Editorials

Just imagine: As you finally conclude harsh trials necessary to prove yourself hero enough — several steps above “man enough” — to acquire the means to defeat the ancient evil that took your sister, your talking boat and teacher whisks you beneath the waves to-

Oh, wait, you’ve played The Wind Waker? Ah. No imagining necessary then.

Who didn’t have their mind blown pretty severely by this part of The Wind Waker? The journey down into Hyrule was both extremely predictable while being both unprecedented and just downright cool. Is there anyone out there who’s played The Wind Waker who doesn’t count it among their favorite moments? I say it’s unprecedented because, well, look at the series so far: There were only a few Zelda games to make very direct references to previous titles in the series before The Wind Waker, and none of them did so on the scale that the boat game does.

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My apologies to those who requested their favorite games to be reviewed next in this article series. But so far I have reviewed three Zelda games, all of which I absolutely adored (Skyward Sword, A Link to the Past, and The Wind Waker). This week I really wanted to challenge myself, and see what I could come up with for one of my least favorite Zelda games: Four Swords, the multiplayer “sub-game” packaged with the Gameboy Advance’s release of A Link to the Past. I say “sub-game” because I have heard countless fans address it as such, and frankly, I agree. It’s short, it’s linear, it lacks great puzzles, and you can’t play it alone (unless of course you purchased the eShop version on your 3DS). But enough negativity! Remember, this article series is intended to talk about what we love about the Zelda series, despite its occasional disappointments.

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With more details, a new trailer, and a playable demo for The Wind Waker HD, we now have a much more fleshed out idea of what this game will finally look like. Of course, it looks just as good as the original game, and the added touches should make it worth replaying.

However, in my experience, most vocal Zelda fans online clamor for a remake of Majora’s Mask or A Link to the Past; I rarely heard people asking for a remake of The Wind Waker. We already know why we have it–it’s the result of Nintendo experimenting with different art styles, and they saw it as an opportunity to appease some Zelda fans–but was it really necessary?

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Playing through Ocarina of Time, I was always curious about the boss of the Shadow Temple, Bongo Bongo, and the boss of the Spirit Temple, Twinrova. My curiosity was furthered by finding online theories for Bongo Bongo, and the final words that Twinrova leave Link with after he defeats them in the Spirit Temple. Like my editorial on Bunnio, this will be more interpretive, looking at possible backgrounds and futures of the characters, rather than analysing what the characters are seen doing in the game. With that said, let’s get straight into it, shall we?

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Welcome to the third article in this series, in which we discuss our favorite parts of particular Zelda games. For you, MiniJen, The Wind Waker has been selected as this week’s entry. For anyone who missed the previous articles of its kind, this series is intended to focus on the positive aspects of the Zelda game in discussion. Criticism is welcome but not encouraged. Let’s remind ourselves why we love the Zelda series, rather than nitpick it apart as we so commonly do.

The Wind Waker broke new ground and expanded our imaginations further when it introduced us to several new things: the largest overworld to date, inventive battle techniques, and unique cel shaded graphics. While the graphics deterred some players, those who embraced the franchise’s new look were treated to not only one of the best Zelda games, but stories as well. Continue reading to see what I thought were the biggest strengths of this highly controversial title!

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Hello Zelda Dungeoners, and sorry for my recent hiatus, but I had some exams to (not) study for. But now I’m back with a long-overdue analysis of Rauru, or, as some of you guys might know him, the owl that never shuts up and appears to think that Link has a single-digit IQ. He appears to serve no useful purpose in-game (except for giving you a ride at one point), and that’s why I initially wasn’t going to do an editorial on him, but after realising his rich history, support from you guys, and my continued curiosity as to why he takes the form of a giant owl who insists on giving you the lowdown on what you already know. So if Rauru’s true purpose has always eluded you, jump right on in to get some illumination on the topic.

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Hello Zelda Dungeoners and welcome to a new edition of Timeshift Thursday for this week! E3 2013 is just around the last corner and the hunger for new announcements, demos, and game trailers is at an all-time high. The lack of Zelda games at last year’s E3 makes way for a blockbuster showfloor this time with both The Wind Waker HD and A Link to the Past 2 scheduled to be shown. A new Zelda Wii U title could also be revealed at E3 2013 although, if anything, a trailer would just be shown.

