A Japanese exclusive PlayStation RPG released in 1994, Kings Field was an ambitious title ahead of its time that set in motion a chain of events that would culminate in the legendary dark souls series. A collection of hardcore fantasy RPGs so influential they would inspire an entire subgenre, it’s amazing to think such a high-profile collection of games could come from such humble origins.
While most FromSoftware games are known for their difficulty, they are also prized for their horror elements; Eerie catacombs and harrowing chasms are a staple of the developer’s work, and, from powerful necromancers to elder gods, bosses play a major role in that image.
10 Guardian Monkey
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Perhaps the most notorious boss in the already legendary difficult Sekiro: Shadows Die Twicethe Guardian Ape is extremely erratic, incredibly fast, and has both AoE and ranged attacks that can be very hard to dodge.
His most terrifying aspect, of course, is the fact that he revives himself after having his head chopped off for a surprising second round. Now that he wields a sword and can trigger the incredibly deadly fear status effect, the second phase of the fight is as tough as it is creepy. In addition, defeating the monster reveals that its immortality was granted by a centipede plague.
9 Reinhardt III
royal field
The first of FromSoftware’s groundbreaking series of PlayStation RPGs, the first royal field never received a real North American port, and the royal field Western gamers know that it was actually a sequel that just ignored the original. With that in mind, although fan translations of the title exist, the in-game knowledge remains quite sparse and difficult to decipher.
Vague and obscure lore wouldn’t stop most souls veterans, of course, and those who venture into royal field’s abyssal depths will be met with one of the most disturbing bosses in the series’ history. What appears to be a pillar of tentacles adorned with an eerie white mask, Reinhardt III is a suitably weird ending to a strange RPG.
8 Rykard, lord of blasphemy
Elden Ring
Those who venture to the treacherous summit of Elden Ring‘s Mt Gelmir gains access to Volcano Manor, an ancient dungeon in which the god-devouring serpent resides. A gimmick boss fight that almost requires the use of the Serpent-hunter Great Spear, the first stage is creepy enough, but things get a lot weirder when a cutscene halfway through the battle reveals that the serpent harbors Rykard’s form.
Able to spew storms and summon skulls similar to Lost Souls from the demise franchise, Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy is easily the most terrifying boss encounter in Elden Ring.
7 The duke’s dear Freja
Dark Souls II
When it first debuted in 2014, Dark Souls II was initially panned in part due to its many lackluster bosses. While battles against The Last Giant and Lost Sinner feel quite formal, The Duke’s Dear Freja certainly stood out, especially among the other bosses in the first half of the game.
A huge, repulsive two-headed spider, The Duke’s Dear Freja comes across as a twisted version of the Armored Spider from Demon Souls. Able to launch lasers from its mouth and summon a horde of arachnid minions, it is easily one of the most grotesque in the world. dark souls series.
6 Aldrich, Devourer of Gods
Dark Souls III
Aldritch was once a Lord of Cinder who amassed an astonishing amount of power by consuming the souls of his followers in Iirythill. When he was revived to take his throne again at the start of Dark Souls 3, he instead chose to invade the remains of Anor Londo and consume Dark Sun Gwyndolin’s soul.
When the player encounters Aldrich, the creature goes into battle by manifesting powers it has inherited from Gwyndolin. Now nothing more than an amorphous black mass with an all-consuming hunger for powerful creatures, Aldrich definitely stands as one of Dark Souls III’s most horrific entities.
5 Gravelord Nito
dark souls
Gravelord Nito would be the first to die at the start of the Age of Fire claiming a Lord Soul and becoming an embodiment of pestilence and death. Found under the tomb of the giants in the first dark souls game, Gravelord Nito is an intimidating foe capable of summoning ethereal swords from the ground and leading a skeleton army.
Though nowhere near as tough as Black Dragon Kalameet or Abysswalker Artorias, Gravelord Nito must face one of the most terrifying bosses in the dark souls trilogy based only on looks.
4 High Lord Wolnir
Dark Souls III
One of the less remarkable bosses of the third dark souls outing, High Lord Wolnir is found in the Catacombs of Carthus atop a high abyss. A former lord of Carthus now claimed by the abyss, Wolnir was as odious in life as in death.
While the actual battle may not be particularly memorable, Wonir is introduced via a very effective jump scare. His unexpected size and eerie countenance are absolutely obnoxious, and while he doesn’t measure up to that of Pontiff Sullivan or Aldritch, Devourer of Gods, High Lord Wolnir is undeniably eerie.
3 the dark one
King’s Field: The Old Town
The swan song of the royal field franchise, King’s Field IV-known as King’s Field: The Old Town in North America – takes place in Heladin, a kingdom cursed by an artifact known as The Idol of Sorrow. Players embark on a quest to save the kingdom by returning the idol to its original resting place, although that is of course much easier said than done.
The fourth royal field episode really leans into the grimdark aesthetic that would come to typify the souls series. The ending, set in the deepest, most corrupt pit of the Land of Disaster, is the best example of this. The boss is also a writhing mass of tentacles that barely resemble a human, something reminiscent of the equally strange One Reborn from Bloodborne.
2 Moon Presence
Bloodborne
The 2015 PlayStation 4 Exclusive Title Bloodborne was FromSoftware’s most imaginative and uncompromising effort at the time, and it marked at least a slight departure from the dark souls series. Leaving the overt fantasy elements of its predecessors, Bloodborne instead, it takes place in the Victorian-inspired town of Yharnam, drawing almost directly from Lovecraftian lore.
While every big boss in Bloodborne is scary on some level, the absolute creepiest is The Moon Presence, the secret boss that only appears when certain conditions are met. A faceless horror representative of the hidden horrors that lurk in the dark realms beyond reality, The Moon Presence embodies the madness-inducing terror of many of Lovecraft’s most famous monsters.
1 Manus, Father of the Abyss
dark souls
Some hypothesize that it was once the covert pygmy, the progenitor of mankind in the dark souls universe, Manus’s tomb was excavated by the inhabitants of Oolacile, leading to the dispersal of the Abyss by Lordran. While not even Artorias can defeat such a powerful entity, the Chosen Undead eventually shows up to save the day.
Found at the bottom of an ominous cave, Manus looks like a… Bloodborne boss who escaped in the first dark souls game. A mass of twisted limbs, horns and eyes, Manus is as scary as he is powerful, and he far surpasses Gwyn, Lord of Cinder in terms of difficulty.
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