The final trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was chock-full of new tidbits of gameplay and lore including the first look at the new design for Ganondorf. While there was a lot shown in this trailer for fans to unpack, eagle-eyed fans may have spotted an enemy famous for its appearance in the original Legend of Zelda for NES. What appears to be a Gleeok can be seen briefly towards the end of the trailer, suggesting that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom could be digging deep into the series' past for returning enemies.
Although Ganondorf as voiced by Matthew Mercer was the real star of the trailer, the return of other beloved characters from the previous title such as Sidon and Riju was great to see as well. However, getting to see the enemies Link will face in action really set the stage for what players can expect in the upcoming game, and it appears that Tears of the Kingdom is upping the ante on the types of baddies players will have to defeat. Out of all the new enemies shown, the Gleeok was the most intimidating, signaling that a modern game may finally do this classic Zelda boss justice.
Gleeoks Make Their Triumphant Return in Tears of the Kingdom
The Gleeok is a recurring enemy that first appears in 1986's The Legend of Zelda for NES, where several variations of it serve as bosses within the game's dungeons. Gleeoks are multi-headed dragons that typically require Link to defeat each individual head to defeat the creature as a whole. Although this monstrosity is iconic in the original Zelda title, it has had sparse appearances in the franchise since, which is surprising given the gameplay potential and notability of the Gleeok.
Aside from the original title, Gleeoks have only appeared in two other Zelda games thus far, neither of which are among franchise's more popular entries. A two-headed Gleeok can be fought as the boss of the Explorer's Crypt in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons on the Game Boy Color, and another two-headed variant serves as the boss of the Temple of Ice in the Nintendo DS' The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Neither of these appearances really capture the threat Gleeoks posed in the original Legend of Zelda, begging a modern entry like Tears of the Kingdom to finally give the beast its due.
While the Gleeok is only shown briefly during the recent trailer for Tears of the Kingdom, it appears to be covered in fire or even Malice, suggesting there could be multiple variants of this boss in the game. These different Gleeoks seem to act like overworld bosses similar to the Hinox in Breath of the Wild, perhaps functioning as sources for rare materials and weapons like their counterparts from the previous title. With Tears of the Kingdom's focus on air traversal, it makes sense that field bosses would become airborne, opening up unique new combat scenarios.
It's clear that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is more than just a sequel to Breath of the Wild, but a celebration of the Zelda series as a whole. Even among the returning fan-favorite and series staple characters, it's nice to see Nintendo hasn't forgotten about one of the most terrifying enemies from the original game. With Gleeoks potentially opening the door to some interesting new battles, Tears of the Kingdom is shaping up to be both an evolution of the series, and a return to the roots of the classic entries in the franchise.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases May 12, 2023, for Nintendo Switch.
