Why All the Hate for Skyward Sword's Bokoblins?

[JuicieJ]

They're decent enemies in the beginning of the game, but there shouldn't have been constant bokoblin through the beginning of the game. Actually, the harder variant of bokoblin (blue) that replace the ones in the faron woods actually are easier, because they are over-aggressive and don't defend themselves right away. And then, the technoblins, they're just stupid. I hate the fact that you get punished if you get an attack parried, but it doesn't matter because you can just shield bash them and take down their defenses anyway.

I didn't really mind. It reminded me a lot of Metroid, and it really worked imo. But I'm not everyone.

 

[TimeforTavel]

The Bokoblins ruined the enemy variety in Skyward Sword. I can think of like, seven varieties of them. And even if they would get harder the more you progress into the game (and they didn't), there should have been waaaaay more variety in the enemies in Skyward Sword. I missed the poes, the Darknuts, the Redeads and other stuff. Instead we got Bokoblins.

To be honest, I think one of the very few good regular enemies were the Stalfos and the Lizalfos too.

 

[Awesome]

My main issue with the Bokoblins of Skyward Sword, I guess really wasn't that they didn't attack...although I wish they did. No my issued with the Bokoblins is that they simply serve as a road block. I mean it's not like you're going to take damage from them unless you've just started the game for the first time and are still figuring out the controls. True the same can be said about the other Bokoblins in other Zelda games, but they required less than a second to dispatch. While this could be argued as being a worse design (which it is,) Bokoblins never give me trouble. Since they never attack (and when they they do attack they never attack in groups usually...usually they just take turns) they shouldn't require five seconds to dispatch them.

I'm probably not explaining this well, but essentially I don't like useless roadblocks.

 

[Kupsacker]

I didn't really mind. It reminded me a lot of Metroid, and it really worked imo. But I'm not everyone.

Ah, see, I like TP's enemy progression better, where you encounter bokoblins, then bulblins, then lizalfos, then dynalfos, then darknuts and aerolfols, etc., where Skyward Sword is more like you encounter bokoblin, different bokoblin, slightly tougher bokoblin, technoblin, pirate bokoblin, etc. I was soooo disappointed when the 'fearsome pirates' were nothing more than bokoblins. The moblins were just as ridiculous, but they were a very welcome addition just to finally have some variance.

 

[JuicieJ]

Ah, see, I like TP's enemy progression better, where you encounter bokoblins, then bulblins, then lizalfos, then dynalfos, then darknuts and aerolfols, etc., where Skyward Sword is more like you encounter bokoblin, different bokoblin, slightly tougher bokoblin, technoblin, pirate bokoblin, etc. I was soooo disappointed when the 'fearsome pirates' were nothing more than bokoblins. The moblins were just as ridiculous, but they were a very welcome addition just to finally have some variance.

I honestly much prefer the depth over the variety. Look at TP compared to SS. Nearly every enemy is incredibly simple since more enemies had to be focused on. With less enemies, each one has more focus put on it, allowing that specific enemy to be fleshed out and made into, well, an actual enemy rather than just something in the way. I'm not saying variety is bad, I'm just saying a lack of it isn't automatically inferior. Depth was the better choice for SS imo -- although I'd say variety worked better for TP. I just wish they'd toned it down a bit. In the future, maybe we'll see a mix of both. I just want the type of enemies that fit the style of gameplay, because if they feel out of place, the whole game feels off.

 

[Kupsacker]

I honestly much prefer the depth over the variety. Look at TP compared to SS. Nearly every enemy is incredibly simple since more enemies had to be focused on. With less enemies, each one has more focus put on it, allowing that specific enemy to be fleshed out and made into, well, an actual enemy rather than just something in the way. I'm not saying variety is bad, I'm just saying a lack of it isn't automatically inferior. Depth was the better choice for SS imo -- although I'd say variety worked better for TP. I just wish they'd toned it down a bit. In the future, maybe we'll see a mix of both. I just want the type of enemies that fit the style of gameplay, because if they feel out of place, the whole game feels off.

I have to agree with you, a balance of variety and depth would be a perfect medium. However, I didn't really notice a ton of depth within the hierarchy of bokoblin, besides of course, that they became easier as the blue ones replaced the red ones. They all handle attacks just the same (until you get the True Master Sword which can chop through the basic bokoblins' defenses). I prefer the variety of TP's enemies because you still have to know a great deal about all of them to defeat them. I really like the Dynalfos and especially the Darknuts, because every time you battle one of them was legit challenge. Until you have the timing down, you're always guessing when it's safe to attack.

 

[winterbbytumblr]

A lot of people don't dislike the bokoblins themselves, just the lack of many other enemy types. I personally felt the Bokoblins were, not difficult but not easy. I took damage from the ones with the electric sword fairly often, and I considered myself great at the game. Another thing I could see for people not liking them is the lack on intimidation. It kinda felt like you were chopping up a cute little puppet..

