The Worst Metroidvania Bosses, Ranked

Metroidvania games have evolved over time, adapting to each era's trends, and lately they've been heavily influenced by FromSoftware's work, consequently acquiring significant interest in boss fights.

While these figures have always been present in the genre, the last decade has seen a growing emphasis on them to represent the most pivotal moments in both gameplay and narrative, even including the audiovisuals.

However, the fact that these unique adversaries have gained such prominence doesn't mean they're infallible, as we've often encountered design abominations that make you want to quit the game and cry in a corner.

Therefore, from titles from the end of the last century to experiences that have only been on the market for a year, here are the ten worst Metroidvania bosses, ranked.

10 Conjunctivius

Dead Cells

Dead Cells Roguelike 9.5/10Released August 7, 2018 ESRB T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Violence Developer(s) Motion Twin Publisher(s) Motion Twin Engine Heaps.io Genre(s) Roguelike

Leaving aside the purist debates about Dead Cells' Metroidvania status, I think everyone who enjoyed Motion Twin's masterpiece can agree Conjunctivius is the worst boss in the entire roster.

Besides having an uninspired design, her fight consists of waiting for her to be within reach of platforms to deal damage, and then waiting until you've finished off her multiple tentacles to attack her again.

The gimmick itself isn't bad, though having to repeat it three times until you deplete her long health bar feels more like a chore than a real encounter, as it's neither challenging nor enjoyable, but completely forgettable.

She's not a disaster, yet compared to The Concierge or, even worse, the rest of the bosses that follow, Conjunctivius is by far the weakest link in Dead Cells, making her mediocrity stand out starkly.

9 Miriel, the Beloved

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights Platformer RPG Action Released January 21, 2021 ESRB T For Teen Due To Blood, Violence Developer(s) Live Wire, Adglobe Publisher(s) Binary Haze Interactive Engine Unreal Engine 4 Genre(s) Platformer, RPG, Action

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knightshas a modest number of unique encounters, but to compensate, it usually imbues them with a heavy emotional weight or, at the very least, a great mechanical combat experience—unless their name is Miriel, the Beloved.

Being one of the final bosses in the campaign makes it even worse, as approaching the climax of such a heartfelt story only to encounter a huge, static adversary whose sole purpose is to hurl projectiles from various angles is quite uninspiring.

The screen becomes cluttered with elements in an encounter where you'll die multiple times due to unintelligible hitboxes rather than a complex, satisfying pattern to decipher, completely breaking with the established pattern of bosses up to that point.

While Ender Lilies' campaign ends brilliantly, Miriel is a blemish on its record, among the small yet persistent details that keep this otherwise wonderful title from perfection.

8 Galamoth

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Metroidvania Action RPG Released October 2, 1997 ESRB T For Teen Due To Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence Developer(s) Konami Publisher(s) Konami Genre(s) Metroidvania, Action RPG

I can't stand damage sponges that repeat the same moves a thousand times until their health bar finally runs out, but Galamoth in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a prime example.

If it weren't for his fantastic aesthetic design and accompanying soundtrack, he'd surely be much higher on the list, because fighting with the feet of a colossal demon while it hurts you just by touching you with its giant model isn't particularly appealing.

Perhaps this is an unpopular opinion due to his importance to the franchise and his prominent appearance in this masterpiece, though the encounter with Galamoth doesn't even come close to the level of enjoyment generated by many of his counterparts.

Considering the number of bosses in the game, it was only natural that not all of them would be incredible, and although Symphony of the Night gives you a thousand tools to make the encounter fly by, it doesn't excuse the fact that it's poorly designed.

7 Exposito, Scion of Abjuration

Blasphemous

Blasphemous Metroidvania Soulslike FX Wiki Wiki Released September 10, 2019 ESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Nudity, Violence Developer(s) The Game Kitchen Publisher(s) Team17 Engine Unity Genre(s) Metroidvania, Soulslike

When you first encounter Exposito, Scion of Abjuration in Blasphemous, you can't help but be captivated by his magnificent art style, but that admiration quickly turns to frustration as the fight progresses.

Although the first half of the fight is uneventful, consisting mainly of a face that moves in unorthodox ways and launches easily avoidable projectiles, a giant baby appears after a while, which you expect will make things more interesting, but... it doesn't.

The feeling that washes over you when you realize the striking visual composition of the fight doesn't translate to the mechanics, as all that happens is an increase in the types of projectiles and the speed of the movements, is the biggest disappointment I've experienced in the entire series.

Its encounter becomes erratic and oscillates between being the easiest combat in the genre or the most exasperating. The experience against Exposito, Scion of Abjuration is very dependent on RNG and, therefore, tedious to evaluate compared to the rest of Blasphemous.

6 Fuxi and Nuwa

Nine Sols

Nine Sols Action Platformer Metroidvania Soulslike Released May 29, 2024 ESRB Teen / Blood and Gore, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence Developer(s) RedCandleGames Publisher(s) RedCandleGames Engine Unity Genre(s) Action, Platformer, Metroidvania, Soulslike

I really enjoy fights that test your reflexes and ability to manage multiple threats simultaneously, but I genuinely think Nine Sols' Fuxi and Nuwa completely misunderstand how to handle a dual encounter.

As such, you don't have two bodies to damage, halving your opportunities to advance in the fight; instead, you have one giant beast with a terrible hitbox and a background support boss that constantly launches projectiles barely distinguishable from the scenery.

The result is that dodging damage becomes practically impossible, since paying attention to Nuwa's attacks prevents you from paying attention to Fuxi's shots and vice versa, so one way or another, you'll end the fight almost completely out of resources.