Today, I’d like us to take a glance back at a special Nintendo E3 presentation which took place nine years ago. E3 2004 was a much anticipated year for new Zelda announcements and Nintendo dropped a stunning bomb right at the end of its presentation wowing the audience it had been preaching for. A stunning trailer for Nintendo’s next console Zelda title was officially unveiled featuring superb visuals and an all new environment unlike anything seen since Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask graced the N64. It was an E3 presentation which has not been topped in audience applause to this present day. But if Nintendo have created a really special Nintendo Direct for streaming live next week then favor could win them back targeted crowds and Wii U will shift momentum in a similar way to the 3DS.

Nintendo legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto also made a sensational appearance after the Zelda trailer played and gained a standing ovation for his work in the gaming industry! If you’d like to take a look at just how the media reacted towards the Zelda trailer which ended up becoming Twilight Princess then click the jump for the video!

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The Earth Temple is my favorite dungeon in The Wind Waker, and has been for a long time. Because the things it succeeds at are less nuanced than those of Dragon Roost Cavern, it’s the only dungeon in The Wind Waker that I loved outright, whereas it was only upon further analysis that I came to understand why I appreciated Dragon Roost Cavern. That lack of nuance combined with the fact that the Earth Temple’s problems are few — regardless of their size — are the reason why this review will be much more straightforward than usual.

Being one of The Wind Waker’s two temples, which are both buried down in Hyrule but accessed through mountaintop (island) entrances, there is no real sense of scale to be found here; the Earth Temple is located entirely underground, so the themes I’ve talked about regarding outdoor sections in the previous dungeons are simply not relevant here. Perhaps that makes the Earth Temple less deep in terms of themes — as opposed to its literal depth underground! — but I think the dungeon makes up for it in other ways.

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In my last editorial I stated that it would be interesting if Nintendo made a game in which the main protagonist was not Hylian, but a different race of Hyrule, so as to elaborate on their cultures. So I thought it would be a good idea to do a miniseries on what can be discerned from the current information on these groups.

Some things to bear in mind while reading: this is highly opinionated speculation that is in no way factual, however it is based on research from official sources. Also, these will be written assuming the reader has decent knowledge about each race, it is not my intention to write a wiki.

So with that, let’s explore the diverse people and cultures of Hyrule. First on our list, the Deku.

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Looking back at some changing plot threads in Zelda games, one of the things I find most intriguing is how much Gorons have changed.

When they debuted in Ocarina of Time, they weren’t a particularly impressive race. While Daurina himself became a decent character and a proud sage, most of what you see of the Gorons is a joke. They’re giant, living rocks, but they cower at the slightest provocation and at the start of the game seem completely helpless. It doesn’t help that there’s more slapstick humor accompanying their early interactions with Link than you see from any other race, even considering how lighthearted the tone is of most of the first one third of the game.

Majora’s Mask didn’t do them many favors. This time, there’s once again a single impressive Goron character, but he’s dead. Goron Link is hard to take seriously–he’s something of a giant, grinning brick, with neither the pathos of the cute Deku Scrub nor the “cool” factor of Mikau, the Zora rock star. Sure, he has his moments, and rolling around as a Goron is always fun, but he wasn’t a personal favorite. Read more…

I’ve mentioned numerous times while I’ve worked on Zelda Dungeon that I never really found the ReDeads scary in Ocarina of Time. Or… anything at all scary in Ocarina of Time, actually. Things like the ReDeads and the Shadow Temple both provided too familiar and cliched of ideas without enough suspense and danger to make me feel scared. With that said, that doesn’t mean there aren’t cool moments with these undead beasts, and it doesn’t mean that they won’t scare other people. My favorite moments with the ReDeads have nothing to do with the Bottom of the Well or the Shadow Temple, but rather are their first appearances within either time period in the game.

The best one is the first one in my opinion; the first ReDeads are fought within the Royal Tomb, on the way to collecting the Sun’s Song. Nothing particularly scary — barring perhaps a boss battle against Gohma — has occurred yet in the game, so this moment really caught me off-guard. After being warned about “lurkers in the dark”, the player enters a disturbing room filled with poisonous, green, and smoking water — some kind of acid? — and the zombie-like foes, likely taking a fair amount of damage and dealing with a lot of startling ReDead screams (and stuns) before making it to the song itself and using it to escape safely.

