Stalfos Knight
Stalfos Knights,(ALttP | CoH)[1][2][name references needed] also known as Skeleton Knights,(ALttP)[3] are recurring enemies and Sub-Bosses in The Legend of Zelda series. They are a variety of exceptionally large, strong Stalfos armed with large blades.
Characteristics
A Link to the Past
Stalfos Knights are stationed in the Ice Palace, where they drop from the ceiling in certain rooms to attack. They then proceed to leap across the room to assault Link. Attacking a Stalfos Knight with a sword will simply cause it to collapse into a heap, only to reform shortly afterwards. They commonly appear in pairs. The Stalfos Knights in A Link to the Past are the largest non-boss enemy in the game: they are about four times the size of a regular Stalfos and tower over Link.
The only way to destroy a Stalfos Knight is to attack with a certain weapon when they have crumpled in a heap, Bombs. A single Bomb once the knight is stunned is enough to destroy it for good. If Link does not have Bombs, it is actually possible to destroy a Stalfos Knight with repeated hits from a Boomerang or Sword, but it takes many many strikes to deliver the final blow. Stalfos Knights often drop bombs for Link to collect when they are destroyed.
Stalfos Knights also appear in the Palace of the Four Sword of the Game Boy Advance release. These knights are a red color compared to those in the Ice Palace, but they are the same strength.
Other Appearances
A Link to the Past (Cagiva)
Cadence of Hyrule
Stalfos Knights appear as Minibosses in Cadence of Hyrule. They chase the Hero and move every ohter bit. They carry a large shield which protects them from any frontal attack (unless they are piercing), from the last directions they moved towards. When hit, the Stalfos Knight will not be hurt, but instead its head splits from the rest of its collapsing body. The head spawn on the opposite adjacent tile from the direction of the attack, while the remains stay on the Stalfos Knight's last position.
Both parts are separate monsters with their own healthpool and can be hurt independantely. The Stalfos Knight Head flies, will chase the Hero and can move to any of the adjacent eight tiles, on every beat. The head will flinch backwards when hurt. When the Head is "killed", the Stalfos Knight will reform.
The skeletal remains stay stationary and are vulnerable from all directions. Destroying the remains kills the Stalfos Knight, including its head. When the Stalfos Knight reforms, the head will regain all its health, while the remains will not. Thus focusing exclusively on the head is pointless, only the remains' health matter.
Trivia
- The regular Stalfos of The Adventure of Link share the same Japanese name as the Stalfos Knights of A Link to the Past, "Stalfon."
- Master Stalfos from Link's Awakening is a particularly dangerous Stalfos Knight boss that is defeated in the same manner as those in A Link to the Past.
- Early screenshots of Ocarina of Time show Stalfos with a very similar design to the Stalfos Knights of A Link to the Past.
- The behavior of Stalfos Knights and Master Stalfos went on to influence the behavior of normal Stalfos in Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess, such as using Bombs on their bones to destroy them.
- Due to the 2D programming limitations in A Link to the Past, Link can still get hit from the Stalfos Knights when they are in the air because they are able to interact with Link no matter what elevation they are in.
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | Meanings |
 Japanese | スタルフォン (Sutarufon) (ALttP)[6] | |
 Italian |
| |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
Gallery
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A Stalfos Knight from the Palace of the Four Sword from A Link to the Past
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Artwork of Link fighting two Stalfos Knights from A Link to the Past
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An early design of a Stalfos from Ocarina of Time
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A Stalfos Knight from Cadence of Hyrule
See Also
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 207 (ALttP)
- ↑ "Defeated By: Stalfos Knight" — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule)
- ↑ "You cannot destroy the Skeleton Knight with the sword alone. When he collapses, he is vulnerable to another weapon." — Sahasrahla (A Link to the Past)
- ↑ "Causa della sconfitta: Guerriero stalfos" — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule, Italian localization)
- ↑ "Non puoi sconfiggere Cavaliere d'Ossa con la sola spada. Per finirlo devi utilizzare un'altra arma." — Sahasrahla (A Link to the Past, Italian localization)
- ↑ A Link to the Past manual, pg. 50Nintendo Official Guidebook: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Vol. 2, Shogakukan, pg. 142Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords, Shogakukan, pg. 28