Echoes of Wisdom has quickly become one of my favorite Zelda games, and its soundtrack has predictably followed suit. It has a cozy feeling of togetherness that I feel much of the series doesn’t always incorporate. Of course that’s not inherently a flaw; I’d consider it a feature in most cases. Link tends to mind…
A game’s main theme can tell you a lot about it. Well-crafted ones reflect the world, characters, and story of the games they represent. Skyward Sword’s “Ballad of the Goddess” and The Wind Waker’s title theme are great examples, giving players an idea of what makes their worlds special through music alone. Rivalled by the…
Chancellor Cole just might be the most cartoonishly evil character in the Zelda series. While there are a handful of goofy villains, they each have their own values and motivations. Master Kohga, for example, continues the Yiga legacy and seeks revenge for his ancestors being outcast by the royal family. Cole doesn’t seem to have…
There are a whole lot of compelling characters in Majora’s Mask, many of whom have personal struggles on top of the incoming apocalypse. Anju’s fiancée has gone missing, Pamela’s father is turning into a Gibdo, and Lulu’s eggs have been stolen by pirates. In a game with no shortage of deeply personal stories, Cremia’s stands…
The River Zora have been a rare species in recent years, their last mainline appearance being in 2013’s A Link Between Worlds. This time around, in Echoes of Wisdom, they’ve left their role as enemies behind entirely and embraced a peaceful lifestyle. It’s a very welcome change in my book, and not just because I’ve…
Echoes of Wisdom is a milestone for the Zelda series in a lot of ways, the most obvious being that it’s the first mainline title to feature Hyrule’s princess as the primary protagonist. Aside from the gameplay innovations, this simple change of character leads to countless subtle differences from past games. Even the soundtrack reflects…
The sun rises over Mount Lanayru, and the princess of Hyrule watches wistfully from the other side of the vast kingdom. She’ll be visiting that snowy mountain tomorrow, and it could be her last chance to awaken her bloodline’s sacred power. Whether she succeeds or not will determine the fate of her kingdom and her…
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Yunobo at first. He’s introduced as a fumbling coward and doesn’t seem to change during the events of Breath of the Wild. Then, when Age of Calamity’s DLC mission in Kakariko Village came out, Yunobo started to really grow on me. After defeating the Yiga Clan, he tells Daruk…
Twilight Princess is notorious for its dark and serious style, but the game isn’t afraid to be goofy once in a while, too. Something that makes this game one of my favorites in the Zelda series is how it mixes bizarre elements into otherwise grim scenarios, creating a horrifyingly comical tone. This is especially true…
The Pirates’ Fortress is one of my favorite sections of Majora’s Mask. Returning the stolen Zora eggs was the most emotionally important mission in the game to me, and that’s saying a lot. Majora’s Mask is overflowing with heart, but invading the Gerudo stronghold felt extra personal. Not only were we stealing back eggs for…
The Zora are a people with an astoundingly rich history, even for Zelda standards. The modern day Zora of Tears of the Kingdom may not have known of its existence, but the Ancient Zora Waterworks likely once served a grand purpose. In fact, water temples in general tend to be gold mines for lore and…
A Link to the Past is one of those games that never really gets old. Despite being released over 30 years ago, it’s still considered one of the greatest installments in a series full of innovative masterpieces. It has brilliant pixel art, introduces several groundbreaking mechanics, and establishes the classic formula that Zelda titles would…
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity does a magnificent job of worldbuilding through its soundtrack, and the four Champions’ themes are great examples of this. Upon starting each of their recruitment missions, the player is treated to an action-packed version of their themes from Breath of the Wild. At least, that’s the case for three of…
Link’s Awakening is undoubtedly one of the coziest Zelda games to date, and its remake on the Switch brings it to record levels of cuteness. Koholint Island is an easy place to feel connected to, and the toy-like art style is a refreshing twist on it. While the visual upgrade is fantastic, the updated soundtrack…
Zora’s Domain is always a magnificent place. Scaling the cliffside as Wolf Link in Twilight Princess is a spectacle, and the town’s luminous architecture in Breath of the Wild is absolutely stunning. Ocarina of Time takes a simpler approach, opting for a small underground lake for the Zora to call home. It’s beautiful in its…
