Tag: classics month

(This article was originally released in 2009, and has been re-edited for “Classic” month, which we will be running all of April 2013. Every day we will bring you at least one, if not a few, classic articles from the olden days of Zelda Informer. Many pieces may feel a tad outdated since none of them will really include anything per Skyward Sword, though we will make sure to make appropriate changes due to new things discovered in Hyrule Historia. The goal is to preserve, as much as possible, the original text while presenting them to an all new audience who likely wasn’t around or missed these great articles entirely the first time. That being said, enjoy!)

Ah yes, the Triforce. The ultimate prize in the world of Zelda. It gives Ganondorf his power, Link his courage, and Zelda her wisdom. Fans everywhere have been longing to hold all three pieces in their hands so that they may put an end to evil once and for all, and bestow the ultimate power of the goddesses upon themselves. It is the center piece of the beginning of the Zelda time line, and in many regards the sole driving force of all life in Hyrule. However, the Triforce has long overstayed its welcome in the Zelda realm.

Life's a Water Temple

An integral part of every Zelda game is the dungeon design, and perhaps none are more renown than the Water dungeons throughout the series. As a rule of thumb, they are long, tedious, repetitive, and always involve the flow of water being manipulated in some way. Out of the bunch, none stand out more than the classic Ocarina of Time Water Temple. Why is it that I don’t hear any praise for it? Why are there so many haters of the legendary Water Temple? I think the fabled Water Temple is arguably the best dungeon in a Zelda game; ever. And the reason I say that goes beyond its interior decorations, its layout, or even its bosses. It is because the Water Temple is a reflection of life itself.

Haters of the dungeon, and even Eiji Aonuma himself before Ocarina of Time 3D was released, always mention how annoying it was having to pause to change to the iron boots, but that was a gameplay and menu design element, quite separate to the Water Temple itself. The boot issue is done and dusted, and has since been corrected for the 3DS release. That is not the issue. The issue is that Aonuma once said that the Temple was too hard and all of the haters say that there is something not quite right with it. Why is it that no-one can identify exactly what is wrong with it? I know – because it’s not the Water Temple that has problems, it’s you.

In celebration of the recent 10th anniversary of The Wind Waker, and as we anticipate the approaching HD remake for the Wii U, we have a treat for you. The following is a collection of three articles on the driving messages of The Wind Waker. Live for the Future, Face Your Regrets, and It’s Always About What You Haven’t Got each cover an inspiring theme from the classic GameCube game and together we hope they motivate you, even if only a bit. Enjoy.

Link - as a tree

It’s almost been fifteen years now since I first got into The Legend of Zelda series, and what a time it has been. The Zelda franchise has provided me with weeks, even months, of entertainment. It has provided fantastic gameplay; enthralling storylines and moral inspiration amongst many other things. However, there has always been something that I couldn’t quite place about the series. For all these years as I’ve sat there playing, something hasn’t seemed quite right. Something has seemed a tad out of place. Finally I’ve come to the realization of what exactly it is – and now a whole new level of understanding and appreciation for the series has opened wide open for me. I have discovered that the protagonist of the series is not human. Not even Hylian. Link is actually a tree.