Shielded Enemies
Posted on: 10/26/2008 - By: Kevin

What happens when a developer decides that fleetness of foot or spatial side stepping is not enough to thwart a true veteran of the action game genre? Brute strength and tenacity is the answer. Part of the satisfaction of a great action game is taking down enemies much more stalwart than the hero. As it is, enemies that fly, leap, or teleport tend to fit firmly in the “pest” category of gaming’s cattle. They tend to encompass the most flighty of opponents: wizards, floating heads, and turtles.

When an action game developer wants to hit the player, and hit him hard, the results can be brutal. Nothing is more gratifying than going toe to toe with a foe seemingly wrought from steel itself.

The enemies detailed here are not merely tough guys. The player cannot just ping away at them and hope to destroy them. They are truly shielded; some portion of them is completely impervious to harm. Few things are more heart rending than the clang of the hero’s weapon against the brawny form of an enemy. Developers will purposefully build up the virility of a weapon; whether it is Link’s Master Sword, Hotsuma’s Akujiki, or Leon’s Handcannon. Once the player is firm in his belief that no obstacle could possibly deter him, the developer steps up to the plate and deliver such an obstacle.

Darknut, The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

The Darknut has always been an oddball in the Legend of Zelda franchise. Here is a truly difficult enemy (especially in pairs) amidst a bevy of bats, worms, and sponges. Darknuts typical appear in the later dungeons of Zelda games and the ones featured in Twilight Princess are no different.

Darknuts are the most classic of shielded enemies; a dark warrior in full plate armor with sword and shield. It is the large round shield which gives the Darknut its invulnerability. Link must find a way to trick the knight into delivering a sweeping blow, dodging aside at just the right time, then counterattacking quickly. Once the Darknut’s armor is sheared off, he becomes easier to deal with.

Hakuraku, Shinobi

Shinobi has long been known for creating some of the most challenging sequences in any action game. The shining pinnacle of the series, Shinobi for the PS2, delivered this concept in spades. While the game was chock full of killer ninjas and foul sorcerers, it was one of the goofier bosses that made the biggest impression with players.

Hakuraku is a simple old man with a large simple box. The simplicity of this particular boss fight goes out the window as soon as Hakuraku displays his animal loving side. By summoning dogs. Ninja dogs. With plate armor. And swords in their mouths.
It seems sometimes that Sega and Capcom are in a war; a war of who can make the most vicious dogs in their games. On one hand you have the iconic Resident Evil dog, vicious and zombified. And on the other hand you have the borderline retarded ninja armored sword wielding dogs of Shinobi.

Hakuraku simply summons these dogs and teleports across the stage, attempting to leave all the dirty work to his puppies. If they manage to trap the player in a corner, 3 or 4 of these dogs will quickly make short work of Hotsuma.

The dogs can only be damaged by attacks against their sides or backs. What is worse is when they group together, the shielding of one blocks the back of a vulnerable one. Hotsuma must utilize his shuriken blast and quick shunpo to dispose of these bladed mutts.

Garrador, Resident Evil 4

Ultimate fortification not only comes to warriors trained in armor and beasts clothed in it, but also to the insane. Resident Evil 4 is no stranger to the insane, but it is when Capcom combines the insane with the impenetrable that they find a winner on their hands. The Garrador is such a fusion; raw attack strength coupled with a super tough front side.

The Garrador, bless his heart, is kept blind and sometimes chained. He reacts only to noise and sudden flashes, but when he does Leon better watch out. Attached securely to both hands are razor sharp claws several feet in length to remove that rugged face of Leon Kennedy.

By tricking the two legged freak into slinging his claw into a wall, embedding it deeply, Leon can find the opportunity to pop off a few shots at the exposed Las Plagas slithering outside of the Garrador’s spine. Devoid of any thought process beyond instinct, this is the Garrador’s only weak spot. No head shots for this monster!

The one lucky break in dealing with adversaries such as these is that their strength is obvious: heavily shielded enemies often look the part. Whether it is the encasement of iron or the hide of a thick beast these types of enemies will rarely leave the player with dry hands.