his way so much over killing Toriel when people tried to make him play like they want him to play.

[@want-diversecontent3887]

Razan Ar Peta: sorry i'm busy euthanizing everyone's pets, it's better.

[@suicune21]

5:04 i see what you did there

[@genericanimepicture3559]

I didn't what was the joke

[@suicune21]

@@genericanimepicture3559 Who wouldn't want to be Shao Khan and crush *mortals* in *combat* ? because it's mortal kombat

[@genericanimepicture3559]

@@suicune21 oh. I feel dumb

[@pikmaniac2643]

Lol

[@Crispeaks]

All this time, and I didn’t know you could drop mines.

[@helpmeplx1739]

same but not this time i knew that u drop mines a long time ago

[@Underworlder5]

two instances that were not included: 1: in hyrule warriors, there is a mode that lets you play as ganon. not ganondorf, but his powered up pig beast form. the problem is he starts off very weak, so you need to level him up from the start 2: in fire emblem: sacred stones, you can unlock plot essential, but unplayable characters in the post-game creature campaign, even the villains. beating the lagdou ruins 3 times unlocks lyon, and while he cannot participate in multiplayer, his weapon can

[@ruthmcnally310]

Adding on to Hyrule Warriors, if you complete that mode, you unlock the ability to play it as a Cucco. Not exactly a boss, but considering how tough Cuccos can be, you do get that same kind of feeling as Ganon gives you. Really, musou games are good at giving that feeling in general. I’m sure anyone who’s played a regular Dynasty Warriors gets excited once they unlock Lu Bu.

[@woodledoodle7961]

ruth mcnally But it's dlc for I think 3 or 2 dollars.

[@nikoladedic6623]

Oliver from FE10 is playable in the story.

[@LuisRPG8]

I also like the idea of just fighting a main character in general, wether you are a villain or not, some of my favorites include Mr L(Super Paper Mario), Team Sonic(SA2 and Sonic Heroes) and Link(Ganondorf's story in Hyrule Warriors), but one of them stands higher, On the topic of role reversal bosses, Doopliss from Paper Mario TTYD is also a really cool one, as when you defeat him, you realize that Mario is now the Shadowy clone, so that means that the Mario you were controlling while fighting him probably since he became a Shadow Mario was actually Doopliss, later revealing that he pulled a trick he uses to switch places with people to steal their identities, leaving them as nameless shadows, then you fight him again with your companions by his side, while you are allied with Vivian, a Shadow Siren(who was also fought as a boss before btw), making you look like the bad guy of the fight Also Mario Odyssey's ending theme isn't horrendous, it is no masterpiece tho and opinions might vary, but to me it's allright

[@konoikurozora5851]

I think the more memorable one to me is the one from Live a Live - at least if we don't count the times when you can betray your team and the last fight is against the main characters other than the hero, but AS the hero - since here you play the role of a boss, but it isn't a role reversal per se as with Oersted. I'm thinking about Breath of Fire IV and Tales of Xillia II here. I always find it funny how Git doesn't like Akira's chapter in Live a Live. His and Oersted chapters are my favorite, both their regular chapters and their ending chapters. I've never played the last chapter as anyone else actually. Sure, the stairs in Akira's chapter are annoying, but that's about it, and in my taste everything else is so amazing that I forgive the dreaded stairs for existing

[@Koopa126]

The honorable mention I would say that fits this video's quota is Plague Knight from Shovel Knight. I found the battle against Shovel Knight enjoyable as it made me imagine I'm the boss who laughs maniacally.

[@mgcoficialchannel5976]

Hum... can coumt reaper knight too?

[@mouthwide0pen]

@@mgcoficialchannel5976 Spectre Knight had a fun campaign but it didnt have a fight against Shovel Knight.

[@guybrush20X6]

Even better, you can make a potion that causes enemies to take damage on contact instead of you for an even more authentic playing the boss experience.

[@megatennepster3833]

"What is it with me and purple haired women?" Well, we are on the same boat

[@thel-iteralone4592]

This isn't a boss fight, but one of my favorite role reversals is in Donkey Kong Country 3's Krack-Shot Kroc where throughout the stage, a Krosshair tries to shoot the Kongs down while they are Squitter. But in one of the bonus barrels, the Kongs get to control the Krosshair to defeat the enemies!

