Four Swords Adventures is the second foray into the Zelda series’ various experiments with multiplayer. Instead of a connected world or gripping story, players (which can be up to four if you have the right equipment) are given a gauntlet of linear levels to fight their way through, while collecting as many Force Gems as…
One of the neatest features of Breath of the Wild is the Champion abilities. Upon freeing a Divine Beast, that beast’s champion grants you a power that improves Link’s combat, traversal, or survival abilities. It might surprise you that the concept of Link gaining abilities connected to important characters wasn’t new. Turns out, about 20…
Zora’s Domain has always had a beautiful tune associated with the underwater paradise the Zoras inhabit. But it’s rather interesting to think on this Valentine’s day that in the four games in which it appears, there is also a tragic love story that underscores these lush tones. In Ocarina of Time, the origin of the…
The music of Snowhead Temple, the second dungeon of Majora’s Mask, has always stuck with me. However, while it enters my head often, it isn’t really a piece I find myself humming along to. In fact, that would be rather difficult to do. What is it about this song that makes it so unique? If…
The Russian classic novel Anna Karenina opens with the line, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In Majora’s Mask, this is readily apparent, as there are several unhappy folks with distinct problems. One of the best ways this is portrayed is in the music that plays in…
Within the Zelda series, Phantom Hourglass, the first outing on the DS, is probably one of the most overlooked. However, it has the distinguished position of being one of the few direct sequels. While all sequels hold the burden of innovating while keeping within the identity of its predecessors, direct sequels in an anthology series…
In my previous article about the music of Skyward Sword, I talked about how the classical orchestra has a major presence in its soundtrack. As I thought on the subject leading up to Skyward Sword HD’s release, I realized there was a little more I had to say. Not on the orchestra as a whole,…
The release of Super Mario Galaxy in 2007 signified to Nintendo fans at large that coming with the then-current console generation would also be a bigger focus on having their games’ music recorded by a live orchestra, and Zelda fans, in particular, were especially excited. While Twilight Princess from the year prior had a live…
If you stay in the video game music scene long enough, you will probably hear the term “leitmotif” tossed around. It’s a music theory term that describes a short musical idea that is meant to symbolize something in a broader work, like a character or place or event. However, there’s also a broader term for…
As you are probably aware by now, Breath of the Wild’s soundtrack isn’t the most bombastic in the series. It does have its share of sweeping orchestral epics, but instead of accenting every footstep and sword swing, the music team decided that the best way to complement the game’s open-air design would be to have…
I don’t really have memories of the original NES release of The Legend of Zelda. I was a Nintendo 64 kid growing up, and a late one at that. My parents finally caved and got us our first system from an uncle in 2000 or 2001, around the time I was eight years old. Of…
Ah, the title theme of the original Legend of Zelda. It’s a wonderful piece, gracefully using the overworld theme to set you up for the adventure ahead. You might also be aware that it was originally supposed to be an arrangement of Ravel’s Bolero, but that’s not what we’re talking about today. (For details, check…
