Prologue

If you remember last year's Lenten Season, it pretty much ended right when the whole coronavirus lockdown began. At the time I thought that was the worst 2020 could get. But as the year went on, we saw riots due to police brutality, wildfires that turned the sky a hellish orange, one of the craziest elections we've had in a while, fucking murder hornets, and celebrity deaths that would make 2016 blush! And judging by how 2021 is starting with the fucking storming of the Capitol Building, it doesn't look like things are going to get better anytime soon.

If you remember how I ended last year's Lent Marathon I brought up the notion of escapism, which we could all use right now, which for me means...I need some video games. I don't care what the game is, Mario, Pokemon, Kirby, Zelda, I'll even take Call of Duty, just take me away from this shitty reality.

Alright, that's enough lamenting. If you can't tell by this intro, I'm doing another Lent Marathon about video games again. And for this year, and the Lent seasons to follow, I'll be talking about my favorite thing in video games: boss battles!

What could be said about boss battles that hasn't been said already? They have good music, cool designs, good build-up if they're shown earlier in the story, and they really test your skills with the game. One type of boss battle everyone usually talks about are the first bosses. These bosses are important in a game as they set the tone for what future bosses in the game will be like. Dare I say they're almost as important as the opening levels of a game. So for this year's Lenten Season, I'll be talking about 50 of my favorite first bosses in gaming.

Here are some ground rules before we get started. First, I have to have faced the boss at least once. Second, the first boss can't be the only boss in the game. So even though David from 'The Last of Us' is the game's first boss...he's also the game's only boss so he doesn't count. Third, much like last marathon, I'll include three bosses per franchise on here. Finally, if a game has it where you can face the bosses in any order, I'll be talking about the boss that most walkthroughs recommend you take on first.

And as always, before we begin, here are some honorable mentions:

Androsa (Starfox Zero)

Don Octavio (Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves)

Mecha-Bandicoot (Crash Twinsanity)

Nebula (Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3)

Rhino (Spider-Man: Miles Morales)

King Bob-Omb (Super Mario 64)

Mugly (Donkey Kong Country Returns)

King Dedede (Kirby Star Allies)

Lil' Slugger (Super Meat Boy)

Big Foot (Sonic Adventure 2)

Alright, we've got all of the formalities out of the way, I think it's time we get started on another Lenten Season. Get ready, because here comes WildCard0531's 2021 Lent Challenge: Top 50 Favorite First Bosses. Let's get ready to rumble, baby!

Day 1: Twinbellows

How about we start things off with the first boss from one of my all-time favorite games, Kid Icarus: Uprising. That's right, starting things off we have the Underworld Army's faithful watchdog himself, Twinbellows.

This is a first boss that I feel deserves more recognition and is one of the more underrated ones in my opinion.

First, let's talk about that design. Based on his appearance and the fact that Kid Icarus: Uprising is based around Greek mythology, it shouldn't take long to realize that Twinbellows is based on the Cerberus, the multi-headed dog beast that serves as the Underworld's guard dog. I just want to say I love this design, that of a two headed dog covered in flames, and what looks like a spinal cord that spews fire! Gotta say, I've never seen a take on Cerberus where his freaking spine shoots fire, let alone one where his spine shows in general! (You know, for kids!)

Now onto the fight itself. You fight Twinbellows in a huge colosseum, making it feel like a battle against a fearsome beast. It's almost like you're playing a gladiator fight.

(Lyra from South Park Warzone Collection Appears)

Lyra: In the left corner, weighing in at 5,000 pounds, 15 ft tall. He's got enough fire to put Kilauea to shame! He's the Underworld's most faithful watchdog...and probably their only watchdog, let's make some noise for Twinbellows!

(A random audience boos)

Lyra: And in the right corner, weighing in at 110 pounds 5'3''. He's a devoted servant to the goddess of light, He can't read to save his life, but where he lacks in literacy, he makes up for in kicking ass. Please, give a warm welcome to the Flightless Fighter, Pit Icarus!

(A random audience cheers)

Me:...You done?

Lyra: Yeah I'm good.

Me: Okay, back to Twinbellows.

(Back to discussing the actual fight)

Twinbellows fights exactly like a vicious beast should, by either swiping at you with his huge claws or lunging at you anywhere from 2-4 times. The claws are easy to dodge, but you've got to be quick when he lunges, as if he hits you during this attack, it could inflict a burn on Pit.

Speaking of burning, of course a fire-based boss like Twinbellows would have some fire attacks in his arsenal. These attacks come in the form of fireballs, and large fire streams which the Twinbellows shoots from its mouths. The fireballs are easy to dodge, but the fire streams are a lot trickier as they cover more space and have the potential to rack up good damage on you.

But, if you make like Thor and go the head(s), this bad doggo will be fixed in no time.

In short, Twinbellows, while a very easy fight, is still very fun and exciting, and sets the tone for bosses that'll come later.

One last thing I feel the need to mention, having Twinbellows as the first boss in this game is almost like a nod to the original Kid Icarus where Twinbellows was also the first boss. I guess Twinbellows really knows how to make a good impression if he's the first boss not once, but twice...and that's just fine with me.