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Hi Zelda fans and avid Zelda Dungeon readers from across the globe! It’s great to have you join me for another Timeshift Thursday feature as today we will take a look at an intriguing aspect which has defined the Zelda series from its launch 27 years ago. Two major viewpoint perspectives have been utilized since the Zelda series became existent; a behind the character 3D environment as well as the traditional 2D top-down viewpoint. In this modern tech day and age many may think that gaming is all about the 3D model experience. It envelopes games with realistic visuals, graphically enhances the environment, and witnessing a targeted object from a great distance is far easier. Yet, this evidence did not disturb Nintendo from creating another 2D top-down title known at this point as Zelda 3DS.

Why would Nintendo choose a 2D top-down perspective for its first original Zelda title on 3DS? Surely, what we’ve seen from Ocarina of Time 3D should be reason enough to warrant a full 3D modeled environment for Nintendo’s next handheld Zelda title. I know a few people who are equally disappointed that Nintendo aren’t showing off the 3DS’ full potential with Zelda 3DS and can’t believe they’ve waited four years from the time Spirit Tracks was released to see that all they’re getting is another 2D top-down title. It’s set to divide opinions between old and new Zelda fans as E3 2013 should give us plenty more info as to how Zelda 3DS will further look.

Would you like to take an in-depth look as to why I think the 2D top-down perspective was still chosen for the next handheld Zelda? If yes is your answer then click the jump!

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Sorry for the two-week hiatus, but it’s finally time for me to review the Forsaken Fortress. This dungeon is easily The Wind Waker’s most iconic. Dragon Roost Cavern was shown a lot in trailers, but the Forsaken Fortress featured in numerous pieces of the game’s artwork, is home to most of the game’s most significant enemies, and is visited twice due to its great story importance.

The Forsaken Fortress is an odd case. While there are a few other dungeons in the series that must be visited multiple times as part of the story — which probably follow the Forsaken Fortress’ example — this one is the first and it also deviates a particularly large amount from traditional dungeon structure and, more importantly, the defined structure within its own game. Unlike in other dungeons in The Wind Waker, you won’t spend time solving puzzles and fighting enemies as you navigate through many rooms, locating a Dungeon Map, Compass, new weapon, and Big Key on your way to a boss. You do locate most of these items — barring the Big Key — but in odder ways. Little focus is placed on the Map or Compass because the dungeon’s layout is simple and not meant to challenge your navigation skills, the Skull Hammer is awarded to you almost immediately after returning on the second visit, and the way to the end is blocked only by searchlights and barricades designed for the Skull Hammer. So the dungeon is unusual. How, then, does this odd dungeon perform in terms of quality?

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At the request of Nevan Lowe, A Link to the Past has been chosen as the next article in this series. If you are new to the series, have no fear! This is only the second article of its kind, and there are many more games to discuss. The intention of these articles is to discuss our favorite aspects of particular Zelda games. The categories are limitless. If you want to talk about game mechanics, go for it. If you want to discuss story, be my guest. If you want to point out flaws… then get out of here! This is not the article for you. I’m sorry, that was harsh. Go ahead and stick around. Just try to keep the negativity to a minimum.

Of course, like the first article and the ones on the way, the following moments will be personal favorites with which you may or may not agree. Everyone is encouraged to comment with a list of their own favorite moments from the game. By the end of the article and your own comments, we should be well reminded of the reasons we love A Link to the Past, as well as the Zelda series as a whole. I am particularly looking forward to seeing the comments to this article, as A Link to the Past was my very first Zelda game and possibly my favorite of the series. So without further adieu, let’s get into it!

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Amongst all the information about the upcoming Zelda 3DS, one bit of news that came out was a screenshot that indicated that this A Link to the Past sequel will actually have the same number of item slots as its predecessor. The subject of a Zelda’s game’s item repertoire is always a significant one, as Zelda games are always extremely item-driven. Items are Link’s powers, his objectives, and indeed serve as ways of unlocking new areas and secrets; virtually everything in a Zelda game revolves around its items. So what kind of item selection might we see from Zelda 3DS?

It’s obvious that this game will mimic A Link to the Past in numerous respects, and the fact that it has exactly the same number of item slots can’t be unintentional. Furthermore, the only items we’ve seen so far have been ones that were in the original — the Bow, which has been a series staple, but also the Hammer, which has been a rarity for some time — so it’s fair to assume that the game will have all the same items that A Link to the Past had. But will that really be the case?

