The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom learned more than a few lessons from its predecessor. Breath of the Wild took the series in a brand-new direction, while still respecting many of the elements that give Zelda its identity. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom followed a similar trajectory, and arguably took this design philosophy to its natural conclusion.
For every innovation Breath of the Wild made, it would leave something else in the dust. While the structure of the main quest was ingenious for allowing players ultimate freedom to explore the open world, some felt that the narrative itself left something to be desired. Tears of the Kingdom largely made up for this with a greater focus on story content in general. Although Zelda had some especially compelling moments for players to follow, the triumphant return of Ganondorf stole the show for just as many fans — and could set the stage for other villain makeovers.
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The surprise villain of Echoes of Wisdom pit players against an unknown threat, which, after Tears of the Kingdom, might be just what the series needs
Ganondorf’s Tears of the Kingdom Redesign Should Be Just the Beginning for Zelda Villains
Ganondorf’s Return in Tears of the Kingdom was a Long Time Coming
It’s by no means a stretch to say that Ganondorf is one of the single most iconic villains in gaming history. Ganondorf has served as the main antagonist of the series since its inception, when he was first introduced in his pig form as Ganon. It wasn’t until Ocarina of Time that the King of Evil took on his humanoid Gerudo form. As with many of the other elements that Ocarina of Time introduced, this redesign had enough staying power to become practically synonymous with the character.
Breath of the Wild is commonly seen as a drastic leap forward for the series, just as Ocarina of Time was in its day. Despite this, Ganondorf would only appear in Breath of the Wild as the newly introduced “Calamity Ganon”, who served little role beyond an intimidating final boss waiting at the end of Link’s journey. Tears of the Kingdom brought back Ganondorf with a radical redesign, which also happened to be the first appearance of his humanoid form since Twilight Princess.
Twilight Princess was first released in 2006, meaning players had to wait more than fifteen years before Ganondorf made his return in Tears of the Kingdom. This may seem like an awfully long hiatus for a character of Ganon’s stature, and the wait was no doubt a major reason his redesign received such a warm reception. The Legend of Zelda features plenty of other villains that deserve the same treatment, but there is one in particular who should make it on to everyone’s radar sooner rather than later.
Vaati Deserves to Return to The Legend of Zelda as a Major Villain
Vaati is the main antagonist of Minish Cap and Four Swords, which already makes him the second most recurring main villain in The Legend of Zelda behind Ganondorf. At first glance, this fact would only remind one of Ganon’s dominance over the series as a whole. Upon further examination, the subject of Vaati’s absence becomes more and more questionable.
Similar to Ganondorf, Vaati can assume a few different forms, including that of a Demon. However, Vaati’s differences from Ganondorf are much more compelling than his similarities. Ganondorf is the incarnation of evil itself, and will stop at nothing to obtain absolute power. By contrast, Vaati’s pursuit of power is shown to be a little more three-dimensional.
By revealing that Vaati was once the student of Link’s companion Ezlo, Minish Cap portrays Vaati’s story as one of tragic corruption. Unlike most of Ganondorf’s reincarnations, Vaati was not born evil. Players aren’t shown every step of his journey, but this only means that the hidden corners of Vaati’s backstory could be ripe for exploration.
After Ganon and Vaati, most other Legend of Zelda villains have made only one appearance each. Plenty of them could likely headline another game, but the potential lurking in Vaati’s backstory makes him the most deserving candidate by far. After seeing how Tears of the Kingdom made Ganondorf feel radically fresh, one can only hope that the series will take the same approach with a character who hasn’t had as much time in the spotlight.
- Released
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May 12, 2023
- ESRB
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Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo