Bernard is a secret boss who is unlocked after defeating The Flame in the "One Last Fight" DLC. His fight does not take place at any part of the main story (making it non-canon) and instead takes place in a white void on a floating platform.
Bernard himself is an untextured, simply-modelled figure, who has a sword on his back and a gun. He has no story and does not utter a single word of dialogue, save for some occasional grunting noises that sound similar to The Chain. His body language suggests confidence, as seen by his extravagant melee combos and agility. He beckons The Rider tauntingly when knocking him down and creates an aura of power in cutscenes between phases.
The fight against Bernard is notable for its extreme difficulty and length. In this gruelling battle that lasts nine phases, Bernard will employ attacks from all of the other Guardians to attack The Rider. He does not have any attacks of his own. Each phase represents a guardian in the order they are fought in the main game; his first phase is The Chain, the second phase is The Strap, and so on. During his eigth phase he will use The Beat's attacks in the first half and The Edge's attacks in the second. The attacks are taken from their Furier mode behaviour patterns and have several changes to make them even more intense. In his final phase he will rapidly cycle through all of their attacks in a desperate last-resort attack on The Rider.
As this fight is on Furier difficulty, Bernard's attacks are highly punishing and he will not create health drops for the player to collect. This fight must come down to raw skill and an extensive knowledge of all the bosses in the game. Thankfully, all the tricks that apply to the original bosses apply to Bernard as well. For example, when he starts copying The Scale's moves, the player can parry his energy balls to stop them splitting into smaller projectiles.
Unlike all other bosses, Bernard does not reward players with his own concept art; rather defeating him will grant the player concept art of The Voice and The Rider.
Gallery
| Guardians | |
|---|---|
| Story | The Chain • The Strap • The Line The Scale • The Hand • The Song The Burst • The Edge • The Beat The Star |
| DLC | The Flame • Bernard |