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Hey Zelda Dungeoners and welcome again to another segment of Timeshift Thursday! The whole purpose of these editorials is to imagine that we’ve hit a timeshift stone and headed back in time to reminisce on all the good times experienced from the Zelda series. Yet, today I’ll be taking a different angle for this episode of Timeshift Thursday. This week’s segment is dedicated to exploring the reasons why Nintendo would choose The Wind Waker as its Wii U remake.

The Wind Waker is a game-changer for the Zelda series. Becoming the first Zelda title to fully feature cell-shaded graphics, The Wind Waker performed greatly in dividing the “casual” and “hardcore” audiences. Just the thought of Link looking so cartoony did not appeal to many Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask fans yet in the end it became one of GameCube’s most successful titles. It seemed Nintendo was using this opportunity to attract a younger generation of gamers and reveal how fun the Zelda series actually is while not shying away from implementing the strategic puzzles and dungeons known to the series.

So, why did Nintendo choose The Wind Waker to become Wii U’s first Zelda title? There are certain reasons which may be gathered to complete the theory as to why this particular Zelda title was given the thumbs up and it’s not just because its 10th anniversary has occurred in 2013. If you’d like to join me in discovering further as to why The Wind Waker is gaining a HD remake then click the jump!

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A few of the recent Favorite Zelda Moments posts I’ve written have covered fairly obscure moments that I’m not sure a ton of people would have considered one of their favorites — such as fricken’ Moldarach — but this one’s different; nearly everyone knows about the introductory portion of A Link to the Past and I’d be surprised if there were not a number of people who loved this part of the game.

This section is what the game starts off with. Establishing the now classic tradition of Zelda games opening as Link wakes up, Link is awoken from his slumber by a telepathic message from Princess Zelda, asking him to come save her. Disobeying his uncle and leaving the house, Link makes his way to Hyrule Castle through the rain to iconic music and sneaks inside (with more iconic music) to inherit a sword and shield from his dead or injured uncle and then save Zelda so they can make their escape.

Obviously this entire portion — finally ending when you reach the Sanctuary through the sewer passage — is quite excellent and very memorable. Who could forget an adventure game that begins with a dangerous nighttime infiltration mission through rain and castle, witnessing the death of their guardian, to rescue the princess? This is like literally the stuff of epic blockbuster movies, the kind of stuff that grips you and forces you to keep watching when you go see it at the theater, or that makes you cuss audibly for missing it because you had to go to the restroom while the movie started.

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Almost as divisive as The Wind Waker, the game we’re examining this week is a Zelda title that inspires partisanship amongst the fandom. There are those who will insist that Majora’s Mask changed Zelda in all of the right ways for the better and that no game since has bested it, but there seems to be an equal side who feel that Majora’s Mask strayed too far from the familiar formula for the worse. Like The Wind Waker, this game leads many people claim it as their favorite/least favorite for the exact same reasons, once again showing that we each have a different “recipe” as far as what makes a Zelda game.

This week I’ll cobble together some quotes from the forums and comments that have appeared on this editorial series about Majora’s Mask and try to show how the very same things that Person A loves about the game are what Person B think make it “un-Zelda”.

 
 
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I’ve said it as recently as my last article; bosses are one of my favorite parts of Zelda games. They can be impressive in size and design, but it is not uncommon to ultimately find yourself underwhelmed. When it comes to bosses, nothing is more disappointing to me than an absurdly easy battle. Even an extremely frustrating battle is eventually worthwhile due to the rewarding feeling you get once you claim victory. Now, there are certainly going to be bosses absent from the list that may surprise you, but keep in mind that there are several easy bosses in the series, and only ten available slots.

It was quite difficult for me to decide how I would rank these bosses. I find them all almost equally as pathetic. But in the end, I decided to judge overall ease mostly by how easy I found it to avoid each enemy’s attacks. Lengthier battles do not necessarily equate to higher difficulty, however. For example, I found Koloktos of Skyward Sword to be extremely easy, however the battle takes upwards of three minutes simply because of how the fight is set up. The difficulty in locating weaknesses was not considered because, let’s face it, the Zelda series has never been coy about this. One last thing considered is how far into the game an easy boss appears. For example, Hothead would have made a decent second or third boss in Link’s Awakening based on difficulty, but being the last one before the final boss knocks his threat level down greatly. A boss that far into the game should be much more challenging. Of course, the ease of a battle is all a matter of opinion and level of skill, but I think we can all agree that these ten (except for one that may surprise you) were among the most laughable “fights” in Zelda history.

