Category: Editorials

To me, The Legend of Zelda has always been a series of dungeon-crawling headscratchers rather than combat-focused action games. Except for the franchise’s earliest entries, figuring out what one is supposed to do is usually the primary challenge; the actual execution is often trivial. Whether it’s a specific puzzle, the layout of a dungeon, or a sequence of actions that need to be performed, the Zelda series has consistently delivered brainteasers that are both creative and memorable. What has often…

As we all know, the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was delayed earlier this year and is expected to launch in Spring 2023, some six years after the launch of the original, making it the longest time between new core entries in the series ever. While some, including your writer, have been critical of the rollout and execution of the open world sequel from Nintendo, the fact remains that, while even though right now the…

Production for The Legend Of Zelda first began in 1984, main influences being franchises such as Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien and the two Indiana Jones films out at the time. In addition to various other adventure-based movies of the 1980s, Shigeru Miyamoto pulled from his own childhood in Kyoto exploring caves and town outskirts. Wanting a video game experience based upon swords, sorcery, and treasure-hunting, the development team at Nintendo worked with great passion to create a game that released…

“A communion of minds! Hearts beating as one!” -Tingle, The Wind Waker HD On November 7th, 2017, Miiverse, Nintendo’s social media platform on the Wii U and 3DS, was officially discontinued. This was a tragic date, indeed. The discontinuation not only closed the book on the service that brought us poorly worded questions about Metroid and cringey sagas of pre-teen heartbreak, but it killed one of the best and most unique features seen in the Zelda series within the past…

Fairies in The Legend of Zelda are very unique characters whose personalities have evolved greatly with each installment. In the past, you could say they were helpful beings, wanting nothing in return. Link could enter a fountain and gain a new item, magical ability, or health / magic restoration free of charge. Things have changed a bit with Breath of the Wild, as Great Fairies now charge multiple hundreds of Rupees to enhance armor sets (the days of free rewards…

Summer 2019 seems like an absolute lifetime ago. So much has happened, not only in the world of video games, but just in the world at large, that remembering the excitement and optimism I had after that incredible E3 in June 2019 literally seems like it happened decades ago. I was scrolling through my backlog of articles on Zelda Dungeon the other day and came across this thought piece I had penned immediately after the announcement of Breath of the…

After its first official showing at E3 2017’s PC Gaming Show, Tunic (developed by Andrew Shouldice and published by Finji) found itself on the radar of many game fans who thought the title could be the Xbox’s answer to The Legend of Zelda. The similarities were immediately apparent, as Tunic wore its Zelda influence loud and proud. But now, five years after that intriguing debut, Tunic has proven itself to be more than just another Zelda imitator; it’s one of the…

If there’s one thing I’ve always admired about the Zelda series, it’s the inclusion of diversified, creative races and strong and well-written female characters. As a young girl playing Ocarina of Time for the first time, I remember being inspired by Princess Zelda’s resolve to stop Ganondorf using her intelligence and Link’s aid. Even after their plan went awry, she was still committed to protecting her people and donned the alter ego of Sheik for seven years, supporting Link’s journey…

With Valentine’s Day (one of my favorite holidays) just around the corner, I have been fixated on the theme of love and how it runs so many of the fictional and real-life stories in the world. From watching rom-coms, to talking about my favorite romantic tropes, to contemplating the ultimate power of love that drives some of most favorite popular books (Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice, etc.). It’s a given that love—all kinds of love, really—is what causes our spirits…

The new year is upon us, and as always, it’s a time to feel both reflective on what’s happened and optimistic of what’s to come. With the calendar closing on 2021, the year of “Zelda 35″ is officially done, but the horizon has never been more exciting for Zelda fans. With Breath of the Wild 2 (supposedly) releasing this year, we’ll finally have our next mainline installment that can carry the torch and run with it, while the possibilities for…