So I'm going through Sonic Mania right now. Just hit Lava Reef Zone and I gotta say that for all this game does right, some of the bosses really infuriate me for the wrong reasons.

It started in Chemical Plant Zone Act 2. Just cruising along while appreciating the changes when all of a sudden BANG! MEAN BEAN MACHINE REFERENCE!

By the time I get my bearings, Eggman's already made some matches and I die from being behind. You know, because I was expecting to fight a BOSS, not just a reference given form (to say nothing of the glitch where I won but still died).

And then there's the spider in Flying Battery Zone, a level I was really loving, to the point where I'd say it outdoes the original and then some. But then this monstrosity shows up!

Not only is this boss based on a gimmick that would make any Sonic fan who's dealt with bumpers before have PTSD, but he's got invincibility frames up the wazoo! Try to hit him consecutively and you'll just end up flying right through him into the spikes. Oh, and if you touch the poles, there's no way to get off without shooting to the side. Both of these facts cost me three lives.

And what the HELL did they do to Metal Sonic?!

I was SO excited when he showed up, as my favorite boss in Sonic CD and one of my favorites in Generations. But his boss fight in Mania is

So.

Freaking.

LAME.

You don't get an awesome fight or race with him. Instead, he just takes potshots at you from off-screen and then plugs into this machine while shooting at you. Why? So you can fight endlessly respawning Silver Sonics from the 8-bit version of Sonic 2.

The point is to bounce them into him while they're in ball form, but thanks to dodgy programming, they'll either go flying off into the abyss, bounce YOU into Metal's shots, or just die and come back OVER and OVER. It's not fun or interesting, it's just freaking annoying!

Don't misunderstand, I'm not calling Mania a bad game. I really like it overall, and some of the fanservice really works, but for me a good chunk of the bosses are a prime example of designing around a gimmick or reference first, while the gameplay comes second or as a complete afterthought.

As someone who only watched it on the streams, the bean machine thing seemed neat, but I could see it as pretty frustrating if I were to happen upon it.

Mean Bean Machine and the spider were bosses I personally appreciated. Maybe it's awful if you've never played Puyo Puyo, but I had, and I thought the boss fight was a super easy match of it. So it was just a funny reference. The spider was a bit tougher and I think I lost a life, but it also uses the mechanics from the stage before it in a way I thought was very inventive for a Sonic boss. Knocking that big thing around is fun, and I didn't think it was a flaw that you can't spin it into submission whenever it's blinking.

Metal Sonic was a little bit of a nightmare though, I'll agree on that. I did manage it on my second run through, but that boss was finicky to get the hang of and not very fun to play, for me. Definitely the worst so far(I'm on the Hydrocity stage, which is a pain and a half).

I thought all of the boss battles were good to great and one of the highlights of the game (apart from Meta Sonic). The Dr Robotkniks Mean Bean Machine battle was a particular highlight, it was a heavily nerfed version of puyo puyo, you literally had to match 4 and you'd be fine, no need to make combos.

@redhotchilimist: It's not just when he's blinking though. If you hit the bumper at all, he's invincible until the mech hits the ground. So if you jumped to get to the pole and either grazed him or Tails decided to smack him, that's a straight shot into the spikes. Or right under the spikes so you can be crushed to death by said spikes.

I absolutely cannot beat the last boss in TMZ.

You get 9 rings to do a 7 stage boss. Admittedly, each phase is pretty short, but you're expected to do so much without ANY mistakes.

I got to a part where I was phased into a mini boss fight, I got hit, dropped my ONE ring, and before I could pick it up, I was transferred back to the main fight, where I was instantly hit and died.

The last boss is fucking insane

@matoya: Yikes. Hope I have a better time with it than you seem to be having. Keep at it! Show them who's boss!!

To be honest, I think I'm not gonna bother finishing it. The stages themselves on the last act are almost 10 minutes long each, and that's not counting bosses.

It's just kinda boring to keep going through, only to lose to a ridic last boss.

The only boss I super hate is the elevator boss from Titanic Monarch Act 1. There's an RNG element to that boss that can be devastating to someone nearing the ten-minute mark.

@matoya: Just beat it (and the game). My advice if you find you wanna give it one more try?

Bull-rush. As long as you keep that last ring, it doesn't matter how many times you get hit, so go for all the hits you can. The more you hit him, the less range of attack he has. Also, when he teleports you elsewhere, you don't HAVE to fight the other bosses. If you wait them out, he'll bring you back.

Also, as a general note, I find it hilarious that the game that turned me off of some of its gimmicky bosses has one of the easiest and straightforward Super Sonic fights in the franchise.