Summary
Toby Fox’s newest project,Deltarune, has been captivating the hearts of gamers around the world since 2018, not only because it’sthe spiritual successor to his innovative 2015 video game,Undertale, but also because it’s yet another innovative RPG with unique pacifist mechanics and a vast collection of creative and fun boss fights that take perfect advantage of said mechanics.
However, and much to the surprise of its fans, every singleDeltarunechapter has featured a few extremely challenging boss battles that really put players' skills to the test, whether they’re mandatory or they’re hidden somewhere in the Dark World. Underneath its quirky and whimsical facade,Deltaruneis actually a ruthless RPG/bullet hell experience, and the following eight bosses are the best examples of this phenomenon.
8Queen And Berdly
This Dual Fight Is Even Harder Than The Final Boss Of The Chapter
When Kris, Susie, and Ralsei facedBerdlyin the middle ofDeltarune’s second chapter, he immediately proved to be a surprisingly powerful foe, seeing as his attacks were very tricky to avoid. So, whenQueenlater captured him and forced him to fight the “Fun Gang” alongside her, it naturally led to one of the hardest bosses in the entire second chapter.
Berdly can still attack with his quick tornadoes and huge homework collection, but the player now also has to worry about Queen’s own projectiles, who can attack the party by shooting lasers, stomping with her long legs, spamming internet comments, and even changing the shape of the soul box in order to fill it with acid and build a firewall that will protect her for a few turns. This is undeniably a very entertaining and creative fight, but the fact that the player has to take care of two capable enemies at the same time makes it quite challenging, and it’s even harder thanthe final battle against GIGA Queenthat takes place shortly after it.
7Titan
The Final Boss Of Chapter 4 Is As Powerful As Fans Were Expecting
At the very end of the fourth chapter, Kris, Susie, and Ralsei’s worst fear finally comes true before their eyes: the Roaring Knight was able to summon one ofthe infamousTitansthe prophecy warned them about, meaning that it’s up to the “Fun Gang” to stop it before it’s too late. After all the buildup from the last two chapters, players were expecting this gigantic enemy to be quite challenging and powerful, and it certainly didn’t disappoint in that regard.
This encounter uses the same darkness mechanic as the fight against Jackenstein, since the player will have to carefully defend from the Titan’s many techniques and slowly gain TP to eventually illuminate the room and expose its weak point. Of course, this is easier said than done, because the monster can attack the party with an army of dark beings, by crushing them with its giant fingers and even by shooting destructive balls of explosive dark energy. However, the high tension and difficulty of this long encounter makes the final scene of Gerson joining the battle in order to finally take the Titan down all the more epic and satisfying.
6Mr. “Ant” Tenna
A Chaotic Collection Of TV-Based Mini Games In One Single Battle
Throughout Chapter 3: Late Night,Mr. “Ant” Tennaforced Kris, Susie, and Ralsei to participate in a chaotic variety game showthat was made up of many different mini-games, like a cooking game, a rhythm game, a cowboy shooting gallery, etc. Naturally, when it was finally time to finally confront Tenna at the very end of the chapter to rescue Toriel, the chaotic TV host cleverly used all of these different mini-games to his advantage.
The goal of this battle is to reach a score of 1000 points in total, which can be done in many different ways, like completing smaller versions of Tenna’s mini-games that get exponentially harder and faster every time he reuses them. If the player makes a mistake, they will get a strike, which will not only reduce points from the score, but will also take a huge chunk of the three characters' health bars. This is a truly bizarre boss fight in which every single decision matters, and trying to complete multiple mini-games one after each other can get extremely overwhelming for those who are not able to adapt and keep up with its frenetic pace.
5Jackenstein
A Hilarious Treasure Hunt Game That Caught Many Players Off Guard
Hiding in the deep darkness of Chapter 4’s Dark Sanctuary, players can encounter a mysterious unseen figure simply known asJackenstein, and he’s the star of one ofthe weirdest, funniest, yet surprisingly hard battles in the entire game. He’s responsible for introducing the darkness mechanic, which means that, in order to spare him, the player will have to gather TP until they can illuminate the room.
