10 Challenging Dragon Boss Fights in Video Games

Grim Matchstick – Cuphead

To say that Cuphead’s bosses are difficult would be an understatement. They each have a number of different attacks and patterns along with multiple phases. Dying once means having to repeat the entire boss fight from scratch and along with attacking and dodging, you also need to know which attacks to parry. But among the tough bosses, there are those which are simply a pain – the dragon, Grim Matchstick, is one such example.

Encountered in Inkwell Isle Two, Grim Matchstick starts off by shooting waves of rings and fireballs while attacking with his tail from below. You have to jump on small clouds from the left of the screen to the right so on top of keeping track of his attacks, you have to be careful not to fall. Deal enough damage and he’ll fly to the other side of the screen, and extend his tongue out, causing several fiery projectiles to march out.

Along with not being able to land on his tongue, some of them can jump up and damage you. Once enough damage is dealt, you move on to the third phase where Grim grows two more heads, spews smaller fireballs at a faster rate and even unleashes a stream of fire in a straight line. Dealing with all of this is tough enough but having to jump across cloud platforms as well can turn the entire thing into a maddening affair.