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Everyone’s favorite professional wrestler and actor, John Cena, caused rumors to bound throughout the Zelda fandom by posting a no-context photo of 8-bit Link from the first game on Instagram earlier this week — unintentionally or otherwise. There wasn’t even an accompanying description. Sifting through the comments, the cryptic image caused many to question, “But, what does it mean?” No matter what it means, it’s certainly amusing. The obvious assumption is that John Cena is being cast in the upcoming…

Tears of the Kingdom’s Lead Sound Engineer, Junya Osada, Physics Programming Lead, Takahiro Takayama, and the Technical Director, Takuhiro Dohta, revealed fascinating insights about the game at the 2024 Game Developers Conference. The three gave a presentation called “Tunes of the Kingdom: Evolving Physics and Sounds for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” which gave fans an exciting behind-the-scenes look into an underrated aspect of the game. Tears of the Kingdom’s technical achievements are arguably the reasons behind…

Since the era of the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, Sony and Microsoft having implemented achievement systems on their consoles which provide an incentive for players to achieve unique or impressive feats, and to track progression in games. The most common achievements — or “Trophies”, as they are called at Sony — are unlocked by defeating bosses, racking up high scores in mini games, or by finishing the game at varying difficulties. Others require the player to perform actions that…

The first set of DLC for Breath of the Wild, dubbed The Master Trials, was made available just three months after the game’s release on the 30th June 2017. Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi stated that The Master Trials was created for “core gamers and people who wanted an extra gameplay-based challenge.” To that end, the DLC introduced several new features that increased the challenge of the base game, including Master Mode and the Trial of the Sword, and new features that…

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…

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) hosted the 20th BAFTA Game Awards ceremony on Thursday, April 11th, 2024. BAFTA hosts the annual event to recognize achievement and excellence in the art of video games. A total of eighteen awards were presented at this year’s BAFTA Game Awards, showcasing excellence in Narrative, Game Design, Animation, Audio Achievement, and more. Nintendo took the Technical Achievement Award for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom home from the event,…

Skyloft is one of the most calming environments in the Zelda series — save the Remlits after dark. Skyward Sword pairs the island with an equally soothing theme, and the sounds do an excellent job of translating the scenery’s pastels into a song, which is why it works so wonderfully on piano. Meet Michael Tai, a talented pianist who made a lovely piano cover of Skyloft’s theme. It delivers the buoyant joy of the original track, evoking the nostalgia we all…

Speedrunning is a part of the Zelda community that I do not have a lot of experience with. The first time I paid any attention to speedrunning was in Spring 2019 when I attended my first Zelda Dungeon Marathon. Even getting into the mindset for speedrunning (let alone doing very well in my runs) is very challenging because it requires me to play Zelda games at a pace that is different from how I usually play Zelda games. I enjoy…

Last month, a panel of prominent Tears of the Kingdom developers, including Senior Director Takuhiro Dohta, Sound Programmer Junya Osada, and Lead Physics Programmer Takahiro Takayama, hosted a presentation at the 2024 Game Developers Conference. The panel offered several insights into the creation of the massive 2023 Zelda sequel and shared about the core philosophies that guided the team during development. The concept of “multiplicative gameplay,” wherein “action and objects come together to create countless possibilities,” was a particular focus…

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…