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Gameplay is without a doubt the most important feature of a Zelda game. Nearly every release has emphasized it over every other aspect — with the exception of Twilight Princess, which was designed to be a more cinematic experience — and rightfully so. Gameplay is the main feature of video games in general. The interactivity video games provide is something that no other visual medium can hope to recreate, making it an important factor in any video game, even if story is a major part of the identity of some games (such as the Metal Gear Solid franchise). There’s no way around it; if the gameplay of a Zelda game suffers, then the most fulfilling part of the experience is shot. This means developers must attempt to provide gamers with polished and fleshed-out mechanics when developing a new title. But what exactly does it take to achieve a goal like that? What must a Zelda game have in order to make its core gameplay a success? In this article, I’ll be presenting my thoughts on that very topic. I’ll be going over specific features that I feel Zelda needs the most for its core gameplay to be at its finest and will provide examples from various Zelda titles to help get my points across. I’ll start with what I feel is the most important thing for the Zelda series to get right.

Combat

First and foremost, the combat needs to have solid design. Stimulating combat is an absolute must-have for any game with lots of action in it, and Zelda obviously meets that criteria. There are two features that I believe need to be present for Zelda’s combat to be at its best, and they are as follows:

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Zelda games could use some RPG elements. Some might argue that Zelda games already have RPG elements; Skyward Sword showcased an increased focus on character customization, and Zelda games have traditionally been confused for RPGs. However, in Zelda games, the focus has always been on adventure. Proper implementation of RPG elements would supplement the adventure elements and wouldn’t undermine them. Since the developers of Zelda games have traditionally been good at incorporating new elements, this change can be significant or conservative, but I have no doubt it could work. Given recent trends in gaming at large, the time may be right.

It’s probably best to define what an RPG is before delving into this topic. Opinions on what is and isn’t an RPG differ, but for the sake of this article, I’ll define it as:

a system of gameplay based on character stats.

This is incredibly vague, but that’s good; it’s vague enough to encompass everything that can be reasonably considered an RPG without including strictly adventure games. It can also explain RPG systems incorporated in non-RPG games, like Metroidvanias.

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“Psychopomp” is a really funny-sounding word that simply refers to a figure or entity who escorts deceased souls to the afterlife. Each psychopomp has different rules, behavior, treatment or transportation of souls, and indeed even send them to different afterlives. With legends about what happens when people die being so prominent in religions both old and new, it should be no surprise that the Zelda series takes a lot of influence from the many psychopomps featured in them.

While of course the Grim Reaper is the most well-known psychopomp, there are many others. For example Epona and the some of the Tuatha Dé Danann, both of which I discussed in my article about Celtic mythology in Zelda, have been identified as psychopomps at different points. The goddess Epona and her horses are believed to have lead souls in a ride to the afterlife, and several beings who are sometimes considered to be among the Tuatha Dé Danann race, such as Manannán mac Lir and The Morrígan, are said to perform psychopomp duties as well.

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I’ve gone on the record as saying that Majora’s Mask is my favorite game of all-time. While that has changed recently (blame Bioshock Infinite), it remains one of my favorites and the single best game in the Zelda series by my vote. I could explain at great length the many reasons why that is, but what all of them boil down to is that the game is so wonderfully enigmatic, so incredibly intriguing in so many ways, that I can sit down and play the game with fresh eyes almost every time, seeing new things and having new ideas as I play through it.

The last time I did this, it struck me that Majora’s Mask is a wonderful example of two opposing academic theories that spread across multiple fields: Structuralism and post-structuralism. What really intrigued me was the way the game tackled these theories: It constructs an elaborate structuralist frame through which it addresses post-structuralist themes, despite the fact that these two theories are usually always completely opposed to one another. Let’s examine these two theories and see how Majora’s Mask uses them to develop its themes.

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Overworlds tend to be the most memorable parts of Zelda games. While most of the gameplay generally takes place in the dungeons or towns scattered throughout, the overworld shapes the character and tone of a game.

The Great Sea is one of the most interesting locations yet featured as an overworld. While some may dislike the Triforce quest or the supposed emptiness of the Great Sea, it no doubt defined and summarized the basic character and tone of The Wind Waker. Watching the King of Red Lion’s sails catch the wind, pushing ever forward to uncharted islands, was an experience not quickly forgotten. That the game placed a focus on the exploration of the Great Sea — on treasure maps, mini-dungeons, and a cryptic, sometimes frustrating Triforce quest — is no surprise. The ocean permeated the lore and even the visual finesse of The Wind Waker.

