00:00The most foolish decision!
00:04Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're looking at tutorial boss fights that were a lot more challenging than we
00:10were expecting them to be.
00:12But before we dive in, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring the
00:17bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:20Scorpion Sentinel, Final Fantasy VII Remake
00:23You double-crossing!
00:30The opening of Final Fantasy VII Remake sees Cloud and members of the eco-terrorist group Avalanche sabotage a Mako
00:37reactor of the evil Shinra Corporation.
00:39Only you don't get to be a world-powerful organization without amassing a few resources, the first of which greets
00:46you at the end of the tutorial section.
00:48Even if you played the original and knew it was coming, the Scorpion Sentinel has still been beefed up.
00:53Surprisingly, it comes in four phases, packing heavy artillery, sharp claws, and a gigantic tail.
01:01And during the final phase, it can even heal.
01:04It feels like an uphill battle as Barret and Cloud chip away and try to survive, and it's definitely more
01:10of an endurance test than we were expecting.
01:12Ha! You hear that? Damn thing showed you how it's done!
01:16Ingles, Nier Automata
01:18Alert! High power jamming detected. No response from long-range communications.
01:24From one giant machine to another, the opening level of Nier Automata puts you up against one of the Ingles,
01:31a multi-story tall behemoth with an entire army's worth of firepower.
01:35Whether it's the terrifying sawblades of the first phase, the minions of the second, or the overwhelming assault of rockets
01:42in the third,
01:43this boss clearly has a lot to throw at you, meaning the fight can last a while.
01:47It serves to get players used to the multiple mechanics and blend of gameplay styles found in the rest of
01:53the game,
01:53but it's understandably taxing.
01:56One of the more frustrating aspects is that the level has no checkpoints,
02:00so you start the whole thing over if, or when, the boss kills you.
02:04Request accepted.
02:07To me.
02:09It was an honor to fight with you.
02:12Truly.
02:14Father Gascoigne.
02:15Bloodborne.
02:16Beasts all over the shop.
02:20You'll be one of them.
02:21Sooner, Liz.
02:23While it's possible to come across the Cleric Beast first,
02:27Father Gascoigne is the first real boss of Bloodborne,
02:30coming towards the end of the opening area.
02:32And if some players thought it best to put the controller down and back away here, you'll get no shame
02:37from us.
02:37He first fights with an axe and pistol, making sure you've gotten used to dealing with both long and short
02:43-range enemies.
02:44Naturally, if you haven't, you'll feel the sting of your mistakes much more here.
02:49His second phase sees him transformed into a beast, where his attacks are even quicker and deadlier.
02:55From Software's bosses are infamously tough, though, even the tutorial ones.
02:59So don't be surprised to see the studio a few times on the list.
03:03The Par.
03:05Bloodstained Ritual of the Night.
03:15As you fight your way through an enemy-infested ship, caught in the middle of a mighty storm,
03:20it's natural to expect the opening level of Bloodstained to end with a boss fight.
03:24The atmosphere just feels right, you know?
03:26You just might not be expecting something so grand in size.
03:32The Par's body is made of swirling ocean, clumps of seaweed, chunks of reef, and pure evil.
03:38She uses a lot of different projectiles, varied in range and damage, can summon minions, and sweeps giant tentacles across
03:46the deck.
03:46This size of boss and this level of damage output would be expected in a mid-game fight,
03:53but at the very start, the Par brings significant heat.
03:57Yamagata Masakage, Nioh 3.
04:00Dare defy me, Yamagata, the mightiest of Pakeda's crimson army?
04:07The Nioh series has long followed in the footsteps of From Software's souls-likes,
04:12from the biggest bads keeping you from reaching the ending to the opening fights that teach you core mechanics.
04:17The newest game on our list, Nioh 3's tutorial boss is another in a long legacy of making us suffer
04:23to prove ourselves worthy.
04:24The beginning section ends with the introduction of open-world aspects,
04:28but before that, there's nowhere to go to get stronger.
04:31And so, Yamagata pummels you again and again,
04:35before lessons learned through trial and error finally take form.
04:39It isn't as if his moves or tactics are all that complex.
