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Todays entry is........
LIZALFOS
Lizalfos are reptilian humanoids that exist within The Legend of Zelda series. They are always shown as enemies and usually fairly competent ones at that. Although their appearance and behavior change slightly from game to game, but they do keep fairly consistent traits throughout the series. Regardless of which game they appear in, they are portrayed as a fairly primitive species, usually attacking under the influence of a greater enemy (such as Ganon) or protecting their territory. Despite this, they are shown to be intelligent enough to craft (or steal) armor and weaponry and utilize them efficiently. Also, in all the games the Lizalfos are shown to be quite social, portraying them as banding together in pairs, packs, and perhaps even tribes. Regardless, they are an apparently barbarian species and quite aggressive. As reptiles they seek warm or at least comfortable climates and are never seen in cold areas.
Many other species in the Zelda universe are quite similar to the Lizalfos. Such beings include Dinolfos, Aeralphos, and Darias. There is no canon link between the Lizalfos and any of these species, so any relationship is complete speculation.
In their first appearance in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link They appeared as reptilian humanoids about as tall as Link is. They all carried shields to block Link's high and low attacks and wore black armor over their torsos. As a whole Lizalfos were the strongest overworld enemy in the game and attacked almost identically to Iron Knuckles, requiring Link to switch between high and low attacks in an attempt to damage them. However, they were vulnerable to the "Down Thrust" maneuver. The weakest were orange Lizalfos who carried one-handed spears that they could attack high and low with. Red Lizalfos were the middle-class in difficulty, carrying maces that could pierce through Link's shield. However, red Lizalfos could only attack high with their cumbersome weapons. Blue Lizalfos were the elite of their species, also carrying maces. Unlike the red Lizalfos, blue Lizalfos would hurl their maces at Link, which were also un-blockable.
Lizalfos were amongst Gannon’s minions that were hunting for Link's blood in order to revive their master. Lizalfos also demonstrated some tactical mindset, as they would build giant, wooden walls at choke points where Link would be forced to pass. In addition to the Lizalfos soldiers that would attack link directly, Red Lizalfos would stand up from behind the wooden wall (supposedly standing on some sort of structure behind said barrier) and hurl rocks in groups of three at the hero. These Lizalfos could not be reached by any attack save Link's "Lightning" spell.
Another reptilian species appears in this game called Darias. They are axe-wielding, alligator-like humanoids with large mohawks. Orange Darias behave similarly to red Lizalfos, but they are faster and lack a protective shields. Red Darias are much like blue Lizalfos, but once again faster and without a shield.
Lizalfos in Ocarina of Time were much more sparse. Also, in contrast with their previous appearance, they were relatively easy do dispatch. They appeared thrice in groups of two, twice at Dodongo's Cavern and once at the Spirit Temple. These Lizalfos were green in color and used swords. They also wore green armor on their chests with one red-spiked shoulder plate and similarly metal loin-cloths. Their cries were quite high pitched and they would make noise constantly. They would attack Link one-on-one despite coming in pairs. Lizalfos would hop around the area and attack link with their swords with a single overhead swing. They were also quite nimble, jumping around Link attempting to pierce through his defense. Their companion would watch from a distance, jumping in place almost continuously until the combatant lost about half their health. In this case the attacking Lizalfos would "tag" out and the idle one would take over the fight. They would parish after two hits from the Master Sword and were vulnerable to Deku Nuts.
In addition to Lizalfos, Ocarina of Time introduced what is believed to be a close relative called the Dinalfos. They appeared much like Lizalfos but larger with more violent-looking features and heavier armor. They could take twice as many hits as Lizalfos, carried twin swords, and had the ability to breathe fire. Dinalfos appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask without their weaker companions.
Lizalfos return in Twilight Princess. Here they become much more numerous than in Ocarina of Time. Lizalfos appear much like their Ocarina of Time counterparts, but larger than Link and somewhat bulkier. They mainly wore ragged outfits and sparse armor, but some Lizalfos wore skulls on their heads and a few even wore heavy armor. They were equipped with axes and bucklers, and most had an axe head attached to their tails. They were formidable opponents and appeared frequently. In this game they were not limited to hot environments, appearing in many places (but still never a fairly cold area). Armored Lizalfos were particularly difficult to damage and the strongest variant of their warriors. They are apparently in the employ of Ganondorf as they aid in the defense of Hyrule Castle against Link.
Also, in this game one particularly large Lizalfos can be found as a mini-boss at the Yeti’s mansion, signifying perhaps that these Lizalfos are not cold-blooded. This particular Lizalfos wears full armor, revealing only its tail (which Link must attack). It used the ball-and-chain as a weapon and Link claimed it from the Lizalfos after its defeat.
Another creature very similar to Lizalfos called Aeralfos appeared in this game as well. They looked like small, winged Lizalfos armed with swords and shields. Their shields were odd in the fact that the Clawshot could latch on to them and drag them towards Link.
 Azalin · Sun Jan 14, 2007 @ 07:22pm · 4 Comments |
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