Metal Gear Solid: Best Boss Fights

Highlights

Metal Gear Solid 's boss battles are cinematic, intense, and exciting, showcasing the attention to detail and thought put into the game.
Each boss encounter has its own unique strengths and quirks that set it apart from the rest, making it difficult to determine the absolute best.
The boss battles require quick reflexes, clever strategies, and the effective use of weapons and tools to overcome formidable opponents and progress in the game.

The boss battles of Metal Gear Solid are never simply there just to eat up one's time. They are cinematic, intense, and exciting to play for the first time, and each and every retry after that. For a game from 1999, this was truly mind-blowing stuff to experience from a gameplay aspect, as it highlights the amount of detail and thought put into Metal Gear Solid by Konami.

It’s difficult to say which of the boss battles are the absolute best, as there are many gems across the title that come so close to being the greatest. Nevertheless, some of these boss encounters have strengths and quirks that help stand apart from the rest.

10 Sniper Wolf (Part 1)

Sniper Wolf being aimed at through the lens of a sniper rifle as she runs

Snake must acquire a PSG1 to fight Sniper Wolf.
Meryl is injured and lying on the floor between them.
Diazepam is exceptionally helpful in this boss battle.

The first encounter with Sniper Wolf is most certainly tense, but it’s a little unvaried. Once Snake gets a sniper rifle to fight back, the player will have to scope out the boss as she rushes in between cover to take aim and fire.

Sniper Wolf doesn’t mix things up here, and the narrowness of the corridor gets in the way of that. After all, there aren’t any other places for her to go. It’s by no means bad in the slightest, as quick reflexes are required to ensure that each hit lands. At least Meryl being injured doesn’t get in the way of the battle, which does help make it less frustrating.

9 Vulcan Raven (Part 1)

Metal Gear Solid - Bosses Ranked - Vulcan Raven Tank

Vulcan Raven pilots an M1 tank and its cannon.
Guards will man the machine guns and must be defeated to progress.
Chaff grenades will prevent the vehicle from using its main weapon.

Fighting Vulcan Raven in the tank makes for a decent enough encounter, though it does feel a tad samey. Running around and dodging almost constant machine gun fire isn’t too challenging, more so when chaff grenades can be tossed out to jam the cannon, but it will require vigilance to keep ahead of the slow-steering turret and vehicle.

Getting the grenades to land is satisfying when they blow the sentries out of the vehicle, and being able to knock out the treads with explosions makes it far less frustrating to pull off as a result. It may be a bit on the gimmicky side, but there’s some joy to be had here.

8 Revolver Ocelot

Ocelot will duel with Snake in a room filled with explosive tripwires in the center.
President Baker, trapped between the tripwires, must not be approached or harmed.
Reloading is the ideal time to fire back at Ocelot.

As simple of a concept as it is, the encounter with Revolver Ocelot is nothing short of memorable. The box-shaped room may leave little room to run around in, but it's this compactness that actually benefits the battle against the gunslinger. President Baker, being stuck in the center and surrounded by explosives, adds another complication. Getting too close to detonate the bombs, or hurting him, will result in a mission failure.

Moreover, Ocelot may be able to reflect bullets, though the lengthy reloads and the bullets left in the chambers shown on-screen give the player ample opportunity to time their attacks. Since the player can’t look around and fire in first-person (which is good, in this case!), it makes for a devious game of cat-and-mouse.

7 Hind D

A Hind D in a snowy backdrop firing missiles

Liquid Snake pilots a Hind D gunship.
The vehicle will dip out of sight briefly, giving ample time to collect supplies.
His missiles will cause clusters of explosions.

There’s nothing more frightening than having to evade constant machine gun fire from a helicopter, of all things. The Hind D is a boss battle against a vehicle done right in so many ways. Thankfully, there’s ample cover to use in the center of the rooftop, but the attacks hit hard, so a single slip-up can put Snake in serious danger.

Being able to lock on and pop out some missiles from the Stinger is always invigorating, as it takes a few moments to lock-on and fire a homing projectile for a near-enough guaranteed hit. However, since it leaves Snake immobile, he’s left an easy target briefly. It’s hunter and hunted, yet there are enough opportunities to come out on top.

6 Sniper Wolf (Part 2)

Sniper Wolf aiming at the player between two trees as Snake aims at her down the lens of a PSG1

Sniper Wolf will fight Snake outside in the middle of a snowstorm for her second battle.
She will frequently run for cover behind trees.
Remote-controlled missiles will easily defeat her.

