Ranking Resident Evil 7’s Boss Fights

What is the Best Boss Fight in Resident Evil 7?

Boss fights have always been an integral part of the Resident Evil experience. From the recurring Tyrant and Nemesis battles, the series is known for, to the giant animal fights that…the series is also known for.

Aside from those mainstays, the series has ramped up some truly memorable boss encounters, and luckily Resident Evil 7 is no different. With that in mind, let’s take a look at each of the game’s brutal splatterfests, arranged in order from least to most effective.

8) Stuck in Marguerite’s Hole

If you’ll excuse that filthy euphemism, you’ll see that it’s certainly an *ahem* appropriate name for this particular battle. Few would argue that the first encounter with Marguerite is easily the weakest battle in the entire RE7 experience.

With Ethan essentially just stuck in a hole, and blasting at Marguerite until she’s injured enough to flee, there’s not a lot to be impressed with in this one, despite how tense and sudden it is. Luckily Marguerite’s return is much more satisfying.

7) Love Hurts

Though Mia’s first trip to the lunatic fringe is certainly a jarring shocker, in the long run it doesn’t really measure up to the rest of Resident Evil 7‘s tensely tenacious boss fights. On the plus side, this battle does have the excellent addition of Ethan being Jaime Lannister’d by Mia in a truly brutal mutilation, one that leaves a real scar even if it’s later reversed.

6) Attic Affair

Probably the first time you’ll find yourself truly terrified in Resident Evil 7 is when you explore the attic. As you attempt to climb a shadowy ladder in the corner, Mia returns with a serious vengeance, slicing through the door you were just climbing up to.

Due to the confined space and limited weapons at your disposal, this fight can be a real challenge but no matter how many attempts it takes to bring down Mia, you’ll almost certainly feel the tension every single time.

5) Mandatory Crazy Finale

Fans of the series will know by now that you can’t have a Resident Evil finale without an attack from some madhouse, Brundlefly-like monstrosity. Resident Evil 7 follows along with this trend gladly.

Though the final encounter is more like an event battle or QTE, it does still pack a punch for the sheer magnitude and destruction on display. It may not be the best battle in the game but it does leave you with a few shocking revelations to think about amidst all the insanity.

4) Man to Man

Starting things off by introducing a possible ally in the form of a police officer, only to kill him off gruesomely only a few seconds later, the first fight with Immortal Jack is truly a memorable experience.

Like with Mia in the attic, this fight is tense based purely on the small space the player is confined to. As you run around searching for the means to put Jack down, you’ll find yourself blind-firing like crazy just to keep him off of your back. The fact that this battle can play out two different ways, one in which Ethan runs over Jack, and one in which Jack maniacally smashes the garage while getting behind the wheel, make it a truly creative shocker.

3) Climbing the Walls

Hell yeah, this is more like it! Though Marguerite’s first form was a touch underwhelming, her second encounter is pure nightmare fuel. She first re-emerges by climbing up the outside of the Baker estate, and smashing through a boarded up window. From there she begins stalking you relentlessly around the house until you finally put her down for good. With shades of horror classics like The Thing, Evil Dead 2, and REC, Marguerite’s screaming end is one for the record books.

2) Cage Match

If you thought the first encounter with Jack was tense, this one amps things up by shrinking the space and giving Jack a few new toys to play with. The grim distraction of using the hanging body bags to keep the relentless Jack at bay is just the beginning, as after a few gunshots, Jack really gets brutal.

As satisfying as it is to be on the other side of the chainsaw, it won’t save you from another of Jack’s mad creations, in the form of his own hedge clipper-style chainsaw. This fight is notable for having easily the most gruesome image in the game, when Ethan puts a chainsaw straight through Jack’s screaming skull, before hacking at his exposed spine. It’s truly unsettling stuff, and something that just might crop up in your nightmares.

1) Jack is Back

Players could certainly be forgiven for thinking that the previous entry was the end of Immortal Jack but in true Resident Evil fashion he returns one last time, more gruesome and horrifying than ever.

This fight is particularly great for its callbacks to maybe the greatest fight in the entire series, the RE4 boss battle with Mendez in the burning barn. With the fire spreading, a truly unstoppable Jack, and a bevy of firearms and vantage points at your disposal to handle him, the last encounter with Jack is a real jaw-dropper. Bonus points must be given for the attack occurring at probably the first (and only) time the player feels truly safe, after rescuing Mia and Zoe.

So, how would you rank Resident Evil 7‘s many splendorous and splattery fights? Agree or disagree with our ranking? Be sure and tune us in down in the comments.