There are few things better than agood boss battlefor the player to test their mettle against. But they don’t always turn out that way.Batman: Arkham Asylumdidn’t figure out its boss fights until late in development, and it shows in its repeated Titan thug fights.
Related:The Most Disappointing Final Boss Fights, Ranked
Metal Gearhas had much better luck with its. Its best fights used every aspect of its gameplay to innovate, like chucking rotten food to attack the boss' stamina, or making use of first-person view. But some are better designed than others, as these are thebestMetal Gearbosses in the franchise.
10Laughing Octopus
The problem withthe Beauty & The Beast UnitinMetal Gear Solid 4is that they’re retreads ofMGS1’s bosses. But Laughing Octopus was different because she was based on one who didn’t get a boss fight: Decoy Octopus. He had one planned where he’d change into different guises, but the PS1 didn’t have enough memory to make it work properly.
This idea was brought back for his shapely namesake on the PS3, with some new tricks along the way. She could blend in with her surroundings, lashing out at Snake if the player didn’t catch her in time. Then she could disguise herself into objects and Snake’s allies. If players didn’t look carefully, they’d be done for.
9Man On Fire
Metal Gear Solid 5was a low point in the series for boss fights. Quiet and Sahelanthropus were too similar to older, better bouts from the previous games. While its worst ones were usually mook rushes with the Skulls. This leaves the Man on Fire as its standout encounter, where it’s still a good test of the player’s skills. Bullets didn’t affect him, and he’d block the exit if players tried to escape.
Instead, they have to use the environment against him to win. They can bring the water tower down on top of him to douse his flames, or knock him in the nearby pool with enough firepower (like planting C4 on the nearby propane tank). Or, flashiest of all, call in a jeep, lure him to the cliff edge, then drive the jeep into him to knock him off. Just make sure to jump out before it goes over the edge.
8Peace Walker
IfMGS5had too many mook fights, thenPeace Walkerhad too many mechs. Nearly all the game’s bosses were vehicles and the AI pod’s different forms. The only non-mech bosses came fromMonster Hunter’s guest beasts. As interesting as they are, the titular Peace Walker is the most testing of the bunch.
Related:Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Would Be Perfect for the Nintendo Switch
This four-legged monster has a running charge attack comes out of nowhere, an EM pulse that wards off all rockets until it’s shot down, and plenty of S-mines and drill missiles. Even worse, Peace Walker canstart its nuclear launch sequenceevery so often. If the player can’t distract it with enough attacks, it’ll fire and cause a game over.
7AV-8B Harrier II
The series has hadfights against tanks and aircraftsince the MSX days. They weren’t particularly exciting though. The Hind-D inMetal Gear Solid 1is the best of the helicopter fights, and even that bout can drag. So, inMetal Gear Solid 2, the developers stepped things with a VTOL. It still had to be shot down with enough Stinger missiles, but that was easier said than done.
It moved faster & further, and had harder hitting attacks with its bullets, missiles, and heat exhaust. It could even bombard the whole level, where the player’s only escape was to get to the 2nd floor ASAP, or figure out Raiden’s invincibility frames and time them just right.
6Jetstream Sam
Raiden’s return inMetal Gear Rising: Revengeancecalled back toMGS2’s themes of identity and memes (in the academic sense), though in a much lighter, action-based package with its own memes (in the internet sense). It also had a lot of great boss fights, with Jetstream Sam being the best, offering a straight-up, no frills fight.
He has more up his sleeve than just swift sword strikes. Sam can blast rocks at Raiden, race back and forth across the stage to attack from afar, and perform leaping attacks to close the distance. Even when he loses his sword, he can rush in and throw Raiden about like a ragdoll. He’s a danger no matter how armed he is.
5Metal Gear RAY
Metal Gearhas a lot of Metal Gears, but few have appeared more than once. The few that have didn’t come back as bosses either, except for Metal Gear RAY. This marine-based take on bipedal tanks made three appearances in the series as a boss.
Related:Metal Gear Solid: Strongest Metal Gears in the Franchise, Ranked
InMGS2, the player had to take down multiple models at a time. While inMGS4, they had to pilot REX to take it down in the series' only Gear-on-Gear fight. Then inMGR, it became iconic as the opening boss, where Raiden’s parries opened it up for more punishment, set to the hard rock beats of “Rules of Nature”.
4Metal Gear REX
That said, RAY isn’t as iconic as its predecessor REX. Designed by Yoji Shinkawa forMGS1, the machine’s chunky, angular look inspired subsequent Metal Gear designs. The Gekkos are just mini-REXs with RAY’s legs.Peace Walker’s ZEKE is REX with an AI gimmick, andMGS5’s Sahelanthropus is REX combined with a Gundam.
MGS1effectively built REX up as a threat. It has to be destroyed to save the world, but how? The strategy is simple enough: shoot missiles at its weak points, then chuck Chaff Grenades to keep its own homing missiles from targeting the player. But if they’re not careful, REX’s laser, machine guns, and heavy stomps can finish them off just as quickly.
3Psycho Mantis
REX is the best Metal Gear in the series, but it isn’t the best boss fight. Not even inMGS1. It doesn’t have the freak-out factor that Psycho Mantis brought to the table. This gangly, gasmask-wearing figure was weird enough on his own. Then he reads Snake’s mind and memory card (“You like Castlevania, don’t you?”).
Once the actual fight begins, he’ll read all the player’s controller inputs too, basically becoming invincible. The only way to stop him was tobreak the 4th wall harderby moving the controller to Port 2, or smash his bust statues if they couldn’t do that. It was a freaky encounter back in 1998, and is still strange and memorable 25+ years later.
2The Boss
Once the Metal Gears are finished, the series' final fights are often hand-to-hand affairs between the player and the big bad. Solid Snake went toe-to-toe with Big Boss in the first twoMetal Geargames, then against Liquid Snake inMGS1. Raiden and Solidus brought the blades out inMGS2. ThenMGS4ended with an emotional fist fight between Old Snake and Ocelot.
Good as it was, it was done better inMetal Gear Solid 3. Naked Snake and The Boss cared for each other in a way beyond being war buddies or lovers, but theyhad no choice but to fightat the end. As a boss battle, it’s fun and tests the player’s CQC and camo skills. But its true strength is in its storytelling as the game’s true climax.
1The End
But if The Boss is the best at storytelling, what’s the best fight at gameplay? Some might contestMGS3’s The End being this high. His fight can be slow, and the game offers ways to get around it (e.g. setting the console’s clock forward by a week). Yet it’s also a unique fight because The End has to be taken down with the series' big selling point: stealth.
If players can find his location, sneak past his gaze, and catch him unaware, they’ll be rewarded. Holding him up gives them his special camo, and taking him out non-lethally will provide his tranquilizer rifle. That’s just the start of it too, as the player has more tools and tactics to take the old man on with than they realize. It’s the peak of tactical espionage action.
