Tag: classics month

The ending sequence to Ocarina of Time can be described with many words. Epic, nostalgic, climactic, accomplished and emotional. For the theorist, words like perplexing, confusing and intriguing will also be on the list. There are all of the subtleties that piece together the split timeline, but perhaps nothing is left quite as unexplained as the penultimate scene of Navi’s departure. Zelda fans have long been questioning the significance of the moment, and although very few people were sad to see Navi go, many still want to know why she left. This article suggests one possibility.

You may or may not be familiar with a theory on the Temple of Light, which ultimately suggests that the window in the Temple of Time where Navi flies off to is a gateway to the Temple of Light, and therefore, the Sacred Realm. Read “Search for the Temple of Light” for a more detailed explanation. Given the common sense that we wouldn’t expect Navi to fly through a glass window, the Sacred Realm theory has weight. The question that this raises is why does Navi go to the Sacred Realm? My suggestion is that she is only going back to where she came from, now that her purpose is accomplished!

“One in a deep forest… One on a high mountain… One under a vast lake… One within the house of the dead… One inside a goddess of the sand…” These are the words used by Sheik to guide Link to the five temples in Ocarina of Time where Link finds the five corresponding sage medallions. What Sheik, and we as players often overlook, is the sixth temple and medallion – light. Granted that Link receives the medallion from Rauru without the completion of a specific dungeon, there may not be need to further wonder about The Temple of Light.

In Ocarina of Time Link finds himself in The Temple of Light six times, although always during cinematic sequences and not gameplay.  Link receives each of the six medallions in the Chamber of Sages, which Rauru notes to be “inside the Temple of Light”. He goes on to say that The Temple of Light is “situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm”. So is that it? Is there where we leave it? Do we as Zelda fans just say that it’s tucked away within the Sacred Realm and is somewhere that we’ll never get to truly explore? Surely the hype in the past over some faked Temple of Light gameplay screenshots reveals how much of an interest we Zelda fans have in this mysterious temple. In this case, it’s best to let curiosity get the better of us, and inspire us to have a look around. We may very well just find that we’ve seen more of The Temple of Light than we think.

The Oocca are indeed one of the most intriguing races throughout the land of Hyrule. They appear as small birds, yet they have somehow built an entire city above the clouds, and are said to be the closest race to the gods. Signs of their ancient race are left scattered on the earth, which begs the question: how have they had such a great cultural impact on Hyrule? Furthermore, why are they only present in Twilight Princess? This article shall delve into the mysteries of the Oocca, from their history and creations, to the impact of magic on their technology, as well as why they are not present in other Zelda titlesSome light is shed on their past throughout Twilight Princess, but various loose ends remain. They are a highly developed race in terms of technology, having built massive cannons, crafted a rod that can bring life to inanimate objects, and even built an entire cityabove the clouds, held up by powerful propellers. 

These small creatures seem to be at the pinnacle of technology during the times of Twilight Princess. Though all of these feats are apparent to the player, it is still unclear as to why these small birds are so highly developed, and how they have had such a great impact on Hylian architecture. Though they are indeed intelligent and mechanical creatures, their technological achievements are eventually overshadowed by the influence of magic in the land of Hyrule.

Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, the two most recent installments to the handheld Zelda series, are commonly met with the criticism of being irrelevant and redundant in light of the overall series. Some fans write off the validity of these two DS titles, labeling them as ‘casual’ – all about style and without any real substance. These claims are entirely unfounded. Just look at what Spirit Tracks did for the New Hyrule timeline theory, which suggests that a new Hyrule is founded post-flood, allowing for the placement of games on the adult arc of the timeline. In this case Spirit Tracks confirmed what had long remained just an assumption, or theory. Without question, Spirit Tracks has earned its place as a part of the Zelda series.

Force gems were a concept that was briefly touched upon in the Four Swords saga, but it was Phantom Hourglass that expanded upon them and Spirit Tracks that went even further. In retrospect, some still question how relevant force gems are to the overall Zelda series; with many writing them off as just a new aspect introduced to produce further games in the series. What many don’t realize is that force gems are much more significant to The Legend of Zelda series than many give them credit. Force gems have actually been an integral part of the Zelda series since its inception in 1986, and both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks help us to better understand the nature of this series staple known as the Triforce.

