what do you count as having "Beaten" a boss?

[jeebortjoobert]

Had a conversation recently with someone who beat a tough boss in another crabs treasure by using the gun and they felt they hadn't "beaten" the boss, it made me reflect on lots of dark souls bosses where people don't feel you've "beaten" a boss unless you do it solo, so what do you feel counts as "beating" a boss or level? is using glitches valid? do we have to beat them in the intended spirit the developer's intended? would using cheats to cut out grinding for levels mean it doesn't count or is that a valid accessibility and time saving feature?

 

[mrrgrrgrr]

As long as they're dead and I'm not, I'm calling that a win no matter what method I used.

For example, I'll always use the pause trick to beat the Yellow Devil in the first Mega Man game. I have no shame.

 

[gwardojones]

If it ain't breathin', it's beaten.

Adding limits to challenge yourself is one thing, but when that health bar depletes, even if I used a cheesy method, that's a win. The devs have complete control over their world. If they failed to remove something that I was able to exploit for an easier win, that's on them--that or they left it in so people who weren't looking to kill themselves for the win can still move forward.

Though, if you're using tools not originally intended by the devs, that's a whole other kettle of fish. That said, I DO use turbo mode to race through JRPG battles and grinding. Do I feel like I've had the "true" experience? Nah. But I've been playing JRPGS for 30 years and don't have a whole lot to prove anymore. I enjoy not having to wait for battles to load, or wait to finish fights that I know pose no threat. I'm enjoying JRPGs a lot more now than I have for years.

At the end of the day, if you enjoyed yourself, I don't think it really matters, so long as you're not encroaching on someone else's fun. If you want to suffer, that's your choice. But if someone else just wants to see the credits roll, I say let them get there however they want.

 

[jeebortjoobert]

As long as they're dead and I'm not, I'm calling that a win no matter what method I used.

For example, I'll always use the pause trick to beat the Yellow Devil in the first Mega Man game. I have no shame.

Nice! that's a classic glitch, for me its entering he shadows of yharnam fight in bloodborne, one can enter the boss room in such a way that the boss doesn't realize the fight started and stands motionlessly as you hit them until you win lol

 

[ArchienineZXAdventArchienineZXAdvent's icon]

To beat a boss, you have to beat the boss regardless of what method you use

 

[UnboundByJunk]

I usually just try to avoid using cheese methods as much as I can in most cases. Sometimes when I do beat bosses in games by cheesing them, I would try going back and fighting them without using the cheese. Obviously, there are exceptions to this in some games, but that's the general rule of thumb I got. It's really just vibes that determine whether or not I'm satisfied with my actions.