Daily Debate: Which Classic Zelda Enemies Do You Want Added To Tears Of The Kingdom?
Posted on December 19 2022 by Sean Gadus
One of my hopes for Tears of the Kingdom is a more diverse roster of enemies scattered across its open world. While the technology and AI behind the Bokoblins, Moblins, Lizalfos, and Lynels in Breath of the Wild is impressive, the enemies encounters with these familiar foes can get stale at times during long playthroughs. At certain points in my playthroughs of Breath of the Wild, I would avoid camps of Bokoblins and Moblins because I did not want to go through the same fight I had already experienced dozens of times.
Fortunately for Zelda fans looking for more enemy variety in Tears of the Kingdom, the Zelda series has a rich roster of enemies that it could draw from. I would love to see some of the classic or forgotten enemies from past games reimagined in Breath of the Wild‘s beautiful art style. Lynels are a great example of how redesigning forgotten or underutilized enemies can be a very positive experience for fans. The battle with the Lynel at Ploymus Mountain (Zora’s Domain) is one of the best sequences in the game. In the years following the release of Breath of the Wild, Lynels have received more interested and attention from the Zelda community than they ever had before.
With this in mind, which classic Zelda enemies do you want added to or reintroduced in Tears of the Kingdom?
Two classic enemies I would like to see appear in Tears of the Kingdom are Iron Knuckles and Darknuts. I lump these two enemies together because they are both imposing armored enemies who make for great one on one opponents for Link. The duels with these foes in Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess are some of the best individual battles in the 3D Zelda games. Perhaps the armor for the Darknuts or Iron Knuckles could be based on the Ancient Armor set from Breath of the Wild or they could be more heavily armored members of the Yiga Clan. Another set of enemies I would enjoy seeing redesigned for the next game are Gibdos or ReDeads. The first teaser trailers for Tears of the Kingdom had a very dark and haunting atmosphere, so it seems like Gibdos or ReDeads would fit into the game. Perhaps these creatures could be Hylians or Sheikah who have become corrupted by Malice or some evil technology.
What do you think? Which classic Zelda enemies do you wanted added to or reintroduced in Tears of the Kingdom? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Featured Image: Advent-Hawk
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