The limited draw distance and lack of movement when using the PSG1 actually benefit the second duel with Sniper Wolf extensively. The playing field is much wider, too, so she’s a lot more prone to taking cover in different locations and is thus a target to hit.

Admittedly, the battle can be cheesed with NIKITA missiles as she won’t shoot them down, and a Stinger can reveal her position with its tracking ability. These really do take away from the tension that the battle builds up, though, so it’s better to stick with sniping.

5 Vulcan Raven (Part 2)

Vulcan Raven wielding a massive minigun in a frosty indoor setting

Vulcan Raven wields a massive chaingun.
He has excellent range and reaction time.
Bullets will hurt him, but explosives are far more effective.

Vulcan Raven’s second battle will make players feel like rats being chased in its maze of shipping containers, and that makes it ten times as invigorating as his first encounter. Raven’s chaingun and his extensive range, means simply attacking from the end of the room won't guarantee an easy victory.

The variety of attacks one can pull off really benefits this battle. While Snake can pepper Raven with bullets and place mines, rockets from the NIKITA and Stinger can deal a hefty blow. The problem is, he’s smart enough to shoot down incoming missiles, which makes flanking essential, and the battle so darn entertaining.

4 Psycho Mantis

Psycho Mantis uses psychic abilities to his advantage.
He will brainwash Meryl into shooting herself.
The masked statues can be destroyed if the player cannot swap controller ports when not playing on the original hardware.

The bizarre and mystery of Psycho Mantis makes for one of the most iconic battles in the game, and his fourth-wall-breaking attacks are indeed a part of that. Being able to black out the screen to make it look like someone changed the channel is a devious mood that requires a clever solution to break. Of course, destroying his statues will work just as well.

Having to dodge incoming items being flung about requires memorizing patterns. Mantis will frequently float side-by-side to dodge shots to make keeping one’s aim on him all the more tricky, too. Even worse is when he makes Meryl shoot herself, but that can thankfully be stopped with some punches. So much goes on in this fight, and it’s just excellent.

3 Cyborg Ninja

Metal Gear Solid Gray Fox Ninja Sword Boss Fight

The Cyborg Ninja has a handful of stages to his fight.
Hand-to-hand attacks can be combined with chaff grenades for a free hit.
He can be attacked as soon as he lands after dodging.

The Cyborg Ninja is borderline masochistic about Snake beating some life back into his soulless husk. The fact that he deflects bullets during most of the duel makes him an imposing and unnerving foe; one will need to get up close to this imposing figure a lot.

While he’s heaping around the office, there will be opportunities to attack before he lands. His counterattacks hurt a lot, so it can be tough. He’ll craftily turn invisible at times, turning the fight into a game of hide-and-seek for additional deviance. The tension remains so thick throughout, and the numerous tricks he pulls off make it a signature battle.

2 Liquid Snake

Liquid Snake Metal Gear Solid One Standing In Front Of Metal Gear Rex

Liquid Snake will fight Solid Snake atop Metal Gear REX.
He is a fast and deadly foe to fight.
A finishing blow must be dealt when he’s low on health and near the edge to send him falling.

The brother of Solid Snake, Liquid Snake is a tenacious foe in this battle. With no weapons available, he will goad the player while delivering head-on charges, as well as roundhouse kicks after side-stepping. He’s a lot more flexible than the player is for this reason, and the severe lack of space means there’s barely room to hide and think out a strategy.

Having to make frantic decisions on the spot is enough to raise anyone’s heart rate, but the ticking time bomb with barely three minutes left really ramps up the fear factor. Liquid needing to be knocked over to end the battle successfully makes it much more strategic than simply mashing buttons. It’s dramatic and challenging in all the right ways.

1 Metal Gear REX

Liquid Snake pilots Metal Gear REX in the hangar.
There is a lot of space, but certain covers can be destroyed.
A sniper rifle can hurt Liquid in the pilot seat.

The towering Metal Gear REX makes for the best boss battle in the entire game. With machine guns, missiles, and a laser, it’s a behemoth in size and firepower. Snake, in comparison, looks like an ant, and can be crushed like one if the player is not careful. REX is capable of destroying what little cover is available, prompting frantic dashes.

Set into two parts, Gray Fox intervenes and helps make the second round a bit easier. Even when damaged, it still packs such a serious punch that it remains one of the toughest battles in the series, on top of being utterly superb.