We’ve since seen it in Phantom Hourglass, which took a fundamentally similar approach. Once again, the ocean was pocked with small islands, some with their own challenges. This time, however, they felt a little bit larger in context of the game and a little more pivotal to the story.

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When Nintendo announced that their mission for Zelda Wii U was to rethink the conventions of Zelda, I thought it was a bit odd they only listed two such conventions that they wanted to break away from: “Complete dungeons in a certain order” and “Play by yourself”. Granted, they did say that they started to do this with Skyward Sword (but weren’t able to do everything they wanted), so these are probably going to be included with convention changes found in Skyward Sword. That said, I don’t think they’re going to be the only rethought conventions either, or at the very least they shouldn’t be. These are five more conventions I think they should rethink for the next Zelda game!

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The Legend of Zelda series has always been about an eternal struggle: Good vs evil, the hero vs the villain. However, after so many years, the same story has been retold several times — often with a few changes — while the basic theme remains the same. After so many sequels, one may wonder if we are actually playing through various accounts of the same legend. Most old stories have a huge amount of variations as they’re being passed on through the centuries. The Zelda series taking the form of an old legend would be no different. Alternatively, however, it can be looked at as a cycle: Link constantly returns to save the ever-in-peril Zelda from a new danger, but throughout the eras, the kingdom itself is reduced and rebuilt, and always changing.

Through many sequels, the timeline started taking shape. The kingdom of Hyrule has been threatened by a dark lord many times in the past, and each was defeated by a noble hero who took up the quest to defeat him. Throughout the centuries, a green clad Link does indeed appear in a time of need to rescue a princess Zelda and save a kingdom from an evil villain. Eventually, the great evil is vanquished and the princess rescued.

Skyward Sword introduced the concept of an endless cycle among these main characters — Link, Zelda, and the dark lord — explaining the cause behind the events of previous games in the series.

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The Zelda franchise has a long history of being incredibly versatile, borrowing disparate elements from many different series such as God of War, Darksiders, and Goof Troop. Lately, however, the franchise has stalled a bit, failing to bring any exciting new elements to the table. But the gaming industry overall has never been more diverse; there are so many series that Zelda can look to for inspiration, and perhaps the most exciting one is Call of Duty.

Frequently selling millions of copies, Call of Duty is undoubtedly the most successful franchise in the industry, and for good reason. More so than any other series out there, Call of Duty’s developers understand how to craft exciting experiences for all who play the game, regardless of their skill level or familiarity with the genre. As its sales numbers illustrate, the Call of Duty series is clearly better than any of the modern Zelda titles, none of which have sales that hold a candle to even the weakest selling entry among the recent Call of Duty games. So naturally, the question is, what can Zelda take from Call of Duty in order to appeal to a more widespread audience?

There are three specific aspects of Call of Duty that Zelda would do well to learn from and assimilate into the stagnating series formula: cinematic action, a microsession and multiplayer focus, and Skinner Boxes.

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The topic of whether a Zelda movie would be a positive or negative idea is a major subject. I have seen more debates and threads on this topic than it’s possible to read. When I examined critically the process of creating a Zelda movie I quickly discovered that more questions were raised, rather than answered. Problems arose regarding decisions on plot sequence, length, format, budget, and many other incidentals. Walking through the process of making a hypothetical movie has allowed me to attempt to answer some of these questions and solve these problems. However, you will have different answers and solutions to these issues. By working together, we may be able to decide whether a Zelda movie is a good or bad idea.

The audience carries the most weight in the production of any movie in the industry, and it’s a good place to start in attempting to answer the question of whether a Zelda movie is a good idea. It would be produced for an extremely wide audience. Zelda players range in age from as young as five to as old as sixty-five. These players also range in interests. What I love about the Zelda series may be very different from what you love about the series. Most pointedly, however, is the range of knowledge about Zelda that the audience would have. Pair this with a range of intensity of excitement and we have a very large audience. Therefore, it would be almost impossible to make a Zelda movie that the general audience, the fans, the theorists, and the fan boys and girls would all consider good, let alone “great”. The fact is, there will be a portion of the audience that will disapprove or be let down in some way.

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Greek mythology is one of the single most well-known and frequently taught mythologies in the world, similar to that of its cousin, Roman mythology. Partly because its stories have survived so well and partly because it’s so old, it’s become extremely influential in the modern world and especially in fiction. Our planets are named after the Roman equivalents of its gods, and many of our favorite fantasy beasts come straight from its bestiary.

