It's been a long time since the heyday of the Nintendo 64, but in all its polygonal glory, one villain stands the test of time in my mind: Gruntilda "Grunty" Winkybunion.
She was the mocking, rhyming, beauty-hungry witch in Banjo-Kazooie, the body-hungry witch in Banjo-Tooie, and the life-hungry witch in Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge. As you made your way through her castle (entering through the throat of her giant carved likeness), she appeared occasionally to toss one liners at you such as, "Once I'm nice and thin once more, burgers fries and chips galore!" or "Grunty's plan is rather cunning, when I'm thin guys will come running!" or even "Grunty's stomach and leg thins, goodbye to all those double chins!"
She taunts you with specific lines when you fall into traps or get hurt by certain enemies. It really makes for a frustrating experience when you're being kicked around by enemies and she's rhyming at you, telling you you'll never win, and proclaiming herself the premature winner! All the rage and frustration build to a head before you get to fight her, making the encounter that much sweeter.
I recall the first time I freed the Jinjos and sent Grunty plummeting to her doom (after many, many deaths, and many, many expletives that are too inappropriate to even mention). I stood on my chair, cheered, and I couldn't wipe the smile from my face.
She's the boss that has elicited the greatest emotional response from me in the entirety of the gaming world. It was so satisfying to trounce her! But she came back in the sequel as this monstrosity:
And then again in an alternate sequel for the Game Boy Advance as this clanking bucket of bolts:
She never was as satisfying to stomp or as frustrating in the sequels. Truly, her first incarnation deserves a spot on my list of best bosses of all time.
What are the best bosses on your list? Perhaps you'd like to submit a post about them to Hardest Level!
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