[@marcjehle2480]

You could make an evil doppelganger fights episode next. Mario&Luigi : Bowsers inside story is the perfect game for that and Bowser is playable, but you still have to fight him with mario and luigi at around 50-75% of the game

[@makitylesxd9756]

yeah

[@BlazingShadowSword]

2 years later, but you forgot in that very game you fight Bowser's memories of Mario and Luigi and they fight like the brothers act, Mario: Mighty and unflinching, Luigi: A coward that will step up when his brother needs him. They even revive each other like you do.

[@holybadman]

The game “No heroes allowed!” (or "What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord? 2") caused me the same feelings, where an evil lord of dungeons asks you for help and you need to dig up various monsters under the ground to kill incoming heroes (they have levels, background and behavior patterns) :D

[@martindouge4504]

The psychotic "boss" battle in Axiom Verge is amazing. In this Metroidvania, at some point, the main protagonists succumbs to somw toxin and starts to hallucinate. A whole level of craziness ensues, and at the end you fight a boss... though you're actually fighting yourself while you hallucinate that you are the boss. It's anazing and tops out the insane hallucination leve

[@mintychustarclan7381]

Bowser: Ok who my final opponent? Mario: It's a me Bowser's 😳 W w... what? Mario: honestly who else were you expecting 😏

[@WhiteFangofWar]

In Mega Man: Powered Up, you can unlock the other robot masters' playable story modes where they are the only robot master who doesn't get captured and reprogrammed by that balding assface Dr. Wily. Guess what this means for poor Rock/Mega Man? Go to your own stage, and you must fight him. Fortunately, he's easy when a skilled human isn't controlling his jumping and shooting, even if you're Cut Man. Finally, you can make paper dolls out of him! For a much more difficult reversal, the ultimate boss (and perhaps the hardest boss in gaming history?) in Digital Devil Saga is the Demi-Fiend- the protagonist of SMT: Nocturne. Just like in his game, he has a powerful and diverse team of demons to aid his brutally strong attacks. The kicker? It plays Nocturne's regular battle music when you fight him. For Hito-Shura, you're just a normal encounter with a pack of roaming demons of which he has to deal with hundreds on his own journey. It would be funny if he tried to recruit your teammates XD

[@darketolapis1386]

Also in Mega Man Maverick Hunter X You can play as Vile and the final bosses are X and Zero.

[@jgn]

Any Boss is nothing compared to Beatmania IIDX 12's MEI.

[@UnbornDecay]

I love how in that fight in DDS, you are aparently so insignificant to the Nocturne protagonist, that you are considered a simple random encounter. Ow, my pride

[@Grobzoula]

Mega Man ZX Advent also lets you transform into the bosses you defeat, instead of just using their powers.

[@LordTyph]

It's implied that Rock/Mega Man is a fake anyway.

[@justas423]

Imagine a playable little master hand. So cute doing all of its little hand motions.

[@DoctorSpacebar]

Lol, big mac Three words: Helen's Mysterious Castle. It's an indie rpg made in Rpg Maker 2003, has an excellent combat system, and is honestly one of my favorite RPGs. I won't spoil any more than the fact that a "playable boss rush" moment exists and it's amazing. One boss involved is actually STRONGER.

[@TripDering]

Imagine a Master Hand Classic Mode where you fight all the bosses in a row, and the final boss is Ghaleem and Dharkon, and Crazy Hand helps you.

[@woodledoodle7961]

Thank you for introducing me to Live a Live. I was so interested.

[@Cloud971]

At 28:48 Shantae is dying like Mavericks in the Mega Man X series lol.

[@thejedisonic67]

Shantae is a half reploid confirmed

[@hiimluca4345]

@@thejedisonic67 that explains why she's a *half* genie

[@BlazeMasterBM]

I say Sega deserves a PRRROMOTION for that boss fight!

[@bluekirby_64]

*proceeds to materialize a gold medal out of nowhere and pin it to chest*

[@MasterMarx]

P I N G A S !

