10 Recent Video Game First Boss Battles That Totally Broke You
Returnal means business from the very first boss.
Generally speaking, the first boss in most video games tends to be pretty easy, often even serving as a glorified tutorial to introduce the player to important mechanics and give them a simple feel for the more challenging encounters to come.
But not all opening boss fights are created with the same intent, and sometimes developers decide to dispense with the ceremony by offering up a very real challenge from the start.
Some of these boss fights act as a palpable test of the player's skill so far, throwing up a brick wall of difficulty - or, if you want to be less-charitable, a difficulty spike - to ensure they're ready for what the rest of the game has to offer.
For players new to each franchise in particular, these infuriatingly difficult first boss battles were a real shock to the system, letting them know the game wouldn't be holding their hand while also hardening their skills for future boss fights.
Whether they successfully tested your endurance and commitment or just left you pissed off at the difficulty, these boss encounters sure weren't interested in easing you in...
10. Doom Hunter - Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal doesn't mess around from the outset, as its first boss encounter against the Doom Hunter arguably ends up being the trickiest of the lot.
The Doom Hunter is a cybernetic demon that wields a chainsaw in one arm, a cannon in the other, and has thrusters which allow it to move around the map extremely fast. Oh, and it'll sic its demonic minions on you throughout.
Yet what really makes the game's first boss such a challenge is the fact you haven't yet had a chance to acquire many of the Doom Slayer's best abilities, making you likely feel pretty under-powered for the fight.
Generally speaking Doom Eternal is a challenging game even on lower difficulties, but only the most masochistic of players should even consider facing the Doom Hunter on Nightmare difficulty.
The big surprise, of course, is that once you've depleted the Doom Hunter's health and the fight seems to be over, Daeg Ranak will spawn two more Doom Hunters for you to take on at the same time. Gulp.
Crowd control is a big key to success in the Doom games, and the first boss battle is proof perfect of that. By the time it's over you're sure to feel absolutely exhausted, but mercifully this is one of the most difficult bosses in the entire game.