The Missing Link Series: The History of Zelda Combat

We’ve been following The Missing Link series at Zelda Universe ever since Hylian Dan made his infamous return to article writing. Demo, a writer on the TML team, recently released his article entitled The History of Zelda Combat and I must say it’s quite intriguing. It covers, as the title suggests, the history of the combat and combat systems over the years as it has progressed into what we have seen in the recent titles. Click read more to find out more about this article, and some thoughts on the piece in general.

“An improved horseback combat was something fans had been hoping for since its first appearance in Ocarina of Time. Riding Epona had never been as fluid and interactive as it was in Twilight Princess. Not only could Link use swordplay while on the saddle, but he was also able to use other items such as the boomerang, bombs, and the classic bow&arrows. Horseback swordplay worked really well as the height of the horse didn’t affect the reach of the sword. Link could even perform the Spin Attack while riding and use the shield on his back as protection. These new upgrades allowed for great and exciting horseback battles throughout the plains Hyrule Field.”

The above quote is just a small sampling of what to expect in reading this article. It’s well thought out, well written, and well put together in general. My major gripe is that the article shows clear cut favoritism to console Zelda titles. An example of that would be the fact that Phantom Hourglass isn’t even discussed. For the Nintendo DS, PH had some of the most innovative controls for any adventure title yet. Heck, for Zelda in general, the controls in that game are at times a clear step above what we get on the consoles. He also does not mention any other of the handhelds either, as if they don’t exist or something. It’s pretty dissapointing to see them ignored as if they are not important.

That gripe aside, this article is definitely worth a look as it does a nice job summarizing how the combat system came to be and has evolved into one of the single best systems for any adventure title to date. Oh, and ZU’s page system for these things sucks… but that’s not the writer’s fault!

Source: The History of Zelda Combat