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Post by petch on Dec 13, 2020 15:01:07 GMT
As the thread title suggests...what are your favourite boss fights in the series? It doesn't necessarily have to be against a book's main antagonist, any encounter against a big bad that you found especially memorable will do!
I'll start with the obvious: Balthus Dire. It's such a brilliantly, intricately and deviously crafted encounter that I remember being convinced for a period as a youngster that it was impossible to beat him other than by fighting him. When I finally worked out how to do it, it was a revelation. It's lengthy, complex, requires the forethought of the correct spell selection needed to survive, and intelligent choices throughout or he can beat you in multiple frustrating yet entertaining ways. And of course, if you really can't do it the more cerebral way, you can always strongarm your way through by battling him as an alternative, which is how fights against high skill opponents really should have been used in the series until certain authors (looking at you, Ian) made mandatory rock hard battles on the path to victory almost the norm. I don't think FF ever bettered it as a final boss fight, which given how much the series, and gamebooks as a whole, were in their infancy at the time, is a pretty remarkable achievement.
I also love the confrontation with Belgaroth in Knights of Doom. Given how obscenely difficult the book is, it's quite a challenge even getting to it, but if you do the reward is a multi-layered treat taking place over several paragraphs, encompassing multiple failure checkpoints, sub-fights, a dramatic betrayal, and chase sequences across land and air, all powered along by Green's brilliantly urgent, pulse-quickening prose.
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Post by daredevil123 on Dec 13, 2020 15:40:37 GMT
I agree completely - although I haven't played all the books, I've certainly never encountered a better final battle than that against Balthus Dire. That said, I do love the fight with Count Varcolac in Howl of the Werewolf due to the huge number of weapons you can use to fight him. Using all five silver daggers to complete the ritual is one of the most satisfying things I've ever done in FF.
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Post by petch on Dec 13, 2020 16:11:33 GMT
Yeah, both of the examples I gave need very prescriptive methods to beat them, but those fights that offered lots of different ways to defeat / weaken your adversary could be really effective too if done well. And totally agree that the five silver dagger method is by far the most gratifying way to beat Varcolac!
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Post by The Count on Dec 13, 2020 17:27:07 GMT
The confrontation with the Dark Elf Sorcerer in Siege of Sardath
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sylas
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"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,677
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on Dec 13, 2020 18:17:08 GMT
Relem, Balthus Dire, Night Dragon, Mordraneth, The Portal.
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Post by tyrion on Dec 13, 2020 18:27:20 GMT
I quite like how you defeat globus in spectral stalkers
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kieran
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Posts: 2,435
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Dec 13, 2020 18:59:17 GMT
The final fight in Crystal of Storms is brilliant. Really makes excellent use of the FF mechanics and feels somehow both epic and fair.
I also really like the fight with Grool in Legend of Zagor. So many options and twists to that fight.
Balthus Dire is definitely up there. Mencius in Magehunter is great too though could have been better balanced.
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Post by philsadler on Dec 13, 2020 21:28:50 GMT
Gotta be the Night Dragon.
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Post by Pete Byrdie on Dec 13, 2020 21:54:01 GMT
I recently played the app of Citadel of Chaos, and had forgotten how difficult but rewarding the final battle was. So much better than a straight fight or a 'have you found this object' situation.
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Post by vastariner on Dec 14, 2020 10:08:19 GMT
Sword of the Samurai - the Tourney of the Planes is really part of it. With the right allies it can be fairly easy; with Singing Death as well, very easy. But it doesn't stop it from being an epic setting and epic accomplishment.
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Post by petch on Dec 14, 2020 11:34:10 GMT
I'll add another - Conrad the Maniac Guard. Hand puts such care and personality into all of his encounters that just about any part of Moonrunner would be a legitimate choice, but Conrad stands out for me because of his undefeatable nature, the genuine dread Hand manages to evoke whenever he appears, and because of the memorable set pieces at the burning windmill and when he slaughters the poor showboating sap at the waxworks who'd clearly only gone there to try to impress his girlfriend.
Oh, and the Cyclops in Seas of Blood, because of the option to punt its pelvis.
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Post by nathanh on Dec 17, 2020 22:30:46 GMT
Balthus Dire and the Cyclops are good choices. Keith Martin has some nice boss battles such as the aforementioned Grool and Night Dragon, although a lot do have a tendency to favour the most direct route; I think the Black Skeleton/Master of Fire/Dire Spectre encounter is his best.
Once someone explained to me how it works, I must admit I appreciated the Pitch/Yaw/Whatever battle in Sky Lord.
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Post by The Count on Dec 18, 2020 3:14:05 GMT
I like the variations for the fight against Count Reiner Heydrich in Vault of the Vampire that depend on a lot of your previous actions, though the effect is lessened for Revenge. Having said that, the Tigerskin Rug is far more memorable as its an inventive and unexpected encounter (and a RUG!).
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Post by Law on Dec 21, 2020 12:12:00 GMT
Two stand out in my mind at the moment.
Fog Farkin in 'Skylord' for giving me the first instance of what a "rabbit-punch" is and a memorable sudden death if you dare pull a move that leads to Paragraph 95. Wish we had more "which move will you pull" fights in the series.
