As I already mentioned in my Luigi’s Mansion 3 review, this newest entry in the franchise manages to improve upon the original game in pretty much every conceivable way.  And that includes the boss fights!  While the original Luigi’s Mansion had some…okay battles against, you know, a giant baby, or an annoying giant Boo that breaks up into a bunch of smaller Boos, or…whatever Bogmire is, the boss fights in Luigi’s Mansion 3 include such awesome foes as…  Well, you’ll just have to keep reading to find that out.  (By the way, I’m not including the final bosses in this list because that just wouldn’t seem fair.)

5: Skeletal T-Rex

You know you’re off to a good start when the “worst” boss fight on the list is the reanimated skeleton of a t-rex.  The Unnatural History Museum is a fairly short level, so it doesn’t take very long to enter the huge room where the massive skeleton of a t-rex awaits you.  During several flashes of lightning, the t-rex changes positions, its final pose staring straight at Luigi in a manner that is more than a little eerie.

Your goal for this battle is to shoot eggs at the t-rex’s chest, though it is only vulnerable when it’s distracted.  At first, you have to make the huge dino chomp on eggs in order to expose its weak point, but later on, poor Gooigi has to serve as the bait!  It’s certainly not the most challenging battle in the game, but it’s still pretty darn awesome.  (Oh, and you fight a caveman named Ug after you defeat the t-rex, but that’s not really worth mentioning.)

4: Polterkitty

I actually really despised Polterkitty because of its habit of stealing elevator buttons and running off with them to other rooms, or even other floors, of the hotel.  Nevertheless, the battles (yes, you have to fight this obnoxious little furball more than once) against it are actually kind of cool.  This little purple feline looks cute at first, until you attempt to capture it, at which time it transforms into a far angrier, far less adorable form.  As vicious as this new kitty appears, however, it still won’t approach Luigi while he’s looking at it.  Rather, you must face away from it, causing Polterkitty to drop down from its perch and stalk poor Luigi like, well, a cat hunting a mouse.  You can’t stun your feline foe until the absolute last second, when it stops behind Luigi and gets ready to attack.  Polterkitty is actually one of the few foes in the game that is pretty intimidating.

3: Captain Fishhook

Captain Fishhook is a ghostly pirate shark.  If that combination isn’t weird enough for you, he also possesses an entire pirate ship in order to attack you.  At first, he manifests as a mouth on the deck of the ship, into which you must toss bombs in order to damage him.  Where things get really intense is when he creates a huge mouth across the width of the ship and tilts the entire pirate ship backward.  If Luigi isn’t holding onto the provided target with his Poltergust’s Suction Shot, he’ll fall right into the boss’s gaping maw!  This and Polterkitty are among the most stressful moments of the game!

2: Kaiju Ghost

I actually talked about this boss in my post about the top 5 best floors in the game.  Paranormal Productions is a unique level because this floor’s ghost, Morty the Director, doesn’t want to fight you.  Rather, he simply wants Luigi to star in his Godzilla movie.  Our green-clad plumber’s role in said movie is to battle a ghost in a monster costume (the ghost is wearing the monster costume…not Luigi, in case I’m not being clear…), which takes place in a miniature city to make Luigi look like he’s 100-feet tall!  Better yet, Gooigi is required to team up with you in order to defeat this boss!  It’s a pretty easy boss fight, but extremely clever, making it one of the most memorable moments in the game.

1: Serpci

My all-time favorite boss in the game is the lovely Egyptian Pharoah, Serpci.  After solving some truly stressful puzzles and escaping from her trap, you battle Serpci in the sandy dunes outside her pyramid (yes, this all takes place within a hotel…why do you ask?).  Throughout the battle, Serpci creates a large mound of sand resembling her face, which can even form snakes from her hair to strike at you at a moment’s notice.  In order to make her reveal herself, you must vacuum up the sand from her face until enough of it has been sucked away (which actually looks kind of creepy…).  Later on, she even summons hands made of sand…making me wonder, just how many times has Nintendo made us fight dismembered hands?  No matter, it’s just a super cool boss fight all around and easily my favorite in the entire game.

Do you agree with my list, dear readers?  What was your favorite boss fight in Luigi’s Mansion 3?  Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Lede image from Nintendo eShop