Category: The Minish Cap

Link, our favorite hero of Hyrule, has had many different incarnations throughout the Zelda series. However, apart from the commonalities of wearing green, wielding a magical sword, and having a trusty steed and companion, there’s another similarity nearly every Link has: little to no family members. There are a few exceptions of course, like in The Wind Waker, where Link’s sister Aryll’s kidnapping is the triggering event that sets him out on his journey. His beloved grandma who suffers from…

Ganondorf is an iconic villain, integral to the Legend of Zelda series. However, while Zelda and — to a lesser extent — Link’s personalities shift from game to game, Ganondorf remains just about the same in every entry. Nintendo compensates for the stagnant nature of their leading villain by adding in sidekicks or replacements for him from time to time. As an unfortunate side effect of not being cursed to participate in an endless ouroboros cycle between good and evil,…

It’s a logical leap for a franchise known for its intricate puzzles to have a series of complementary jigsaws. As someone who always has a puzzle on the table as a work-in-progress, I will eventually run out of Zelda-themed ones. Gorgeous designs from The OP Games/USAopoly, Winning Moves, and Ravensburger are only several makers known for making Zelda puzzle — this doesn’t even include the vast sea of fan-made jig-saws. Last year, USAopoly gave fans a stunning 1,000-piece Tears of…

Four Swords Adventures is, in a word, bizarre (in the best of ways). Each underrated Zelda game has its own set of anomalies that make it stand out from the rest of the series and Four Swords Adventures is no exception. Its increasing inaccessibility to players only adds to this mystique — and most emulations can’t replicate the experience of playing it on a fuzzy, old TV, clutching a chunky GameCube controller or Game Boy Advance. Four Swords Adventures’ eccentricities…

Update: Pre-orders for the Blood Moon Rising fan zine have been extended to March 31st, according to the project’s X account. The extension comes as the project’s final stretch goal was unlocked this past Thursday. John LortieJohn’s been a Zelda fan since he was seven years old (which was a good few decades ago). He loves the last three months of the year, analog media, his family, and Tolkien. His favorite Zelda game is Breath of the Wild and his favorite game is Night in the…

We’ve all had that moment where we’re playing through a game and, all of the sudden, progression comes to a grinding halt. Sometimes, we get lost and don’t know how to reach the next objective. Other times, a difficult boss may bar the path forward and we lack the skill or knowledge to defeat it. Regardless of the reason, the sense of accomplishment that we feel once that challenge is finally conquered can be unmatched, and it cements those moments…

Because we are coming up on almost a year since Tears of the Kingdom‘s release (can you believe it?), I’ve been pondering how well this direct sequel to Breath of the Wild continued the original story and enriched that version of Hyrule. I, for one, loved the continuity elements between the two games and enjoyed seeing how familiar settings were changed over a few years (how NPCs had grown up, etc). Tears of the Kingdom is a rarity in the…

The Zelda series is full of vibrant starting areas that make you feel right at home. From the lush Kokiri Forest in Ocarina of Time to the majestic islands of Skyloft in Skyward Sword, there are plenty of places I would pack my bags for and visit in a heartbeat. There are, however, a few in-game starter locales that don’t quite make my bucket list. Hyrule in A Link Between Worlds/A Link to the Past, for instance, doesn’t quite hit…

Looking at the boss fights in Zelda (in particular the final boss fights), I think they have become easier as the franchise has developed. In the more recent games on Switch, I’ve gone into the final battle armed with all my meals, an arsenal of weapons, maxed out armor, Fairies etc., and in all honesty, I hardly broke into a sweat. Compare this with a few of the retro Legend of Zelda games I’ve recently played, where all there is…

If you ask Zelda fans what their favorite game in the series is, you’ll find that many pick the first Zelda game that they completed. My first Zelda game was Breath of the Wild in 2017, despite me being in my early 30s at the time and a gamer since childhood. Though I never experienced Zelda as a kid, I have a son who is eight years old and a big Zelda fan. He loves reading the Hyrule Historia trilogy…