The Mudgrinder in 'Armies of Death'. For sheer spectacle, swamp fight ambience, great illustration; and the fact that you slay a behemoth that just smothered 5 of your buddies under its fetid bulk.
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Post by peasantscribbler on Dec 21, 2020 16:56:11 GMT
Keith Martin has some nice boss battles... I think the Black Skeleton/Master of Fire/Dire Spectre encounter is his best. Agreed.
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Post by Law on Dec 31, 2020 15:39:56 GMT
As a Gothic Horror fan, I think my three favourite books in terms of honest-to-Titan bosses are:
Revenge of The Vampire, Legend of Zagor and Howl of The Werewolf. Apart from some common orc and zombies in the middle entry; all three are jam-packed with Dark Souls-worthy unique encounters.
- The Zombie Coach, The Glass-blower and The Bear Trophy
- Stone Colossus (with Basilisk-hide whip), Chaos Champion (with cursed axe) and Zagor / The Bone Demon
- The Malice, Abbot Crusius, The Wax Golem
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Post by Law on Jan 1, 2021 14:53:30 GMT
The confrontation with the Dark Elf Sorcerer in Siege of Sardath I have to ask: why? I just finished Siege and it's like two five-year-olds in the school yard.
One proclaiming: "I have a magic spell that will wipe your mind!"
The other retorts: "well, I have a necklace that reflects all magic!"
'Deathmoor' had a better confrontation with Arachnos!
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Post by The Count on Jan 1, 2021 17:51:09 GMT
The confrontation with the Dark Elf Sorcerer in Siege of Sardath I have to ask: why? I just finished Siege and it's like two five-year-olds in the school yard.
One proclaiming: "I have a magic spell that will wipe your mind!"
The other retorts: "well, I have a necklace that reflects all magic!"
'Deathmoor' had a better confrontation with Arachnos!
You've gathered some powerful artefacts, clues, items and assistance. Before confronting him, you have to use this carefully then have a battle of wits, again based on what you have read previously.
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Post by Law on Jan 1, 2021 17:59:37 GMT
I have to ask: why? I just finished Siege and it's like two five-year-olds in the school yard.
One proclaiming: "I have a magic spell that will wipe your mind!"
The other retorts: "well, I have a necklace that reflects all magic!"
'Deathmoor' had a better confrontation with Arachnos!
You've gathered some powerful artefacts, clues, items and assistance. Before confronting him, you have to use this carefully then have a battle of wits, again based on what you have read previously. Battle of Wits, eh? I suppose that overconfident cretin of a so-called sorceror did give me Vizzini vibes.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Jan 7, 2021 16:32:34 GMT
Two memorable encounters from Night of the Necromancer.
The first is if you try to enter the mound at the beginning of the book as there is a huge description even it if it is a trap. My codewords hungry system once entertained this might be necessary but it is no doubt a trap.
Second is the descent to recover Nightblade, if you have a high skill, where the sheer strangeness is memorable.
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Post by Ksym77 on Jan 8, 2021 18:55:14 GMT
Some cool ones not mentioned yet:
Quimmel Bone. Will never forget the feeling of seeing that first reference after killing him!
Naas. The fight is nothing special - it’s that you have to do it after you’ve helped each other so much to get there.
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Post by The Count on Feb 23, 2021 1:45:07 GMT
The Vovoid in Legend of the Shadow Warriors is a very underrated boss fight
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Post by Charles X. on Jul 22, 2021 22:01:58 GMT
Horfak (POE) one of my favourite books, and well-balanced. The worst has got to be Sharcle from Eye Of The Dragon. Fighting an enemy as weak as he is at that point is just as bad as not fighting one at all. I also dislike the Night Dragon Skull, partly because he seems weak when you have the opportunity to replenish your stamina, and it's unclear whether your weapons have the special bonus for him being considered Night Dragon. If, as I suspect, they do, you might as well be fighting a Rat-man. I don't know if no one has raised this with Keith Martin.
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Post by pip on Jul 23, 2021 10:07:50 GMT
I really like the boss fight in Siege of Sardath, because you have to carefully prepare for the fight, if you're playing blind you don't know if you've even got all the requirements, and you also have to pick the correct conversation options to survive. It's quite thrilling. It works well as a game. If you read it like a book or picture a movie scene out of it, then it won't work nearly as well.
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Post by bo bo on Feb 19, 2022 22:55:53 GMT
If the hero of Siege of Sardath can understand Dark Elvish: ...Hey, I command here!... ...OK commander, but should we step back little bit?... Hey, I command here!!!!...
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Post by misomiso on Feb 25, 2022 10:00:26 GMT
+1 on Balthus Dire.
I recently replayed it and was quite surprised at how good it was. It's probably the best final boss in the whole series and that's amazing considering it was the 2nd book published. It makes me a bit more disappointed in the finale of the Sorcery! series as you think a lot of what could have been if Steve hadn't gone for a twist...
Although it is a bite flawed, I also like the ending of Armies of Death - yes it's more that you have to have collected the correct items but it's still incredibly cool to have it play out throughout a huge battle.
And of course the End of Legend of the Shadow Warriors, the book that won the recent poll, is great.
Finally, it;s worth giving Rhianna Pratchett a shout out as he finale is very good and quite a standout in the recent publications.
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