Why All the Hate for Skyward Sword's Bokoblins?

[Hanyou]

The true problem people had with the Bokoblins was the design of them. Many didn't like the design and the fact that they were actually somewhat competent. The fact that they had the capability to block and actually counter you made them a fair challenge. It wasn't just random swing swing KO. It was actually skill. The game required more skill, which makes the game great.

People honestly had a problem with the Bokoblins' design? How on earth do they respond to the enemies in the original Legend of Zelda? To me, they don't look that different from the Moblins from that game, an equally common enemy.

Anyway, I didn't know that criticizing Bokoblins was a thing until I saw this thread. I just dealt with them like any other enemy, didn't spend much time thinking about it, and assumed everyone else handled them the same way.

 

[JuicieJ]

Anyway, I didn't know that criticizing Bokoblins was a thing until I saw this thread. I just dealt with them like any other enemy, didn't spend much time thinking about it, and assumed everyone else handled them the same way.

Basically how I responded to them, so when I saw people complaining about them, I was kind of shocked. Especially considering how much of an upgrade they were over their predecessors.

 

[Hanyou]

Basically how I responded to them, so when I saw people complaining about them, I was kind of shocked. Especially considering how much of an upgrade they were over their predecessors.

Some of the criticisms here don't make much sense to me, to be honest. They gave me some difficulty early in the game when I was learning the controls. Since I still do have some issues with sword swings, taking them on still does give me some problems. But as you go through the game, avoiding them becomes easier. Most of the time you can just run past them, and stealth is almost always an option. I'm currently in Lanayru Desert on Hero Mode, and creeping around has kept my health full.

Essentially, this is exactly the way older Zelda games worked. It's part of the more streamlined combat of Skyward Sword. You're not supposed to charge on every enemy you see.

Bokoblins are basically Goombas. It's a big more complicated to fight them, but they're not much more of a threat. Until people start complaining about Goombas late in Mario games, I don't see what the problem with Bokoblins being scattered throughout is.

 

[DarkestLink]

Wind Waker's looked too smart. Twilight Princess captured the brutish thug look. Skyward Sword's look like they're trying to hard to look ********.

 

[JuicieJ]

Twilight Princess captured the brutish thug look. Skyward Sword's look like they're trying to hard to look ********.

I honestly got these vibes reversed.

That also doesn't really have anything to do with their gameplay.

 

[Hanyou]

Wind Waker's looked too smart. Twilight Princess captured the brutish thug look. Skyward Sword's look like they're trying to hard to look ********.

Again, how is that really different from the basic enemies in most of the classic Zelda games? Basic enemies look silly.

I'm not a fan of all of Skyward Sword's enemy designs, by the way. I despise the game's Moblins, for instance. But Bokoblins in the game look exactly like they should--kind of stupid basic enemies.

 

[A Link In Time]

Twilight Princess captured the brutish thug look. Skyward Sword's look like they're trying to hard to look ********.

I enjoyed the look of Twilight Princess's Bokoblins but fighting waves after waves of the same looking enemy was boring after awhile. Skyward Sword excelled in its enemy variety. Skyward Sword wasn't afraid to challenge player's perceptions of what certain foes were meant to be. Octoroks returned to their 2D concoction as land based enemies instead of taking to the waters, for example.

One of my biggest gripes with Skyward Sword was the lack of heavies enemies like Iron Knuckles and Darknuts but Nintendo's development philosophy is understandable. Not only would those armored knights not fit from a story perspective but fighting a group of lesser enemies as in the final horde sequence was a refreshing change of pace as opposed to combating one or at most two bigger baddies. My only gripe with the horde battle is the lack of more Bokoblin types like Cursed Bokoblins and Technoblins but the sequences was exhilarating nonetheless.

The word "********" isn't an appropriate statement either as Skyward Sword Bokoblins are definitely fiercer looking and more aggressive than their TP counterparts.

Bokoblins have never been my favorite designed enemy but Nintendo is definitely making significant inroads.

 

[JuicieJ]

One of my biggest gripes with Skyward Sword was the lack of heavies enemies like Iron Knuckles and Darknuts

Kind of off topic (my post here), but keep your fingers crossed for their comeback in Zelda 3DS and Wii U!

 

[DarkestLink]

I honestly got these vibes reversed.

That also doesn't really have anything to do with their gameplay.

I was never complaining about gameplay.

Again, how is that really different from the basic enemies in most of the classic Zelda games? Basic enemies look silly.

I'm not a fan of all of Skyward Sword's enemy designs, by the way. I despise the game's Moblins, for instance. But Bokoblins in the game look exactly like they should--kind of stupid basic enemies.

I actually liked the moblins. Not the best design, but they looked more brutish and thuggish like they should (Compared to Wind Waker at least). The Bokoblins looked too silly. How am I supposed to fear this thing? I keep laughing too much.