 

[TimeforTavel]

I honestly much prefer the depth over the variety. Look at TP compared to SS. Nearly every enemy is incredibly simple since more enemies had to be focused on. With less enemies, each one has more focus put on it, allowing that specific enemy to be fleshed out and made into, well, an actual enemy rather than just something in the way. I'm not saying variety is bad, I'm just saying a lack of it isn't automatically inferior. Depth was the better choice for SS imo -- although I'd say variety worked better for TP. I just wish they'd toned it down a bit. In the future, maybe we'll see a mix of both. I just want the type of enemies that fit the style of gameplay, because if they feel out of place, the whole game feels off.

I'd hardly call the Redeads, Darknuts, Freezards and Armos of Twilight Princess "just something in the way". Twilight Princess had more difficult enemies + more variety.

 

[TheMasterSword]

The true problem people had with the Bokoblins was the design of them. Many didn't like the design and the fact that they were actually somewhat competent. The fact that they had the capability to block and actually counter you made them a fair challenge. It wasn't just random swing swing KO. It was actually skill. The game required more skill, which makes the game great.

 

[Mr.Verto]

At first sight they seem pretty cool...but after finishing the Skyview Temple they become a bother. Which is not wrong considering they are evil...and evil is not something pleasant :/

The fact that they block doesn't bother me...what bothers me is that they blocked for so long ._. If I went after one just swinging wildly I would spend at least 30 seconds to kill, and with strategy at least 10. But that varies depending skill I guess.

Next was their lack of variety. They were all the same with few varying colors (red,blue and green if I'm not mistaken.) We had Normal Bokoblins, Techbokoblins, Fat? Bokoblins, and Captain? Bokoblins. (Don't quote me on names ) Which almost add to just three, since Captains did nothing surprising aside from summoning more troops.

The Techbokoblins were amazing. The Fat? Bokoblins were a bad joke. Regular and Cpt. Bokoblins defended their entire lives.

Finally, their attacks. They could be a DragonBall Z character charging a mega ball of energy for three episodes.

Nuff said. I don't hate them. But I most certainly do not like them. Much less when Ghirahim summons over nine thousand to me.

 

[Pirgah]

I'm not really a fan of the '-blin' family of enemies in general, so their overuse in Skyward Sword did nothing but lower my opinion on the title, the silly redesign of the Bokoblins made matters even worse. Leaving the imp-like design standardized by the Gamecube era for the comical Bulldog design used by Moblins in the NES era (I'm not sure if it is just me, but giant bipedal Bulldogs just don't seem like a good idea for a Fantasy enemy). On that note, Skyward Sword reintroduced Moblins, my least favorite enemy in the Zelda universe by far. Like the Bokoblins, the Moblins reverted to their early designs instead of their more aesthetically pleasing design shown in The Wind Waker as well as the 2004 Twilight Princess trailer.

This resurgence in the "-blin" family of enemies was even more unwelcome due to the lack of many other types of enemies that had become staples in the Zelda Series. We were given 6 varieties of Bokoblin: Red Bokoblin, Blue Bokoblin, Bokoblin leader, Technoblin, Cursed Bokoblins, and Green Bokoblins, yet we had only encounter two varieties of the "Stal-" family (one of which functioned as a miniboss), no Darknuts(who would have been very interesting enemies in this game, even more so than their Twilight Princess counterparts) or Iron Knuckles, no Dodongos, no Helmasaurs, no Kargaroks, the list goes on. Any of these enemy varieties could have provided unique and interesting applications of combat, but instead we were given Bokoblin after Bokoblin (I need to know though, why did they decide to include Guays...).

On the topic of Combat, this was a huge part of my hatred for Bokoblins. Like most enemies in Skyward Sword, they focused almost entirely on defense, and a simple horizontal or vertical slash would be enough to put them under. The only variety of Bokoblin that could really do damage to the player if the player was paying any attention was the Technoblin, but this was due entirely to the fact that slight accidental angles put into a swing could cause the sword to be blocked, thus electrocuting the player. As for standard attacks, Bokoblins, like all enemies, gave obvious indications of their attacks, and a simple shake of the Nunchuck would not only prevent damage, but also provide an opening to slice and dice, the entire purpose of enemies in Skyward Sword felt less like having a hostile creature that you must defeat, and more like having some sort of magical barricade between you and the other side of the glorified hallways that made Skyward Sword's Hyrule that must be removed by swinging the Wii remote vertically or horizontally. At least enemies like Stalfos and Lizalfos had a variety of attack patterns that the player would have to forsee and guard against, instead of the Bokoblin's simple "hold arm back for several seconds, then swing forward" attack.

Bokoblin's were a simple, early-game enemy that acted as a teaching tool for the player, showing off Skyward Sword's directional blocking combat system. However, this teaching tool was recycled again and again for the entirety of the game without end, thus I feel the Bokoblin's completely overstayed their welcome.

