When Link first entered the Dark World in A Link to the Past, it must have been quite the shock. Not only was he now sporting a very cute bunny body, but the very air and atmosphere of the Dark World was oppressive. Any warmth, any goodness, any sweetness of the Sacred Realm had been…
Many people complain that the hero’s journey is an overused storytelling trope as stale as week-old bread and as wrung of creative potential as an old dishrag is wrung of water, but it has endured for so many years for one simple reason: These kinds of stories emotionally resonate with the common man. The idea…
For some media enthusiasts, buying merchandise is just one of the many fun ways that a person can demonstrate their steadfast love and support for a particular franchise. To accomplish this, one might be inclined to browse the Nintendo Store Online and purchase a cute Kirby plush for their coffee table, or perhaps mosey on…
I was doing it. After so many years of listening to people talk about what a great game A Link to the Past is, I was finally taking the time and opportunity to play it on my Switch. I couldn’t wait to reach the Dark World and hear the theme music start playing, because it…
When it comes to preparing video games for sale outside of the country of origin, one might assume that the most cumbersome obstacle localization teams must overcome to ensure success on the international market is translating the in-game text to other languages. But while this is a vitally important task, it is only one piece…
Don’t panic. Just avoid eye contact, and eventually they’ll get bored and walk away. … … Oh! Hello, traveler. Sorry for not acknowledging you sooner, I didn’t see you standing there until just now. No, really – it’s true. Anyway, I hope you’ll forgive me for remaining silent; I am currently engaged in quiet meditation,…
Though it may be one of the lesser-known members of the Zelda family, Four Swords Adventures is a unique one that has always been a personal favorite of mine. Released after The Wind Waker and before Twilight Princess, this game was the product of an era where Link from The Wind Waker was the most…
According to an article from Nintendo Life, Zelda archivist History of Hyrule revealed the supposed final installment of the Zelda Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book series. Another “CYOA” book from 1986 was previously discovered that was based on the NES classic, The Legend of Zelda. This book allowed you to play from Zelda’s perspective and uncovered much more…
A Link to the Past has one of the most moody and atmospheric openings in all of Zelda, save for Majora’s Mask. It’s raining and you’re all alone in an empty house after waking from troubled dreams. You follow your uncle, only to find him stuck at the bottom of a hole, seemingly dying. It’s…
It is a situation that every Legend of Zelda player will find themselves in, without fail — you’ve taken a heavy beating in a major boss battle, or a bunch of minor enemies have gradually whittled your hearts down to almost nothing. And now, the game is making that annoying beeping sound that tells you…
Beware: Read no further unless you want to be frightened within half a heart of your life meter. This is an article about the most dangerous, most terrifying creature in all of Hyrule. The Hinox? Of course not. The Lynel? Not even. Calamity Ganon? Pfft. I speak, of course, of the Cucco. If Hyrule had…
A Link to the Past has seen a bit of a resurgence lately thanks to the advent of randomizers. It’s a really great game, so I’m glad that it is getting a bit of a renaissance. I played a lot of A Link to the Past in middle school, so it’s a game that is…
Okay, the title is bit misleading. It wasn’t truly the happiest moment of my life, as those days would come later with my marriage and birth of my two kids. Oh, and when I bought my Switch, that was pretty cool. No, this is what I said to my best friend after I beat A…
I’ve noticed, over the years, I have a thing for symmetry. It actively bothers me when I come across something — a building, a design, anything really — that isn’t essentially symmetrical, that actively goes out of its way to build up one side of itself differently than the other side. It’s a silly quirk…
The Dark World is introduced in A Link to the Past as an alternate realm similar to Termina, the Twilight Realm, or Lorule. In this title, the Dark World acts as a parallel dimension to the overworld, a darker reflection of Hyrule and a corrupted form of the Sacred Realm. After Link’s call to adventure…
