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- Dec 18, 2010
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- Idaho, USA
Overworld bosses are a fairly new concept in the series. Of the games I've played, only Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword feature overworld bosses. The reason I love overworld bosses, though, is not simply because they take outside of a dungeon, but rather that the fact that such a conflict taking place in the game's overworld allows said conflict to have an interesting and unique arena, as well as being able to accommodate a battle of impressive scale.
Too often (in my opinion) in Zelda, we are thrown a generic boss arena that, generally, is a simple circle with boundaries. In addition, many boss battles consist of both Link and the opponent generally not moving very much, both in terms of actual length and frequency. Now, this is where overworld bosses shine: Generally, with an overworld boss, there is a huge contrast between the manner in which this enemy is presented and fought and the manner in which a typical boss is presented and fought.
For example, in Twilight Princess, unless you have prior knowledge to the game, the first overworld boss likely catches you with your pants down. You enter a normal area, expecting nothing else than to come striding in on Epona and continuing skipping through your merry field of daffodils. Not so! You are immediately thrust into a completely altered Kakariko Village. This conflict ends on a horseback showdown on the Bridge of Eldin to the backdrop of the twilight curtain still shrouding Lanayru Province. Not only does this allow the battle to feature stunning scenery, but also to function completely different from any other boss battles in the game.
Unfortunately, though we fight the overworld boss four times in the game, thrice in the overworld and once in the final dungeon, he becomes increasingly more predictable and easier.
Not so in Skyward Sword! Although Skyward Sword is perhaps one of the most guilty titles when it comes to circular arenas (Ghirahim, Moldarach, Koloktos, Ghirahim again) its overworld boss features not only a huge, dynamic arena, consisting of a huge spiral ramp, but also a colossal and impressive boss to fight it in! The Imprisoned not only is one of the largest enemies ever faced in a Zelda game, but also makes extensive use of the battlefield, which is truly unique to a boss in Zelda. Very rarely have we ever had a battle in Zelda make complete use of unique terrain.
Not only this, but in complete opposite fashion to Twilight Princess's overworld boss, the Imprisoned becomes more and more difficult with each subsequent fight, and continues to throw you curveballs to keep you guessing. One can truly feel the terrain's effect on the battle as the Imprisoned uses its arms to climb up to the next level, or even fly up to the temple.
What I'm getting at here is that bosses in Zelda generally are fought in generic arenas that features little to no use of the terrain, either by the player or the boss. Although many boss battles in the past have had arenas with little quirks (for example, Bongo Bongo, Gohma in The Wind Waker, and Stallord) very rarely have we had something completely different, that occurs within a large area with fewer boundaries, featuring significant movement by both the player and the boss they seek to conquer. I suppose this is the reason I was so impressed with Scaldera in Skyward Sword; the large ramp is completely different from any other boss arena in the series. The same can be said of Goht in Majora's Mask, and I would consider this the closest thing to a large-scale overworld boss like the ones I'm talking about.
Finally, presentation. Typically, the player knows when a boss battle is about to occur. It is usually marked by a large door, the possession of a boss key, or a significant room before the boss. By using overworld bosses, the developers can catch players completely off-guard and quickly thrust a player into an epic scenario. By doing this, and doing it repetitively, they can keep a player interested in exploration, and keep them in anticipation as to what is going to happen next.
What do you think of overworld bosses, boss arenas, and the presentation of bosses in general in Zelda?
Too often (in my opinion) in Zelda, we are thrown a generic boss arena that, generally, is a simple circle with boundaries. In addition, many boss battles consist of both Link and the opponent generally not moving very much, both in terms of actual length and frequency. Now, this is where overworld bosses shine: Generally, with an overworld boss, there is a huge contrast between the manner in which this enemy is presented and fought and the manner in which a typical boss is presented and fought.
For example, in Twilight Princess, unless you have prior knowledge to the game, the first overworld boss likely catches you with your pants down. You enter a normal area, expecting nothing else than to come striding in on Epona and continuing skipping through your merry field of daffodils. Not so! You are immediately thrust into a completely altered Kakariko Village. This conflict ends on a horseback showdown on the Bridge of Eldin to the backdrop of the twilight curtain still shrouding Lanayru Province. Not only does this allow the battle to feature stunning scenery, but also to function completely different from any other boss battles in the game.
Unfortunately, though we fight the overworld boss four times in the game, thrice in the overworld and once in the final dungeon, he becomes increasingly more predictable and easier.
Not so in Skyward Sword! Although Skyward Sword is perhaps one of the most guilty titles when it comes to circular arenas (Ghirahim, Moldarach, Koloktos, Ghirahim again) its overworld boss features not only a huge, dynamic arena, consisting of a huge spiral ramp, but also a colossal and impressive boss to fight it in! The Imprisoned not only is one of the largest enemies ever faced in a Zelda game, but also makes extensive use of the battlefield, which is truly unique to a boss in Zelda. Very rarely have we ever had a battle in Zelda make complete use of unique terrain.
Not only this, but in complete opposite fashion to Twilight Princess's overworld boss, the Imprisoned becomes more and more difficult with each subsequent fight, and continues to throw you curveballs to keep you guessing. One can truly feel the terrain's effect on the battle as the Imprisoned uses its arms to climb up to the next level, or even fly up to the temple.
What I'm getting at here is that bosses in Zelda generally are fought in generic arenas that features little to no use of the terrain, either by the player or the boss. Although many boss battles in the past have had arenas with little quirks (for example, Bongo Bongo, Gohma in The Wind Waker, and Stallord) very rarely have we had something completely different, that occurs within a large area with fewer boundaries, featuring significant movement by both the player and the boss they seek to conquer. I suppose this is the reason I was so impressed with Scaldera in Skyward Sword; the large ramp is completely different from any other boss arena in the series. The same can be said of Goht in Majora's Mask, and I would consider this the closest thing to a large-scale overworld boss like the ones I'm talking about.
Finally, presentation. Typically, the player knows when a boss battle is about to occur. It is usually marked by a large door, the possession of a boss key, or a significant room before the boss. By using overworld bosses, the developers can catch players completely off-guard and quickly thrust a player into an epic scenario. By doing this, and doing it repetitively, they can keep a player interested in exploration, and keep them in anticipation as to what is going to happen next.
What do you think of overworld bosses, boss arenas, and the presentation of bosses in general in Zelda?
