Summary
The Legend of Zeldais known for a lot of things, including its vibrant worlds, imaginative characters, and brain-teasing puzzles. All of that and more was on clear display in the most recent entry,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Set in an open world with considerable verticality, players were able to take Link all acrossThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Hyrule, discovering, building, and fighting all the while.
During many players' adventures,Tears of the Kingdom’s combat system might start to fade into the background. It’s almost identical to what was in its predecessor,Breath of the Wild, and apart fromcreativity spurred byTotK’s Fuseand Ultrahand arm powers, it works the same way. New overworld and dungeon bosses can create highlight fights, and certain foes like Lynels will always inspire tension, but even they can’t pushTears of the Kingdom’s combat hard enough to outdo its other selling points. Fortunately, before reenacting the cinematic last phase ofBotW’s final battle, the Demon King himself sets a strong example for how futureZeldatitles should test their players’ mettle.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Combat Succeeds When Link Is Evenly Matched
By the time players reach Ganondorf at the end ofTears of the Kingdom, the game’s bosses will have been a mixed bag. None of them are bad, but they run the gamut from epic spectacles like Colgera and the Gleeok dragons to underwhelming affairs like Yunobo and the Mucktoroc. OfTotK’s six main quest bossesleading up to Ganondorf, only Queen Gibdo and the Hyrule Castle Phantom Ganon required significant normal combat alongside the powers or presence of the Sages.
Ganondorf’s Initial Phases Are Tears of the Kingdom’s Best Boss Fights
That changes significantly with Ganondorf’s initial Gerudo and Demon King forms, and does so to great effect. Like the final bouts withGanondorf inThe Wind WakerandTwilight Princess, most of the King of Evil’s boss fight is spent clashing weapons with Link. Ganondorf can switch between the same three weapon types featured inBotWandTotK, will attempt to catch arrows if unoccupied, and eventually gains an elongated health bar likely comparable to the player’s endgame hearts as well as various long-range attacks. The perfect dramatic touch to tie the whole fight together is Ganondorf countering Link’s Flurry Rush with his own, encapsulating the feeling of legendary warriors clashing over the fate of Hyrule.
Other Zelda Games Could Learn From TotK’s Ganondorf Duel
Much ado has been made about Ganondorf’s Flurry Rush, and while many players justifiably cite it as their favorite part of the fight, that’s because it’s the culmination of the humanoid Ganondorf’s other virtues. Outside Lynels, there is nodangerous enemy inTears of the Kingdomwho can challenge the player’s core combat skills like Ganondorf does, and it’s thrilling to prove oneself the better fighter. That’s why Thunderblight Ganon inBreath of the Wildwas both hated and loved. The Blight’s lightning-fast attacks and strong defenses meant players had to counter with their own, a rare experience among the game’s foes.
The Legend of Zelda Needs More Fights Against Other Swordsmen
FutureZeldatitles should acknowledge the strengths that Demon King Ganondorf, and to a lesser extent Thunderblight Ganon and the Lynels, represent.The Legend of Zelda’s core sword-and-shield combatis an integral part of the series, but many veteran fans know that the only entry that regularly built encounters around it wasSkyward Sword. FromSkyward Sword’s first Moblins to its final showdown with Demise, the game proved that having duels against straightforward but competent foes can be exhilarating. Whatever the nextLegend of Zeldagame is, it should emulateTears of the Kingdom’s Ganondorf fight throughout its boss roster to spread that feeling further.
