At first glance, Daruk is about as complex as a boulder. He’s a strong mountain of a Goron who’s always ready to eat some Rock Roast. Like a geode, though, there’s more to this rocky fellow than meets the eye. Taking a deeper look at his theme from Breath of the Wild can help reveal the hidden facets of this Champion.
“Daruk’s Theme” starts with a beating battlecry of sound. It’s what you expect. Drums beating as loudly as a Goron thumping his chest. It’s a tremendous first impression worthy of this muscle-bound mountain who dwarfs all of the other champions put together. This bombastic beginning also introduces the simple group of mostly four notes that makes up the majority of the Goron’s theme. These same four notes are repeated over and over throughout the song using different tempos and instrumentation. It would be easy to write off Daruk’s theme as not very deep with this reliance on a simple four-note melody, but the immediate changes as the theme continues reveals new depths to this Goron.
The theme never regains its aggressive, boulder-busting beginning; instead, it repeats the four-note pattern using a simple piano accompanied at different times by some strings and horns. It’s an interesting contrast to how the song starts. It doesn’t emphasize the fighting process of Daruk; instead, it reminds us of the great calmness that Daruk has. For all of the ways that Daruk could erupt like Death Mountain at any moment and wreak havoc on the battlefield, he doesn’t. His strength is in the calm sense of being safe that he gives to those around him. Like the crystalline shield that bears his name, to be around Daruk is to be covered in his protection. The overwhelming gentleness of his theme reminds us of that.
Geodes often look pretty simple and dull on the outside. They appear just like a rock, but when you open them up and look inside, they reveal a wealth of multi-faceted crystals. Daruk is like that. His massive size makes him cut an intimidating figure, but he cowers like a curled-up hedgehog when he encounters one of Hyrule’s canine pals. He could easily pulverize most threats, but he only seems interested in doing so when it would protect someone else. Daruk’s as strong as Death Mountain, but each life he’s made more peaceful and safe is what glimmers like the finest diamonds.
To celebrate the recent launch of Age of Calamity, we are dedicating all of our regular columns this week to the mighty Champions! Check out our Champions Week 2020 page.