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There’s something to be said for variety.

Some would argue that the Zelda series has little variety. After all, with the exception of the second game, which could be called a failed experiment, the series has been following the same basic formula since its 8-bit inception. Each game represents a mix of action, adventure, and puzzle elements focused on item acquisition and exploration. The games have gotten increasingly linear and player-friendly, but otherwise, even someone without much knowledge of the series could boil its gameplay down to a set of predictable principles.

It strikes me as odd that I’ve seen this criticism leveled against the series, though, since I can think of few other successful series that don’t also follow a predictable formula with a predictable set of gameplay principles. First person shooters, for example, are a genre that has always followed trends, and while the modern FPS is very different from, say, Doom, the old and new eras have at least that much in common. If Dark Forces, for instance, was a Doom clone with its labyrinthine levels and solo protagonist, modern shooters, with their focus on, well, shooting, are clones of each other. You could say similar things about platformers in the 16-bit era, or RPGs in general, or even PC adventure games. Read more…

YES!!! It’s time to take a look at Nabooru! I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while now, partly because her presentation as a character is the same as those of past Sages, but done differently, which I really liked, but also because of her promise, which I’m really looking forward to hearing your theories, because there are infinite possibilities, some realistic, others being completely off the wall. With that said, I can’t see any reason why we shouldn’t just get straight into this, so come on, let us find out what makes Nabooru such a unique character.

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Hi fellow Zelda Dungeon fanatics and welcome, once again, to another Timeshift Thursday feature! This week I’m looking forward to sharing and discussing a climatic battle scene with you from Link’s latest adventure, Skyward Sword, in which I’ve found the combat before the corresponding final battle to be a richer, more difficult experience. Because Skyward Sword doesn’t include the most amount of highlights for a Zelda game, in my opinion, I haven’t leaned toward writing a feature revolving around the title. Yet, because we are discussing famous Zelda battles now, I do want to write about, possibly, my favourite part of Skyward Sword.

Today, we’ll take a look at the extensive Horde Battle brought about by one of Link’s main antagonists in Skyward Sword, Ghirahim. This section of end-game battle sequence truly tests Link’s reasons as to to why he is blessed with the Triforce of Courage. It is an outstanding test of courage and we shall see that further along the article!

If you want to read more about Link’s excruciating battle with Ghirahim’s minions then click the jump below and take the full descent toward the Sealed Grounds!

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Link is kind of a ladies’ man; tons of Zelda girls adore Link. And who could blame them? It’s a generally understood fact that effeminate guys are often found especially attractive, and let’s face it: Link is a little bit of a girly dude. But he’s also manly and heroic, so clearly he’s quite a catch. Because of their abundance, it’s honestly pretty hard for jokes about Link’s many admirers to make me laugh anymore. The gag isn’t just a cliche in the Zelda series; it’s been done to death in tons of other stories — particularly anime. I’d never complain about it in the Zelda series and I always enjoy these moments, but I’d be lying if I said that they really can make me laugh most of the time; the joke’s done enough that it takes something extra special to make it really funny again.

Like making his admirer a tree. That would be hilarious!

Seriously though, Oracle of Ages is one of the few Zelda games or stories in general to actually make me laugh at this joke again. When it comes time for Link to seek the Maku Tree’s aid, he must first venture into the past to protect the Maku Tree from being destroyed by monsters while she’s just a sprout. After she’s saved, she says almost word for word the phrase I’ve seen a thousand times:

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While I feel it doesn’t need mentioning, I will nevertheless point out that there is no such thing as a “worst” or “best” Zelda game due to the fact that we each of us has a different idea of what exactly the Zelda recipe ought to be; my “best” might be your “worst” or vice versa. Also there’s the simple fact that even the lowest ranked Zelda game is considerably better ranked than most other games.

With that out of the way, this week we will take a look at Twilight Princess–and we will do so in a slightly different structure than in previous weeks, as evidenced by the title.

