Far from being the hardest boss on this list in terms of how much you'll need to apply yourself, figuring out the Psycho Mantis battle in the original Metal Gear Solid caught every player by surprise upon the titles first release. Because Mantis can read your mind (and even your memory card), this playful boss requires some equally out of the box thinking if you dont want him blocking all of your moves. Instead, it wasn't until you inserted the controller into the second player port that made Mantis lose his ability to predict your attacks - then its just the simple task of putting enough bullets in him to take down a small army and youre done. Of course while frustrating at the time, the legacy the title has amassed since means just about every contemporary gamer knows about the fourth-wall breaking tactic you needed to use to put this iconic boss down for good. So, while Psycho Mantis might not have been awfully challenging after you broke his illusion, the frustration that came with not knowing how to overcome such controller port-reading prowess was certainly enough to see players restarting the game more times than they'll be willing to admit. What's your most infuriating boss you couldn't take down first time? Let us know in the comments!
Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked full time as a content producer at WhatCulture for nine years. In that time he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple channels, specialising in subjects such as gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 most listened to gaming podcast in the UK that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, covered breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.
