When we compiled a list of The best boss fights in the world Legend of Zelda series here, at My city, We all had a moment of acceptance together breath of the wildwidely regarded as a defining moment in the long history of the series, would not be represented. The Wii U/Switch game is an open-world design achievement with systemic depth in every corner of its world. But when it came to the bosses you encounter along your journey, they were mechanically interesting but ultimately forgettable as villains. As such, Tears of the Kingdom‘s return to zeldaThe series’ usual memorable character design and top-notch battle design make each climax battle stand out, even among everything else, making the game a marked improvement over an already outstanding game.
The problem with breath of the wildThe boss fights
Credit where credit is due, the real boss steps in breath of the wild are impressive from a mechanical point of view, as each requires the use of different abilities and environmental systems to achieve victory. At the end of each of the Divine Beasts, Link faces off against one of the Blight Ganons. These creatures are made of ancient technology and the malice of Calamity Ganon, and while they appear intimidating, their visual designs fit together in my mind. Even after competing against them, I don’t think I could recognize them by name in a lineup.
However, this lack of visual identity doesn’t completely detract from the fights. There are a lot of really cool systems showcased in these battles. Because breath of the wild is so open that the game can’t necessarily take into account that you have specific tools or abilities, so these fights are often based on the environment in which you fight them. For example, to defeat Windblight Ganon, use the wind turbines available to send you paragliding into the air. Waterblight Ganon fights in a flooded room, which means you’ll need to find ways to attack him from one of the few solid pieces of ground you can stand on, while also putting yourself at risk of damage as you swim through the room.
Even if the enemy you fight isn’t that memorable, the mechanics you work with are memorable. This makes the fight against the Blight Ganons feel more like an extended, more dangerous puzzle than a fight. Tears of the KingdomThe boss fights, on the other hand, combine mechanical mastery with visual design to create encounters that feel far more unique than breath of the wildIt ever did.
How Tears of the Kingdom turns the boss fight formula on its head
The first big difference is this Tears of the KingdomThe boss fights seem more cooperative than isolating. by draft, breath of the wild is quite a secluded experience. Link spends much of the game apart from others as he journeys through Hyrule, only getting through human life on the way to his next divine beast. It makes sense given the state of Hyrule in this game, as the world is suffering from a centuries-long cataclysm that tore the kingdom apart. Much of Link’s work in this game is rebuilding bridges (figuratively, although he does it literally). Tears of the Kingdom) between portions of Hyrule confiscated under Ganon’s rule. So when the sequel comes out, there’s a sense of community and camaraderie that Link might not have felt when he first woke up breath of the wild.
These bonds are showcased in-game as Link recruits new Sages in Tulin, Sidon, Yunobo, and Riju, each granting Link a new ability in their respective temples as they fight at his side. Tulin’s Gust ability grants Link more agility in the air, which is key to battling Colgera, an icy, airborne beast in Wind Temple, while diving through his weak points. Sidon’s shield envelops Link in water and can become a projectile that will help you clear the sludge emanating from Mucktorok in the Water Temple. These struggles are in opposition to one another simply because one is no longer alone.
The mechanics give each fight its own twist, but now that each boss isn’t just a variation of the same visual design, the climate enemies you face have a lot more character. Where breath of the wildThe bosses were mostly faceless beings defined almost entirely by their mechanical construction, each boss in Tears of the Kingdom is visually striking. They can be intimidating, but some of them definitely aren’t. Colgera is terrifying, but Mucktorok is actually pretty pathetic if you omit his mud shield. And the Marbled Gohma feels like that unknown rock beast crawling around in the depths. These bosses are reminiscent of those zelda games from before and make it clear that Ganondorf is not the only source of evil in Hyrule, although he certainly knows how to repurpose it for his own needs.
Like most dangers in breath of the wild, each boss could be traced back to Calamity Ganon. He was a force of nature and almost everything bad that happened in Hyrule was an extension of him. Narratively speaking, that remains true Tears of the Kingdom, as each of these beasts exist to obey Ganondorf’s commands, but they are a reminder that there are things in the world we still don’t know about and fighting these beasts alongside the friends you have on your Finding Journey feels like a discovery and something new and scary to overcome rather than different variants of the same villain. It’s a return to form for a series that has previously excelled in this regard breath of the wildand it’s another example of that Tears of the Kingdomis a big step up from a game that was already considered a best-in-class game.