 

[Ventus]

I honestly much prefer the depth over the variety. Look at TP compared to SS. Nearly every enemy is incredibly simple since more enemies had to be focused on. With less enemies, each one has more focus put on it, allowing that specific enemy to be fleshed out and made into, well, an actual enemy rather than just something in the way.

I would twist this quote around, with the variety of TP beating out SS, especially in regards the bolded segment. Who remembers the enemies of SS? Hardly any but the most jaded of SS fans. For good reason, too, because the enemies of SS whether I like the game or not were 'just something in the way'. Heck, all enemies ever are 'just something in the way', but previous games make the enemies feel more like enemies in my opinion than that pebble that you gotta kick off the road. TP especially, with the amazing design and attack patterns (Especially the Darknuts!!).

As for my opinion on Bokoblins, Like VanitasXII said, the Bokoblins were just there to stall. They didn't have the intent to kill Link, which like Van said, makes sense in regards Ghirahim's initial stance towards Link (a mere plaything to toy with), but later in the game they were still there to stall. Their mannerisms dictated as much, too, and I DO like Skyward Sword. They attack too infrequently, and no, unlike what JuicieJ says throughout the thread, their attack rate is not due to our attacking them. They just choose to block more than they attack, that's all. They're either preparing to attack (which takes a while between their repetitive advancing towards and taking steps away from Link, coupled with pulling their weapon back for the most ridiculous of reasons), blocking, or standing around like baboons which they look like might I add. They so inconvenient, so un FUN, so...DUMB that they get the brunt of the hate. Past enemies aren't worth complaining about because they provide fun rather than the most tedious of times.

 

[JuicieJ]

I would twist this quote around, with the variety of TP beating out SS, especially in regards the bolded segment. Who remembers the enemies of SS? Hardly any but the most jaded of SS fans. For good reason, too, because the enemies of SS whether I like the game or not were 'just something in the way'. Heck, all enemies ever are 'just something in the way', but previous games make the enemies feel more like enemies in my opinion than that pebble that you gotta kick off the road. TP especially, with the amazing design and attack patterns (Especially the Darknuts!!).

Wait, amazing enemy design in TP? What? With the exception of Darknuts -- I won't deny, they had some of Zelda's best enemy design -- you mean the enemies that offered little to no defense and were able to be beaten by spamming the B button and took off 1/4 of a heart? Or performing a Hidden Skill? I personally wouldn't call that amazing design. I'd call it half-hearted and lazy design. There's obvious effort put into SS's enemies. The simplest of enemies acted like the more complex ones from past titles. They required actual strategy rather than mindless button pressing, something the series had lacked after the N64 titles (especially in TP).

Also, look at the Stalfos and Gerudos from OoT and MM. They both don't attack incredibly often and require us to wait for them to open their defenses in order to attack. No one seems to complain about them. Yet with the Bokoblins, who don't only block but react to the position of Link's sword, people whine and moan. It doesn't make any sense. I can understand the complaints about them being spread across the game, but the fact that they were beefed up and turned into actual enemies rather than pathetic little bugs like they were in the past in no way deserves criticism. It deserves nothing but praise.

As for my opinion on Bokoblins, Like VanitasXII said, the Bokoblins were just there to stall. They didn't have the intent to kill Link, which like Van said, makes sense in regards Ghirahim's initial stance towards Link (a mere plaything to toy with), but later in the game they were still there to stall. Their mannerisms dictated as much, too, and I DO like Skyward Sword. They attack too infrequently, and no, unlike what JuicieJ says throughout the thread, their attack rate is not due to our attacking them. They just choose to block more than they attack, that's all. They're either preparing to attack (which takes a while between their repetitive advancing towards and taking steps away from Link, coupled with pulling their weapon back for the most ridiculous of reasons), blocking, or standing around like baboons which they look like might I add. They so inconvenient, so un FUN, so...DUMB that they get the brunt of the hate. Past enemies aren't worth complaining about because they provide fun rather than the most tedious of times.

Again, Stalfos and Gerudos in the N64 titles. They behave in pretty much the exact same ways, only the Bokoblins' blocking abilities were more advanced. Not saying that the Bokoblins are necessarily better enemies, but they sure did have much more advanced design than typical field enemies in past titles.

 

[Tearbender]

I just wish there weren't so many of them. But I like them, especially with the true master sword its fun beating them up XD

 

[Burning Beast]

The Bokoblins in my opinion were done almost perfect, the only problem is they weren't aggressive enough. They were difficultish to hit and I'm fine with that, but they just weren't very good at attacking you they always attacked the same way all the time and were too slow. If they had different ways to attack and were quicker they would have been perfect. And not all of them would have to be this way but how about make the green ones or blue ones like that.