Of course it’s no surprise that Zelda has an abundance of references to Greek mythology in it as well, but what is surprising is that most of them are little more than just that: References. With a few exceptions, most of Zelda’s nods to Greek mythology are nothing more than names, or borrowed archetypes and imagery. There are however an abundance of these references, and so I shall go over them.

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What does Zelda borrow or mimic from Celtic myths? Celtic mythology is responsible for such Zelda staples as Epona and Fairies, and there are a number of other notable and even shocking consistencies between the mythology and the Zelda series. Celtic myth is about warriors and heroes sent into battle instead of gods and spirits to save lands, fight evil creatures, rescue fair maidens, and discover magical artifacts. Zelda is modeled after fantasy tropes, and many of them date back to Celtic mythology (though they can be found in other mythologies as well). I’ve discussed Arthurian Legend before — a Christianized subset of Celtic mythology — so now I’ll talk about the broader set of myths. Let us start with the most striking connections.

Epona, Link’s iconic steed, borrows her name from Celtic mythology. Seemingly originating from Gallo-Roman religion — a fusion of the traditional religious practices of the Celtic Gauls, and the religions introduced under Roman Imperial rule — Epona was a goddess of fertility and protector of horses, donkeys, and mules. She also may have been a psychopomp (guide to the afterlife). The only important connections to Zelda are the name and its association with horses, but they are clearly taken directly from mythology.

Zelda’s concept of the fairy is a more benevolent version of the winged, rarely-benevolent fairy from myth and literature. Fairies, although they feature in many other cultures, are prominent Celtic myths, and fall under broad classification. Sometimes considered to be angels, demons, the dead, an old race driven into seclusion, or simply spirit beings, creatures identified as fairies have appeared in a huge variety of forms.

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Zelda lore is truly unique.

After over 25 years, we finally have a clear-cut timeline, and some very basic facts laid out: There are three Triforce pieces, several heroes, several princesses, and a monstrous succession of villains bred by hatred. But for every question each new game answers about the series’ lore, more questions arise. How does this world work? What is its history really like? How much of what we see in each Zelda game can we trust, when the series is mired in apparent contradictions that only sort themselves out through a convoluted timeline?

Compare to The Elder Scrolls, with its lore that rivals that of Middle-Earth in its clarity and richness. Its political factions constantly vying for power, its supernatural elements played against a fairly realistic world in both aesthetic design and complexity. Compare to Halo, a series in a much less story-driven genre, which nonetheless boasts several books and a cohesive backstory to its faceless main character. There are countless game franchises that develop their backstories in a linear way, reminiscent of (and sometimes similar to) that of books, movies, or television shows.

The Legend of Zelda is different. At face value, its looks like high fantasy, with its large cast of characters and its rich history. But it plays out more like a fairy tale, and people both familiar and unfamiliar with the series could probably point out the framework of most Zelda stories. There’s always a villain — if not Ganon, then an analog for Ganon. The villain is often trying to seize some relic, usually the Triforce. The princess is often, but not always, kidnapped or put in some kind of peril at some point in the story. Link, of course, fulfills his role as the hero and saves the day.

If Zelda is a high fantasy series in the tradition of Lord of the Rings, how does this repeating story make any kind of sense? Furthermore, why are the different iterations of Hyrule so dramatically different in terms of geography?

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Let’s talk about Skyward Sword.

I’ve been fairly vocal in the past about my gripes with this game, and while as a whole I will continue to insist that it is not a bad game, and is in fact a good one, I will also insist that it is one of the weaker titles in the series. Today, we’re going to discuss why I hold this opinion: poor skill scaling. Before we discuss how Skyward Sword specifically suffers from this, we need to discuss the game theory behind the concept.

The term “skill scaling,” in this context, refers to the way in which the game’s design allows the player’s power to scale with their skill. A minimally skilled player – for instance, one unfamiliar with the Zelda series – should be respectably powerful, enough to complete the game with some difficulty. A significantly skilled player, however, should feel more powerful, as their additional skill level should allow them to execute more difficult strategies with a stronger payout, thus completing the game’s challenges with tremendous ease. This relationship between relative skill and relative power is a delicate one, and it should make players feel that they are becoming considerably more powerful as they become more skillful.

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A very large amount of creatures of all shapes and sizes have appeared in and around Hyrule throughout the series. Ranging from gigantic dragons and undead stalfos to the diminutive miniblins, they come in all types. Any adventurer can easily agree that Hyrule has a very diverse collection of monsters that have troubled the people and challenged heroes. However, there are a great many creatures that have appeared and have merely been called demons. What they really are or where they come from is rarely elaborated upon. The only common element anyone can agree on is that they appear to be a very malicious group of supernatural creatures with a desire to dominate and destroy. They are even hinted at being another race if not another classification of being entirely. Sometimes monstrous and sometimes perfectly human, they are definitely creatures of wonder that have taken a huge part in the history of Hyrule.

The demons appear to have a higher status among the monsters in Hyrule and have sometimes appeared in the mythology of the story. They can at times appear to be more supernatural and otherworldly than the typical foes, such as ordinary animals or bandits. Other times they are not only a threat to the hylians but the gods as well; usually the greater threats or more pure evil creatures are labeled as demons. This matches their description in real world theology as well since the concept of the demon is the oldest and purest form of evil. Often Zelda’s demons are led by a Dai Maou or the Great Demon King, which is a title many of the main antagonists have held at one point in the past. Starting with Ganon in his earliest appearance, the title Demon King has gone on to describe later antagonists such as Malladus, Bellum, and Demise. Given that so many different characters have held the title in the past, it might be more of an honorary or earned title.

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Zelda’s three confirmed timelines are unprecedented in the series; there has never been anything quite like them in the entire series’ history. We’ve known some of the games’ order according to their relation to each other, and we knew two timelines existed, but we certainly didn’t know where every game went on the entire timeline, nor that there would be a third one. With the last game having been an ultimate prequel to the entire series, and with Hyrule Historia having come out to fill in the gaps, it’s easy to expect new additions to the end of the timelines for the next few releases, rather then stories that go between existing games.

So don’t you think it’s interesting to think about what we might see on these three timelines moving forward? What if Nintendo uses this brand-new opportunity to tell different stories, build different versions of the Zelda world, and utilize different themes on each of the three timelines?

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It’s unquestionable that Ocarina of Time was a revolution for Zelda, Nintendo, and the entire video game industry. While its foundation was instantly recognizable as the standard Zelda formula, it raised the bar for 3D action games and set precedents that are still followed to this day. While one radical opinion is that Zelda games haven’t changed since the release of the original title, a much more common one (an opinion I still disagree with) is that there haven’t been many fundamental changes to the series since Ocarina of Time was released. Whether that’s true or not, it’s nearly indisputable that Ocarina of Time was the last Zelda game to make a huge impact on the industry.

Another game aptly fits a similar description: Super Mario 64. Anyone who questions its influence on platformers need only play Banjo-Kazooie or even some post-Super Mario 64 Sonic games, which combined adventure elements and minigames with classic platforming. Unlike Zelda, Super Mario 64 turned the standard Mario gameplay on its head, but it still felt oddly like a classic Mario game.

While the “more of the same, just with gimmicks” charge was leveled against the more recently-released Super Mario Galaxy, I can’t fathom anyone who’s actually played the game actually holding that opinion. It made for a second revolution in the Mario series and in 3D platformers (barring Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, a different type of platformer). It trimmed the exploration significantly, focusing instead on precision platforming that controlled almost seamlessly. It also cemented the style for modern 3D Mario games, resulting in two titles — Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Super Mario 3D Land — that looked and played similarly.

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Genre is a peculiar thing. While most works have a clearly identifiable genre, people often disagree about precisely what that genre is; a film may be classified as action, adventure, superhero, thriller, or even film noir depending on who you ask. But despite this variation in perceived genre, none of these responses are wrong, because – like most things – genre can’t be objectively defined.

At base, genre refers to a category that a work of art can be placed into based on similar traits. The problem with defining genres is that too often, the traits by which a genre is defined are superficial, when a genre should be defined by the experience we desire from it. For example, film noir is often identified by its unique style of cinematography that emphasizes light and shadow as a way of revealing character motives. Thus, that style of cinematography is strongly associated with the genre, but it is not the reason that people flock to it. People enjoy film noir because they want to be told a story of political intrigue, of betrayal and the seedy underbelly of modern life.

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The Lost Woods is one of the more well-known recurring overworld regions in the Zelda series. First appearing in the original Legend of Zelda, the Lost Woods have become a mainstay in the landscape of Hyrule, alongside Death Mountain and Lake Hylia. In most appearances the player is required to journey through the Woods in a very specific pattern to make it to the other side safely. If this pattern is not completed correctly, the Woods will often repeat or simply send the player back to the start, thus causing the player to become lost or disoriented.

Appearing at first as little more than another forest for Link to wander through on his journey, the Lost Woods often take on the shape of a maze or labyrinth of trees. Later depictions had it as a dark and very heavily overgrown forest complete with hollow log tunnels and secrets and dangers scattered about. The woods sometimes function as a puzzle or mini-dungeon to complete as a part of the greater journey. Often the Woods hide the road towards the Forest Temple, or contain the long forgotten Master Sword. Along the way there have been various creatures or people found within the Woods. Skull Kids and Deku Scrubs are commonly encountered within them in many games, as are human thieves. In a couple of cases, the Lost Woods feature in the lore of the setting itself, adding to the already abundant mythology of Hyrule.

There have been multiple changes to not only the design but the overall purpose of the Woods throughout the years. The Lost Woods might only appear as a small location on the map that only serves as a brief stop, or it could be much more important to the storyline, guarding a more important location or obscuring the path to another region.

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Handheld Zelda games always take a different course than their console counterparts. In the current 3D era, this mostly means having a top-down view. The Game Boy Color games, made by Capcom, built off the engine of Link’s Awakening DX (a remake — this will be important later) and bore more than a vague resemblance to its template. This made sense, as the Game Boy Color was the last in a line of mini-NES handhelds, culminating, of course, in a Game Boy Color Super Mario Bros.

The Game Boy Advance was a Super Nintendo, part two. With titles like Golden Sun, Metroid Fusion, and the Final Fantasy, Donkey Kong Country, and Super Mario Advance games, it aped the Super Nintendo, acting as a platform for re-releases as well as new titles that bore a striking resemblance to classics. The Minish Cap, naturally, played to the Game Boy Advance’s strengths, echoing the Super Nintendo. If Golden Sun was the new Chrono Trigger and Metroid Fusion was the new Super Metroid, The Minish Cap was clearly the new A Link to the Past, with its own very different dual-world mechanic and even overt references to the Super Nintendo classic, like Hyrule Castle and Dark Hyrule Castle.

These games all acted to modernize classic ideas and apply them to the new platform that housed them. Capcom led the charge in this respect, but Nintendo had clearly started the trend with Link’s Awakening and, in another series, Super Mario Land.

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Majora’s Mask is a unique experience within the Zelda series. While it may be considered dark because it strays from the traditional Zelda atmosphere, Twilight Princess and A Link to the Past are also dark titles when compared to other Zelda games, yet they don’t feel different the way Majora’s Mask does.

The game begins with Link being attacked by the Skull Kid and having his precious Ocarina stolen from him. With no other choice, Link teams up with Tatl and chases after the Skull Kid. Finally, he makes it to Clock Town and begins his search for the thief. But something is off. That something is the ominous feeling of Majora’s Mask: The sensation that some unknown danger is approaching. This strange, eerie aura is everywhere. Even in the seemingly happy areas, the game presents an ominous atmosphere. The player is constantly given clues that something bigger is going on and that eventually, Link will have to deal with it.

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This is a topic I’ve covered a few times in a lesser capacity, mostly in the mailbag: The subject of Zelda spinoffs. When discussing new ideas for the main Zelda series, a lot of people, myself included, are wary of introducing too many changes into the series, and changing what makes it Zelda. Some argue that this restricts new ideas too much and therefore stagnates the series. While that might be true, effectively every video game series, no matter how much it experiments, needs to have core tenets in place that keep it at least partially the same from game to game. Otherwise it’s not really a series, and more importantly, fans of the series will have no reason to play the newer titles, because they will have nothing in common with the game they liked. So while new ideas are good — if not at all mandatory — a series generally needs to stay the same in certain areas.

However, I don’t think this is true at all with spinoffs. A series is always going to have its main games, which might introduce new features but will always follow the same general idea. But that doesn’t mean it can’t have odder side games that deviate from this more wildly and provide new experiences with some of the same ideas or the same world fitted to another gameplay mold. Zelda already has plenty of spinoffs — the most famous example being the Tingle RPGs, Four Swords, Link’s Crossbow Training, and Battle Quest, though others exist — but I think that Zelda could and probably should have more spinoffs, and more importantly, much more unique ones that differ from the main series in bigger ways.

