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Over the years, FromSoftware's games have birthed a new Soulsborne genre of its own, through challenging boss fights that have become a part of the studio's legend. And yet, for all the amazing, legendary, and unforgettable bosses that FromSoft has given us, there is one boss that is ever-present, and grows stronger with every release — the camera. In tight corners and behind staircases it lurks, snapping away with a mind of its own, deciding on a whim whether you deserve to see what's about to kill you.
Having gone through the entire Dark Souls trilogy after completing Elden Ring, I've fought dragons, kings, beasts, and things I can't describe, and yet, it has always been the camera that made me scream the worst, and my problems with it came to a head, particularly in these boss fights.
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5 The Capra Demon is every Dark Souls player's worst nightmare
A towering demon, two pets, and an armored knight, all crammed snugly together
There was no way in hell or heaven that I wasn't going to mention the Capra Demon on this list. If it isn't the worst-designed level or boss fight of all time, it certainly is in the running. About six hours into the first Dark Souls game, you encounter this optional boss, but unlike many others you've already faced, this guy has a very cozy corner he calls home with his two hounds. As soon as you cross the mist into this guy's room, you're met with nothing but a tight, moss-covered room that you wouldn't even consider worthy of a fodder or field enemy, let alone a full boss who comes with two hounds.
There's a single staircase here, where you're always attacked by another hound when you try to get up the stairs leading to nowhere. The Capra Demon is huge, and the area of the boss battle is so claustrophobically tight that you have no option but to dodge-roll to avoid his attacks — you simply cannot avoid them. Of course, a single dodge-roll later, you'll be cursing, because your view would either be completely obstructed by an unnecessary tree the devs put in there to add to the floral aesthetic, or you'd end up swinging your sword into the wall, because that's how cramped the whole boss fight is, from start to finish.
The first Dark Souls game is certainly a great game that I came to appreciate for the blueprint it set for the rest of the games to come, but it sure has some solid duds along the way, with the Capra Demon being the greatest one.
Dark Souls Remastered
Released May 23, 2018
ESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Violence
Developer(s) From Software, QLOC, Virtuos
Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
Engine proprietary engine, phyre engine
Franchise Dark Souls
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4 The King of the Storm from Dark Souls 3
The first phase was as horrible as the second one was amazing
After ringing the bell at the Great Belfry, I knew it was time to meet him. The Nameless King, riding his steed. One of the most popular FromSoft bosses of all time, the Nameless King's boss battle in Dark Souls 3 is an optional fight, but if you know anything about the Souls games, he's really not. So, to get those bragging rights I sought, I headed into the storm. Five minutes later, I realized that I was fighting the Nameless King, his dragon, and — you guessed it — the damned camera.
Now, it's the King of the Storm, the first phase, that is really the culprit here. The second phase, the Nameless King himself, is actually what makes this boss fight so unforgettable in pop culture. The camera, when locked on, can not, for the life of it, figure out what it's supposed to follow — the King's body, or the dragon's head, or the giant lightning spear arcing down from the heavens. Instead, it goes for the simple solution, and does nothing, gifting you a blurry swirl of clouds, wings, and camera shakes.
This is a 360-degree visual assault where your thumb loses the most HP, where one move from the King of the Storm has you staring at the dragon's hind legs or its wings, not knowing where your character went. Well, why not just manually move the camera, then? I tried doing that, and so did thousands of others, and while it's a little bit, it still keeps things frustrating, because half the fight then becomes all about moving the camera.
Dark Souls 3
Released March 24, 2016
ESRB M for Mature: Blood Violence
Developer(s) From Software
Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
Engine havok, proprietary engine
Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
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3 The Fire Giant from Elden Ring can jump into the forge
An aggressively mediocre boss fight with worse camera management
As you make your way through the world of Elden Ring, you will reach the Mountaintops of the Giants, where you will inevitably meet the Fire Giant, guarding the Forge of the Giants. From the moment you set eyes on him, you know this guy is going to be trouble. First off, as the boss fight commences, you'll have to make peace with never being able to see him completely. The Fire Giant is so humongous that the camera is never able to fit him in the frame, leaving you to slash at his ankles while avoiding his one-shot nuke attacks and, well, his posterior.
