One Year On, Has Everyone Beaten Ganondorf In Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?

Back in August last year, when Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had been in the wild for just three months, we asked how your completion percentage was coming along. Given the size of the game, it was understandable that 37% of respondees still hadn’t beaten the final boss and therefore still didn’t know their completion percentage.

Nine months on, though, we imagine that a great many of you will have trounced Ganondaddy in an epic duel and rolled credits on 2023’s most anticipated Nintendo game…

Or have you? Speaking to the Nintendo Life team, it seems that some of us still haven’t gotten around to giving TOTK’s big bad a sound thrashing, even one year on from release. The game is so massive and there’s so much else to do, we’re interested to know if you ticked off Tears of the Kingdom or if it has become your ultimate back-burner game. Or if _{*whisper it*} you walked away and never returned.

To mark the first anniversary, we’re checking back in to see who on the team has finished the fight and who’s still savouring the journey 366 days later. Spoilers inbound, obviously…

Alana Hagues, deputy editor

I mean, I guess this isn’t really fair (given that I reviewed the game) but yes, I’ve beaten Ganondorf. I beat him over a year ago. Take that, Demon King. Was it easy? Heck no. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and was woefully underprepared. This wasn’t like Breath of the Wild, which I played a few months after the game had launched and there were guides on how to do stuff. Nope. It’s up to me to tell people how to tackle Ganondorf myself. *gulp*

So the first time, it went… okay? I got to the second phase, let’s say that much. But I’d eaten all of my Gloom-healing meals on the way to the boss, without even considering that Ganondorf himself might actually cause Gloom damage and remove hearts, permanently. I learned the hard way. But that didn’t stop me from rushing in for a second time, did it? Or a third. It became a point of pride at that point. I will beat Ganondorf without the Gloom-healing stuff.

Eventually, I caved, and had to go and farm Sundelions, buy Gloom-resistant armour, and health-boosting food, too. Essentially, I just had to be patient and come with the tools. Oh, and make sure my Master Sword was ready. That final time, I managed to slice and dice my way through every single phase.

In terms of completion percentage, I haven’t really touched the game in about six months, so I’m still in the high 60% range. I feel pretty comfortable in saying that I won’t ever get 100% because there’s just far, far too much to do, and the game might lose its lustre. I’ve done a heck of a lot, and other colleagues have helped with stuff I haven’t been able to do. I’m happy.

Ollie Reynolds, staff writer

Oh gosh. I know I’m going to get a hefty dollop of backlash for this, but yes, I fell off Tears of the Kingdom once again. I really tried with it, I swear. There’s just something about it that didn’t hook me like Breath of the Wild and I’m afraid now that I probably won’t give it another shot.

So no, dear reader, I have not beaten Ganondorf. In fact, I’ll tell you how far I got. I beat the Water Temple and the Wind Temple, and that’s about it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I certainly took my time with it and accumulated about 60-70 hours (which is significantly more than most games I’ve played), but knowing now just how far off I am from beating the game makes me want to just keep it locked away in a drawer forever.

So, I’m sorry Zelda, and I’m sorry Hyrule. I simply can’t help you this time.