Boss Battle Showdown: Zelda vs Elden Ring

The launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has taken the gaming world by storm, especially as it follows up on the highly successful Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, for many fans, Tears of the Kingdom represents a marked evolution for the open-world genre. It is impressive to see a new release competing at the same level as Elden Ring, with a direct comparison between the two games' approach to boss encounters.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Back in 2022, Elden Ring was praised for its innovative open-world design, offering plenty of variation for approaching the main quest, powerful enemies roaming the overworld, and a well-structured dungeon and boss system. Now, the open world of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom allows Link to approach the main quest in a number of ways, engage with powerful enemies both in the open world and in dungeons. While this formula may sound familiar to Elden Ring fans, the similarities in boss design are undeniable for both Link's latest adventure and the Tarnished.

In particular, Tears of the Kingdom's overworld bosses parallel Elden Ring's field bosses, offering a similar challenge and level of engagement for players.

In Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, players are immediately thrown into the perilous world of Hyrule where they face off against formidable foes, including Overworld Bosses. The same can be said for Elden Ring, which features optional Field Bosses that pose a significant challenge to players. This design is intended to create a sense of intimidation and fear in players when they first encounter these bosses. However, as players progress and acquire more power, these bosses become easier to defeat upon returning to them. This type of boss design adds to the immersion of the game, making these enemies feel like a natural part of the game world. Moreover, defeating these bosses serves as a testament to the player's growth in the game, showing just how far they have come since starting their journey.

For instance, Gleeoks, the three-headed dragon creatures in Hyrule, share a resemblance to the dragons that dwell in The Lands Between. These elemental creatures await players at various points in the overworld, towering over them as seemingly unbeatable monsters. Similarly, Elden Ring players will face their own set of challenging overworld elemental dragons, such as Borealis, the Freezing Fog, and Decaying Ekzykes.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduces players to massive free-roaming Stone Taluses, which are giant stone golem beings. Interestingly, these enemies resemble the Walking Mausoleums encountered in Elden Ring's open fields. Both types of golems can be defeated by attacking ore deposits on their stone bodies. Although there may be debate about the status of Walking Mausoleums as bosses in Elden Ring, there is no denying the striking similarities between them and the Stone Taluses found in Tears of the Kingdom.

The open-world boss fight formula in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Elden Ring share a lot of similarities. Both games encourage free exploration and feature specific sets of dungeons that are relevant to the main quest. Although the bosses in the open world of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom may be similar to those of Elden Ring, the main dungeon bosses offer a refreshing sense of variety. For instance, Colgera is an epic battle where Link fights a menacing giant creature while floating high up in the air. It's a beautiful and fun experience that fits the same scale and atmosphere present in Elden Ring without being too scary.

One of the bosses in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is Mucktorok, a sludge-manipulating creature that cloaks itself in the substance to create a dangerous shark form. Although it may seem intimidating at first, its true form is actually goofy and cowardly. Several Elden Ring bosses utilize form changes, transformations, and illusions, and Mucktorok stands out as a unique concept for the land of Hyrule. It's not nearly as intimidating as something like Godfrey, but this unsuspecting encounter adds charm to the more light-hearted world.

Another boss in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is Marbled Gohma, a fire-themed creature that resembles a magma spider. It's inspired by the classic Gohma from the Zelda series but has new fire powers that create some connections to Elden Ring. Marbled Gohma is associated with a volcano and attacks players using exploding, flaming projectiles. With its beastly appearance, it has some similarities to Rykard, King of Blasphemy, although it's not as difficult to defeat.

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Demon King Ganondorf, the primary antagonist and final boss in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, provides players with an epic and challenging multi-stage encounter that sets the game apart from its contemporaries. As a humanoid boss that matches Link's combat prowess, Ganondorf uses several weapons and his signature crimson flames to terrorize the player before reaching his final phase. The encounter culminates in his transformation into his Demon Dragon form, a highly cinematic and epic battle in the skies. During this final phase, Link is aided by his own benevolent dragon, making the encounter even more exhilarating.

In Elden Ring, players will face off against Radagon, a formidable foe that promises to provide a similarly challenging experience. While details on Radagon's abilities and combat style remain scarce, fans are eagerly anticipating this encounter and the chance to test their skills against this powerful enemy.

At the conclusion of Elden Ring, players are faced with a formidable foe in the humanoid Radagon of the Golden Order. This adversary presents a formidable challenge, matching the player's combat prowess before transforming into the Elden Beast. However, some players have criticized this encounter for its slow pacing and frustrating nature, a sentiment that does not apply to Ganondorf's latest incarnation.

Despite these criticisms, Nintendo has managed to incorporate similar boss encounters in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom while breaking down some of the elements that made Elden Ring's bosses so enjoyable. While the land of Hyrule lacks the same bleak tone as The Lands Between, the boss fights in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom remain intimidating yet approachable, adding to the game's overall appeal.

These two titles exemplify the curious interplay taking place between open-world games in the current landscape, with Nintendo once again pushing the genre forward with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which is currently in development.