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Over a year ago, the latest Zelda title, Skyward Sword, was finally released after a development period of three or four years. It’s the first Zelda game to utilize the player’s movement as a means of controlling Link. Before the introduction of this novel gameplay feature, the fans would simply press buttons to get a desired result, but now they are in direct command of Link’s actions. This article focuses on the many new aspects that the motion controls presented — along with the game’s other control innovations — and their upsides and downsides.

I love that Nintendo decided to go with the Wii MotionPlus attachment as the main focus of Skyward Sword’s controls. It stimulates an invigorating and immersive experience for the player, pulling them deeper into the action and the adventure that constitutes the Zelda series. As I mentioned above, we’re no longer pressing buttons to perform a programmed move — we cause Link’s actions with our own movement. Whenever I swing my Wiimote, Link follows suit with his sword, and it feels as if I really am the one controlling his actions. This connection between the game and the player is naturally limited to the upper-torso the majority of the time; when Link runs, we’re not jogging in place or dashing toward the screen (which would have been aggravating). We only have to press a button for that, and that’s for the better.

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We’ve previously discussed Robert McKee’s theories of the archplot, miniplot, and antiplot, and how they apply to the Zelda series. Today, we’re going to continue delving into McKee’s theories with a discussion of our perennial protagonist, Link. He’s been the player character in every canon Zelda game to date, and though we’ve seen many incarnations of him throughout the years, he’s still been the same character at his core.

McKee’s theories of the protagonist are, at their base, about desire. He sums up the foundation of a good protagonist with five statements.

1. The protagonist has a conscious desire.

This is fairly simple: Every protagonist is going to want something, is fully aware that they want that something, and shows that they want that something through their actions. This desire can be a physical object or action — for example, the police chief in Jaws desires the destruction of the shark — or it can be an internal, abstract desire, such as the desire for maturity of the main character in Big. The protagonist’s actions are going to quite explicitly exhibit this desire.

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A lot of Zelda fans have asked if Retro Studio needs to be the frontrunner in creating a title in the series considering Nintendo may need to change the popular franchise’s direction to better suit the Western appeal. The opposition to this idea think Zelda would be ruined if taken outside of Nintendo EAD’s grasp.

Our sister site-GenGAME-has once again written another Zelda article which should intrigue your interest on the subject being discussed. GenGAME has given five reasons as to why Nintendo’s Western developer, Retro Studios, needs to take over the reins in regard to the Legend of Zelda series and why they should be trusted to develop a fantastic title for the franchise. This is a well-written article not worth missing out on!

Click the jump and read GenGAME’s five reasons on why Zelda needs to land in the hands of Retro Studios!

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It’s interesting to talk about the size of the bosses in the Zelda series, and I wrote about this before in another article, where I talked how the bosses in Zelda had stagnated in terms of concept and design. All the bosses at the time seemed to be titanically huge, follow a tired, predictable formula, and were ironically extremely easy to beat despite their intimidating size. Skyward Sword seems to have begun to reverse that trend a bit, but I’ll get into that later. The main thing is, after Skyward Sword, I think this topic should be revisited in more detail.

I extend this to two different things. The first is human or humanoid bosses, like from the major species you interact with throughout the game. These would be characters you would clash with for one reason or another as part of the plot (or at least have a reason they’re fought) serving as full and detailed battles.

But the subject of my article also extends somewhat to smaller bosses that aren’t humanoid at all. These simply have similar size, power, or traits, to humanoid creatures, separating them from the titanic colossi we see in many modern Zelda games.

I should acknowledge that we have had bosses like these in the past. Particularly in older games, but there are even examples in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, though sadly this is typically limited to minibosses. My point, however, is that we could really use more of these smaller, humbler bosses. And not just occasionally — sprinkled here and there throughout the series — but as a recurring aspect of future games that’s balanced with the already common giants. I’ll tell you why.

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Our general gaming counterpart site–GenGAME–has written an article stating why Nintendo needs to reveal a new Zelda title for the 3DS soon and the ways a Zelda 3DS title could be an excellent game. There are some very interesting points reflecting on the type of control system, graphic design, and aspect of gameplay needed to create a memorable experience for the player of this upcoming 3DS Zelda title.

You can view a summary of GenGAME’s thoughts on a Zelda 3DS title after the jump!

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“Shadow Temple…
Here is gathered Hyrule’s bloody history of greed and hatred…”

This quote carries with it a good deal of weight, and events throughout Ocarina of Time hint that Hyrule is far from an idyllic wonderland sans Ganondorf. What’s surprising to me is that few Zelda games seem to have explored this possibility, and even in Ocarina of Time, it’s ambiguous; in the majority of games, Link protects Hyrule from a foreign threat, and threats from within are explored only in sidequests. Furthermore, they are usually hinted to be the result of interference from sinister outside forces.

However, Ocarina of Time suggested something far more dangerous from inside Hyrule. For the first few years I played Ocarina of Time, I assumed, based on the quotes in the Shadow Temple, the death of the royal composers, and the nature of the catacombs beneath the well, that the Royal Family–the same Royal Family that Link would put back into power–had betrayed those who served them most closely. There’s little to back this up in the game, but the question does remain, what is Hyrule’s “bloody history of greed and hatred?” Read more…

Roughly one year ago, Skyward Sword was released for the Nintendo Wii, marking the 16th major entry in the franchise and the first Zelda game to use full motion controls. The game received nearly universal praise, getting 9′s and 10′s left and right from countless reviewers. Many critics also labeled it as the most significant breakthrough in modern gaming since Ocarina of Time, some going as far as to call it the best Zelda game ever made. Whether that’s true or not is debatable, but it’s also not what I’m here to talk about. As the title of this article suggests, I’m going to be analyzing Skyward Sword‘s strengths and weaknesses. I’ll start out with the weaknesses in order to get them out of the way. After that, I’ll move on to the strengths and wrap everything up at the end. So without further ado, let’s get started.

Weaknesses

While I strongly believe Skyward Sword was a great game overall, it definitely had its shortcomings. These shortcomings were significantly less degrading to the overall experience compared to those of most other modern titles (at least for the most part), but they were still less than stellar. The following features are what I believe to be Skyward Sword‘s largest missteps.

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The land of Hyrule has always been a very diverse realm with a large variety of peoples and monsters living throughout. A very common aspect of the Zelda series is there being a clear distinction between a friendly NPCs that will talk to Link and cannot be attacked, and unfriendly enemy NPCs, which almost never speak and only exist as opponents to be defeated. This does not account for everyone, as there are the occasional exceptions on both sides. Nonetheless, Nintendo has generally maintained a curious stance on having a strong division between hostile species and ally species. Link is generally never allowed to fight — and certainly not kill — any member of one of the ally species, unless it is a named NPC, just as there are incredibly few friendly or helpful members of what is considered a monster species. This very black and white approach is rare these days in modern gaming and not entirely common in fantasy storytelling. Many fantasy stories will have more shades of gray, with the occasional bandits or evil individuals of the hero’s tribe or country. This is not an unheard of concept, since any of us can find a criminal element within our own communities. On the other hand, the monsters within the Zelda series are only viewed as evil. This lack of any development is sometimes seen as a flaw by fans. But it wasn’t always this way.

In the early days of the series there were no distinct tribes in Hyrule. There were no named races of any kind mentioned as a tribe or included as a part of the story; only the hero who looked much like an elf and the various enemies to fight. The name “Hylian” did not come about until A Link to the Past, which also included a brief history of the people and a few random characteristics. Certain groups of enemies, such as the Moblins or the Goriya, could be assumed to be representative of races that thrived somewhere in the wilderness of Hyrule, but the game manuals did not elaborate on this in any way. The game, however, seemed to imply they were, indeed, full races.

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My username is Axle the Beast, so it honestly shouldn’t be all that difficult to figure out that I have a thing for monsters. I’ve loved creatures of all shapes and sizes since before I can remember. I spent a portion of October reviewing them on my website, and before that I wrote an article similar to this one, counting town my top 10 Resident Evil monsters. With Zelda, choosing my favorites was harder because what defines a good monster in Zelda is a lot harder to peg. In Resident Evil, they just have to be scary. But what do we really look for in a Zelda monster?

This list is judged by how much I like the designs, but it’s also judged according to concept, execution, and how effective these creatures are as obstacles. I can’t exactly promise those traits will be terribly balanced here, but nonetheless, these are my 15 picks for my favorite monsters of the Zelda series. I’ve had to leave out a lot of ones I’d want to put on here in order to keep it down to 15, including the famous Stalfos, ReDeads, Deku, Octoroks, Skulltulas, and Deku Babas. I also want to give a particular mention to the Real Bombchu and Pols Voice, for having some pretty interesting concepts. The Real Bombchu is an INSANE grinning rat that explodes, while the Pols Voice is allegedly a ghost that appears to be part bunny, part hideous man, and in Phantom Hourglass, also part lamprey; it completely defies explanation.