Coming from fascinating one-on-one encounters where parrying and skill shine, this duo from Nine Sols are the sole blemish on an otherwise extraordinary boss roster.

5 Phoenix

Aeterna Noctis

Aeterna Noctis Platformer Metroidvania Released December 15, 2021 ESRB T For Teen // Blood, Violence, Partial Nudity Developer(s) Aeternum Game Studios Publisher(s) Aeternum Game Studios Engine Unity Genre(s) Platformer, Metroidvania

Speaking of not being able to tell what's going on, Phoenix from Aeterna Noctis encapsulates one of the most frustrating elements of this Metroidvania: many times you can't decipher what's damaging you and what isn't.

All the projectiles from this majestic bird are intertwined with a dynamically styled environment that confuses you every second, stopping you from correctly discerning which fire particles are dangerous and which aren't.

The number of times I died without knowing why frustrated me for hours, accumulating annoyance within my body as the encounter consisted of various phases that seemed to become increasingly longer with each new attempt.

Although Aeterna Noctis has highly irritating moments overall, Phoenix was a breaking point that made me consider quitting the game altogether, which isn't easy considering I'm quite patient.

4 The Tree of Men

Salt and Sanctuary

Salt and Sanctuary Action RPG FX Wiki Wiki Released March 15, 2016 ESRB M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Violence Developer(s) Ska Studios Publisher(s) Ska Studios Engine FNA / Microsoft XNA Game Studio Genre(s) Action RPG

As the best 2D Soulslike ever made, Salt and Sanctuary boasts impressive bosses that truly showcase the game's strengths, while The Tree of Men is merely a great idea whose gameplay execution fails to live up to expectations.

Facing an amalgamation of corpses within a torture chamber is quite atmospheric for a title of this macabre nature, though its mechanical presentation forces you to confront it amidst crumbling platforms in a dark room where falling is commonplace.

You gradually whittle down the boss's health by striking each of the corpses hanging from it, but you have to be wary of its melee attacks, the projectiles launched by the bodies, the flamethrowers on the sides, gravity... And it ceases to be captivating.

However, when you reach the point where you can only damage the head, The Tree of Men completes its transformation from intriguing to obnoxious, making me grateful it's optional because, otherwise, I probably would never have replayed Salt and Sanctuary so much.

3 Yakuza

Metroid Fusion

Metroid Fusion Action-Adventure Platformer Shooter Released November 17, 2002 ESRB e Developer(s) Nintendo R&D1 Publisher(s) Nintendo R&D1 Engine wario land 4 Genre(s) Action-Adventure, Platformer, Shooter

Metroid Fusion is a brilliant twist on the franchise's formula that I truly appreciate, though the change in direction brought with it some very poor aspects, including the disastrous encounter that is Yakuza.

The only thing matching its art design's brilliance is how frustrating the fight is, as its method of harming you involves colliding with you and making a grab attack, from which you'll have little chance of escape due to its large model and the lack of i-frames to prevent it from trapping you in a loop.

Morphing yourself into a corner helps to avoid its charges, but having to break free and try to damage its tiny hitbox that appears for a few seconds is where the tension lies, because from there to being grabbed again is only a few unpredictable pixels away.

Then it starts spinning thunderously, throwing projectiles in a way that makes exchanging damage seem inevitable, turning Metroid Fusion's Yakuza into the typical matchup where you're forced to tank damage, which is always annoying.

2 Savage Beastfly

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong Metroidvania Action Adventure Soulslike FX Wiki Wiki GGMods Mods Released September 4, 2025 ESRB Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood Developer(s) Team Cherry Publisher(s) Team Cherry Engine Unity Genre(s) Metroidvania, Action, Adventure, Soulslike

It only took me a few hours to realize Hollow Knight: Silksong would become my personal contender for the title of best Metroidvania ever made, but I admit Savage Beastfly's existence made me reconsider my opinion a couple of times.

Whether we count the original fight or the one that takes place within the Fourth Chorus arena, it's an unimaginative travesty that feels more like it belongs in Hollow Knight'salpha version rather than the sequel's final release.

By dealing two masks of damage so early in the game, it leaves very little room for error, as does offering a rather short healing window (in the process, breaking the convention that a boss is either fast and deals little damage or vice versa, not both at the same time).

If you add the summoning of the most annoying minions the human mind could imagine, and the bland fact that it only does horizontal and vertical charges, Savage Beastfly presents adjectives ranging from annoying to insipid, which are not representative of Silksong.

1 Nyarlathotep

Sundered

Sundered 9.5/10Released July 28, 2017

Sundered is one of my all-time favorite indies, and I have an indescribable affection for it, but every time I remember the nights I spent battling Nyarlathotep, my heart races.

With hundreds of elements on screen and weak points accessible only in midair, it's a fight whose impressive audiovisual presentation is overshadowed by a gameplay challenge that goes beyond the game's capabilities.

It's tough to say it's the worst boss in the genre's history when it has such a captivating design, but no other Metroidvania encounter has brought me the level of despair that this cosmic entity did with its omnidirectional beams and endless summons.

With a kilometer-long health bar, immense damage potential, and a room where so many particles are displayed simultaneously that it's easy to lose sight of your character, it's the most extreme case of "I want to like it, but I can't".

Nyarlathotep is a spectacle in every sense, but what it sacrificed to achieve that was the fight itself. All of Sundered is a grand reflection on the corruption of power and how far we're willing to go to survive, yet I can't justify the final boss's disaster without delving into, in this case, the ill-timed argument of ludonarrative coherence.