Boss fights have existed for almost as long as video games have. They serve various purposes: defeating them may be required for story progression, or perhaps they're optional, guarding rare loot. A fight may be against an entirely unique enemy, with new mechanics and animations, or it could be a tougher version of a similar foe you've already fought. They all have one thing in common though: winning a boss fight is one of the most satisfying things you can do as a player.

That's all well and good when it's a straightforward boss encounter. But not all of them are. Some bosses — I'm looking at you, FromSoftware and the Souls games — have a second (and sometimes even a third!) phase where the enemy essentially transforms into a more powerful version, complete with new attacks and animations. Oftentimes, they'll also have an entirely new health bar, too.

It's these specific multi-stage boss fights that I have an enormous gripe with. If the boss's health doesn't replenish, that's fine, because expectations haven't been subverted. But when you finally whittle a boss all the way down, only for it to enter a second stage where it heals during the mid-fight cutscene, yet you, the player, are not afforded that luxury? It evokes nothing but frustration and completely takes away from that feeling of achievement.

This is something I've felt strongly about for a long time, but it came to a head when I was fighting The Dancer in Control Resonant .

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