10 Best First Bosses In Video Games

In Resident Evil 4's opening section, our protagonist, Leon Kennedy must ride a boat to reach the other side of a lagoon. However, his sailing trip is cut short by a gargantuan zombie salamander, Del Lago.

Being the first boss, this encounter is expected to be pretty straightforward. But the confrontation immediately throws gamers off, since equipped weapons are off-limits. Instead, the only means to kill the sea monster is with a perfectly tossed harpoon.

What's great about this boss is it's always reasonably hard, even after repeated playthroughs. Bosses like El Gigante and Verdugo are no picnic at first, but they're easy pickings after memorising their patterns.

That's not the case here. The player must be constantly monitoring Del Lago's position, since there's a small window of opportunity to strike him. Throughout this fight, the player has to carefully navigate their boat, to avoid slamming into the aquatic beastie or any nearby logs. After all, it only takes one little knock for Leon to be hurled into the water. When that happens, our curtain-haired hero will have a few seconds to get back onboard before Del Lago swallows him whole.