The end of this year is rapidly approaching, which means that it’s time for my favorite annual tradition here at Zelda Dungeon: Best. Zelda. Ever! While no new Zelda games were released this year, we did have some DLC come out for Cadence of Hyrule and we’re looking forward to the upcoming release of a new Hyrule Warriors game: Age of Calamity! The prequel to Breath of the Wild just missed the cut for this year’s list, so you’ll have…
When it comes to Zelda, it seems to be almost universally agreed upon that the 3D games are superior to the 2D and “top down” games. The 2D games do have plenty of fans, however, and are beloved for many reasons. Until Ocarina of Time the only games we had were 2D, and we were given some amazing titles like A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening. And even when Nintendo started mostly making the 2D games for their portable systems, we were given titles like The Minish…
Despite the existence of an official, overarching timeline, much of the narrative continuity throughout the Zelda series is implicit and vague. The stories in games like Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, The Minish Cap, or Twilight Princess largely stand on their own. Winks and nods to past titles are common, but explicit references to their events or characters are very rare and usually incidental. For example, it was long theorized and eventually confirmed that the Hero’s Shade who teaches Link…
Akira Himekawa’s manga adaptation of the Legend of Zelda series has long been a major touchstone for fans. The Zelda Dungeon Discord channel and article comments reveal that, for a good number of our community, the beloved graphic novels were a key first exposure to Link’s adventures. For older fans like me, the books have been wonderful to share with our children, as they flesh out the world and lore of Hyrule. Amid the flurry of excitement surrounding Hyrule Warriors: Age…
In the Zelda series, curses are a reoccurring theme and one of the more interesting side quests that Link can take part in. When I started making a list, my thoughts turned to which of the curses I found the most rewarding to break. In The Minish Cap, it is possible for players to access a part of the Cloud Tops early. Here, you will discover a man called Gregal who is plagued by a ghost. By using the Gust…
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity will soon be upon us, and the newest trailer leaves Zelda fans with many questions. Some of the biggest questions that fans have stem from the mysterious figure featured at the end of the newest trailer. We only see this cloaked person for a few seconds, but the fan base was alive with theories after the trailer dropped. Some have begun to ask if the figure was Vaati or Yuga. Vaati has been a recurring…
The Intro Dungeon: a games first dungeon that acts both as a tutorial as to how the rest of the game plays, and as a standalone experience. That’s our definition anyways, so with that in mind, the gang discuss the 5 best intro dungeons in the series and give some honorable mentions to strong opening “areas”. We also shoot on the worst intro sections (no points for guessing mine) and what made them so lackluster. Come have fun as Corey…
There is something that is effortlessly charming and endearing about Link’s Awakening on Switch. The animation pops off the screen, transporting players to the vibrant world of Koholint. I would love an animated show in style of Link’s Awakening… Or The Minish Cap… Or, really, any of Nintendo’s superb cartoon designs. The happy animated styles always make me wistful for a bowl of cereal and Saturday morning cartoons. And I feel the exact same way every time I see the…
What Is a Randomizer? Take a moment to log into Twitch and search your favorite Zelda game. Go on, I’ll wait right here for you to come back… Finished? Odds are that within that search, you saw a mix of regular, “vanilla” game playthroughs, as well as several randomizers. Click on one of the randomizers, and if you’re not familiar with how it works, you might find yourself confused. You could happen upon a streamer who has been live for…
We all know the standard spread of items that typically appear in Link’s arsenal. Items like the bow and bombs have been a staple since The Legend of Zelda in 1986. The Hookshot, first introduced in A Link to the Past, is an item that has been has been repurposed again and again to take on different names like the Longshot in Ocarina of Time or the Double Clawshots in Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. From hammers to boomerangs to ocarinas (sometimes…
