Tag: Great Sea

Hello everyone! This is Zelda Artist Exposition, an editorial series where I feature exceptional artists. In case you have not read these before, although I have done many of them, suggestions for artists are always welcome. The only criteria is that they need to have at least three Zelda-related pieces, and you need to think they are a fantastic artist. The goal of these posts is to spread the joy of art wherever possible and to expose artists to a…

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…

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…

“Goal-oriented gameplay and environmental presence exist in unavoidable tension. In moderation, sense of purpose can make a place come alive. But when we focus on moves, strategy, puzzles, and other performance-oriented tasks, we’re left with little cognitive room to appreciate the surrounding environment.” – Douglas Wilson, “Look Before You Warp”1 The above quote is from a chapter in The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (a collection of essays, edited by Luke Cuddy) in which Wilson…

Over nine years ago, something new was introduced to the Zelda series. Today, that something is commonly referred to as the transportation system. It’s a pretty simple concept: It consists of a large map that must be traversed via some alternate mode of transportation in order to reach individual areas, which are explored on foot. Despite how simple the concept is, it’s proven to be pretty tough to master, as shown by its mixed reception in the series. In this…

Since Ocarina of Time, the only Zelda game we’ve seen that featured no real transportation for Link was The Minish Cap. Every other game has at least offered some form of it, at least temporarily. Often, it’s been a domineering, essential component of the game, offering little choice to the player about how and when to use it. Epona is probably the best example of transportation as an extension of player choice. In all three games in which she’s featured,…

Hey guys! Finally got you a new mailbag video! Sorry for the wait on this, we were trying to get a new camera working and things didn’t really work out so we had to fall back on the old one. Again, sorry for the wait and hopefully there won’t be such big gaps in the future. I cheated more with the music by the way. Might as well accept this as a regular occurrence. Haha. The questions answered and their…