What is the ugliest Amiibo you own?  No matter how you answer, chances are good you don’t like the paint or pose and not the actual character design.  Bokoblin takes Amiibo in a more grotesque direction that is somewhat uncharacteristic for Nintendo franchises.  This makes the Bokoblin something different than anything we’ve seen before.  The only question is: do we actually want an Amiibo that is “ugly” to look at?

Box – One part of this Amiibo that is not bad to look at is the packaging.  Even the leering Bokoblin in the background looks nice on the box art.

Pose – Bokoblin have generally been pig-like creatures in Zelda and this one not only has that appearance but to make it look even more repulsive, it is short and hunch-backed.  That limits how dynamic the Bokoblin can be posed but he certainly looks angry and ready to fight something (as an enemy should be!).  While the pose is not exciting and the short posture makes you question the $16 price tag a little bit, overall, this part of the Amiibo is fine.  Not amazing but not too bad.

Paint and Details – What is a bit disappointing on this figure are the details.  As I mentioned in the introduction, this is obviously ugly/grotesque and the longer you view this Amiibo, the clearer it becomes that it was deliberately designed/made this way.  A few details look nice including the Bokoblin’s light blue eyes and the really nice shading on the ears but a lot of areas lack detail like the arm wraps and the club.  Bokoblin has a lot of bare skin that is mostly unshaded and lacking detail.  The bigger issues are the large seamline along the jaw which is very noticeable in some of the pictures in this review and then there is the view from behind.  Is that a loin cloth barely covering the Bokoblin’s dignity?!  It absolutely is!  I imagine the Bokoblins are supposed to look primitive and tribal but can you think of any Nintendo character that is shown in such skimpy clothes?  I’m not outraged (though I’d love to see some parents’ faces when they see their younger child playing around with this “toy”) as much as I am weirded out by the design.  Bokoblin is definitely a mixed bag when it comes to the paint and details and for me, this is by far the weakest part of the figure.

Display – The one saving grace of this new Amiibo is that it does look great posed next to both versions of Link.  Bokoblin’s height is an advantage because it makes Link look powerful and heroic.  While I have some misgivings about this figure on its own, there are ways to cover up those weaknesses and putting Link in a battle with Bokoblin on your shelf will help a lot in that regard!

Closing Thoughts – It would be hard to say that Bokoblin is one of my favorite Amiibo.  It is a very unusual Amiibo with some curious design choices and a couple serious drawbacks.  With the recent price increase and the wealth of Zelda Amiibo you can buy, it is easy to say that you may want to consider getting this guy last of the Breath of the Wild releases because he is not too impressive.  In fact, I think it is quite possible that many Nintendo fans will pass over this figure because it isn’t cute or awe-inspiring like most other Amiibo.  If there is one Amiibo from Breath of the Wild you may find on clearance shelves down the road, I think it is likely to be this one.  That isn’t to say it is a bad figure, it just does not match the high quality of many other Amiibo and the character design limits its appeal to many.