Ocarina of Time was released in 1998 to general acclaim with an E for Everyone rating. The game was revolutionary in its gameplay mechanics and graphics and had a more developed, richer story to go along with it. We’re introduced to a new Hyrule with expanded characters in the Kokiri, Goron, Zora, Gerudo, and the…
12 rounds. 12 enemies. At the end of it, the promise of massive riches — or you can bow out in the middle and still get a pretty decent prize. This is the Skyward Sword Boss Rush: an optional part of the game, but one of the reasons I find myself going back to it…
Music is at the heart of every Zelda game. The themes of overworlds, dungeons, and character leitmotifs are ones that become permanently etched in our thoughts so that years after we’ve played the game, the memories and stories attached to those songs can be recalled in just a few notes. “Midna’s Lament” does this to…
If you visit an art gallery or examine collections of personal artwork, you will eventually find a picture of the sea. The ocean is undeniably beautiful, and it begs to be immortalized in both print and portrait. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker captures this spirit using cel-shading graphics that yield a cartoon-esque and…
When most people think of Majora’s Mask, they think of the moon, the timer, or the masks themselves. They think of the game’s contrasting themes, the music which seems so lighthearted at first but grows darker as the days progress, or the numerous characters you run across as you race across Termina under the pressing…
There is a musical track from Breath of the Wild entitled “Life in Ruins.” Though it’s only three simple words, it sums up the feel of the game very succinctly. There are ruins of villages and monuments scattered across the countryside, some infested with monsters or Guardians if you’re unfortunate enough. These bring a sense of…
Link has had numerous homes over the course of 18 games: a mysterious forest where children never grow up, a quiet island on a vast sea, and a treehouse in the village of Ordon, among others. All of them have been unique, but none more so than Skyloft, Link’s home among the clouds. It’s unique…
Twilight Princess has numerous callbacks to Ocarina of Time: the presence of Epona, Hyrule Castle and the surrounding town, and hints of ocarina melodies hidden inside wolf howls. But to me, the most striking callback came when I traveled through North Faron Woods and found myself inside the Sacred Grove and the ruined Temple of…
I was a teenager when Ocarina of Time was released, and like many teenage girls, my boyfriend was my whole world. So when he picked up a new game for his Nintendo 64, I sang a self-pitying lament and thought this was it: I would never see him again. All his hours would become devoted…
Breath of the Wild was nine months old when I was finally able to play it. The Switch was a Christmas gift to myself for taking on a few extra jobs around the holidays. Before then I had watched a few playthroughs and read countless articles and news reports, unconcerned with spoilers as I was…
