Metroidvanias are always punctuated by challenging boss battles. Sure, they’re about exploring and getting stronger, but you need to test that strength. And what better way than against the final bosses of those adventures?
Since what constitutes a truly challenging boss battle is somewhat open to personal experience, my own frame of reference plays a role in how these were ranked. And while all of these bosses will give you trouble, I tried to save the most irritating and mind-bending for last.
There’s a lot of Metroidvanias represented here, from ones with experimental controls to some with Gothic themes, one that’s a reimaginging of a popular platformer series, and even a contestant from the most recent Metroid game. So without further ado, let’s talk about some final bosses that will make you hurt.
10 Eldar
Dandara
Let me start by saying that nothing about Dandara is simple. Though it’s a lush and creative Metroidvania, it’s also one where you move by bouncing off walls instead of just walking around. In a game where gravity is an afterthought, it’s no surprise that the combat is somewhat challenging.
Though Eldar isn’t quite as annoying as a certain roving cannon you’ll have to avoid before reaching him, this final boss made me suffer for quite a while before I managed to defeat him.
He’s comprised of two stages, one where he’s a giant television screen that floats around while trying to squash you, and then transforms into a demonic embryo that fires all sorts of projectiles at you while you try to whittle away his shields before you can inflict any damage.
Though tough and quite irritating, once you finally memorize Eldar’s attack patterns and successfully time your bouncing around the screen, he’s not impossible to defeat.
9 Blighted Lord
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights was one of the first Soulslike Metroidvanias I enjoyed, with another being the original Blasphemous. So you know right off the bat that this isn’t an easy game.
While the Blighted Lord is less frenetic than Ulv, The Mad Knight, it’s still a pain. In large part, that’s because of how the game handles combat, where you have limited use of attacks for each of your equipped Spirits.
So even though the Blighted Lord isn’t a ferocious foe, it’s a sturdy one that constantly summons spirits to assail you with projectiles, while occasionally remembering to try and attack you itself.
Even though her heart isn’t in the fight, that shouldn’t make you think the Blighted Lord can’t smash you to paste. That said, with sufficient leveling and the proper group of Spirits to aid you, players can make efficient work of this poor, wretched soul.
8 Medeya the Cosmic Voice
The Last Faith
Now we’re starting to spice things up thanks to The Last Faith. This gorgeously gory Gothic adventure has challenge aplenty, and Medeya the Cosmic Voice is a fitting final boss.
Not only does she assail Eryk with various weapons, she also summons lightning from the skies, conjures spinning ice chunks, and even manages to shield herself on occasion. Better yet, Medeya’s attacks get more fierce the less health she has, meaning you’ll have to stay on your toes to defeat her.
Like any great boss battle, Medeya is a challenge, though once you’ve mastered all her cues and get your timing down, you can end her reign of terror. Just don’t get cocky, otherwise Eryk might find himself on the wrong side of this eldritch entity.
7 Birdman & Starworm
Iconoclasts
Joakim Sandberg has made a lot of incredibly creative adventures, but the Metroidvania Iconoclasts is one of his very best. It’s a quirky tale about one mechanic against the end of the world. It all culminates in a battle against a strange creature called the Starworm, as well as its pilot, the Birdman.
At first, the Starworm attacks Robin by assailing her with hallucinations. Meanwhile, she must avoid touching them and repair things on the screen. Then, once several phases of that are dealt with, the Starworm itself goes berserk, trying to smash her with its massive claws, spitting bouncing eyeballs, and generally trying to smash the poor mechanic.
Just when you think the battle is won, Starworm pops open to reveal something riding inside of it, the Birdman himself. He’s also a mechanic, and a mean one.
He does his best to annihilate Robin, shields himself from damage at times, and then reactivates the Starworm to tag team her. It’s a truly epic final boss and one that takes up room in my head, rent-free.
6 Raven Beak
Metroid Dread
In the past, Samus relied on the gifts of the Chozo to give her a fighting chance against brutal Space Pirates and all manner of dangerous alien creatures. But in Metroid Dread, a vicious Chozo named Raven Beak flips the script and makes Samus’ nightmares come true.
As not only the architect of her problems in the game but also serving as its final boss battle, Raven Beak is one hell of a nemesis.
