Author: Michaela El-Ters

Nintendo released the pre-recorded Zelda Orchestra Concert on February 9, 2024 for music enthusiasts and Zelda fans around the world to enjoy. Nearly 30 minutes long, the concert featured a variety of songs from Zelda games old and new, such as main theme from Tears of the Kingdom, “Ballad of the Goddess,” “Zelda’s Lullaby,” “The Ballad of the Windfish,” and many more. The concert was pre-recorded without an audience, and this was admittedly pretty noticeable at the beginning and in…

We can all agree that Tears of the Kingdom is a sprawling game. With the Sky Islands and The Depths to explore, along with the morphed landscape of Hyrule, the sheer level of content and routes you can take as a player is almost overwhelming. I give the game huge props for telling a compelling story around Princess Zelda, and for introducing new threats and elements to the gameplay, but I can’t help but feel like exploring the same map…

With the upcoming release of the latest Princess Peach spinoff, Princess Peach Showtime!, on March 22nd, 2024, it’s made a glaring hole in the Zelda series library all too obvious: why hasn’t Princes Zelda been the titular hero of her own adventure? The Zelda games continue to innovate and expand on the formula, and yet Nintendo refuses to budge on this one component. Princess Zelda has been playable in other spin-offs like Hyrule Warriors and Cadence of Hyrule as part…

Through the unique stories, characters, equipment, and gameplay mechanics, each Zelda game has a distinct identity. While there are recurring elements, some installments like Twilight Princess have the distinction of having unique items no other game has. Which one-off items or power-ups were your favorites, and which ones do you wish would return in another Zelda game? For me, it’s the Bunny Hood. In Majora’s Mask, the Bunny Hood grants super speed to the wearer, allowing Link to move much…

The challenge nearly every sequel faces is introducing new characters and giving them enough screentime for the audience to get to know them, while bringing back recurring characters in a satisfying way and not just for the sake of fanservice. It can be tricky to strike the right balance, and some games do this better than others. Tears of the Kingdom, overall, does a pretty good job at striking the right balance, but I don’t think it’s perfect. New characters…

I think there are few songs that are as synonymous with Zelda as “Great Fairy’s Fountain.” This track can be heard in many Zelda games, including to A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild, and more. It’s evolved significantly over the years, with each version incorporating different instruments and even vocals to give it new life and personality. This song is often associated with the Great Fairy…

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda is titled the Sage of Light and Time. It marks the first time we’ve ever seen a Sage associated with more than one element, and while it’s cool on paper, I question if it was ultimately the best choice. Zelda’s light and sealing powers were showcased beautifully with her character arc in Breath of the Wild,…

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In a vacuum, Tears of the Kingdom‘s lore is impressive and expansive. I love the idea of meeting the first King and Queen of Hyrule, learning the history of the Zonai, and exploring Zelda’s powers and abilities. It’s a neat expansion of the conflict we saw 10,000 years ago in Breath of the Wild‘s prologue. But compared to the whole timeline(s), it doesn’t…

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. When I first booted up Tears of the Kingdom and got to the Sky Islands, I was immediately intrigued by Rauru’s character. Throughout the tutorial, Rauru could be found standing next to Steward Constructs or sitting on the cliffside. I particularly enjoyed hearing his reminiscence about the Temple of Time and how they would listen to the bells. It was also around…

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In Tears of the Kingdom, past memories of Zelda during her time with King Rauru and Queen Sonia reveal that there is a forbidden act called “draconification.” As Mineru describes it, “To swallow a Secret Stone is to become an immortal dragon…one blessed with eternal life,” but there’s a cost. The individual can’t change back, and they end up losing themselves. Zelda…