In a game series as rich, complex, and emotionally charged as The Legend of Zelda, where each entry offers a unique, encapsulated world of wonders that satiates a hunger for gritty realism, vibrant fantasy, quirky surrealism, or some incredible fusion of all three, I frequently feel the need to ask myself: Why do I always…
After spending the last two months basking in the 107°F sunshine, admiring the beautiful view of Smog Mountain from my equally smoggy porch, and breathing in deep, cleansing lungfuls of wildfire smoke, I think it’s safe to say that I could use a vacation from my summer vacation. But wherever shall I go? Hanging out…
If one were to ask me what sets a truly phenomenal video game boss battle apart from an ordinary one, I would list three key components that I feel the battle must possess: an expansive, visually stimulating arena; an intimidating opponent that presents a unique challenge requiring intelligence and skill to overcome; and — perhaps…
Is it strange for me to say that, in a fantasy kingdom full of flirty humanoid fish, jitterbugging rock people, and mustachioed trees who sound like they should be delivering a soliloquy in Macbeth, the characters that have always seemed the most out-of-place in Ocarina of Time are the music-loving scarecrows who hang out next…
So many magnificent natural wonders grace the landscape of the fantastic planet we have the privilege of inhabiting, but very few can match the sheer raw splendor of a towering mountain. From unstable beginnings, these behemoths are birthed from the violent clashing of tectonic plates and the fiery expulsion of molten lava from the earth’s…
For nearly as many years as I have been a loyal devotee to the Zelda series, the works of Hayao Miyazaki have touched my heart and captured my imagination. Miyazaki, the mastermind behind most of Studio Ghibli’s groundbreaking cinematic marvels, is an absolute genius when it comes to visual storytelling, using imagery both breathtaking and…
When I attended audio engineering school in Canada from 2018 to 2019, I was granted the opportunity to expand upon my knowledge as a musician and voice actor by thoroughly dissecting the process of music production. From song composition and room acoustics to reverberation and mastering, I learned how to record and engineer studio-quality pieces,…
Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: I ain’t tellin’ you my real name. Don’t take it personally, though. Been so long since I’ve told anyone my name, sometimes I even need to remind myself of what my folks used to call me. Honestly, it’d probably be better if I did forget it.…
When I first attempted a playthrough of Ocarina of Time at the tender age of six, I remember climbing down the ladder of Link’s house to greet Saria and immediately being befuddled by the odd carving at the base of the tree. The etching, crude and amateurish, depicts a tiny stick-figure warrior confronting a ferocious…
‘Tis a quiet, moonlit night in the vast kingdom of Hyrule. A soft breeze rustles the leaves of the trees ever so gently, and the clouds above part every once in a while to reveal a pocket of glimmering stars. You’re just passing the time harvesting Silent Princesses and collecting honey from beehives when suddenly,…
As the first entry in the Zelda series to feature a soundtrack performed by a live orchestra, Skyward Sword has some truly outstanding music. From the lilting woodwinds and cheerful mandolin that follow you through Skyloft to the heavy, menacing organ that signals Ghirahim’s arrival, each track is perfectly arranged to suit the personality of…
I must admit that I have a bit of a strange fascination with art that depicts non-human animated characters as humans. Whether they’re reworking a Rito, a wolf goddess, or even my favorite Shadow Siren from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, I love watching artists play around with skin tone, hairstyle, and clothing to bring…
If you’re a fan of the mythological fantasy game Ōkami, you probably remember a part of the story where the sun goddess Amaterasu must shrink down to the size of a needle head in order to infiltrate the Imperial Palace. This is a particularly captivating part of the game, as Ammy is thrust into the…
Ah, Kakariko Village. Such a lovely, prosperous little burg that hearkens back to the simpler days of small-town living, when communities worked together to carve out livelihoods in the isolated pockets of earth they called their own. In a kingdom like Hyrule that is constantly being besieged by wicked and dangerous creatures, Kakariko Village is…
In the summer of 2016, my career as a hobbyist voice actor reached its peak when I joined the cast of Zelda Universe’s Twilight Princess English Dub. Though I ultimately ended up voicing three characters, my primary role was that of Talo, the rambunctious little scamp from Ordon Village who gets himself lost in Faron…