[@victikirby15]

One role reversal fight that I enjoyed was the second Bowser fight in Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story. At this point in the game, you’ve been able to control Bowser for a while, and have probably played as him more than the Mario brothers. But when Mario and Luigi escape from Bowser’s body and encounter him in the overworld, you of course have to fight him. What’s cool is that Bowser uses all the standard attacks that you used when controlling him, and even utilizes a few of the minion attacks that you had obtained. It’s really cool, being able to fight one of the playable characters with the other playable characters.

[@zaccattac5154]

A 42 minute dose of whoisthisgit is exactly what I needed today

[@garrysucks4190]

Well, basically there's this one time in JJBA: HFTF (the time you covered Pet Shop and N'doul) where if you play as DIO, the final boss is actually Jotaro, the hero of the story. Pretty interesting.

[@PokeNerd2499]

Huh, I could’ve sworn you would include Marx’s playable appearance in Kirby Star Allies in here

[@egon3705]

He can't fight Kirby though (spoilers for Soul Melter EX) Unless you count Void Termina

[@supersanscraftcommentediti5337]

32:17 IS NOBODY GONNA MENTION THAT BOWSER’S SPRITE IS THE ONE FROM MARIO MAKER WITH THE GIGA MUSHROOM YOU GET FROM THE 8-BIT MARIO AMIIBO!?!

[@bandannadoo]

SuperSansCraft Comment Edition Oh yeah, cause everyone gets the Mario hat and moustache and Peach is on his back for some reason

[@djimonmcdonald9085]

33:02 I personally prefer the song compared to jump up.

[@sammer1097]

Agreed, I love that song and I feel it really perfected the moment.

[@freezycastform99]

I swear, everytime anything anime-like comes by, he takes a jab at it. I just don't get the hate. On the other hand, this guy has legit some of the best content on this site, so who cares

[@rikibdgd4764]

FreezyCastform yeah i was kinda confused when that bit came up

[@rcblazer]

I almost beat Metal Slug 3 on a single credit once. After one of the most mind blowingly awesome runs through that game I had ever managed to do (and never could pull off again) I got all the way to Rootmars before I lost all three of my lives to those random green and orange balls he spits at you! I was so mad when I continued and killed him literally 3 seconds afterwards! I was so close!

[@genericanimepicture3559]

So close yet so far..

[@R.A.V.S.O.]

40+ min boss analysis video? Sounds grand, I mean don't get me wrong I'm enjoying every second of it, though I can't quite shake the feeling that this was a rather taxing thing to do behind the curtains... Either way, hats off to ya for this awesome marathon.

[@blockeontheleafeon]

At First, I thought it would be about the Smash Bros. Ultimate Boss Battles. Then I clicked on it and I thought it would be about the Final Battles of some Games. Then I realized, This Episode is talking about Boss Battles where the Roles are Switched and you get to be a Bad Guy for a Day. :3

[@noahversteeg1846]

Ayyyy another noah

[@blockeontheleafeon]

@@noahversteeg1846 Really? Which other People named Noah in the Comment Section of KZbin did you find? :3

[@noahversteeg1846]

@@blockeontheleafeon like ten to twenty people. One of them being on a channel called noahsnoah and i commented towards that noah: *NOAHCEPTIOOOOOOOON* because im a noah, who commented on a noahs comment on someone named noahsnoah XD

[@DavidTimmonsEsq]

@@noahversteeg1846 Noah dia why I giggled so much at this.

[@yoahnoah9780]

@@noahversteeg1846 oh god i keep finding my old accounts

[@shygaifu3592]

You should try playing an Indie game called Nefarious. EVERY SINGLE BOSS FIGHT is one of these role-reversals, since you play as a villain and all that.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

You should play Nefarious. The way the game goes is in the style of a Boss Reversal.

[@plasmaxander912]

going straight from live a live to punch out is something i never thought id see

[@streled5361]

Yep, I knew it'll be about Master Hand finally being playable. By the way, many believe that Master Hand goes easy on you when you fight him. That's why he doesn't have trouble fighting 50 puppet fighters at once in World of Light.

[@metalgeneral8539]

In Megaman Powered Up, not only there is 1 robot master to control, but ALL 8 ARE PLAYABLE! Edit: Megaman Maverick Hunter X allows you to play as Vile.

[@J0S3TO]

Actually in LiveALive the reverse boss fights do count the level of the characters, I remember having a super over leveled pogo and I coundn't beat him as O-D-O and got a game over.

