Summary
While it may be known for its complex story and fantastical Disney elements, it should be noted thatKingdom Heartsis alsoone of the best Action RPG franchisesin the industry. These games always feel really fun to play, and their combat systems especially shine during boss battles, which are often as epic as they are challenging.
Sadly, there have been many instances whereKingdom Heartsbosses didn’t feel as difficult as they should’ve been. Players can’t help but feel disappointed when an intense fight starring an important character ends up being unexpectedly easy. These are some of the most infamous examples.
In the originalKingdom Hearts, players could go througha time-consuming tournament known as the Hades Cup. Surprisingly enough, Hades himself is not the final opponent of his own cup (and his fight is notoriously easy at that), but the final match is instead against the giganticRock Titan.
This boss can go down in mere minutes since it’s very slow, it doesn’t do much damage, and it’s not necessary to deal that much damage to defeat it. After 50 rounds of non-stop action to get there, this fight felt incredibly unsatisfying. The Rock Titan should’ve been at least as challenging as the Ice Titan, which can be fought in the same coliseum.
As a member of Organization XIII,Lexaeushad a lot of expectations to live up to. Mainly because he looked like he was extremely strong, as he created earthquakes while wielding his big Axe Sword. That’s why, when Riku eventually faced him during his story inChain of Memories,many were expecting to see an epic encounter.
Lexaeus didn’t live up to the hype. The combat system inChain of Memories can be manipulated, so any player who knows what they’re doing can defeat any enemy with no problem. Yet Lexaeus is so surprisingly easy that even those who never learned the ins and outs of this combat system won’t struggle against him. The worst part is that he’sthe only member of the Organizationwho’s only fought once in the entire game, so he didn’t get the chance to redeem himself.
One of the most shocking moments inKingdom Heartswas the sudden appearance ofSephiroth, the main villain ofFinal Fantasy 7, as a surprise hidden boss that also made for the most difficult battle in the entire game. That’s why fans were delighted to see him pop up again inKingdom Hearts 2,and this time he actually had a role in the story.
The fight against Sephiroth inKingdom Hearts 2is extremely solid on a technical level, and it’s a decent way to test the player’s skills, but it also pales in comparison to the original encounter from the first game. He was established as one of the most powerful bosses ever, so experiencing an easier version of his battle just didn’t feel the same. It was even easier in the Final Mix version of the game, where players had access to the Limit Form.
The encounter between Roxas andRikuin The World That Never Was is one of the most important moments in the entire franchise. Originally teased in the secret ending ofKingdom Hearts, fans were ecstatic to actually get to experience this fight firsthand inKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, a game that tellsRoxas’ story as an Organization XIII member.
The final fight against Riku is not bad per se, but it’s extremely forgettable. For a moment that was hyped up through many games, the boss battle itself is very brief and not that hard. It felt like this clash against Riku was added at the last minute just because it was a crucial part of the plot, while Xion worked way better as the final boss of this game.
When Aqua ended up trapped in the Realm of Darkness, she was suddenly stalked and attacked by a powerful Heartless with blood piercing eyes known as theDark Hide. In theory, this battle was a game changer, sinceAqua had never seen a Heartless of this magnitude before, and it established how powerful these beings could truly be.
While the design of the Dark Hide is really intimidating, the same cannot be said about its boss battle. This is not a challenging boss in any way, mainly because it takes place duringBirth By Sleep’sSecret Episode, so at this point, every player would be at a high level, they’d have a collection of strong commands, and they’d know exactly what they’re doing. The Dark Hide never stood a chance.
By 2012, theKingdom Heartsseries was well known for its extremely challenging secret bosses, like Sephiroth or Lingering Will. As such, it was logical that players would expect another tough encounter to be hidden inside the brand-new title,Dream Drop Distance.The only real hidden boss in this game isJulius, a character from the 1995 short filmRunaway Brain.
The idea of having a Disney character as the secret boss was clever, but Julius never felt as difficult as the previous secret bosses from past titles. Not only did he not hit as hard, nor did he have any really strong attacks, but he could be easily beaten with just one command:Balloon.The combat ofDream Drop Distancefeels unbalanced because of that one spell, so it’s a shame that not even the secret boss could resist it.
Aqua had fallen into the darkness and had to be faced by Sora in a climactic battle. When this was first revealed in the trailers ofKingdom Hearts 3, fans were hyped, but worried about having to engage in such an emotional clashagainst a beloved character. This was certainly one of this game’s biggest selling points.
So, when Sora eventually goes to the Realm of Darkness and finds that Aqua has gone evil because of the darkness… it doesn’t really take him much to bring her back. The atmosphere and the music are incredible, but the gameplay of theAnti-Aquafight is way too easy for such an emotional moment. This was especially disappointing, since the battle against Zodiac Phantom Aqua inBirth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passagewas way tougher.
Kingdom Hearts Union χ
After experiencing two different encounters against Sephiroth, fans were hoping that anotherFinal Fantasyvillain would appear as a secret boss someday, with Kefka Palazzo ofFinal Fantasy 6being one of the most requested cameos. Unbeknownst to many fans, this encounter already happened inKingdom Hearts Union χbut it really wasn’t what most were expecting.
For starters, Kefka himself didn’t bother to show up, sending his Heartless version known asMysterious Sirinstead. Also, because ofUnion χ’ssimplistic combat system - that relies on its gacha elements way too much - this battle is not as difficult as any of the encounters against Sephiroth. On the bright side, players could at least listen to Kefka’s iconic Dancing Mad theme during the fight.
