Author: Sean Gadus

Of all the cozy locations in the Zelda series, the Lumpy Pumpkin is one of the most overlooked cozy places in the entire series. This fine establishment, which is located on Pumpkin Landing near the green Column of Light, is one of the most memorable locations in Skyward Sword. The Lumpy Pumpkin is run by the curmudgeonly Pumm and his friendly daughter Kina. The player can have a lot of fun in and around the Lumpy Pumpkin and Pumpkin Landing….

While Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both use a memory system as part of their respective narratives, I found Tears of the Kingdom to be the more engaging narrative of the two. The presence of Ganondorf in the opening sequence of Tears of the Kingdom, as well as the villain’s role in Zelda’s journey through the distant past, helps give the story more impact and drama than Breath of the Wild‘s story. Tears of the Kingdom…

While the Zelda series has grown and changed a great deal since the first Zelda game was released in 1986, the core design ideas of the series have remained relatively similar across time. In the 2D and 3D Zelda games (excluding multiplayer experiences), the series has largely revolved around a mix of exploration, puzzles, and combat. Many of the puzzles in the Zelda series were found in dungeons, and players were usually guaranteed between seven to ten dungeons in major…

When observing the video game industry, it often feels like the relentless advance of technology can cause innovative games from past generations to be swept away quicker than their counterparts in film, television, or books. At times, it can feel tragic the way critically acclaimed and beloved games are brushed aside or rendered obsolete when shiny, new consoles are released. Additionally, as gaming technology marches forward, comparing different current-generation games with past games can lead to unfair complaints that last-gen…

Despite twenty-five years passing since its original release on the Nintendo 64, many fans still have an intense connection to Ocarina of Time. Part of this connection must relate to the way Nintendo has continued to make merchandise based around Ocarina of Time and its vibrant world. It seems like there is always clothing, holiday ornaments, journals, and other items based on Ocarina of Time‘s version of Hyrule. Additionally, many people have maintained a strong connection to the game through…

Legendary Pictures is a series that focuses on tales from across film and television history that share the same DNA as The Legend of Zelda, where we discuss the content’s strengths and identify similarities to the various games in the Zelda series. Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. My love of The Legend of Zelda and The Lord of the Rings has some intriguing connections. I discovered both series in the early…

Nintendo is having a very exciting week! Even before the stunning announcement of a live-action Zelda film being in development, Nintendo revealed that the company had surpassed sales and revenue expectations for their most recent fiscal quarter. The higher-than-expected revenue is largely due to the strong performance of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and strong sales for Tears of the Kingdom. The newest Zelda title has sold a total of 19.5 million units (the data for this quarter ends September…

Game development is an extremely challenging process, and it is common for the shape and focus of a game to change throughout its development timeline. As a game’s development progresses, mechanics are added or removed depending on the technological, monetary, creative, and time restraints that exist at a studio or company. Each Zelda game has changed greatly from its original design concepts or prototypes to the finished product, and it is fascinating to look at concept art or listen to…

Ultrahand is one of the most radical mechanics that have ever been implemented in the Zelda series. The ability to craft practically anything (whether it is a massive log bridge or a flying machine) from materials from across the world changed the way that players could traverse the world, confront enemies, and solve puzzles. The simplicity of the system is extremely impressive; almost anyone can pick up the game and have fun experimenting with Ultrahand. This new video from Game…

The six year wait between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom was an extremely challenging time period for many longtime Zelda fans. While the first two to three years after the release of Breath of the Wild saw the release of Zelda titles like Cadence of Hyrule (2019), Link’s Awakening (2019), and Age of Calamity (2020), the only major Zelda project released after 2020 was Skyward Sword HD. From 2020 to 2022, fans waited with anticipation for…