[Originally posted on May 5th 2012]

Earlier last week I decided to go back and play both the N64 and 3DS versions of the game to see if you could see Ganon’s Castle from Hyrule Field, you can’t, but for some reason you can still see Hyrule Castle in the future. I got a bit caught up in the moment and played both for a bit, but they felt different from one another, something was off. Earlier this week, I thought to myself, “I think I’ll play Ocarina of Time again,” and instead of picking up my 3DS I went straight for my N64. I noticed part-way through the opening and realized I had the game on the 3DS, so why don’t I just play the superior 3DS version instead? The answer is simple, Ocarina of Time 3D holds no nostalgic value for me.

Many will argue they’re the same game with some adjustments made for the interest of gameplay on the 3DS so what difference should it make? Basically this is true, but it’s a different experience at the same time. When it comes to nostalgia you’re usually reminiscing about the past, yearning for that time when you first played the game, for me, only the original N64 version can properly capture that moment from over 13 years ago. This made me question if my purchase of Ocarina of Time 3D was even worth it if I might never replay it.

What about you? How do you feel about the subject? Read on and tell me what you think in the comments!

If you’re like me, from the first announcement of the 3DS, you’ve been waiting to see what can be done with Zelda on this new hardware. All that power in a handheld system, stereoscopic 3D technology, a gyroscope, and of course, the awesome slider pad, all contribute to a supply of potential that has the fan boy in me drooling. From the moment I picked up Ocarina of Time 3D, I was hooked. It was everything I had hoped for from start to finish, but the truth is, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What I’m most excited about is the future of Zelda on the 3DS. There are a number of different things Nintendo could choose to do with this franchise, but I definitely have my own ideas. So what do I want from Zelda 3DS? Hop inside to find out.

Twilight Princess is one of the most critically acclaimed Zelda games in history, but is also the one that possibly created one of the most disappointed fan bases in recent memory. Everyone pretty much felt before Twilight Princess came out that this was exactly what we wanted. Unfortunately, for a great many, they were wrong.  Apparently, it’s true that none of us ever know what we truly want until we get it. However, I cannot deny as I stand before you today, that Twilight Princess was indeed the best Zelda game ever. Before you decide to gather the masses and burn me at the stake for witchcraft, hear me out.

Let us first throw out all the numbers, and by numbers I am referring to sales. If one was to base this purely off that, Ocarina of Time is still the best game, with Twilight Princess coming in right behind it (it may possibly surpass OoT in sales eventually). Naturally, sales is not a good barometer for what is and is not a great game, considering plently of games never sold well and were purely amazing.

By doing one good deed, a child becomes an adult. – Cremia

This past week marked the day that, in my country, I became the age considered to be an adult. The day where childhood ends and a life of responsibility begins. While there may not seem to be any immediate changes that jump out at me, it is the symbolism and the significance that really counts. I couldn’t help but let my thoughts drift back to The Legend of Zelda series, where the theme of letting go of childhood is not only present, but one of the central aspects. It is the very topic covered by the inspirational article, The ‘Immortal Childhood’, by Dan Merrill – my all time favorite Zelda article. At this moment in my life I find myself thinking specifically about Ocarina of Time, and the Hero of Time’s journey, that starts in the childhood adobe of Kokiri forest.

It’s been a long and storied road for the antagonist of eight Zelda titles to date. He’s captured Princess Zelda many a time, been longing for the triforce since 1986, and always loses in the end to a the almighty hero… Link. He helped influence the spread of the twilight realm in Twilight Princess, the flooding of Hyrule in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, and always seems to convince a loyal minion to bring him back from the clutches of eternal damnation. Yet, despite all this, it’s time for him to simply say goodbye.

There are so many mysteries in the Zelda universe. Some of them we will never have the answers to, but others, once you are aware of them, are starkly obvious.  The sexuality of our hero, Link, is one of the easy questions to answer. Link is homosexual! It is blatantly obvious, once you assess the evidence. This theory goes way back. Quality Zelda theorists from the quality theorizing section of the quality Zelda fan site Zelda Universe have been formulating this theory for years. We all know that something’s got merit if it comes from Zelda Universe theorizing right? Right?