Metroid Musing: Where Does the Diggernaut Rank Among Your Favorite Boss Battles in Metroid?
When Nintendo announced Metroid: Samus Returns, an enhanced remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus, at E3 2017 (after E3 was over… ugh), I began to wonder how this game would tackle one of the inherent limitations of Metroid II: that being fighting the same boss enemies over and over and over again. While fighting Metroid’s is no doubt awesome, I thought that it would serve Nintendo well to add in another couple bosses to break up the monotony, and Nintendo certainly delivered in that way by offering up what I might call one of the best boss battles in the entire series: the Diggnernaut.
Teased throughout the game, including a memorable chase sequence, Samus finally comes face to face with the hulking robot in the depths of Area 6, and the battle in absolutely heart pounding. The Diggnernaut, a rogue Chozo mining robot, uses a variety of lasers, melee attacks, and projectiles to battle the bounty hunter, making the player make expert use of the Space Jump, Spider Ball, and more abilities to put the robot down for good. The pin-point accuracy required when jumping and the quick thinking to line up your bombs on the Diggernaut’s face plate make this a challenging but rewarding boss battle that I would argue is the highlight of Samus Returns.
What about you? Where would you rank this battle among Metroid’s best? Let us know in the comments below!
Andy Spiteri is the Webmaster of Omega Metroid and Host of the Omega Metroid Podcast, The Zelda Cast, and Virtual Theater. Probably drinking a Tim Horton’s Double Double as you read this.