04:43He just has a lot of health and hits extremely hard,
04:47to the point where someone still learning will easily be taken out.
04:51One day, you will stand in Takeda's way.
04:56Mirai, Ninja Gaiden.
04:58I see you have made it this far.
05:09Seemingly, in an attempt to prove the newer style could be just as challenging as the old school,
05:152004's Ninja Gaiden is pretty damn hard.
05:18That's clear from the get-go,
05:20when you're essentially swarmed by a village's worth of ninjas during the tutorial.
05:24And that's nothing compared to the boss.
05:26One might think you could rush in, hacking and slashing, just like other enemies,
05:31but Mirai can swiftly show you how bad of an idea that is.
05:35He's an expert at the nunchaku,
05:36easily blocking your blows and unleashing devastatingly quick combos.
05:41And there's a particularly annoying grab to look out for, too.
05:45It's best if Ryu keeps his distance,
05:47but even then, Mirai doesn't go down easily.
05:58You fight Genichiro several times across Sekiro,
06:02including at the end of the tutorial.
06:04And while you could argue that each fight gets harder,
06:07that doesn't mean this first encounter won't absolutely mess you up.
06:11Genichiro demands perfect deflection timing
06:13and forces you to recognize and counter different perilous attacks with split-second precision.
06:19Coming with a variety of moves across the two phases,
06:22it's such an overwhelming show of force that it feels like you're meant to lose.
06:27And you actually are.
06:29Losing the fight means losing your arm,
06:31setting the rest of the game's events in motion.
06:33But if you manage to do the near-impossible and win,
06:37well, you still lose your arm,
06:39but the circumstances are slightly different.
06:41The divine heir is coming with me.
06:57It may be completely unsurprising to find that a list of tough bosses
07:01has a lot of games from the Souls-like genre,
07:03but anyone familiar with them knows they deserve to be here
07:06even when talking about bosses that are supposed to be easy.
07:09In Wolong, Zhongliang acts as a huge hurdle to seeing the rest of the game.
07:15Both phases make up a gauntlet defined by his sheer aggression,
07:20wide-reaching attacks, and ability to punish even slight mistimings.
07:25It forces you to immediately grasp the core deflection system,
07:29which is crucial for building spirit and unleashing stronger attacks.
07:32It's essentially a trial by fire,
07:35as Zhongliang's tactics will repeatedly humble you.
07:39Yurizin, Devil May Cry 5
07:41Hey, jackass!
07:44Did your mother ever teach you it's not nice to steal?
07:47Devil May Cry 5 opens during a pretty climactic moment,
07:51and eventually leads to you facing the big bad as a tutorial boss.
07:56Given that Yurizin is meant to be the main villain,
07:59it shouldn't come as a shock to learn that he hits like a truck.
08:02He doesn't do much in terms of movement,
08:04since he can't be bothered to even get off his throne,
08:06but between freezing you in place,
08:09the massive fireballs he hurls,
08:11and the arena-spanning lasers,
08:13you're going to go down quickly.
08:14In fact, just like Genichiro in Sekiro,
08:17you're supposed to.
08:18Narratively speaking, it's a good way to show you what you're up against,
08:21but there's also a secret ending you can unlock
08:24if you manage to beat him here.
08:26Where's this?
08:28My moment.
08:29Vanguard Demon.
08:31Demon's Souls.
08:39For the sake of iconicism,
08:41and for it more than fitting the criteria,
08:44we have to include the Vanguard Demon
08:45in From Software's groundbreaking Demon Souls.
08:49Like others, this is a tutorial fight you're meant to lose,
08:52with that loss leading to the rest of the game.
08:55Only having one shot at any boss is stressful,
08:57but with the brutality that has served as From Software's foundation,
09:01that's especially the case.
09:03The Vanguard Demon may be slow,
09:04but as you have little room to maneuver in,
09:07and it has a giant axe,
09:09that slow speed makes little difference.
09:11You're still getting used to dodging,
09:13and have little to no resources.
09:15So, beating the tutorial boss became a major accomplishment
09:18for those that achieved it.
09:20What tutorial boss were you surprised to see put up a fight?
09:23Share your thoughts in the comments,
09:25and we will see you next time.
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