Would You Rather: Edition XIV

Hello and welcome to another edition of Would You Rather! Last time we discussed some more masks for Link, and it looks like you guys preferred the Keaton Mask, with the Skull Mask coming in at a close second. If you missed out on the fun you can check out that match-up here. This week I have yet another fun pairing for all the readers to vote on! Hit the jump to find out what it is!

All Zelda titles have a variety of side quests or fun things to discover, a.k.a. secrets. Some of these are more complicated than others, expanding into long trading games from the burning of random trees we saw in the original Legend of Zelda. Two of the most iconic of these side quests are in Ocarina of Time and The Minish Cap, as you trade your way across Hyrule to acquire the Big Goron Sword in the former, and match kinstones with what seems like every single living being in the latter. Both of these particular quests involve coveted prizes, but each has its own ultimate goal.

Kinstones are supposed to bring good luck to those who match them, and the game clearly delivers on this old wive’s tale with treasure, heart pieces and new items. The trading game from Ocarina of Time is more of a “nice guy” routine, wherein Link delivers needed goods he happens upon to folks who apparently can’t leave the house and ends up being rewarded both by citizens and by our pal, Big Goron. Both clearly have their merits, which begs the question: which one is better? I’m leaving that for you to decide with our match up today! Would you rather be able to match kinstones with people you meet, thus bestowing good luck on both of you, or participate in perpetual trading, allowing you to (hopefully) obtain useful or rare items?

Kinstones V. Trading

As usual, lets break down the aspects of each choice and see which is better!

Kinstones

• Matching is a social activity very reminiscent of, say, Pokemon Cards and other things, making it fun for everyone!
• We do a lot to ensure good luck or avoid bad luck. Why not stack the deck and create our own luck together?
• Everyone likes finding treasure, and matching kinstones is like creating your own adventure!
• With so many kinds of kinstones, you are sure to create all sorts of positive experiences for yourself. Just look at the variety of rewards in the game!

Trading

• As with the kinstones, you never really know what you’re going to get by trading, but it’s usually awesome.
• Unlike the kinstones, the final item from trading is wicked cool and is far above any prize available from matching kinstones.
• Despite the potential for amazing items, this game takes far more work, since you can’t just cut down grass and find what people are looking for. It’s only worth it if you’re willing to put in the effort.
• Although neither of the quests are competitive in nature, there is a lot more pressure on the person who chooses the trading game. There are time limits to deliver goods, items that rot or cool quickly and other items that require quite a bit of adventuring to obtain. Trading is certainly not for the faint of heart.

Which option would you choose? Though these are both activities in Zelda games, their natures are starkly different. Do you think your choice says anything about the type of player you are? Let us know in the comments!