Boss Battles
Boss Battles Mode is a Unlockable Stadium mode introduced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which is very similar to All-Star Mode, except you fight all bosses rather than all characters. Boss Battles Mode is unlocked after the player completes both Classic Mode and 'The Subspace Emissary' for the first time, or in other words, has faced each boss other than Crazy Hand at least once.
Gameplay
The goal of Boss Battles Mode is to defeat every boss in the game with a single stock, or two characters in its co-op mode. When a player begins Boss Battles mode, they are immediately dropped into combat against one of the ten bosses. Once a boss is defeated, the player is brought to the rest area. The rest area displays all defeated bosses as trophies, a screen that displays the face of next boss to be fought, and has three heart containers, or five in co-op mode, which, like in All-Star, do not reappear even upon later visits to the rest area. This format continues until all bosses are defeated. This format is the same as All-Star Mode. However, the player is not allowed to continue after losing their stock, as it is a stadium mode. The battles occur in random order, except for the battle with Tabuu which always occurs last. Each boss has their own Stamina Bar as one would normally fight them in the Subspace Emissary, including both of the Hands. The player is treated with a picture of one of the bosses upon completing Boss Battles: this picture varies depending on the difficulty level chosen. You cannot use any stickers in Boss Battles.
The battles in this mode include:
Tips
- Play Conservative.
You're facing 10 bosses instead of one, and have 1 life instead of 4, so you can't give a frenzy of attacks at once. Wait for the gaps between attacks, then strike briefly, then prepare to evade the next attack. Strike a single multiple hit quick attack, then retreat to shoot projectiles if possible while evading the bosses' moves.
- Abuse Powerful Moves.
Moves like Rock Smash, Yoshi's Dair, and Bowser's Forward smash inflict tons of damage. Use them, as long as they don't make you vulnerable. Kill moves like Rest and Falcon Punch work well, but use them only if you know they will defeat the boss in that hit. Kill move lag will almost surely leave you open to an attack. The lesser time it takes to defeat a boss, the lesser chance there is you'll receive damage. The best moves to use are usually those that can score multiple hits.
- Use a Character that is Effective Against or Counters at least One Boss.
Fox, Ness Lucas are effective against Duon and Meta Ridley in that they have reflectors or absorbers. Marth is effective against many bosses in that his Counter inflicts massive damage, as does Ike's.
- Take Advantage of the Boss's Size
Some attacks like Knee Smash have very limited range and are hard to use in normal brawls. For bosses, though, it is very easy, in that you can simply be touching any part of the boss, which easily take up a quarter of the stage, to inflict damage.
- Always Dodge
Even though if it's on Easy mode, dodge the attacks of many bosses. Some attacks of the bosses give you hints of what kind of attack it will be, and others come very quick. So dodge your way to attack without being wide open to be attacked at.
- Easy way to beat it on Intense
Play it on Co-op with another skilled player. Take Charizards. Then use Rock Smash constantly on bosses. Avoid Tabuu's Off Waves with Pokemon Change or if skilled enough, roll or sidestep.
- Another Easy Way to beat Intense
Play as Meta Knight and spam Nair. Over and over and over.
