The Problems with 2D Mario Boss Fights

The main criticism for super mario bros wonder has been that its boss fights against bowser jr and bowser were extremely underwhelming. Recently though I’ve been replaying all the 2D Mario games and sort of noticed that almost all the 2D Mario bosses are pretty bad. So today we’re gonna take a look at each 2D game to determine what makes the koopalings, boom boom, and so many others so bad!

Odyssey Central Maker ID: VPB-NM9-KLF

Videos:

[sarahhutchinson]

I also want to say that, most of the koopaling bosses have nothing to do with the level there in. For example, Larry's torpedo castle has zero torpedo based obstacles in the actual boss. Or, Roy's conveyer castle has conveyers in it, until the boss where Roy has a Bill blaster instead.

[jacoblinde]

I think the real issue is that for many of these fights you aren't really "fighting" the boss, you're just waiting for them to finish their invincibility cycle so you can jump on them again. There is so much waiting in these fights.

[castform]

I've always said that the Koopalings wouldn't be so ill recieved if they actually tried to make them interesting. They have cool designs and personalities, but the amount of time you have to hit them is criminal. It's why I mostly never have a problem with Ludwig. Not only does he always have the most interesting patterns, he is also allowed to actually show it off. I really like your ideas on both how the Koopalings can be more than just more colourful Boom Booms but also how we can have them and cool new bosses too.

[TheGoldenNick]

Use the Koopalings for the mid points, Bowser Jr for airships and unique world bosses = recipe for a successful experience

[zarinblade]

Honestly I feel like Paper Mario Color Splash did a good job with the koopalings, they each were themed with the world they were in, (for example Larry riding a train and Ludwig’s Ludship) and they had different ways to fight them. I wonder how well that style would translate into a 2d Mario game.

[YeethanFrog]

Idk man, iggy fight #4 is pretty epic

[AlyssaLuvsNaps]

no joke I was telling a friend about Bowser's palette swap brother yesterday. it's such a stupid and pointless piece of trivia that i kind of love it.

Imagine being Bowser's brother, realizing you'll never be as cool as him.

[PeachyFanboy]

The Koopalings had a ton of potential for wonder, they all have unique personalities and some like Ludwig ca flutter jump

I wouldn't have minded to have them in Wonder

[Bryce_the_Woomy_Boi]

It's repetition. Like in New Super Mario Bros DS, every Bowser Junior fight is basically the same with a slight difference. Oh no, the arena is _slippery, _ or it *moves.*

[cjsr_gymisfun]

Luigi's mansion 2 does the "koopaling" thing brilliantly with the professor ghosts.

They possess or summon the actual boss and they only get attacked when the boss itself is vulnerable

[vanillajellyfish]

2:50 technically half the Jr. fights are supposed to be a little different since he puts on his bandana for the latter half of the game, giving him enough braincells to hide in his shell if you try to jump on him. Even though it makes the intentional way of fighting him a little tricker and more unique, it doesn't mean much when it's not impossible to chain-combo him 3 times, and his behavior change doesn't even matter if you can fireball him to win in 2 seconds

[SquirrelMario]

Super Paper Mario, while not a mainline 2D game, probably has my favorite bosses from any 2D Mario. They’re easy, yes, but they’re all unique and fun. You do repeat fights sometimes, like O’Chunks and Mimi, but they’re typically midbosses and not the main boss of that chapter.

[MishKoz]

If there's one thing I wish Mario would borrow from Megaman, it's the approach to bosses. Even on the NES, Megaman games had bosses that were pretty intricate, interesting, and all distinct from one another. Their designs and gimmicks are intertwined with the stages they inhabit, giving them each a very strong sense of identity despite their relatively low screentime.

I know these are two different series, but I've heard people say that the point platformers is to do platforming, but fight bosses, so why should it matter? But you definitely _can_ do bosses really well in a platforming game.

[chamtheman]

I just wanna say love the editing here that you put in this video. It's so well-established and I could never stop myself from grinning at the little FNAF and low-quality picture gags 😂👌

[InnerHuebris]

This man did not just insult the magnum opus that is Boom Boom fight #14

[buffnry]

Wonder not imitating Yoshi's Island bosses (ie, regular enemy supe'd up on Kamek's magic) was a *HUGE* missed opportunity.

[catgameplayer]

Replace all bosses with boom boom. Problem solved

[scottoleson]

Yoshi’s Island had the best bosses. It wasn’t just where the whole Giga-bowser and Kamek shenanigans started, but also the different way each boss had to be figured out, and the creepy designs of a lot of them. The Black Bird on the moon, The Koopa, Giant Baby Bowser… that game left me speechless when I first saw those bosses

[thomasedlegoyodagaming]

tbh invincibility moments for the koopalings is a bandaid fix. They should always be vulnerable but take more hits, less stun between hits, no sliding around in the shell, but attacks that can intercept you in the air so it's risky to chain hit them.

[vectinator]

I liked the boss ideas in Yoshi’s Island, they are all larger versions of regular enemies and feel uniquely different. Also the Fight with Bowser was great.