10 All Time Greatest Boss Battles From Metal Gear Franchise

Is there any boss fight in the Metal Gear Solid's long and storied history quite as memorable as the one against Psycho Mantis? I'd argue that there definitely isn't - this was where the series reached its boss peak.

Even now, in 2020, there's never been a boss quite like Psycho Mantis. This gas mask-wearing, psyco-kinetic lunatic was the embodiment of Hideo Kojima's desire to make games more than they had been previously, and boy did it show.

First of all, when you're playing Metal Gear Solid for the first time, it seems like no matter what you do, you can't attack Psycho Mantis as he telegraphs your every move by reading your mind. The solution? Swap your controller to another port. Then he starts reading your memory card (and depending on what you've played), comments on your choices of games. He'll also make your controller vibrate using his powers, fade the screen to black to make you think the game has crashed (with the green caption HIDEO in the top corner, another reference to game director Kojima).

It's really unnerving stuff that breaks the fourth wall, and you've got all that to combat with on top of Mantis moving Meryl around like a puppet and attacking you with objects from around the room.