There are many kinds of monster in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but one is a particularly terrifying interpretation of an already scary enemy from previous titles. TOTK features both brand-new monsters and those from older Zelda games, most of which have undergone a redesign. Combined with the game’s impressive art style, this has made many enemies visually striking, but one in particular is also thoroughly horrifying to face.
There are many monsters in Tears of the Kingdom which made their debut earlier in the franchise’s history. For example, the Gibdos which now stalk Gerudo desert first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda, although they were always depicted as fully mummified until their appearance in Twilight Princess stripped away most of the bandages. TOTK has reintroduced an underused boss monster, redesigned most of Breath of the Wild’s enemies and, of course, introduced new enemies among the forces of evil as well. However, one of these newer monsters actually seems to be an updated version of a classic Zelda enemy, one which is now scarier than ever before.
TOTK’s Gloom Spawn Are A New Form Of Floormaster
Gloom Spawn, also known as Gloom Hands, are a disturbing mass of grasping hands with unblinking yellow eyes staring out from their palms, similar to the Glowing Eyeballs often found growing in BOTW’s Malice. Initially appearing as a patch of gloom on the ground, it can sometimes be hard to detect them as their lack of a compendium page means Link cannot use the Sensor+ to know when they're near. Although Gloom Spawn are presented as a new enemy in Tears of the Kingdom, they actually closely resemble the terrifying Floormasters and Wallmasters of previous games, particularly the former’s appearance in The Wind Waker, which took the form of a single shadowy hand rising from the floor.
Gloom Spawn Are One Of TOTK’s Most Terrifying Monsters
Gloom Spawn emerge to the sound of ominous music and the sky darkening overhead as if it were a Blood Moon. As Gloom seeps out around them, they unleash a barrage of attacks seeking to grab Link and drain his Hearts, quite literally squeezing the life out of him. They are found all over TOTK's Hyrule, most notably blighting the Great Deku Tree, and defeating them only summons a Phantom Ganon to take their place. This is a dramatic rise in threat level from that of Floormasters and Wallmasters, which typically simply force Link back to the entrance of a room or dungeon (although Floormasters do attack him in Ocarina of Time).
It must be said that previous games’ Wallmasters and Floormasters already seem as if they belong in a horror game, being creepy Legend of Zelda entities in their own right. The sight of a disembodied hand dropping from the ceiling or ri from the floor is far from a welcome sight, and something that lends itself very well to jumpscares for unwary players. Moreover, the design of Wallmasters and Floormasters is often quite grotesque, clearly being living limbs in most incarnations. However, this new reimagining of these classic enemies with TOTK's Gloom only adds to their unnerving nature.
Gloom Spawn take the inherent horror of Floormasters to new heights, both in of appearance and also by posing an unprecedented level of threat to Link for the hand-based monsters. Facing them is a dangerous prospect best taken from afar given the ever-present threat of Gloom, but even fending them off only gives rise to a new threat. They are a perfect example of the way that Ganondorf’s forces have evolved in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, easily matching the other redesigns found in the game with their intensely scary aesthetic.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube
