Author: Connor Butler

With a series villain as repetitive and as iconic as Ganondorf, it’s difficult to pick a favorite, or even a least favorite version of the Gerudo King. Ocarina of Time gave us this character’s fantastic debut with a story that has endured since it’s 1998 release. The Wind Waker gave us the villain’s return, with a more reflective Ganondorf, who was still as crafty and threatening. Twilight Princess showed us just how manipulative and twisted the villain could be, while also providing him…

If you’re a long-time fan of Zelda Dungeon, you no doubt know that our “Best Zelda Ever” ranking is kind of a big deal. We here at ZD are always excited to share our thoughts on games in the series, but it’s this time of year when we get to show our true feelings on our favorite (or least favorite) entries. For those unfamiliar, every year, the members of the Zelda Dungeon staff put together their own personal lists of…

Since the announcement of Tears of the Kingdom, there was often speculation on whether or not there would be a change in character perspective. Fans had already gotten to play as Link in this world, so why shouldn’t they be able to play as Zelda? In a recent interview with IGN, Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and producer Eiji Aonuma were asked about the role of Zelda, and they had a lot to say on the matter. When asked…

One of the most satisfying things about The Legend of Zelda franchise has always been opening chests. The fanfare of finding whatever treasure is in the box always gives a rush of excitement; and in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, it’s just fun to watch Link kick a chest open. After years of kicking open chests on screen, Etsy seller KoalaVerde has made it possible to open your very own! Not only that, but you also gain an amazing way…

The release of Breath of the Wild brought many new things to the Zelda franchise, like an open world, cooking mechanics, and perhaps the most divisive and interesting thing — voice acting. With voice acting, of course, comes a need for voice actors. I, for one, believe that the voice actors in Breath of the Wild brought life to the characters, and created a new layer of immersion that helped create a more interesting atmosphere, and the addition of several cast members to Tears…

Because of the Zelda franchise’s origins stemming from fantasy and medieval themes, the typical musical setting for our beloved series is usually classical or folk-adjacent. This being the case means that there is a criminal underuse of jazz music, with the exception of “Ballad of the Wind Fish” from Link’s Awakening. But all ye jazz lovers, fear not! There is always fan content galore. This particular arrangement of the main theme from The Legend of Zelda by  TheOneUps gives us a…

Welcome to a spooky edition of “Storytelling Through Sound,” a series of editorials dedicated to the analysis of the major musical themes from every Zelda game. In this special edition, we’ll be dissecting the final boss theme from Tears of the Kingdom. Major spoilers for the end of Tears of the Kingdom incoming! You’ve finally done it. All of the regional phenomena are finished, you’ve found Gloom’s Approach, and you’ve fought through the seemingly endless waves of the Demon King’s Army. You…

One thing that’s always impressive about Zelda fan projects is their quality. Fans of the franchise seem dedicated to putting out projects that are up to even Nintendo’s standards of quality. This fan project quality is especially apparent in YouTube creator Thomandy Piano’s cover of “Rauru’s Farewell” from Tears of the Kingdom.  The fun part about this particular cover is that Thomandy Piano, aka Thomas, has added some live electronics to accompany himself (the original track from the game seems to feature…

Welcome back to another edition of “Storytelling Through Sound,” a series of editorials dedicated to the analysis of the major musical themes from every Zelda game. In this month’s edition, we’ll be discussing the nature-esque sound of Breath of the Wild‘s main theme. For me, Breath of the Wild is a timeless game. There’s a certain kind of nostalgia experienced whenever I boot up that game and see the art that accompanies the title screen. I feel the exact same…

Tears of the Kingdom‘s soundtrack is, pun intended, legendary. The music of this game covers such a vast majority of styles of music; from standard classical music, to minimalist music, to traditional folk styles, this game has it all. The live instruments of the soundtrack bring out such an expressive side to the sound of the series, which I personally love. And the treasure trove of tracks includes a plethora of references to games from Zelda‘s past; even the final…