Not all introductory video game bosses are created equal, and Aberax really rubbed me the wrong way when I first played Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on the Nintendo Switch 2. It is not a horrible boss battle, but it feels like a really odd choice for the first major fight in such an epic adventure.

He is supposed to be the largest space pirate involved in the raid Samus is defending at the very start of the game. Then a random Metroid appears out of nowhere and fuses with him. He immediately becomes more monstrous and decides to fight Samus Aran to the death.

For a first boss battle that should mainly teach you how the game works, or help you shake off your rustiness, this guy has an unbelievably strong defense. It almost feels like the developers designed Aberax for later in the game and then moved him backward into the opening hours. You have almost nothing except your most basic abilities, and accurate aiming is probably more important here than in most of the other battles in the game.

His durability is ridiculous, and keep in mind I was playing on easy mode. I honestly felt like I was playing an RPG where I had wandered into an area far above my level. Everything you need to hit on him is obvious, but my fingers were exhausted by the end of the fight.

Still, I managed to slay the vile creature without losing my life or having to retry the battle. I honestly think this fight would have worked much better if Samus had access to some of her later abilities. By the time I finally defeated Aberax, I felt more relieved than I did after beating the final boss, Sylux. That is probably not a great sign.