[@genericanimepicture3559]

I guess the bosses are more buffed up

[@justas423]

Honestly the punch out thing represents humanity as a whole. WE MILLED MAMMOTHS. We didn't have guns just Spears and smarts.

[@ristrettomv4662]

Can we just address how catchy Sonic music is? I've never played a Sonic game before, but once I played Sonic Mania Plus, I was blown away with the characters and story, but mostly, THE MUSIC. I'm the type of person who will go into a level just to listen to the music. I don't know why, but I just...do. Alright, I'm done singing my praises. I'll actually go listen to some Sonic Mania Plus music now.

[@rulsyran7208]

I remember discovering abobo's big adventure on newgrounds, it was and still is an excellent game with ton of references and great gameplay

[@CappyRose]

One of my favorite examples of this is in Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, wherein you fight Shovel Knight at the end of Plague Knights stage. And his pattern is much different from other bosses, often feeling like an experimenting player rather than a boss as he uses various subweapons against you.

[@VestedUTuber]

In Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, there are two modes that are like this. First off, there's Heroes and Heralds, which is an online multiplayer mode where you can play as silver versions of the cast. This is mostly cosmetic however. Second, there's Galactic mode, where you basically play through arcade mode as the game's final boss, Galactus. And HOLY SHIT is he powerful.

[@goldenhydreigon4727]

"Bowser is like a typical boss, being powerful but slow." Bowser in Smash Ultimate: *s p e e d*

[@PsychoCrusher46]

I forgot there are that many boss reversals. Only one I remember was the Marvel vs Capcom games that does it.

[@Solibrae]

You can play as Onslaught in MvC and Galactus in MvC3 without cheats, which is good fun.

[@slima11NG]

14:21 that's one of my many childhood games ...

[@starlite5154]

That's a fangame

[@tailpig6417]

I'm surprised Sonic Adventure 2 wasn't mentioned. This is literally the only game where you can both fight Sonic and play as Eggman

[@pikminman13]

Ultimate's classics have some really nice themes to them. I'd say my favorite is Mega Man's, it just works.

[@hallowenpig8003]

I hope that Ultimate Adds Something to special smash that let’s you play as the boss while other people try to beat you

[@lazykirby57]

So do I. Oh yeah how far are you in world of light?

[@Hclegend]

I do like the concept of having a boss become playable, but one key example that was missing was the Mage Sisters from Kirby: Star Allies. Well, moist of the Dream Friends were previously bosses (Marx, Magalor, Susie, etc.) but the Mage Sisters are the only one you can properly fight and play as. Still a good video, though and I'm glad you didn't miss *that* part from World of Light. I was worried for a minute once I remembered that video about you being stuck due to Tails Abuse.

[@tituswaugh5396]

yes, you actually faced you worst fear, continuing the tails abuse trilogy

[@genericname8749]

In the end of Tales of Symponia Dawn of a new world, normally, you're allies would help you defeat the unlucky suckers, but now you need them to kill you in battle. Of course you can fight back, and if you win, there's another ending.

[@laurensprungl7722]

the master hand thing is awesome and i haven't even gotten nearly that far yet. Easily I feel it will be worth the suffering through the rest of world of light.

[@bonz5983]

I've been watching your videos for years man, just wanted to say keep making good content

[@nathanielhanlon1083]

Woo, boss time!

[@mayday6468]

whoisdisgit and sweet lemon tea is a good day

[@fuckingdork3526]

Well I found out something interesting. If you pause and quit then you go back to right before the awesome master hand and can do it over again. The down side is that unless you start an entirely know profile you’re not beating world of light but fuck that master hand is better

[@rkhan9181]

The Tails Defense Force may be fuming

[@swagsquirrel3534]

I need to play more classic mode on smash! I didn't know everyone had a different boss!

[@hamsterking1355]

Well, not everyone has their own boss. Alot of them have the same.

[@gunby9322]

Man that abobo game hit me with that punch out game.

[@Kai4life4]

So I beat World of Light yesterday and... Funny thing, I thought the point where you could play as Master Hand was a cutscene so I got wailed on for 10 seconds before I realized you could control him. So... I ended up dying eventually.

[@snakeenjoyingacanofbeans5219]

The hours we spent playing MK Trilogy... Only Shaolin Monks was better!

