(Originally posted in 2003. Commentary highlighted in blue.)
Hi! Recently a friend of mine instant messaged me and asked if I’d seen the Berserk anime. I told him that I had only played the Dreamcast video game. Then, from the mists, that infernal creature of the dark regurgitated like a reviving corpse into my memory. Of course, I’m talking about the Demon Boss you meet during the middle stages in Berserk. Now, this guy has a name, but even if he didn’t to all gamers we would be known as FEAR, but to me, he will always be known as
THE DEMON BOSS
A picture of THE DEMON BOSS from the Berserk anime. He may look like most other demons, but I can assure you, he is Satan on a stick.
First of all, this guys stands a whopping ten feet tall, weighs well over 300 lbs(I’m not sure how much he weighs in polygons), and takes shit from no one, even on easy mode. It’s been years since I’ve played Berserk, but I can assure you that if anything has been burned into my memory it has been the ferocity of this MINIBOSS. Right from the onset, he decides to not take any shit from the programmers either, and begins to throw down like a LAST BOSS, despite him being only within the middle stages of the game, like he was saying something like “That’s right Japanese software developement team, I’m the showstopper! The game ends here and now BECAUSE I SAID SO. Now finish writing my AI before I add you to the list of people’s shit that I’m going to ruin today! *SNEER*”
Nevermind that Berserk’s gameplay is a thumb buster as it is, this guy will make you have to see a doctor in REAL LIFE. There is absolutely no way to fight him without taking damage, unless you’re an AI yourself. He moves like a ninja on coke, charges like a professional wrestler, and impales you like a running of the bulls. In fact, I can’t even fathom how I was able to beat this guy in the first place. Make no mistake about it, if you ever needed an enemy to test your video gaming prowess I urge you to take a ticket under the marker “Please take a seat. Your shit will be ruined when you are called. I’m too busy TAKING ON 9 GUYS AT ONCE, and filing my taxes to fight you. No thank you, gamer prick.”
Luckily, Berserk for Dreamcast had mediocre success in the States. As a result, many gamers (and unsuspecting kids whose parents buy them random games) never had the pleasure of going toe to toe with the infernal megabeast known as THE DEMON BOSS, and they’re lucky for it. I could have sworn that right after I beat the game that in the credits he was listed as RUINER OF SHIT, and it wouldn’t suprise me that after Berserk’s venture on Dreamcast that he’s actively looking for a job with the same title printed as the first thing on his resume. Even if you don’t play video games, make no mistake about it, THE DEMON BOSS will RUIN your shit.
—Begin Commentary by Hyperguy…—
Man, it’s been years since I’ve played Berserk. I’ve grown a lot since first writing this article back in 2003. At the time I was heavily inspired by Maddox’s writing style and was still trying to develop my own web voice. One thing I like about this article is that it helped establish the rant/sugar rush writing style that I use today.
Actually, every time I write an article for Hyperguy.net that has to be entertaining or silly in some way I always look back at The Demon Boss article as a guideline for that essential balance of over the top humor and smart alecky comments that isn’t too ridiculous.
Anywho, since first writing this I managed to play Berserk for Dreamcast again, this time on my PC through a Dreamcast emulator. Knowing what I know today about video games and high level play I had a much more manageable time fighting him, though admittedly I did die and have to continue multiple times(He’s one tough son of a bitch!). If you hold down guard and use side steps and evades just as he attacks you’ll survive a lot longer than if you just went berserk on him(Pun intended! WU-TAH!).
I guess this is kind of obvious now, but the Demon Bosses’ real name is Zodd. He’s a powerful demon in the Berserk series. I’d tell you more about him, but you’re better off doing a Google search since I never watched the Berserk anime or read the manga, though I did see all of the blooper outtakes for the anime on YouTube.
Oh yeah, a big thank you to everyone who read this article when it was originally posted and encouraged me to write more. Looking back at it even I admit that its more than a little whacked out.
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