Category: Spirit Tracks

The rise of online marketplaces and e-commerce companies like Etsy have given fans more options in how they showcase their love of different film, television, or video game franchises. The Zelda series is one of the most popular video game series on online marketplaces like Etsy, and I am always amazed at the creative products that fans can pick up from talent creators. For Zelda fans looking to decorate their first apartments or houses, these online market places are filled…

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,…

Collecting is such a large part of Zelda (Rupees, Pieces of Heart, Empty Bottles, weapons, cooking ingredients, any number of dungeon/plot MacGuffins, etc.) that it’s pretty easy to see why so many Zelda fans extend the act of collecting into the real world. Nintendo itself has played directly into this, offering a variety of series memorabilia for purchase. This includes limited-edition consoles, amiibo, and Special, Master, and Collectors’ editions of games that come with artbooks, statues, and soundtracks. Aside from…

Are you a recent Zelda fan who arrived during the Switch generation and are interested in playing through the full catalog? Are you a veteran Zelda fan who is tired of dusting off that old system to play your favorite Zelda game one more time? Regardless of when you found The Legend of Zelda, I think we can all see the value in having the complete saga on Switch so that it is both accessible and convenient for recent and…

With the release of each new Zelda game, there typically comes a gimmick. A Gimmick is a gameplay element that is designed to make the game unique or interesting, and that is typically referenced in advertising. Although the word “gimmick” carries unfavorable connotations, they aren’t all bad. Tears of the Kingdom gave us Ultrahand and sky islands, A Link Between Worlds featured wall-merging, and Twilight Princess made Link a wolf. These gimmicks prevent older Zelda titles from being made obsolete by…

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…

Producer and musician Helynt is no stranger to Zelda music, having released such high-profile Zelda fan albums as 2020’s Legend of Synthwave and 2022’s Zelda’s Memories. And his new album, Legend of Chillwave, features tracks from an array of Zelda titles, ranging from Link’s Awakening to Tears of the Kingdom, and is dripping with 1980s vibes. Legend of Chillwave debuted on record label GameChops’ YouTube channel earlier this month. The whole album’s a retrofuture experience. From Helynt’s hazy, dreamy arrangements and production, to…

The Legend of Zelda is a series quite literally based around the kindness of one willing protagonist. Link tends to set his own desires aside as he ventures into battle to defend Hyrule, Termina, or whatever land he happens to be in when the call comes. Our favorite hero is such a knight in shining armor that it’s often easy to gloss over the goodness of others that appear alongside him. In fact, there are plenty of NPCs who perform…

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…

One of my personal goals is to get my niece into the games that I love, which of course includes The Legend of Zelda. While she has dabbled in a little bit of Kirby, I’m hoping to one day get her to the land of Hyrule. I’m sure many people out there are likewise looking to share their love of gaming with the next generation. That’s why it’s nice to see someone like artist and Etsy merchant KokiriCraigArt creating this…