[@splattim3180]

Well maybe I don't want to be the good guy.

[@geminidiamond8258]

actually, during shantae's fight, she does use the mouse transformation. it's not that hard to avoid though, all she does is run across the floor, turning back to normal (where she can be hit) turning back into the mouse and repeating. also may I point out I was never expecting to hear whoisthisgit talk about shantae ever-

[@DanielBroxer129]

something i love about videogames is when there is a role reversal when you as the villan must defeat the hero. this reminds me a lot to Megaman Maverick Hunter X, because you fight both X, and Zero when you play as Vile... :)

[@Zwyrx_Hgqfyggz]

This isn't fully fledged but in Street Fighter, you're given the ability to play as bosses ever since SF2: Champion Edition (Except in SF3. Gill didn't want his "Perfection" used by us) but in some, it's toned down versions, like SFA3's Final Bison with his *Final Psycho Crusher* people have been salivating for that OP ass-Screen Filling-Dream Crushing super since we first saw it. And most boss veraions of Akuma are actually Shin Akuma (you can tell from his Twin Zankuu Hadoken) but codes let us play as him. Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers' version really shows why he isn't accessible in online

[@douglascostapinheiro4642]

Theres also the case when villains from a game get their own game, as Ghosts & Goblins Firebrand got Gargoyle's Quest and Demon's Crest, both amazing games 😁

[@JoaoPaulo-ox6pr]

about bowser, you could talk about mario & luigi: bowser inside story too!, although it is a spin off, and you don't fight mario there. while in these games you talked about, playable bosses were just a complement to the game, but, on BIS, it's the main role.

[@OhCrapI_He]

I have an idea for a danmaku/metroidvania hybrid where it's mostly boss fights. The dungeons themselves would be very linear, with occasional treasure rooms where you can get better gear if you can find them (so they're designed like acts of Sonic the Hedgehog) There would also be some mini-games, including: Boss run (Where you do a re-match against any the bosses you fought so far, even all of them if you want) Role Reversal (Where you play as one of the tougher bosses you've fought so far, against AI players (or even real players of you have some with you)) And that's it so far

[@phashift9364]

There's a game called Nefarious, in the game you play as a big bad guy throughout the whole thing. Of course, you don't exactly have a bunch of big boss abilities at all times, but it parodies on a large number of old games with different styles. The biggest draw is the fact that all the bosses (minus a couple) actually put you in a big machine against some heroes. Or, in the case of one fight, you're just a really powerful RPG boss. Indie game, not the highest in budget, but it has interesting concepts.

[@endermage77]

The oldest example of a Boss Reversal that I can think of is from Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland In which if you 100% a save file you can play through the entire normal game as Meta Knight! As characters go: + He can fly + His sword can break stone blocks that Kirb can't normally break without some sort of meaty powerup such as Tire - He is locked to half (3) health - You can't save, so you have to beat the entire game in *one sitting* That last one makes the MK run ludicrously harder than it should be

[@blockeontheleafeon]

38:38 Don't worry Bro! You're FORCED to fight Pichu more than him! So it's okay if you hurt the Possessed Fox A Little bit. :3 40:22 I only use the Double Ring Move! (Side B.) 41:14 I wanted him to Explode into the Sky like in Classic Mode... Oh well...

[@HarbingerYT]

Not sure if this counts, but a couple of examples I can think of are Richter Belmont and Julius Belmont in the Castlevania series. Whilst Alucard and Soma aren't necessarily evil, they both wield dark powers. Richter was the protagonist of Rondo of Blood (and also Dracula X), but he becomes the "final boss" for the Bad Ending of Symphony of the Night, and Alucard has to stop him. On the True Ending route for Aria of Sorrow, Soma discovers that he is the reincarnation of Dracula, and sets off to destroy the source of Chaos within the core of the Castle. Before he can make it to the Chaotic Realm, Julius (The latest descendant of the Belmont clan, and the one who successfully sealed Dracula's Castle within a Solar Eclipse back in 1999, 36 years prior to the events of the game) stops him, stating that he has to destroy Dracula to fulfill his destiny. Both cases are a role-reversal, where instead of playing as the Hunter fighting the Vampire, you're playing as the Vampire fighting the Hunter. Heck, this all comes full circle in Julius Mode for Dawn of Sorrow, where the final boss is Soma, who's become the reincarnation of the Dark Lord, in a fight reminiscent of Dracula's fights from prior games in the series.

