The 10 HARDEST Metroid Bosses

Diggernaut

“Metroid: Samus Returns” (2017)

The 3DS remake of Samus’ second adventure introduced a lot of new elements, including one of the toughest bosses in the series. Diggernaut is a gigantic mining machine that attacks from the background of the arena. It has a variety of attacks that can cover the space in damage, from the giant claws it swings around to the deadly lasers it fires from its faceplate. All of its patterns get more aggressive the more damage you deal to it. But there are also sequences where, if you don’t react fast enough, like Spider Balling up its arms to lay a bomb, you’ll have to suffer more attacks without progressing through its phases. Needless to say, Diggernaut will rack up a few deaths before you get used to its methods of attack.

Phantoon

“Super Metroid” (1994)

Although this giant alien ghost…thing, isn’t quite so bad on subsequent playthroughs, the first time you face Phantoon is genuinely challenging. Part of the reason is because it can turn both invisible and intangible, causing you to wait around for the right moment to attack, when its eye is ever-so-briefly open. And if you miss the opportunity, oh well. It also produces waves of fireballs that come at you in different patterns. Some of them move pretty fast, and are therefore hard to dodge. All of this is made even trickier by the fact that the room you fight Phantoon in is pretty small for the boss’ size.

SA-X

“Metroid Fusion” (2002)

If you’ve ever wondered about the fear Samus’ enemies must have felt to face her, SA-X sort of gives you an answer. A parasite in her form that hunts you throughout “Fusion,” you face off against it during the climax. During the first phase, it uses her Ice Beam, Screw Attack, and Super Missiles; highly problematic weapons to get hit by. Avoiding those while trying to land your own attacks can be tricky as it chases you around the room. It doesn’t help that you have to hit it with Charge Beams in order to deal damage. During the second phase, it mutates into a legitimate monster, and leaps around trying to squash you. All of its attacks deal major damage, making it a tough enemy to overcome.

Omega Pirate

“Metroid Prime” (2002)

A giant, brute of an enemy, that can turn invisible, has heavy artillery, can heal itself, and can summon a group of minions. The Omega Pirate from the first “Metroid Prime” is no joke. As an elite member of the Space Pirates, he is by far their most capable warrior, even surpassing this game’s version of Ridley. When he isn’t blasting you with dual cannons, he’s sending out shockwaves to rip through you. It’s also hard to figure out how to damage him at first; his thick armor can absorb most attacks, other than missiles. He absorbs Phazon while invisible in order to heal, forcing you to swap to a different visor in order to stop him. It’s a frustrating case of trial and error.

Spider Guardian

“Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” (2004)

Sometimes, the hardest part of a boss fight is the way you’re forced to fight it. The Spider Guardian is one of the best examples of this. You’re in Morph Ball form the whole time, rolling around tunnels, and you have to get the boss to crawl into electric coils to damage it. But before that, you have to bomb it three times to turn the energy field around it green, making it move slower, then activate a bomb slot to open the path to the electric coil. Controls pose a big problem, since you have to perform bomb jumps to navigate. If you mess up, it can be frustrating when the Spider Guardian keeps crawling into you, causing more mistakes and deaths before you even get close to defeating it.

Mother Brain

“Metroid: Zero Mission” (2004)

Mother Brain has one of the deadliest arenas in “Metroid” history. Before you can face her, you have to destroy several barriers, guarded by cannons and energy rings that bounce around annoyingly. These are in the actual room with her, too. Except here, you only have two tiny platforms to stand on, and you can easily be knocked into the lava below. There’s no real way to avoid this, and trying to get out of the lava while being shot from multiple directions is a recipe for panic. Oh, and you have to wait for Mother Brain’s eye to open before you can damage her. It’s a whole big barrage that depletes your health pool alarmingly quickly.

Ridley

“Super Metroid” (1994)

The definition of the word ‘classic,’ Ridley scarred many players when they encountered his lair in “Super Metroid.” His arena features a vertical design and a small platform above a pool of lava, leaving you with less safe space to dodge his attacks. He flies around, diving into Samus, grabbing her, and shooting fireballs. But the most troublesome aspect is his ridiculously flexible tail. More than likely, you’ll spend most of the fight getting stabbed by it, and frustrated by the fact that it can block Samus’ attacks. Ridley also has a pretty large healthpool, befitting of his status as one the franchise’s main villains. It’s a stand out moment from the game, but obviously not an easy one.

Nightmare

“Metroid Fusion” (2002)

After having faced this thing, we’d say ‘Nightmare’ is putting it lightly. This boss has a device that manipulates the room’s gravity, severely decreasing Samus’ jump height and causing her missiles to fall in mid-air. Dealing damage to this device is tough; you need to hit it from below since Nightmare’s gigantic arms block it from the front. Dealing damage to its faceplate is also a chore, since Nightmare also often raises up with you when you jump. None of this is helped by the walls of laser beams it fires, or that it frequently swoops in to crush you into the corner. You’ll find yourself yelling the most vile obscenities as this thing kills Samus again and again.

Raven Beak

“Metroid Dread” (2021)

Oh boy. Raven Beak quickly made a name for himself as one of the most vicious foes Samus has ever fought. Across this multi-phase boss fight, his immense speed will tear through you so many times, it won’t be long before you're driven into a rage. Deadly projectiles, beams, claw swipes, attacks that must be countered; and that’s all in the first phase. The second phase gives him wings so he can unleash all of his mighty attacks from the air. The third is similar to the first, with a couple new deadly attacks and a new level of aggressiveness. You’ll need mastery of all your mechanics, and some truly great reaction time, before you finally put an end to him.

Boost Guardian

“Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” (2004)

If there’s one boss that can send “Metroid” fans into a spiral of war-like flashbacks, it’s the Boost Guardian from “Metroid Prime 2.” Apparently, both the Boost and Spider Guardians had their difficulty increased drastically right before the game was released, and were nerfed in Wii versions due to the developers going overboard. The Boost Guardian has several attacks, but the most troublesome ones are when it zips around in a ball form, which it’s invincible during, and when it turns into a puddle, which deals extreme damage when you touch it. It hits fast and hard, but that isn’t the only issue. The boss is encountered fairly early in the game. So, you won’t have much health. But the fight also takes place in Dark Aether, a parallel dimension that constantly damages Samus. As if all of this wasn’t bad enough, it also summons minions. Truly, a massive difficulty spike out of nowhere.

Which of these bosses did you have the most trouble with? And are there any we left off? Share your experiences with us in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!