Individual Character Tips
- Mario: Down Aerial (Mario Tornado), Fireball, Cape
- Luigi: Down Aerial, Fireball, Super Jump Punch, Luigi Cyclone
- Peach: Forward Aerial, Toad, Peach Parasol
- Bowser: Forward Smash, Up Smash, Down Aerial, Whirling Fortress
- Donkey Kong: Forward Smash, Up Smash, Forward Aerial, Back Aerial, Giant Punch (only if charged beforehand), Spinning Kong, Hand Slap (only on ground bosses)
- Diddy Kong: Forward Smash, Up Smash, Forward Aerial, Peanut Popgun, Banana Peel
- Yoshi: Down Aerial, Egg Throw
- Wario: Up Smash, Up Aerial, Down Aerial (follow with Up Aerial, if possible), Corkscrew
- Link: Up Smash, Side Smash, Down Aerial hitting twice, then following up with Up Aerial, All Specials
- Toon Link: Same as Link, especially for the Forward Smash
- Zelda: Up Smash, Side Smash, All Aerials and Specials
- Sheik: Up Smash, Down Smash, Up Aerial, Needle Storm
- Ganondorf: Up Smash, All Aerials, Warlock Punch
- Samus: Down Tilt, Up Smash, Forward Aerial, Up Aerial, All Specials
- Zero Suit Samus: Up Tilt, Side Smash, Up Smash, Forward Aerial, Plasma Whip, Plasma Wire
- Pit: Up Smash, Side Smash, Neutral Aerial, Forward Aerial, Back Aerial, Up Aerial, All Specials
- Ice Climbers: Up Tilt, Side Smash, Ice Shot, Squall Hammer, double jumping and using Blizzard on the way down
- R.O.B.: Down Smash, All Aerials and Specials
- Kirby: All Aerials, Hammer, Final Cutter, Stone
- Meta Knight: Forward Tilt, Forward Smash, Up Smash, All Aerials and Specials
- King Dedede: Forward Tilt, Up Smash, Forward Smash, Vertical Aerials, Waddle Dee Toss, Jet Hammer
- Olimar: Up Tilt, Neutral Aerial, Pikmin Chain, Pikmin Order
- Fox: Forward Aerial, Down Aerial, All Specials, though Fox Illusion is not likely to be used, and Fire Fox is especially effective on ground bosses
- Falco: Same as Fox
- Wolf: Up Smash, Forward Smash, All Specials
- Captain Falcon: Forward Aerial, Up Aerial, Up Smash (though Down Smash is stronger, but slightly less efficient to hit with), Falcon Punch
- Pikachu: Down Smash, All Aerials, Thunder Jolt, Thunder
- Pokémon Trainer:
- Squirtle: Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral Aerial, Down Aerial
- Ivysaur: Forward Tilt, Neutral Aerial
- Charizard: Up Smash, Forward Aerial
- All Specials for every Pokemon
- Lucario: Jump above the target and constantly use Down Aerial, Reverse Double Team, All Specials
- Jigglypuff: Forward Aerial, Back Aerial, Down Aerial
- Marth: Forward Smash, Up Smash, Forward Aerial, Down Aerial, Dancing Blade, Counter
- Ike: Up Smash, Forward Smash, Aether, Counter
- Ness: Forward Smash, Back Aerial, All Specials
- Lucas: Same as Ness, All Smashes, Neutral Aerial, Down Aerial
- Mr. Game & Watch: All Aerials, especially Side Aerials, Oil Panic
- Sonic: Up Tilt, Forward Smash, Up Smash, Neutral Aerial, Forward Aerial, Back Aerial, Up Aerial
- Snake: Forward Tilt, Forward Smash, Down Smash, Neutral Aerial, Down Aerial, All Specials
Challenges
There are eight Challenges in Super Smash Bros. Brawl involving Boss Battles Mode. Golden Hammers cannot be used to break them, except in PAL.
- First row, #1: Clear on Intense difficulty.
- First row, #10: Clear on Easy difficulty.
- Second row, #16: Clear with 20 characters.
- Second row, #26: Clear with 10 characters.
- Third row, #23: Clear on Normal difficulty.
- Fourth row, #6: Clear on Hard difficulty.
- Fourth row, #26: Clear on Very Hard difficulty.
- Fourth row, #32: Clear with every character.
Boss changes from other modes
Several of the bosses are slightly altered from their appearances in other modes.
- Crazy Hand is a boss itself, rather than together with Master Hand.
- Master Hand and Crazy Hand have Stamina Bars like other bosses, rather than the usual HP shown at the bottom.
- Galleom will be fought randomly in one of his two stages.
- On Easy, Normal and Hard modes, Tabuu's Off Waves do not instantly kill a player who comes in contact with them.
- In lower difficulties, all the bosses' speed, attack power and health are greatly decreased.
- Petey Piranha's cages are empty, as when he is faced in The Great Maze stage of The Subspace Emissary.
- The individual boss themes are replaced with generic music, Boss Battle, except for Master Hand, Crazy Hand and Tabuu. They use the music Final Destination (Melee), Giga Bowser (Melee), and Boss Battle Song 2, respectively.
- Stickers cannot be used, as they only appear in The Subspace Emissary.
- Items do not appear.
- Each time you defeat three bosses you earn a rare trophy.
