Back when it first came out in 2002, Metroid Prime was a revolution for the series. It brought the Metroid formula into 3D, changing how players interact with this iconic series. In January 2023, the highly-anticipated Metroid Prime Remastered was released on Nintendo Switch, allowing a whole new generation to experience one of the best games of the GameCube era.

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The unique first-person shooter has a fair share of boss fights scattered throughout its 14-hour-long campaign. Players for whom Metroid Prime Remastered will be the first encounter with the series could do with a few tips and tricks on how best to approach them. This is especially true for some of the late-game bosses that can pose quite a challenge for newcomers.

10 Parasite Queen

Metroid Prime Samus Parasite Queen

This is the very first boss that Samus will face on her journey, and it's also the easiest boss battle of the bunch. The Parasite Queen is a large version of the mobs encountered in the earliest stages of the game, and beating her is a rather straightforward ordeal.

The Queen is protected by a rotating energy shield with gaps that get revealed as the energy shield revolves. The players should position themselves to aim at the Parasite Queen's mouth and take their shots whenever the upper gap in the shield allows it. It's quite easy to strafe around the circular energy "cage" this boss is confined to, and a few well-placed missile hits should be enough to kill the Parasite Queen.

9 Hive Mecha

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The Hive Mecha battle is a significant step up compared to the Parasite Queen encounter. It will attack the player with swarms of Ram War Wasps designed to encircle them if they're not careful. To defeat the annoying insects, players should make sure to stay outside the swarm and blast away at it.

Defeating all the wasps will reveal the Hive Mecha's weak point as it opens its mouth to release more of them. The player should lock onto the red part of the mouth and fire away at it using the Power Beam. Afterward, the Hive Mecha will release more Ram War Wasps. Three successful shots will put the boss away for good.

8 Incinerator Drone

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With a constantly rotating flamethrower that occasionally changes direction, the key to surviving the Incinerator Drone encounter is staying in constant motion to avoid the devastating flames. While doing so, the player should lock on to and fire the Charge Beam at the Drone in order to force it to reveal its weak spot -- a small head with red spots on each side of it.

The best ammunition to target these weak points with is Missiles. After dealing enough damage, the boss will fire away at the Barbed War Wasp hive on the ceiling, releasing the insects onto Samus. Instead of trying to kill them, the best way to go about this stage of the fight is to avoid the War Wasps' attacks and continue to shoot at the Incinerator Drone until it reveals its head once again. Hit it with Missiles until it shoots up to release more Wasps. The boss will be destroyed after two more such sequences.

7 Flaahgra

metroid prime remastered beat flaahgra

Metroid Prime's boss difficulty ramps up with the Flaahgra encounter. It will start firing away at the player with weed traps that immobilize Samus, before moving on to destructive plasma projectiles. While avoiding the trap attacks, players should blast away at Flaahgra until the creature gets stunned, which is when they should rush to one of the four sun reflectors that keep it active and destroy them with Morph Ball Bombs, one by one. Each stun gives Samus enough time to get rid of one reflector.

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It's certainly a fight that requires a lot more strategy and care than the previous encounters. Defeating the Flaahgra will reward players with the Varia Suit, as well as clearing out the poison that has been plaguing the Chozo Ruins' water supply for as long as the plant creature was alive.

6 Sheegoth

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Samus will actually encounter a few Sheegoths when exploring the Phendrana Drifts. These huge creatures are particularly difficult when faced head-on, which is why players should position themselves behind them whenever possible, except when they're ready to strike.

Sheegoths are vulnerable when using their Ice Breath attack or firing projectiles, making this fight exceptionally tricky, as it means that players will have to be ready to fire away at the monster's mouth and instantly get away from the line of fire. Ramping up the frequency of attacks once the beast starts reeling back will ensure a faster victory.

5 Thardus

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Thardus is a difficult boss to beat primarily because of the number of attacks it can unleash on Samus. Aside from smaller ice projectiles, it can launch heavy rocks at the player and unleash a devastating blizzard that obstructs their vision. After receiving enough damage, this boss also turns into a massive boulder that rolls around the battlefield and deals massive damage to players finding themselves in its way.

