To me it crossed the line and just became way too frustratingly and unreasonable. I had no trouble with any of the game's other encounters but this fight was just an endless grating assault of unfair feeling attacks. It really spoiled the game's finale for me, that after thoroughly enjoying myself for the first 15+ hours I had to spend the last 20 minutes stressed and unhappy.

I mean it was long, but the phases were very different, so it didn't feel overlong to me and it didn't feel unfair to me. For me the game ended on a highnote, also an emotional one because of my final decision after the fight. Not spoiling for others.

The closing cutscene and choice was well done, as were the first two phases of the final boss.

The third though, it just felt like the game wasn't playing by its own rules; when you call a difficulty setting "casual" and the whole game up to that point is manageable for a player like myself, suddenly throwing a super hard boss into the mix just doesn't feel fair or respectful of the player.

It's not a dealbreaker, just something I wish the game had done a better job of considering everything else about it is so good.

I agree, the final boss is so difficult compared to the rest of the game, it really feels out of place. Congrats for still beating the game!

On a side note, the same issue is present in Daemon X Machina. The final boss is super hard! When I got along the whole game pretty fine but then the final boss kicked my butt over and over, I asked myself if I played it wrong the entire time. At least he had an amazing boss theme, so that's something. Funnily both games released pretty close to each other.

--- Spam destroyed ---

The final phase of the final boss is a pain, but for me it wasn't the speed or the damage he can do. It's the fact you can't bind him in any way. Most bosses have openings to bind them where you can get a breather and pile on damage. You can't do that at any point with the final form which feels out of place since the game has taught you to take advantage of that.

It's been a long while since I've played Astral Chain, I remember the final boss giving me SOME trouble, but not "So bullshit, I want to chuck my controller through a window" trouble.

I will say on my second playthrough I had a much better time. The first time I was caught off guard by some of my go-to strategies just not being available. The second time, I was much more adept at switching on the fly in reaction to situations so I was better able to counter his various attacks and avoid unnecessary damage.

At least I was able to beat it I suppose, after my first unsuccessful attempt I seriously considered just quitting for good and watching the ending on Youtube.
I very nearly did throw my controller for the first time in years, it was so infuriating.

That said, it's still a good game overall, as I can't deny I greatly enjoyed 95% of my time with it. Just would've been nice if it ended on a higher note gameplay wise. If the fight had ended with the second phase the game would go from an 8/10 to an 8.5/10 for me.

I actually think Xenoblade 2 is the last time I found a boss or sequence in a game this frustrating or unfair feeling; not just Malos but also the final fight against Jin was just horrible. Luckily that game also has a lot of redeeming qualities like its music, story, and most of its combat.

Monster Hunter Rise x Okami collaboration

From July 30th, can make your Palamute look like Amaterasu