Those "Two Hands with a Big Head sometimes" bosses

Ikagura

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Why were they popular in Nintendo games?

I cannot recall many non-Nintendo bosses with that archetype.

1742088321118.webp
 
My best guess on why is that it's easier to just keep the face as part of the background, and create sprites for the hands? That way, one can create the illusion of fighting a giant monster. From the NES days, the trope must've stuck.

I don't have any personal examples of this, but I second @Xdqwerty and their upload of Git's video.

EDIT: Well, there was that Mega Man X boss, Rangda Bangda, but he's a face. I forget if he's in the Git video or not.
1742091294461.png
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I used to make my toys fight each other as a kid and sometimes they ended up fighting my hand. That's my canonical explanation for Smash Bros' Masterhand, just a kid playing with his toys.
 
I used to make my toys fight each other as a kid and sometimes they ended up fighting my hand. That's my canonical explanation for Smash Bros' Masterhand, just a kid playing with his toys.
That makes sense considering the opening scene of smash 64
 
I really like this guy's upgraded form from Kirby Super Star Ultra:

KSSU_Wham_Bam_Jewel_Sprite.png


He's made of diamonds! I like that you don't really see his body, either – it makes that fight really mysterious and ambiguous. WHAT DOES HE REALLY LOOK LIKE?????? Good boss for a game about exploring dark caves.

Also, gotta love the final boss fight from Sonic 3&K:

v3x2tgbzfuy41.jpg


You know that you can beat this guy really quickly by revving up a spindash between his fingers? That's a little tip from your ol' pal Gorse. ;->
 
I used to make my toys fight each other as a kid and sometimes they ended up fighting my hand. That's my canonical explanation for Smash Bros' Masterhand, just a kid playing with his toys.
AAAAAA!!! So did I! Though, I would usually have my arm included, meaning my hands were like wild snakes with faces that could split apart and stuff.
 
AAAAAA!!! So did I! Though, I would usually have my arm included, meaning my hands were like wild snakes with faces that could split apart and stuff.
I can't quite recall doing so myself, but when you mention snakes? It remembered using a stapler-remover as some kind of cobra-head monster a couple times as a kidlet. Used it to chomp some clay figures I made.

I am so glad West of Loathing had the same idea.
1742096087900.png
 
It remembered using a stapler-remover as some kind of cobra-head monster a couple times as a kidlet.
I DID THIS TOO!!! Except I always thought of them as alligators or crocodiles. But still! Those things have the best shape ever.

You know what's also great? Using your mom or your sister's hair-clip things as giant venus flytrap mouths. If these objects ever come to life, I'm screwed.
 
As others have pointed out, they were a staple of 2D games in general and not limited to Nintendo. It's really because it was one way to make large, impressive looking bosses within the technical limitations of the time. Most of the boss doesn't move, it's probably a background layer and only the hands are sprites, but you see all of it as the boss. Typically those giant bosses had the simplest patterns. Then it became a classic type of boss that you could do, basically, which is why we still see them.
 
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Bongo Bongo from Ocarina of Time. Nightmare fuel. Imagine waking up to this hanging over your bed at night.

bongobongo.png

Castoth from Illusion of Gaia. I used to waste so many herbs on him and have to reset. 😠

castoth.jpg

As others have pointed out, they were a staple of 2D games in general and not limited to Nintendo. It's really because it was one way to make large, impressive looking bosses within the technical limitations of the time. Most of the boss doesn't move, it's probably a background layer and only the hands are sprites, but you see all of it as the boss. Typically those giant bosses had the simplest patterns.

I kinda miss this trend. Hacking away at giant monster hands and waiting for the vulnerable head or other part to pop back out. Some more modern games still have this mechanic though. Like the Ys Origin version of Gelady.

gelady.png
 
Bongo Bongo from Ocarina of Time. Nightmare fuel. Imagine waking up to this hanging over your bed at night.

View attachment 43223

Castoth from Illusion of Gaia. I used to waste so many herbs on him and have to reset. 😠

View attachment 43226



I kinda miss this trend. Hacking away at giant monster hands and waiting for the vulnerable head or other part to pop back out. Some more modern games still have this mechanic though. Like the Ys Origin version of Gelady.

View attachment 43229
Came here to post the Illusion of Gaia one. ::thumbsupwario
 
My 3 guesses:


Intimitadion factor: Your sprite of a One Man Army being the size of the smallest fingernail of a behemoth all of a sudden will scare anyone

Resource saving: Making a simple trio of sprites instead of the whole body of, Say, a dragon, was more time, space and art saving in the long run

And the one that makes sense to me the most, one Nintendo designer was

latest.png
 

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