But what makes this fight so hard is its main gimmick: Jackenstein turns the entire soul box into a horror-themed maze that the player will have to explore in order to gather enough TP. After a certain point, he will claim that they’re “taking too long” and send one of his jack-o'-lanterns after Kris' soul. This may not only catch the player by surprise, but if that enemy reaches them, it can drain the party’s HP in seconds and most likely result in a Game Over. To make things even worse, the mazes will become significantly larger and more confusing as the fight goes on, not to mention that Jackenstein has a few tricks up his sleeve that can hinder the player’s movement. While this fight is certainly very fun, it’s also quite long, and having to restart the entire encounter because of one small mistake can be very frustrating.
4Spamton NEO
This Bizarre Super Boss Switches Up The Gameplay In A Really Fun (And Nostalgic) Way
WhileDeltarune’s unconventional release schedule can be tedious for some fans, its silver lining is that every new chapter is filled to the brim with content, including at least one extra-hard super boss that will take players many tries to defeat. Chapter 2: A Cyber’s World is obviously no exception, seeing as it introduced the chaotic fight against the one and onlySpamton NEO.
This battle is reminiscent of the encounter against Mettaton inUndertale, because Spamton will turn Kris’ soul yellow, which will allow the player to shoot him and his attacks instead of just avoiding them. This may initially make the battle seem easier, but his vast array of projectiles is extremely tricky to deal with, and shooting them requires a lot of careful precision. Needless to say, Spamton NEO is one of themost entertaining super bosses in all ofDeltarune, but that doesn’t make it any less challenging to face nor any less satisfying to defeat.
3Jevil
This Mysterious Secret Boss Was The Game’s First Real Challenge
Since Chapter 1 ofDeltarunewas released for free back in 2018, players were both surprised and delighted to discover that it had so much content, including a super-hard secret boss namedJevil. After collecting the three broken keys, Kris, Susie, and Ralsei can face this mysterious jester-looking Darkner inside the cell where he was trapped in, and it’s immediately evident how incredibly powerful he is.
Jevil throws so many different projectiles at the player that quickly fill the screen and, to make things even worse, are extremely unpredictable, especially at the end, when he begins to make multiple copies of himself that can attack from opposite sides of the screen.Deltarune’s first chapter was not a particularly challenging experience, but this secret boss was the first hint that the adventure was gradually going to get tougher and tougher with every new chapter release.
2Hammer Of Justice (Gerson)
A Test Of Reflexes And Patience Against A Legendary Warrior
The introduction of Gerson Boom was one of the highlights of Chapter 4, because not only did this mysterious old man live up to his legendary reputation, but he also proved to be quite an efficient fighter, especially in the final battle against the Titan. However, if players complete the gold piano puzzle to obtain the Justice Axe, they’ll have to confront Gerson in hisHammer of Justiceform, who tasks Susie with landing just one attack on him.
Similarly to Undyne inUndertale, this fight revolves around blocking Gerson’s attacks by moving the heart into one of eight specific directions, which may seem simple at first, but it quickly evolves into an excruciating test of the player’s reflexes and patience. At one point, he will even begin throwing bouncing green and blue shells that have to be blocked more than once and, thus, can really break the player’s concentration and timing if they’re not careful. For such a lighthearted and funny secret boss, Hammer of Justice is one of the most demanding challenges in the entire game, but getting to impress such a lovable character, while simultaneously obtaining Susie’s best weapon, is nothing short of satisfying.
1The Roaring Knight
An Early Encounter Against The Main Villain That Left Most Players In Shambles
TheRoaring Knighthas been slowly built up as the main villain ofDeltarunefor years, and they finally made their on-screen debut at the very end of Chapter 3, where they attempt to kidnap Toriel, face Kris, Susie, and Ralsei in combat, and quickly defeat them right before Undyne appears to save the day. In that brief encounter, players get a small taste of how powerful and unstoppable the Roaring Knight is. Curiously enough, it’s also possible to face them a second time, in the form of a full-on secret boss fight.
Getting to the secret battle against the Roaring Knight is already quite a long and complicated process, and the fight itself is possibly the biggest challenge Toby Fox and his team have ever created, in bothDeltaruneandUndertale. All of the Knight’s attacks are incredibly precise, powerful, and almost impossible to avoid, not to mention that they can also shatter the soul box into small fragments that give the player little-to-no space to move. There’s no easy way to defeat them, as it just requires the player to keep attacking relentlessly while avoiding as many devastating attacks as they can. Of course, Kris, Susie, and Ralsei will canonically defeat the Roaring Knight in a future chapter, but this optional boss fight has already cemented them as one of the most powerful, dangerous, and intimidating figures in the world ofDeltarune, even more so than the mighty Titans.
