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Is there a single game with non-human bosses that don't "roar before beating"?

nkarafo

Member
This trend is everywhere. Games, movies, even comics. The most overused cliche of all time.

I'm looking for games that don't have this.

It always goes like this: You enter a boss room and the boss appears. You get some shots of him moving around, getting in place, as the scene slowly shows more and more of him and how he moves. Nobody does any move yet though, the scene just plays out. Then the camera zooms out a bit to get a perfect shot of the boss as he is visibly inhaling as much air as possible, while retracting his body for maximum effect. And then the mighty ROOOOAAAAARRR comes out.

There are a few variations of this. Boss could face upwards at the sky while doing it, or just bend close to you so he can roar in your face. Sometimes the camera zooms on the face. They almost always shake their head a bit. Sometimes their hands form fists and pulled backwards because they give it all and it takes so much effort, so the camera stays zoomed out for you to see. Sometimes the camera shakes or there's a shockwave effect because if you are going to roar, you might as well rumble the whole world around you to impress the crowd. And after that, but ONLY then, the fight can start. After the boss has finished his little show because he is out of breath, only then the camera unlocks and you have full control.

Why do they do it? Supposedly animals do this and everyone is impressed. That badass lion roar and such, right? Only that's not how it works. Animals do it when they want to intimidate their enemy away. It's like a last effort attempt to win a fight without actually fighting so they don't risk an injury. They never do this on their pray obviously. So i'm confused. Do these huge bosses in games afraid of you and try to scare you away? Or do they want to kill you? Dunno, if i wanted to kill someone or something i wouldn't scream at it, that's for sure.

So... Every. Single. Game. Does this. Movies too but i don't watch those anymore. I don't think i have ever seen one that has non-regular human bosses that don't follow those exact, same steps. One by one, as if there's a template with all the exact poses, timings and directions that one must follow when they design a boss fight. Like it's mandatory or else they won't get greenlit.

It's also funny how even bosses without a face follow this trend. They do the whole performance but because they don't have a mouth, they just end up with a silent roar pose. Saw this with the Rocky boss in Metroid Prime and is was so unintentionally funny. I really love the Metroid games but they have some of the worst examples of this cliche.

Anyway, i just wonder about two things: Are there are any games where the developers though, hey, this cliche is stupid, makes no sense, it's overused to death, looks boring and impresses nobody. Maybe we could not use it? That and, does anyone here actually gets impressed by this? I just wonder, who is this for.

Thanks.
 
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cormack12

Gold Member
It's probably a player guide tbh, signalling the fight is about to start.

I hate those games where you get a fade to black and then the encounter/battle is just live. Its poorly telegraphed until you have control back and the AI usually makes a move.
 
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nkarafo

Member
It's probably a player guide tbh, signalling the fight is about to start.

I hate those games where you get a fade to black and then the encounter/battle is just live. Its poorly telegraphed until you have control back and the AI usually makes a move.
Surely there are many other ways to do this, like in games where you fight human bosses.
 
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kanjobazooie

Mouse Ball Fetishist
Metal Gear has machines that roar.
OrdinaryNewIndianringneckparakeet-size_restricted.gif
 

Lasha

Member
The bosses in D2 didn't really roar to start fights. They did a creepy monotone version of the person being corrupted before attacking you with a gaping vagina monster.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
There are probably plenty bosses that don't do this but a game where no boss does it at all will be tough to find I guess. Skip the cut scene and they don't do it, "problem" solved if that's where you draw the "games aren't realistic enough" (even when they don't try to be) line. Monster Hunter Rise might count though, since you get the monster intro cut scenes complete with roars before actually encountering them (always thought that's weird/spoilery, I prefer it in old monhuns where you get the scene when you actually meet the foe so it's not that whole intro/ecology type vid that isn't connected to where you are in game). Hm, nevermind, they still all usually roar when you actually start the fight if nothing interrupts that and in various other stages of the battle, though it often counts as an attack itself and/or what you're saying here about intimidation or whatever. Idk.
 
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I'm clearing up my backlog right now and playing DQ11, almost all of the bosses starts roaring before you fight them. Probably in almost every game if you think about it.
 
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Neff

Member
Do these huge bosses in games afraid of you and try to scare you away?

Yes. They know you can beat them, because you can. So it's fine.

I do have pet peeve with snarling zombies though, because it suggests an excess of consciousness and undermines what's scary about them.
 

DelireMan7

Member
In Elden Ring, human can roar too...

elden-ring-hoarah-loux.gif

...and it's fucking amazing ! (This boss and cutscene are pure testosterone and I love it xD)

Never really think about the roar thing. As much as a cliché it is, I still like it.
 
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TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Yeah, I had to actually stop playing Resident Evil REmake the other day because of how choppy the movement of the Zombies is in 2023, year of our Lord. Game aged like milk. That someone pissed in. In a sunny parking lot. I know what Zombies are supposed to behave like. They wouldn't shamble the way they do in the game (blegh) but like a real reanimated dead would.
 

Punished Miku

Gold Member
Roars are cool. Video games have still never captured how intimidating it actually is in reality.

If you ever hear a real roar at the zoo, it's incredibly powerful. Monster Hunter does a good job of making you stunned at times. That's how it would actually be if a giant creature ever roared near you. You'd be paralyzed.
 
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In Movies I used to call them Zoom and Shake.
Monster appears, camera zooms right up to the head, monster roars while camera gives a little shake.
It happened everytime a cgi monster showed up. It's been awhile since I've seen any new movies so don't know if they finally stopped shaking the camera much less have a silent monster.
 

NahaNago

Member
Wouldn't most of these beast bosses smell or hear you coming like a mile away and silently creep up on you, then pounce, and then eat you.
 
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supersale88

Neo Member
This occured to me while playing Trales of Cold Steel 3. Every single non human boss roared before battle. They weren't at all intimidating, I just rolled my eyes at some point.
 

Rush2112

Banned
I like the shrill screaming of bloodborne bosses. So much creepier than roaring: vicar amelia, the orphan, cleric beast, ludwig.
 

Bragr

Banned
Roaring bosses, characters that explain things to themselves, the rule of three.

I think we are stuck with this forever.
 

RavageX

Member
For me, its one of the few things I don't like about the Yakuza games. Almost every scene right before a fight/boss has where either the main player or the person you are fighting will yell and the camera zooms in on them.
 

CGNoire

Member
Cant fuckiing stand it. Every god damm time.......RoooooAaaRr...

Shits so predictible its become anything but intimidating. Creepy a symetrical lovecraftian monstrocities with unexspected sound design is how you freak people out. And can we retire the lion roar as the goto already?
 
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