Although there’s a significant emphasis on the puzzle-solving side of Zelda titles, which is expected to carry across in Tears of the Kingdom, the enemies you face during your adventures across Hyrule play an equally significant role. Despite the driving force of evil usually revolving around Ganon, you’ll meet a variety of harmful and horrendous enemies throughout each installment of the timeline, and while the vast majority won’t necessarily stick with you, some of the more intimidating will stay with you, yet outside of their allotted title, you won’t necessarily see them again.
So it’s no surprise that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild introduced another array of evil into the mix, and even classic critters like Bokoblins received a re-skin to match the new appearance of a Zelda title, but as we are drip-fed information about Tears of the Kingdom before its release, some old threats are starting to rear their ugly heads, and a lot of players can’t help but question as to whether Tears of the Kingdom will be a turning point for the franchise to return to its roots and re-introduce some of it’s most threatening cast members.
The Return of Some Familiar Faces in Tears of the Kingdom
Despite not having a lot of information regarding the content of Tears of the Kingdom, the few trailers we have received shed light on some features that might be overlooked on first viewing. To the untrained eye, the land of Hyrule becomes littered with Bokoblins and Lizfalos as the Blood Moon rises, but if you look closely, you’ll start to see a handful of familiar faces among the masses.
For example, in a shot of an army led by a Lizfalos, a ReDead-inspired creature appears alongside the frontman, or in a shot of Hyrule bridge, a three-headed dragon reminiscent of Gleeok appears to breathe fire, which has caused considerable discussion within the Zelda community as to whether old enemies will be making a reappearance as Ganon desperately tries to stop Link for another game. Although the occasional beast in Breath of the Wild will pose a challenge to the player, like encountering a Lynel when you’re least expecting it or stumbling across a sleeping Hinox, you quickly learn how to combat their attacks, so having an entirely new challenge to face will be a well-needed breath of fresh air.
In addition, encountering older enemies like Gleeok and ReDead has made future players question if enemies will be the only returning element from previous games. With a lifetime of characters put aside, it isn’t entirely out of the question for some of the Zelda series’ most-loved characters to make a surprise reappearance. It’s already been assumed that Tears of the Kingdom derives a lot of inspiration from Skyward Sword, given its airborne setting and anticipated appearance of Loftwings, so having an integral character like Giriham or even Groose appear alongside enemies like Staldra could bring the experience full circle.
But a lot of the questions surrounding Tears of the Kingdom will have to wait until the game’s official launch, and patient players can finally explore what the game has to offer, be it a slice of Zelda history in a towering new art style, or a new twist on old characters. Either way, now a release date is in sight, it might be worth refreshing your memory on these enemies’ weaknesses just in case they pop up when you least expect them.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will launch on Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.