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Hello Zelda fans. Minish Pants here, with the first of hopefully many articles discussing our favorite parts of particular Zelda games. I’ve decided to start with Skyward Sword, as it is the freshest in my mind. I will eventually get around to all of them, in no particular order (unless a commenter asks nicely!) as I replay each game. The goal with these articles is to focus on the positive, and discuss amongst each other the best of each game. Even if you completely hate the game discussed, try to think of things about it that you liked. For instance, I’m not a particularly big fan of Phantom Hourglass, but when I get to writing about it, I will focus on the game’s strengths rather than weaknesses; what it did right, not what it did wrong. It’s fun to debate the flaws of Zelda and which games are better than others, but let’s remind ourselves why we love these games so much. Hit the jump to see what I felt were the best moments of Skyward Sword!

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Throughout the land of Hyrule you’ll find many interesting races of people ranging from Hylian to Gerudo. However, it is the Hylians that the games focus on the most; we know more about their history and culture than any other race.

So I got to thinking: what if there was a Zelda game in which you got to play as a different race than the Hylians?

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In Ocarina of Time, Impa is the nursemaid of the young Princess Zelda. She is a Sheikah, and a key member of the race, having founded Kakariko Village. In the relatively recent Hyrulean Civil War, the Sheikah were almost brought to extinction, and Impa is now one of the last members of the race. When she left Kakariko to protect Princess Zelda, she left the village to the other races of Hyrule. After helping Link as a child, she is awakened as a Sage seven years later. The history of the Sheikah is very mysterious, as is the recent history of the race and how it may or may not have impacted Impa’s choices. Let us now examine Impa and the presence of the Sheikah in this era of Hyrule.

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Hi dear readers, and welcome to another exciting segment of Timeshift Thursday! Similar to last week I will be taking a good look at one of Link’s epic battles, where the gamer may have had a very memorable and inspirational experience, while examining the reasons as to what made it so incredible. I’ve drawn my thoughts from Twilight Princess where quite a few one-on-one combat events happen and have picked the one I found the most exhilarating.

This week features Link’s horseback fight with King Bulblin and it includes a stunning clash atop the glorious Bridge of Eldin. With Link clinging onto Epona’s reins, while trying to slash at the King of Bulblins and risking taking a disastrous plunge off the edge, this does happen to be one courageous act by our hero!

Would you like to learn more about Link’s Bridge of Eldin battle with King Bulblin? Hit the jump if you want to read deeper into the article!

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The Tower of the Gods is one of the few dungeons in The Wind Waker that I’m just a little bit at a loss for words on. I like it… but it’s a bit challenging to justify why (that will make more sense later in the review). So it might take me some time to explain. Bear with me! This dungeon has a concept that few dungeons — mainly just the Great Palace from Adventure of Link — had prior to The Wind Waker: It isn’t an evil place; it wasn’t corrupted or overrun. It is in fact a sacred one, built and still controlled by the forces of good, and made to test Link.

So right off the bat, this dungeon sets itself apart quite a bit from other dungeons, and that’s pretty cool. It has an awesome introduction scene where it rises out of the ocean, and being that it’s the climax of The Wind Waker’s first half, it’s very fitting that it has this presentation. The dungeon’s music fits its sacred status as well as its story importance; the song is beautiful and sacred, yet also dire and grim. The song leaves no room for confusion: This place is pretty important. The theme’s intro portion alone is awesome, and it sets the tone for the entire dungeon; the Tower of the Gods is sacred and holy, but it will test Link’s mettle with unbelievably harsh challenges before he can save his sister and the world. It’s also one of the few dungeon themes in the game that I feel is awesome to listen to on its own. It’s not overwhelmingly atmospheric and manages to have some awesome complexity while still being somewhat atmospheric. It’s very memorable.

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Over the past month or so I’ve focused each week on a separate Zelda game, culling together comments and forum posts to present a variety of perspectives as to why it may be that Person A might feel The Wind Waker is the best in the series but that Person B might feel it was the worst. Despite feeling that I’d made this thesis clear not only in the inaugural post, but also in the opening paragraph of each subsequent editorial in the series, there were many who read those editorials and felt that I was trying to advance my own opinion–that I was actually trying to argue that the game at hand was a bad game. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially since I intentionally chose my absolute favorite of the series and gave it the same treatment.

So this week I’d like us to take a step back and examine something I had thought–since we’re all Zelda fans here–didn’t need to be said: there is no such thing as “the worst Zelda game.”

