Top 10 Best First Bosses In Video Games

“Dark Souls” (2011)

If you’ve ever played one of FromSoftware’s games, you know their bosses hit like trucks. Even the early ones. The Asylum Demon can be found in the Northern Undead Asylum after you light your first bonfire. You can either fight it head-on, or escape through a nearby door so that you can land a powerful blow on it from above. If you do that, however, you won’t get the spoil of a powerful weapon early on. Regardless, the Asylum Demon will certainly force you to get used to the game’s now notorious difficulty curve. It may be a slow-moving, lumbering behemoth, but it will make every hit that connects count.

“Doom” (2016)

From one demon to another. There may not be many actual bosses in 2016’s “DOOM,” but the ones included make for terrific encounters. Inside the Lazarus Labs, you’ll have to fight the Cyberdemon, a foe the slayer is more than familiar with. Just like the rest of the game’s enemies, this fight is quick-paced, action-packed, and a blast. The Cyberdemon will cover the arena in fireballs and rockets in between dashing around. Clearly, unloading your weapons while constantly trying to be on the move is the best strategy. Normally, we’d be annoyed at a boss that refills its health for a second phase. But here, the revive just meant an already awesome fight got to last a bit longer.

“Undertale” (2015)

Let’s slow things down a bit, shall we? “Undertale” tries to impart the lesson that players don’t need to fight the monsters they come across. Whether or not they listen is another story. Toriel is one of the first characters you come across, saving you from the villainous Flowey and trying to keep you safe in her home. But as your character wants to explore the Underground, she’ll block your path. Destroying you would be no problem for Toriel, though what makes the fight interesting is that she actually refuses to. Eventually, her fire-based attacks will avoid the heart that represents you. You can either kill her or spare her enough times to stop the fight, leaning into the game’s central message of peace.

“Kingdom Hearts II” (2006)

Bosses inside tutorials are usually pretty easy and straightforward as they mostly exist to test you on the mechanics you’ve learned thus far. But Twilight Thorn from “Kingdom Hearts II” can actually be a bit tough. This towering Nobody will toss you in the air, summon Creepers, and has surprising range due to its stretchy arms. The entire fight teaches you the importance of reaction commands: deflecting, dodging, and using other combative efforts to gain the upper hand. However, within a bombardment of several attacks at once, something as simple as pressing one button at the right time becomes much more difficult. We were surprised to be met by such ferocity so early, but it definitely left an impression.

“Metroid Prime” (2002)

The opening to “Metroid Prime” is a lesson in building tension. And then having that build-up explode in an awesome climax. After picking up a distress signal, Samus navigates a frigate littered with the bodies of space pirates. As she’d find out, the pirates had been experimenting with things they shouldn’t have. The result of their experiments, the Parasite Queen, doesn’t pose too much of a threat to Samus in terms of difficulty. However, as we’d seen her go up against multiple gigantic aliens in 2D, fighting one in 3D for the first time was a monumental moment. And just because it was easy doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun. The Parasite Queen was an excellent opener for what was to come.

“Nier: Automata” (2017)

Although you’ll fight several of these goliaths throughout “NieR: Automata,” there’s nothing quite like coming across one for the first time. Disguised as a massive building, this imposing mechanical beast will immediately try to overwhelm 2B with its sawblade arms. Despite it raining down attacks from above and us being a mere fraction of its size, we relentlessly unloaded bullets and sliced into it with our swords. Though the hack-and-slash phase is certainly fun, 2B also has to scale the boss to find her ally and later use its own arm as a weapon while flying through the air. There are plenty of action-heavy confrontations in the game, but this opening boss remains one of its best.

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” (2011)

“Skyward Sword’s” central antagonist is also its first boss, which already makes him unique. But Ghirahim also teaches the player how to adapt to the motion-centric swordplay mechanics beyond swinging madly. In his first phase, he’ll slowly walk towards Link, catching his sword in his hand if Link telegraphs his attacks. In his second phase, he’ll get a sword of his own. Unlike many other “Zelda” bosses where you figure out a pattern and attack accordingly, Ghirahim forces you to play offensively first while he goes on the defensive. This fight definitely deserves credit for being challenging and entertaining. However, it’s also a great introduction for the villain, who taunts you throughout and can even steal your sword if you aren’t careful.

“Shadow of the Colossus” (2005)

It’s common practice to make bosses so giant, they dwarf the player character in size. Not many games pull it off as beautifully as “Shadow of the Colossus.” From the very beginning, you’re made acutely aware of the impressive size and might of the Colossi. Each boss is part combat, part obstacle course, and Valus teaches you this flawlessly. With weak points on specific body parts, you have to hold on until you can reach them while Valus tries to buck you off. On a first playthrough as the enchanting music swelled, it was all we could do to keep our jaws from dropping to the floor. The word ‘epic’ is thrown around a lot, but Valus’ fight is definitely it.

“Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” (2013)

Introduced in “Metal Gear Solid 2,” the Metal Gear RAYs are an impressive and intimidating class of machine. So when the spin-off “Revengeance” tasked us with fighting one as a first boss, we were a bit taken aback. As it turns out, we really didn’t need to be. While it certainly packs a punch, Raiden is presumably too badass to even care. The hack-and-slash nature of the spin-off made it so we could deflect its bullets, cut its missiles in half, and use the game’s signature Blade Mode to shred it to pieces, all while jamming to kickass rock music. The combat in “Revengeance” is blisteringly fast and we were so grateful to unleash mayhem onto an enemy that had discouraged us before.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Definitely Easy, But We Love Tossing This Boss Around

A Giant, Mutated Salamander Brought a Stressful Encounter

Fighting The Franchise’s Main Hero Was Incredible

“God of War III” (2010)

The opening boss battle of “God of War III” sees the franchise firing on all cylinders. Sure, Kratos had fought all manner of creatures and deities before this point. But Poseidon’s fight was both exceptionally fun and moved the story forward in tremendous fashion. Ensconced in water and rock, the God of the Sea unleashes electric attacks and swipes of enormous claws while Kratos climbs around Gaia. Having us face off against one of the Big 3 at the very beginning kicked the Greek finale off at a breakneck pace that never let up. It was such a grand, larger-than-life moment and it concluded in one of Kratos’ most brutal kills, which is saying a lot.