Besides the transcendent “Ballad of the Wind Fish,” one of my favorite songs from Link’s Awakening is the music heard as the adventurer traverses the rocky area known as the Tal Tal Mountain Range. Its mad-capped melody which sounds like a smoothie made up of two parts “Overworld Theme” and one part mountain range music…
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap creates one of the most charming versions of Hyrule in the series. It introduces the drastically underused Picori who are simultaneously the cutest creatures in the series (sorry, Sidon!) and also extremely wise. It fleshes out the character of Vaati and finally brings us a villain who can…
A few years back, I received a collection of the various Legend of Zelda manga for Christmas. For days afterward, I delved into their pages marveling at the ways that stories such as Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages were given new life by expansions to the story and more depth to characters like…
Much is said about Majora’s Mask’s atmosphere and mood. It’s so dark, featuring moments of terror and extreme sadness as the people of Termina literally deal with the moon crashing down. It’s rough, buddy, but more than anything, Majora’s Mask is about healing. While they are still waiting for the oncoming moon, many of the…
A common theme in pop culture and literature is the challenge of facing one’s inner demons or fears. Often accomplished while in a vision, dream, cave, or forest, the hero must confront those things that haunt them and hold them back from achieving their full potential. In the Legend of Zelda series, no location more…
In 1998, I was in my senior year of high school. While other students were obsessing over who to ask out to the homecoming dance, my mind was focused on only one thing: traveling through Hyrule in three dimensions. I had poured over every word that Nintendo Power had published about Ocarina of Time and…
For all of the ways that the Zelda series is a hopeful adventure game for all ages, it can also get really dark. Any discussion of this inevitably sees the usual suspects filed in: The arising feeling of dread throughout Majora’s Mask’s Clock Town, the torturous imagery and nightmare fuel of Ocarina of Time’s Shadow…
The summer of 2019 was when Nintendo mania shifted into high gear for my family. We eagerly looked forward to each Friday’s viewing of Nintendo Minute. My daughter reached the age where she started developing her own taste in games. She spent many an hour painting turf with friends in the newest Splatfest in Splatoon…
Since I was a child, I have always loved the sound of violins and basses. Their versatility as they switch between quick, fast-paced notes to create a happy and playful mood before breaking your heart with long, slow-held notes is astounding. This incredible ability is showcased in the way only Zelda can in the Hyrule…
In the years since Breath of the Wild, many artists have posted AU (or “alternate universe”) pieces of art featuring different versions of the princess and her protector. Sometimes the pair will be students at a high school or university. Other times, they’ll be members of a sports team. One of my favorite pieces of…
Skyward Sword has some pretty fun boss fights. Using Koloktos’s blades against it, running away from Scaldera, and tentatively hoovering the sand both searching for and not wanting to find the squirming Moldarach (which still gives me the creeps to this day) are all pretty fun. Of course, there are also bosses that I don’t…
Taking place at the beginning of the timeline, Skyward Sword was able to make some interesting choices when it came to the portrayal of Link and Zelda. While there is frequently an implied sense of romance between the two in the other games, Skyward Sword is the first game that doubles down on showing a…
Being the father of a daughter who is fascinated by science and the intricate patterns of nature makes me love the Princess Zelda of Breath of the Wild even more. Her intense interest and the joy she finds in studying the Sheikah relics of the ancient past reminds me of my own daughter and warms…
Back when my wife and I were still dating, I was obsessed with The Wind Waker. I loved Toon Link’s expressions, the dungeons where you control multiple characters, and the vibrancy of this version of Hyrule, but more than anything else, my favorite part was the sense of adventure. Setting sail for an unmarked square…
From the beginning, the Zelda series has placed intense importance on swords. In the original game, the first item you are likely to get (because it’s “dangerous to go alone”) is a simple wooden sword. It wasn’t until A Link to the Past came around though that we were introduced to the Hyrulean equivalent of…