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One may wonder: why are trilogies so popular? What is it about the number three that filmmakers and game creators like so much? Well, simply put, any and every story worth telling focuses on a character. And the most interesting aspects of that character’s life can be summarized in three categories: their rise, how their life changes as a result, and their redemption/ending. Even individual works utilize a three-part structure, whether it has sequels or not. Act 1: We are introduced to the world of the story, and the protagonist, who is usually insignificant, until something big happens that requires them to go on a journey, whether it be literal or metaphorical. Act 2: The meat of the story. The consequences of the catalyst in Act 1 come to light, and the protagonist begins changing and adapting. Act 3: It’s time for our hero to put the lessons he’s learned into practice, confronting one last, big obstacle, and overcoming it to achieve personal growth, which ultimately makes having followed this person a worthwhile effort. Whether the stakes are as big as the fate of the world or as little as one character’s salvation, every story worth telling revolves around one or more characters to whom we can relate. If we cannot relate to the protagonist, we have no story, regardless of the size of the world, the problem, or the resolve. Zelda is perfect for this: Link is just like us in the beginning of any Zelda game (save sequels); a seemingly average, insignificant person among others. Instantly, we connect with him. And I feel that adding one more title to two particular games would create one of the greatest game trilogies of all time. Hit the jump to read more!

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It’s hard to think of a race–save maybe the Hylians and Twili–who are more prominently featured in a single game than the Minish.

These diminutive, mouselike, easily underestimated creatures are pitched as explanations for a number of things that never really had to be explained. I don’t think most gamers questioned how rupees ended up in bushes or jars, or exactly what was going on in Hyrule at a microscopic level. But the Minish bring a new depth to the world of Hyrule without compromising any of our previous perceptions. After all, there’s no requirement that they’re present for all future entries in the series–it’s enough that they exist at a single point in the timeline.

But what an impression they leave! They built some of the most interesting locales in the series, and make The Minish Cap’s “gimmick” feel like so much more. Their perspective manages to be entirely distinct from the Hylians’ experience of Hyrule, but their role is still evident throughout. They’re inherently endearing, with cute character design that fits right in to the line of The Wind Waker-inspired art styles. Their interaction with the world at large, which the player experiences through Link, repurposes what would otherwise be a conventional Hyrule into something entirely new. Until you’re shrunk down to size, it can be hard to see Hyrule the way the Minish do, but every small vine, every crack in the wall, offers a new opportunity. They can even communicate with animals; common cats become a threat and uncooperative dogs move over for Minish who probably understand them better than Hylians do. In short, they probably represent every child’s dream, which is wish fulfillment in the grand Zelda tradition. Read more…

Princess Ruto is the princess of the Zoras in Ocarina of Time. Initially coming off as a rude and selfish child, we soon learn that she is actually kind… or, at least, she’s kind to Link after she falls in love with him after he saves her from the parasite within Lord Jabu-Jabu. When we meet up with her again in seven years, she is trying to banish the evil at the heart of the Water Temple to unfreeze Zora’s Domain. There is another little thing about her that’s a bit iffy, but that’s a surprise! With that in mind, dive right on in if you wish to know who Princess Ruto really is.

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There are many species in the Zelda series which have unknown methods of reproduction. Three of these species have picked at my curiosity in particular, the Gorons, the Deku race, and the Kokiri. There are many theories as to how Gorons reproduce, and none for the Deku race or the Kokiri. I shall go through these theories, suggest my own, and at the end, you can tell me the races in the Zelda series which you have always wondered about, and your ideas. Sound like a good idea? Good. Let’s go!

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Hey Zelda fans and welcome to this next segment of Timeshift Thursday! Usually, these features are set aside to explore different areas in our hallowed series yet today, and in the next few weeks, I’ll be mixing up the content a little. I’d like to use the next couple of weeks or so to focus on some of the Zelda series’ greatest battle scenarios and explore the reasons as to why they gave us such a memorable, emotional, and unforgettable experience. Link truly engages in some fierce combat while on one of his Hyrule-rescuing adventures and I thought it would be a great opportunity to reminisce on some of the most enterprising fights from the series.

Today we will be taking a good look at my favourite boss battle bringing back the epic greatness from my younger years! Being a favourite Zelda title for so many fans by bringing back the childhood memories, Ocarina of Time displayed an epic story revolving around the proper 3D environment of Hyrule and the main characters, Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf. Yet it was the final battle between Link and Ganon which provided that dark atmospheric sensation every Zelda game’s end needs to have!

Would you like to read about Ocarina of Time’s final battle between Link and Ganon? If so, click the jump and keep reading!

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