Would You Rather: Edition I

Welcome to the first installment of “Would you rather!” This is a new weekly discussion topic wherein I present and detail two scenarios from any of the Zelda games and you decide which one you would rather undertake for real.

Sounds pretty simple, right? We’re going to have some really fun match-ups from here on out and it gives you a chance to think about Zelda in a real life context. I’ll provide some examples of what you could do with something or in a situation that could be positive or negative. It’s up to you to judge which would be more useful, more fun or less terrifying to engage in outside of the Zelda universe.

For our first match-up I thought it would be fun to think about something exhilarating and full of possibilities.

Shadow Kargarok V. Loftwing

Would you rather ride a Shadow Kargarok or a Loftwing? Because flying is such an advantage in a steed, I want this to be even, otherwise some other ride may have come into play. Here we are dealing with two gigantic birds from two worlds: Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. I’ve listed some advantages and disadvantages of each steed below.

Kargarok

• Advantages:
  • Originated from the Twilight realm
  • Natural predator
  • Strong wings for long flights
  • Furry neck to keep you warm while riding
  • Answers to the call of a whistle
  • Can use a saddle
  • Kicks butt
  • Perfect steed for wearing viking armor
• Disadvantages:
  • Must be captured and tamed
  • Will freak all people out without trying* (Only an advantage for about 5 minutes, until the artillery comes out.)
  • Self-sustaining* (Although initially seen as an advantage, this bird needs a lot to eat, and hunting the local pets and livestock would get it and you into trouble. Also it would take a ton of meat, supplied by you. Cha-ching!)

Loftwing

• Advantages:
  • Originates from Skyloft
  • Shares a unique bond with only you
  • Capable of tricky acrobatics
  • Answers to the call of a whistle
  • Can be entered into races
  • More of a pet* (Some disadvantages of having a giant bird as a pet, but overall less threatening, so you’re more likely to get to keep it.)
  • Will probably respond to “Polly wanna cracker?”
• Disadvantages:
  • Eats your food
  • Brightly colored* (though fun, inevitably it will be the target of collectors and possibly gunmen. Being bright makes it easy to see.)
  • No saddle, so don’t pull out any feathers
  • Easily kidnapped by boys with pointy hair and food

Although the mechanics of these two large birds can be considered very similar, their overall tone of existence and the relationship you have with them is like night and day. A Kargarok is like a falcon and a Loftwing is like a pet parrot. They will both be loyal but for different reasons. They both come when they are called but one out of affection and the other out of respect.

Just as a fun experiment, if you make a choice here go ahead and let us know what kind of pet you already have. I’ll bet that gives away which one of these plane replacements you like more!