Not only does the battle feature several brutal phases and numerous attacks to dodge, but it also requires you to accurately counter QTE attacks to progress through the battle… Which kept me from beating Raven Beak for longer than I’d like to admit.
Raven Beak is brutal, swiping at you with claws, shooting at you with laser beams and projectiles, and even throwing black holes and a giant ball of solar energy at you. And then, when you think it’s all over, an X-Parasite infests him, making a truly disturbing monstrosity to contend with.
5 Revenance
Tevi
There’s a reason they don’t usually mix the Bullet Hell and Metroidvania genres. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot about the story and characters of Tevi that are appealing. I just don’t love how frenetic the boss battles get, especially the last one against Revenance.
Put simply, you’ll be brutalized within a few minutes of the boss battle. Revenance throws all sorts of waves of projectiles at you, as well as lattices of lasers that drop evil little raindrops. And that’s all before the second phase of the attack, where things really get intense.
If you’re patient enough to learn how to accurately avoid most of the projectiles and lasers, you might stand half a chance of defeating this brutal final boss.
4 King Priest
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree
-
- Released
- March 27, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Primal Game Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Knights Peak, MY.GAMES
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- March 27, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- March 27, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- March 27, 2025
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- March 27, 2025
- How Long To Beat
- 15 hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Let me just say that the first part of the battle against King Priest in Mandragora isn’t all that bad. It’s actually pretty fun and well-balanced overall. But then he turns into a giant glowing skeleton, and things take a major turn.
Not only do you have to deal with King Priest teleporting around the room and assailing you with energy beams, but you also have to protect Mandragora from his nonsense. And did I mention there’s also a time limit and that King Priest randomly summons homing balls that explode unexpectedly?
King Priest is mostly a difficult battle because of how poorly balanced the various elements of the encounter are, but either way, it’s a hard Metroidvania boss battle.
3 Dracula & Death
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin has you alternating between Charlotte and Jonathan the entire game to fight hordes of supernatural monsters. But once you get to the final battle, the tables are turned, and you have to face the dual onslaught of Dracula & Death!
As a fan of the series for a long time, I was pleased beyond belief that Konami finally brought these two into combat simultaneously. But that’s not the same as saying this was an easy battle; far from it.
The first phase of the battle has Dracula teleporting, spawning fireballs, and turning into swarms of bats while Death tries to cut you in two with his scythe and summons swarms of mini scythes.
Then, just when you think you’re safe, Dracula and Death fuse into a gigantic, skeletal bat monster. It will try and smash you, summon giant scythes to swipe at you, hurl waves of falling fireballs, and when all else fails, try and skewer you to death between its enormous, spiked wings.
Truly, it’s one of the most entertaining boss battles in Castlevania history, and one that’s sure to make things difficult.
2 Vahram the Immortal
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has a lot of epic boss battles, but the last one against Vahram the Immortal is a humdinger. Not only does it have Sargon trying to defeat a god, but this god likes to cheat.
When Vahram isn’t hurling waves of fireballs or trying to roast you with the heat of the sun, he’ll race at you, blades out, forcing you to parry or get badly hurt. And the farther you get in this multiple-wave fight, the harder things get.
Perhaps one of the most irritating things about this fight is accurately dodging a patchwork of slashes seconds before they appear on-screen, though it’s hard to contend with Vahram when he starts giving you double vision with doppelgängers.
No matter how you look at it, this is an incredibly challenging final battle.
1 The Radiance
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is one of the most memorable and challenging Metroidvanias in recent years, and the final boss battle against The Radiance is a doozy.
In part, that’s because it happens right after the battle against the titular Hollow Knight, a huge, infected monster. There’s no save point either, so you go straight from one multiphase battle to another.
So you essentially have to memorize and avoid the Hollow Knight’s attacks to get to the Radiance with enough health to have a fighting chance.
Not only does The Radiance unleash lasers and spears to try and murder you, but this is a 6-phase battle. And the last couple phases require you climbing a bunch of platforms in time before they’re swallowed whole. Then, at the top, Radiance finally gets defeated thanks to the power of the Hollow Knight’s shade.
I won’t say how many times I died trying to beat The Radiance, only that it took me a significant amount of effort. It’s truly an epic and brutal boss in an amazing Metroidvania!
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Author: 360 Technology Group
