"Let's be blunt: In most Boss Battles, there is only one \"correct\" outcome to the battle and the game will not proceed until it occurs. Get slaughtered by a boss? Unless that was the point, go back to your Save Point and try again. But sometimes The Dev Team Thinks of Everything and allows the game to proceed regardless of whether the player won or lost the battle in question. Obviously, failure to defeat this boss means the player loses out on the opportunity to collect Experience Points, money, or items associated with victory, but some games may secretly record this outcome for future reference, allowing it to have subtle effects later on. The Monster Arena is a popular venue for hosting open-ended battles, although the outcome of these battles rarely extends outside the bounds of the venue itself. Note that getting a Nonstandard Game Over or an ending from getting the unexpected outcome of the fight is not this trope. Subtrope of Boss Battle. Contrast Hopeless Boss Fight, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose. Examples:"@en . . . . . "Let's be blunt: In most Boss Battles, there is only one \"correct\" outcome to the battle and the game will not proceed until it occurs. Get slaughtered by a boss? Unless that was the point, go back to your Save Point and try again. But sometimes The Dev Team Thinks of Everything and allows the game to proceed regardless of whether the player won or lost the battle in question. The Monster Arena is a popular venue for hosting open-ended battles, although the outcome of these battles rarely extends outside the bounds of the venue itself. Examples:"@en . . . . . . . "Open Ended Boss Battle"@en . . .