With those honorable mentions out of the way, let’s get on to the main list!

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Happy Halloween! It’s that time of year again; children dress as goblins, ghouls or zombies, and go door to door requesting tricks or treats (but only ever get treats); and adults throw on the nearest article of rarely-worn clothing and make up some kind of costume for the party they’ll be attending. It’s also that time of year when we all consider things that we fear. In the spirit of the season, today we’ll be talking about fear in the Legend of Zelda series.

Fear is often called the strongest emotion. More than any other emotion, it brings on strong responses both psychological and physiological. But like every other emotion, what produces a fear response in one person will vary wildly from what produces a fear response from another person. As such, simply defining something as “scary” can be very difficult. Fortunately, there are ways to break down the idea of “scary” into more manageable definitions.

Horror novelist Stephen King, one of the most well known modern authors, describes fear in three categories in his book, Danse Macabre. The three categories — terror, horror, and revulsion — each define a different type of fear reaction. We’re going to look at each of these categories and their representation within the series, as well as King’s theory of effective horror.

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A Link to the Past arguably had the best opening sequence not just of any Zelda game, but of any video game. It introduces the player to the controls, the lore, the world, and the level design, and does so seamlessly while pushing Link forward through a rapidly-progressing story. Several pivotal things happen in succession, but they all make sense and set the tone for what’s to come.

It’s the fastest-moving section of the game, and not only did it do a good job of setting things up, but it was a precursor to modern action games which start in medias res. Like Star Wars, it thrust its main character into the middle of a story that was much larger than he was — but it did so artfully.

It was the first Zelda game with a real introduction, and it started things off with a bang. Subsequent Zelda games would have wildly different beginnings, from the mostly docile Link’s Awakening to the bizarre Majora’s Mask to the (sometimes painstakingly slow) Skyward Sword, but none would ever reach for the frantic, quick, perfect pacing of A Link to the Past. No Zelda game since lacked a lengthy introduction sequence. The formula was in place, but there was plenty of room for variety within that formula.

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Scary settings are not at all new to Zelda, and there tends to be a dungeon or area with a spooky theme in the majority of Zelda games these days. But, at least from what I can see, most scary locations in the series tend to gravitate toward the same idea: Underground structures or graveyards that are infested with the undead. Usually these areas are based on pretty basic horror tropes, which is fine, but Zelda tends to be at its best when it tries out new ideas from game to game, so I think it’s about time we saw a little more variety with its scary moments. Not all of these setting ideas are going to be brand-new to Zelda; some of these are going to be ones we’ve seen before, so this article isn’t exactly about settings that we need to see, but settings we need to see more of. I think that some of the concepts we’ve seen before could use a major expansion since their previous appearances were minor, but there are definitely some fresher ideas in here too.

While this is another list article, it’s going to be less about the strict order and more about the ideas themselves, so the order is less important here than on my Top 16 Most Annoying Zelda Characters or Top 16 Most Disturbing Zelda Characters articles. These are not all of the possibilities for new scary settings — I’m sure there are many others — these are simply eight ones I would like to see. Now let’s get started (and yes, I know that first image is of Luigi’s Mansion).

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There has been a large number of recurring objects, themes, and characters in the Legend of Zelda series. More often than nearly any other number or symbol, the number three appears to have the most significance in the Zelda series, and as I will discuss later, other places as well. It is such an important attribute that many things involving it, great and small, are very noticeable, and its symbolism can be seen in both the series’ gameplay and its mythology. The foremost example is the Triforce. After the first game, the concept behind the Triforce would be expanded to have a profound influence upon the peoples that live in Hyrule.

The Triforce itself consists of three golden triangles of incredible divine power, left by the three deities that created the world upon completion of their work. Each piece is named for and represents a fundamental force or virtue that is important to the people living within the world: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. The Triforce is the primary artifact that all of the culture of Hyrule is centered around; the familiar triple triangle symbol is seen throughout much of the countryside and can be spotted in even the most mundane of places. The triangle has become a holy symbol signifying the religion of the Hylian people and a lucky charm worn by many. Not only serving as the main object of worship and admiration, the Triforce is also acquired by many of the main characters. It is said to grant the wish of anyone who places their hands upon it. Each individual piece, while not as powerful, still grants the owner incredible abilities. Ganondorf’s lust for the power it provides has been his main motivation as well as the source of conflict within the story of several games.

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