[@16-bitbrody82]

Here’s something that I think is a reference to Super Smash Bros Melee. It boils down to the themes used in the fights Giga Bowser (Ultimate)- Giga Bowser (Melee battle theme) Metal Mario (Ultimate)- Metal Mario (Super Smash Bros Melee battle theme)

[@xyannail4678]

Boss Role Reversal is taken to the extreme in Mega Man Zx Advent. And I won't say why because when you discover it by yourself through playing it is amazing (and if you have played it you know what I mean)

[@lilmanjoshplayz7478]

Thought I should mention this: I’m writing a book series, and one of the characters is a ninja named Glif. I got an idea for the fifth book, where they go to his homeland. Apparently his father is the leader of that continent, and that leader is actually part demon, like the frog snake thing from the ninja chapter of live a live. And Glif inherited his demon status. Thought it was cool.

[@chaosbuster1275]

Have you ever heard of Nefarious? Most of the bosses in that games are inspired by famous game characters, and you get to control bosses based on their bosses. Such as Eggman’s wrecking ball from Sonic 1, or Chaos from Final Fantasy 1.

[@jackepicspeederwolfaj2294]

"but mario odyssey put a very interesting *spin* on the situation" was that meant to be a pun? bowser just spun while you were saying that.

[@Igorcastrochucre]

This is why Mega Man: Powered Up will always be the quintessential game in my eyes, if you go out of your way of using only your basic weapon, you get to play as the boss, and then when you visit that boss' stage, you fight Mega Man?, with a tough moveset to boot. I cannot believe such good feature never left the PSP remake.

[@ajleif9621]

The fight agaist Shovel Knight on Plague of Shadows is epic. Also the part when Black Knight is playable in Radiant Dawn is very special.

[@blueflamedragon1624]

What I love about Smash Bros Brawl and Ultimate, I get to play as Wolf O'Donnell. This was my dream when I bought Brawl. And, getting to do it again in Ultimate was, amazing.

[@Tr0lliPop]

Whoisthisgit: talks about smash bros in a boss role reversal vid me: makes excited noises Whois: talks about bowser classic mode me: DAMMIT Whois: 37:22 me: yes, yes, yes, yes... Whois: talks about playing as master hand me: *_Y E S !_*

[@LightsolP]

"But thankfully, these complaints were fixed in MK Trilogy." - For the PSX. The N64 version has half the roster and no bosses at all.

[@avelus5984]

In Streets of Rage Remake, you can play as Mr. X. And in Shovel Knight, some bosses are playable. (Ex: King Knight)

[@bigpapamanman1550]

37:00 Fun fact, Bowser's Ultimate iteration is the heaviest fighter in the series so far, (anybody who plays against him online knows he frequently lives to 180%) and to put it in perspective, Charizard is just as much heavier than Luigi as Bowser is heavier than Charizard.

[@DREADFALCON13]

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 did a BRR where could play Arcade Mode as Galactus, the final boss of that game. Defeat six teams of three fighters to beat the mode and destroy the Earth.

[@tntmoxy9697]

In a Sega genesis Game called Sparkster un the final boss, he can create a portal that If It absorb you, the boss and your character flip bodies, and he attack you with your habilites and you with his powers, you use them to try to catch him with that same portal thing so you can have your body back, that was really unespected to me the first time I see It 😱 really creative!!

[@jeanegreene374]

The hardest role reversal has to be Komachi’s Extra from POFV.

[@perrykv7312]

For this reason I loved Bowser Inside story using in a Mario game cannonical or not is beauty

[@tracilombardi5000]

Imagine if Smash Bros Ultimate had the transformation final smashes like Giga Bowser or Wario Man! There’s transformation duration increase spirits. That would be crazy!

[@eevee1583]

Tails drowned

[@ruthmcnally310]

You shouldn’t have done that

[@thethinker7273]

38:47 And this is a perfect example of why you shouldn't listen to others if they have negative opinions.

[@cezarydudkiewicz2990]

Sonic Boom sucks.

[@brainycat5758]

Bad example, really

[@aagh8714]

abusing tails?