Metroid Prime Remastered is utterly filled with challenging enemies and environments for you to overcome as you make your journey through the depths of Tallon IV. Still, none of them are likely to challenge you in the same frustrating fashion that Samus’ oldest and most recurring nemesis, Ridley, does. Equipped with armored plating and a bevy of advanced Space Pirate weaponry, Meta Ridley is one tough customer. Fear not, though, as we’re going to walk you through taking this winged menace down a peg.
Other Metroid Prime Remastered Guides:
How to Defeat the Mother Sheegoth – How to Get the Super Missile – How to Get the Space Jump – How to Solve the Chozo Ice Temple – How to Get All 12 Chozo Artifacts
How to Defeat Meta Ridley in Metroid Prime Remastered
When Meta Ridley first appears, as always, you’re going to want to remember to scan him. As scans don’t carry over unless you save your game, make sure you’re doing this each time you fight him if he defeats you, which he likely will, at least once or twice. What makes this boss fight such a drag is how long it is, unskippable cut scenes and all.
The first part of this fight is actually relatively straightforward, as it’s the end section where most players will get killed. In the beginning, Meta Ridley will fly around the arena, launching projectiles at you that you can either jump or strafe to dodge. In between these attacks, you can blast him in the chest with your weapon of choice. While Super Missiles will hurt him the most, they can also miss him as he flies away, costing you 5 missiles in the process, so use care as you’re going to want to save a good 30 or 40 missiles for his final stage.
When he flies off into the distance, you can still track him with your lock-on, and as he gets close, you’re going to want to leap around him to the opposite side of where he’s flying in from to avoid his blasts and bombs. He’s invulnerable during these barrages, so don’t waste your time. Next, he’ll begin doing ground attacks. The first and most common is a ground smash that sends a pulse of energy out that you’re going to have to jump over.
Another attack he uses regularly is an arena-crossing melee attack. You can see when he’s about to do it because he’ll slowly stretch his body upward before he lunges. Strafe to the side as he comes at you to avoid this, and be sure to watch for the tail attack follow-up that he uses right after this move most of the time.
These strategies basically cover the first 90% of the fight, which takes us to the much more difficult final phase. With his wings burned off, Meta Ridley shows you firsthand why he’s seen as the most dangerous enemy in Metroid Prime Remastered. He will continue to use the same moves from before for the most part, but what makes the remainder of the fight so tough is that he is almost never able to be hit. Furthermore, even when you can hit him, the damage is minimalized so much as to be almost non-existent.
From here on, you’re going to have to master dodging his attacks while shooting at his mouth. For our part, we find the basic blast beam and charge beams to be most effective due to their fast-firing functionality. Occasionally he will blast a laser across the arena now, which is something you’re going to have to jump over, sometimes twice. The great thing about a lot of these attacks is that he opens his mouth a bit when he does them and can be damaged minimally to open up his weak spot. You’ll know when you’re causing damage because his head will flash yellow.
By far, the best time to damage him, though, is when he opens his mouth to roar. You can get a couple of missiles in here usually, which is more than just about any other time. Eventually, he will show his chest once you’ve damaged him enough. Though you might be tempted to go for a Super Missile here, the window of attack is very small, so you’re better off sticking with missiles or minimally charged beam attacks.
Unfortunately, you’re going to have to get him to this point roughly five or six times before you can cause enough damage to finish him off for good. This is why you’re really going to have to master his many attacks in this fight, as you’re going to be dodging them sometimes for minutes at a time while you blast away in hopes of opening up his weak point for just a couple of quick missiles.
Another thing we have to warn you about is that his melee attacks are quicker and far more deadly during the final phase of the battle. While you might be tempted to get in close when he’s leaving himself open, resist this urge as he can lunge suddenly and hit you with some devastating melee attacks that will leave you reeling, having lost as much as an energy tank and a half from one single assault on the standard difficulty.
With that said, if you’re playing on the easier difficulty mode, you’ll find this fight isn’t nearly as challenging, as Ridley’s damage is much lower. Either way, though, if you’re still struggling, you might consider seeking out more energy tanks or missile upgrades to help make the fight a bit more manageable. Still, even with a full arsenal and a 100% collection ratio, this guy is going to give you a lot of trouble.
If you’ve played games like Dark Souls or Hollow Knight, you’re going to want to take into account what you learned in some of those games’ most difficult boss battles here. Namely, master dodging Meta Ridley’s attacks and, especially in the final phase, don’t get greedy going for damage. Take things slowly in the final phase, and you’ll have this menace out of the skies for good in no time.
