Here’s to the one-shot big baddies of The Legend of Zelda

destructoid.com:

In just a few days, millions of Switch owners will finally get their hands on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. As the direct sequel to the biggest Zelda game of all time, expectations are high. Previews have been positive, and as we count down the hours to when Tears of the Kingdom will finally be playable, I’ve been spending my hours thinking back to all the games that have come before it. I’ve been with the series since the beginning, starting way back on the NES. I was killing moblins before I knew how to tie my shoes. This series has been a part of my life for more than 30 years, and it’s unlikely that’ll change in the future.

While much of my reminiscing over the past few weeks has been fawning over those warm memories of finally beating Zelda II or setting sail in The Wind Waker, I’ve also looked back on those villains who were a one-and-done challenge for the sword-swinging elf boy. When most people think of the Zelda series, they think of Ganon and Ganondorf as the main antagonists for Link and the Princess.

But they’ve had other villains, some more memorable than the others. Because fighting the same big baddie over and over again can get a little dull, I want to raise a glass to those ne’er-do-wells who helped break up the monotony with their moment in the limelight. So step aside Ganon, Ganondorf, Vaati, and all their variations (yes, I’m including Demise here) because this article is for the one-hit wonders.

I never appreciated the Shadow Nightmare until I got around to playing the Link’s Awakening remake on Nintendo Switch. When I first played Link’s Awakening DX 15+ years ago, I thought it was a fairly unimpressive final big boss for an otherwise wonderful adventure. In hindsight, I consider it a