Daily Debate: What’s Your Worst Experience With Grinding in Zelda?
Posted on February 06 2020 by Charles Xavier
Earlier today, I was listening to friends talking about the frustrations of grinding in JRPG’s. I’ve never been keen on the genre, or with turned-based RPG’s in general where the entire basis of the game requires grinding. I’ve never played any of the Pokémon games, and my only experience with turned-based RPG’s is The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age – it left a very sour taste in my mouth.
While grinding is something that ends up being done in a lot of games, I’ve come to realize that isn’t that much of a factor in most Zelda games. I’ve probably complained about grinding in Zelda in the past, but I don’t think it can ever compare to the amount of grinding required in other RPG’s. Still, I’m interested to hear if you all feel like you’ve had any intense grinding experiences in a Zelda game?
I think the peak of grinding in the series came from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, probably because it is pretty similar to an RPG in terms of having to upgrade health and magic via experience gained from battling. I used to be impatient and would attempt to force my way through dungeons although I didn’t have the proper upgrades to be in them. The Adventure of Link is one of my Dad’s favorite Zelda games, and he’d tell me to leave the dungeon and just grind it out in random battles to upgrade things properly. It was grueling; I didn’t enjoy having to do it, but I did it.
What are some of your worst experiences with grinding in Zelda? And which Zelda games do you consider to have the most grinding involved with them? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Charles is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. He is a Visual Development artist focused on enviroments and pitch paintings. Check out his Instagram and Twitter to see his latest artworks, a lot of which is Zelda fan art! His favorite candy is Skittles – he feels the world should know this.
