Daily Debate: Which Classic Enemy Were You Most Excited to See Return in Tears of the Kingdom?
Posted on June 12 2023 by Emi Curtis
Spoiler Warning: The article below contains minor spoilers for the first couple hours of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It is possible the comment section could contain spoilers in both pictures and words. Please click at your own risk.
I’m just gonna put it straight. Nintendo spoiled us pretty rotten with Tears of the Kingdom. Save for being able to pet the dogs and Korok Seeds returning, the game improved on Breath of the Wild in almost every way possible. All the more impressive given Breath of the Wild was hailed as one of the best games in the Zelda series.
As a cherry on top, the game even saw the return of even more enemies from the history of Zelda, reimagined for a modern era. I have been genuinely impressed how many familiar names wound up filling the game’s rogues gallery this time around. But which was the best?
I will admit, I was ecstatic to see the return of Gibdos and Gleeoks both. We hadn’t seen Gleeoks since Phantom Hourglass, and I’ll be honest, the Gibdos of A Link Between Worlds were kind of lame design-wise. If there is anything I’m a sucker for, it’s the spooky monsters of Zelda, and also dragons. Dragons are cool as heck.
The manner in which both enemies returned was great too. I love how Gleeoks in particular evolve from traversal obstacles in the beginning to challenging field bosses as you become powerful enough to face them. Butterfly wings on Gibdos was… also a bizarre choice, but you know what, I’m here for it. Horror butterflies is certainly a unique concept. They have the frightening qualities of Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time’s Gibdos though and that’s what’s important.
What are your thoughts? Which was your favorite monster to see return in Tears of the Kingdom? Which redesigns really left you scratching your head? Let us know in the comments below!
Emi Curtis is an associate editor with Zelda Dungeon, having originally joined the team in late 2020. She is a freelance artist, programmer, and streamer with a healthy love of both the creative and analytical. She can frequently be found playing RPGs and Adventure games, her favorite of which being The Wind Waker. She is also quite fond of playing Zelda Randomizers. Currently, she hosts a tabletop RPG series on Twitch and operates a freelance illustration business. She can be found on Twitter and Twitch as her VTuber alter-ego Gwen Myoty, creating nerdy artwork, dungeon mastering tabletop games, and playing RPGs.