In order to defeat Thardus, one has to rely on the Thermal Visor. The weapon will highlight destructible rocks that revolve around the opponent. Players should lock onto these and fire away at them with Missiles and the Charge Beam until destroyed. Methodically destroying the rocks while also avoiding Thardus's attacks will eventually make the rock at the creature's center susceptible to damage. Destroying it in the same manner as the other rocks will end the fight.

4 Phazon Elite

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The Phazon Elite is a much stronger version of Elite Pirates found in the Phazon Mines. Its primary attack method is the Wave-Quake Projector, which can be avoided by jumping around the room. It can take a while to get accustomed to, but it is the only way to avoid the shockwaves which deal massive amounts of damage and are the main reason why this battle is so difficult.

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Thankfully, it doesn't take too many hits to destroy the Phazon Elite. The trick here is to release Super Missiles and the Plasma Beam at it as the creature releases its powerful shockwave attack. Otherwise, the player's attacks will be absorbed by this boss, rendering them useless.

3 Omega Pirate

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As the second and final boss in the Phazon Mines, the Omega Pirate is much tougher and more difficult to put down than the Phazon Elite. On top of the previous boss's Wave-Quake Projector, this opponent also has the Plasma Artillery Cannon at its disposal, and will also summon waves of Pirate Troopers to its aid. The first order of business in this fight is destroying the protective armor on the Omega Pirate's limbs. The best way to get rid of all four of these Phazon shields quickly is by planting Power Bombs between the Pirate's legs.

The beast will try to restore its armor, which is also when it's most susceptible to damage. The best weapon to use here is the Flamethrower. As opposed to the Phazon Elite, the Omega Pirate is extremely resistant, and it will inevitably manage to restore the Phazon shields around its limbs at least once. This is why players should constantly monitor their energy levels to survive this lengthy fight and continue to inflict damage upon the Omega Pirate until it dies.

2 Meta Ridley

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The penultimate boss fight of Metroid: Prime is arguably also the second-hardest encounter in the entire game. With five powerful attacks and a massive HP bar, Meta Ridley will put up a long, difficult fight even for those playing on the Easy or Normal difficulties. To emerge victorious, players have to split their attention between maneuvering the battlefield using Boost Ball to avoid getting hit, and relentlessly shooting at Ridley until his wings are destroyed after taking away a meager 1/5 of his health bar.

Once that's done, the creature's attacks will consist of sending shockwaves around the room, followed by emitting beams directly at Samus, before spitting deadly fire at her. The final, most damaging attack will also open up Meta Ridley's weak point -- his mouth. Players should master the art of evading the fire attack at the right moment to make use of it to stun the enemy and continue blasting at him until he dies. It's a lengthy, repetitive encounter, where keeping a tight check on one's HP and Energy levels is as important as successfully striking the opponent.

1 Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime boss fight

This epic, two-stage fight has gone down in history as one of the best boss battles in the Metroid series. The first part of the encounter can be made much easier by scanning Metroid Prime, thanks to which he will turn into specific colors, indicating which type of weapon needs to be used to deal damage. Yellow means vulnerability to Power Beam, purple to Wave Beam, white -- Ice Beam, and red to Flamethrower. Towards the end of the first half of the fight, good old Missiles will prove most effective.

After the cutscene and transition into a giant pit -- the game's final battle arena -- Samus will only be able to damage Metroid Prime with the Phazon Beam, all the while double-jumping to avoid Prime's shockwave attacks. Toward the end of the battle, he will summon Metroids to help him out. Players should prioritize dealing with them before continuing to attack Prime until they put him down for good. While this part of the final fight is certainly easier than the first one, it is just as long.

Metroid: Prime deserves credit for being a balanced experience, where the difficulty of boss encounters increases alongside the players' progression through the story. Each subsequent battle is not only harder but also more cinematic and memorable.

Metroid Prime Remastered is available on Switch.

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