The word "********" isn't an appropriate statement either as Skyward Sword Bokoblins are definitely fiercer looking and more aggressive than their TP counterparts.

Ehhh every time I see them, I hear Spongebob saying "DUUUUHHH! I'M STUPID!" from the Karate episode. Their love for underwear was just...weird. It was supposed to be funny. They were supposed to be funny. That's what I didn't like. They were threatening. I couldn't see why anyone in the game would be scared of them. I'd be laughing honestly.

 

[JuicieJ]

I was never complaining about gameplay.

Gameplay was what I made this thread for, though. :/

Ehhh every time I see them, I hear Spongebob saying "DUUUUHHH! I'M STUPID!" from the Karate episode. Their love for underwear was just...weird. It was supposed to be funny. They were supposed to be funny. That's what I didn't like. They were threatening. I couldn't see why anyone in the game would be scared of them. I'd be laughing honestly.

Lol'd at that first bit.

Anyway, as Hanyou pointed out, they're supposed to be goofy. They're the grunts. Would you be intimidated by a Goomba or Koopa if you saw one?

It's okay for you not to like how they looked, of course, but isn't criticizing them for fulfilling a role they were supposed to fulfill kind of harsh?

 

[Cfrock]

I enjoyed the look of Twilight Princess's Bokoblins but fighting waves after waves of the same looking enemy was boring after awhile. Skyward Sword excelled in its enemy variety.

I would disagree here. The majority of Skyward Sword's enemies were fought in pretty much the exact same way: approach, wait for them to give you an obvious opening, attack. No enemy was guilty of this more than the Bokoblins and that is why, while I won't call them bad by any stretch, I can't say I'm overly fond of them.

The only Bokoblins who didn't behave in the exact same way as the others were the Cursed Bokoblins who were just damage sponges. Considering how often you fought Bokoblins, they never seemed to do anything different and it got fairly boring to fight them by about the game's half-way point.

But Bokoblins in the game look exactly like they should--kind of stupid basic enemies.

At the beginning of the game I would have agreed with this. However, since the Bokoblins are the predominant opposition you face constantly throughout the game, it would have been nice to see later versions look a little more... Serious. Gameplay-wise, they didn't increase in challenge but giving them the look of something that means business could have helped us perceive them as a somewhat more threatening foe in the game's later stages. Instead, when we were trying to get to Ghirahim at the end, we were faced with a horde of dopey looking idiots and I found that sequence amusing more than tense as a result.

 

[JuicieJ]

I would disagree here. The majority of Skyward Sword's enemies were fought in pretty much the exact same way: approach, wait for them to give you an obvious opening, attack. No enemy was guilty of this more than the Bokoblins and that is why, while I won't call them bad by any stretch, I can't say I'm overly fond of them.

Twilight Princess's offer no defense whatsoever, meaning you have a guaranteed hit every time. That can't be said of the Bokoblins of Skyward Sword. Does it really make sense to imply that TP's are better than SS's?

 

[Cfrock]

Twilight Princess's offer no defense whatsoever, meaning you have a guaranteed hit every time. That can't be said of the Bokoblins of Skyward Sword. Does it really make sense to imply that TP's are better than SS's?

I never once mentioned Twilight Princess's Bokoblins. Just because I found Skyward Sword's Bokoblins to be boring does not mean I liked Twilight Princess's more. I did not say that, I did not even slightly suggest that. Were ALIT and myself differ, as was clear from my post, is regarding the variety of Skyward Sword's enemy design. I left in ALIT's mention of Twilight Princess to provide a little context to the quotation, nothing more. I didn't mention Twilight Princess's Bokoblins because the thread is about Skyward Sword's.

If you would like to hear my thoughts on Twilight Princess's, you have only to ask.

 

[JuicieJ]

I never once mentioned Twilight Princess's Bokoblins. Just because I found Skyward Sword's Bokoblins to be boring does not mean I liked Twilight Princess's more. I did not say that, I did not even slightly suggest that. Were ALIT and myself differ, as was clear from my post, is regarding the variety of Skyward Sword's enemy design. I left in ALIT's mention of Twilight Princess to provide a little context to the quotation, nothing more. I didn't mention Twilight Princess's Bokoblins because the thread is about Skyward Sword's.

The quote you responded to implied (to me, anyway) that you thought TP's were varied and SS's were not. It would have helped to have bolded the part you were responding to.

 

[Cfrock]

The quote you responded to implied (to me, anyway) that you thought TP's were varied and SS's were not. It would have helped to have bolded the part you were responding to.

Fair enough. For the record, I think Twilight Princess's Bokoblins are worse because, for the most part, you could completely ignore them.