In a game that trains you for hundreds of hours to watch every move, every twitch from the enemy, this boss fight throws all of that out the window, rendering you incapable of being able to see the Fire Giant telegraph his moves. The only time he's fully visible is when you're far away, unable to hurt him properly. Disabling the lock-on from the Giant only just serves to make the boss fight tougher, as you struggle with the right stick to stay focused on the big bad baboon trying to annihilate you.
Elden Ring
Released February 25, 2022
ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Developer(s) From Software
Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
Engine Proprietary
Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
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2 Lone Shadow Longswordsman — Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
An intensely cramped mini-boss reminiscent of the Capra Demon
It feels strange to be adding a mini-boss over here, but this guy deserves it. Now, Sekiro will always be one of the games I hold close to my heart, both for the valuable lesson it taught me, and for the bragging rights I will always have for finishing this game. However, there's a certain mini-boss in the game, one Lone Shadow Longswordsman, that became the bane of my existence for over 48 hours when I played the game. The moment you confront this boss, you realize that you're in a cramped, tight space that's eerily similar to the Capra Demon's boss fight.
This boss fight, too, has shrubs and other plants growing in a narrow, snug space, and an even smaller corridor as the only place to run, which has steps you have to jump on. Of course, if you do jump, the camera goes off on its own for a couple of seconds before getting its head back on straight, and until then, the Longswordsman's Long Sword has done its talking with you.
This mini-boss is going to drive you against — and up — the wall.
Now, if you choose not to run into the corridor and keep the fight outside in the initial area, the mini-boss is just going to drive you against (and up) the wall, to the point where you'll be parrying out of sheer muscle memory instead of being able to see yourself or his moves, and the only thing in the camera frame is going to be the Longswordsman's hood and the back of his head.
For a game all about hard but fair boss fights, Sekiro fails to follow that principle in this boss fight, making for one of the most frustrating challenges that has nothing to do with skill, and everything to do with level design.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Released March 22, 2019
ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
Developer(s) From Software
Publisher(s) Activision
Engine Proprietary Engine
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1 Golden Hippopotamus — Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Why am I looking inside this hippo's belly?
You'd really think FromSoft would've learned by now. After more than a decade of wonky camera work yet legendary boss battles, the devs still continue to let the camera be the final boss. Nowhere is this more true than with the Golden Hippopotamus in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Sure, it's one of the greatest DLC expansions ever made, but it doesn't come without its terrible bosses, with the Golden Hippo prime among them.
Not just Elden Ring and its DLC, but all the Dark Souls games, combined, have given us some great boss fights to the tune of "here's a huge animal, kill it". Whether it's Sif, Ludwig, or heck, even the Elden Beast, FromSoft's bosses are unforgettable for all the right reasons. Mr. Gilded Hippo, however, isn't one of them. This fight isn't about you going up against a majestic creature, no. It's about you, the controller, and a camera system that completely breaks down at every single opportunity.
For starters, the hippo is huge, and the arena is small. And the camera? The camera just... gives up. Lock on, and you're starting at the Hippo's hind legs. Try the free camera, and you're constantly fighting to keep your view from clipping into a wall, slipping into complete blackness, or even worse — the inside of the hippo's belly. The boss' moves, while simple, have this frustrating ability to throw the camera out of whack, and before you can convince the right stick to cooperate and focus on the humongous hippo trying to flatten you, you're being punted around like a soccer ball. Honestly, this guy isn't even the enemy here — he's just the meat puppet while the camera is doing all the real damage.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Released June 21, 2024
ESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Base Game Elden Ring
Developer(s) FromSoftware
Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, FromSoftware
Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
Engine Proprietary
Who doesn't love a good boss fight?
I'd like my deaths to come at the hands of the bosses, and not the camera.
I adore FromSoft's boss fights — I really do. There's just nothing quite like their intensity, spectacle, and lore. But for all that genius, they've never managed to slay the one foe that keeps every battle from feeling perfect. I've mentioned the camera being frustrating to deal with before, especially in Elden Ring, but it wasn't until I revisited the older games that I realized how bad things were sometimes.
Of course, I'll still keep playing. I know with certainty that I'll be playing Nightreign as soon as a duo mode drops, and I'll always keep dodging, blocking, parrying, and yelling. And of course, I'll die a thousand times over in future FromSoft games — I'd just like those deaths to come at the hands of the bosses I'm fighting, and not the camera, please.
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