The Metal Gear Solid franchise is revolutionary on a number of different fronts. It pioneered philosophical and political storytelling alongside a form of stealth action that few other games can replicate. However, it would be a mistake to discount the way Metal Gear Solid portrays its boss fights.
Although they have evolved tremendously throughout the franchise’s different installments, it was the first Metal Gear Solid game that showcased how it can create engaging and challenging boss fights. Also, the fact that the game was able to create such unique and appealing characters only adds to the experience of fighting them. Here’s a ranking of the best boss fights from the first Metal Gear Solid game.
10 Hind D
The Hind D helicopter was established early on in Metal Gear Solid’s iconic opening sequence, which was one of the best of the Playstation era. Through dialogue, it was boosted up as a tremendous machine that should not be trifled with. To make matters even worse, snake would have to go up against it single-handedly later in the game.
It also holds the distinction of being the first time Liquid Snake and Solid Snake would actually face off. It’s a fun battle that involves the use of a lot of missiles. The fact that it ranks last on the list is a testament to the quality of the other boss fights.
9 M1 Abrams
Just like the Hind D fight, the fact that Solid Snake would go up against a tank all by himself and come out victorious is pretty absurd. Then again, there are a lot of absurd elements in this game and it’s best just to go with them.
Besides the fact this fight isn’t based in any sort of reality, it’s still pretty fun to run around and try to throw grenades on top of the tank. What’s even crazier is that it’s actually a boss fight against Vulcan Raven, who for some reason figured a tank was the best way to test Snake’s abilities.
8 Sniper Wolf 1
The first time Snake encounters Sniper Wolf is actually pretty heartbreaking. It starts off with Meryl getting shot multiple times and being used as bait to lure Snake out. It’s a great moment that’s followed by a pretty fun sniper battle.
However, in order to get a sniper rifle to fight Wolf, Snake has to backtrack an extremely long way. It’s a tedious journey that Metal Gear Solid veterans curse every time they have to go through it. It’s such a pain that it prevents this boss fight from ranking any higher.
7 Vulcan Raven
Visually, there’s a lot to like about the Raven fight, which is a common theme among the best Metal Gear Solid games. First off, Vulcan Raven is a crazy character on his own that walks around shirtless despite the fact that it’s freezing.
He also has a fighter jet gun strapped to his back, which makes for a particularly dangerous fight if Snake gets caught in his line of sight. However, the fight itself isn’t all too challenging. Raven moves slowly through the level while Snake pretty much just has to avoid him. A couple of well-placed explosives or simply shooting him from behind is an easy enough way to take him down.
6 Revolver Ocelot
In many ways, Revolver Ocelot has a similar boss fight to Vulcan Raven. Both fights are about line of sight and navigating around a series of obstacles. However, this fight is made more complicated by a series of booby traps and the fact that Ocelot can bounce bullets to take Snake out when he is hiding.
All of this makes for a pretty decent experience that’s made even better with a phenomenal post-fight cutscene that introduces the Cyborg Ninja and has Ocelot lose a hand in the process.
5 Cyborg Ninja
Cyborg Ninja’s boss fight wasn’t a standout because of its gameplay or mechanics. After all, it was a big pain trying to shoot him and have him deflect every bullet with his katana. However, the boss fight was a standout from both a design and story standpoint, as Gray Fox was a popular character whose appearance went beyond this one game.
The Cyborg Ninja is just a cool character by himself as he looks largely anime inspired. Add to the fact that Snake learns that it’s his old friend and it only heightens the experience. Throw in the added benefit of this being the first time Snake meets Otacon, and it is one of the game’s best moments.
The Metal Gear boss fights across the franchise are always a good time. Fighting Rex is no different. The general idea is to run around and avoid all of its weapons while periodically firing the missile launcher.
It’s not a particularly versatile fight, but having a single exceptional soldier go up against a walking battle tank is just the type of ridiculous action that Metal Gear Solid thrives off of. It’s a battle that’s made even more powerful by the fact that Gray Fox dies just moments before and Snake gets to take revenge on Liquid for it.
3 Sniper Wolf 2
The annoying pain of having to backtrack in order to get a sniper rifle for the first battle against Sniper Wolf is made up for during the second battle. It feels like a true sniper fight over a vast landscape with wolves howling in the background.
To make matters worse, Snake has to fight the femme fatale knowing full well how Otacon feels about her. It’s both a difficult fight and a tragic storytelling moment for the game. It’s such an incredible sniper battle that it sets a trend for Metal Gear Solid and other top stealth games to have other incredible sniper battles in the future.
2 Liquid Snake
It says something about Metal Gear Solid that the most hyped up final battle wasn’t against a gigantic walking nuclear battle tank but rather a fist fight on top of the tank’s wreckage. The tension between Snake and Liquid have been steadily building throughout the entire game.
So this emotional fistfight with two shirtless super soldiers is truly one of the game’s great moments. It’s also pretty difficult to defeat him. Liquid’s blows do a lot of damage and Snake isn’t nearly as quick. Also, even beating him doesn’t end the game as he chases after Snake in a dramatic final car chase through a tunnel.
1 Psycho Mantis
From the very beginning, Psycho Mantis comes off as one of the spookiest characters outside of horror. Fans are instantly drawn to his wild design and crazy backstory, which had a cameo in MGS V. Also, it doesn’t hurt that he apparently has psychic abilities.
What makes his boss fight truly remarkable is how creative the game’s developers get with these abilities. He can seemingly read the player’s controller, knowing what the player is going to do before it’s done. Also, Mantis can “read” the player’s memory card, which makes for some hilarious dialogue. The boss fight is truly agonizing until players get the hint that they need to move their controller to the player two slot to avoid Mantis’s “psychic” abilities. This type of creative gameplay is exactly what causes Metal Gear Solid fans to keep coming back.
