When I started college, I had thought to leave video games behind (though I hedged my bets by bringing my Super Nintendo with me for some retro fun every now and then). Instead, with the GameCube out, I found myself sucked back in thanks to living in a dorm room hall filled with fellow Nintendo…
Despite video games being one of the most popular forms of entertainment, the video game industry has an awkward history of commercial promotion. Early forms of marketing were focused on magazine publications to increase awareness, and publishers struggled to convey precise messages to a new generation of tech-savvy consumers. While the early days of print…
A Link to the Past introduced many iconic and memorable elements to the Zelda series. From the Master Sword and “Zelda’s Lullaby” to the Dark World, many of these items, locations, and melodies have reverberated throughout the rest of the saga. Few would claim Mothula, the boss of the dungeon in the Dark World’s Skull…
I’m fascinated by how animals make different sounds depending on the language. I’ve even mentioned a few instances in previous articles: the sound an elephant makes in Japanese and the sound an owl makes in French. At first, it seems strange to think animal noises would require translation. The animal is not speaking a human…
The old adage is that honesty is the best policy. While this maxim is undoubtedly true in everyday life, video game worlds provide the opportunity to explore the other side without tangible consequence. Certain games even encourage the player to embrace dubious behavior; however, the most clever scenarios reward choices that come at the expense…
Let’s face it: Dealing with an illness is not fun. Whether it be a simple runny nose or a full-blown headache and fever, no one enjoys feeling unwell. To make matters worse, sickness is often accompanied by a slightly heightened level of self-centeredness, and typical reactions include impatience, irritability, and moodiness. While these feelings are…
Stubborn monsters and creatures abound in the Zelda series. Some foes hit hard. Some foes simply refuse to go down and stay down. And some foes are a challenging combination of both. The Armos Knights are a perfect example of the third option. Armos Knights are living statues that have had a long history of…
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…
We’re back with our first episode since this year’s E3, and we’ve dedicated a significant portion of it to dissecting Nintendo’s E3 Direct and all the juicy stuff we saw! I know it’s been a hot minute since then, but some of us are still riding high from that hour or so, so please suck…
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…
The Desert of Mystery in A Link to the Past is probably one of the most pleasant deserts in the Zelda series. Yes, pleasant. The entrance is simple and requires no puzzles or wardrobe change, unlike some Zelda titles. It’s located in the bottom-left corner of the map and is home to the Desert Palace,…
While some enemies are meant to provide Link with a serious challenge while he’s fulfilling his destiny to save Hyrule, other enemies are solely meant to provide as much aggravation for him as possible. The Bari is a monster species that falls into the latter type of enemies. It is an aquatic breed that is…
For many years, I would only think about A Link to the Past and daydream of one day getting to play it myself. I listened to the Dark World theme more than what might be considered healthy, and I wondered what would make Link transform into a pink bunny, and how. I also wondered what…
A Wild ZUCast appeared! Ready for more of everything you loved from our last episode? We’ve got that! Ready to meet a new addition to our roster of talent? We’ve got that, too! Welcome to the sixteenth episode of the modern ZUCast! You can find the detailed lineup below, but here’s a taster of what…
IGN recently interviewed designer, story writer, and artist Takaya Imamura, delving into his 32-year career with Nintendo. Imamura’s career with Nintendo began in 1989, during which he worked on and contributed to the Zelda, Star Fox, F-Zero, and Super Smash Bros. franchises, among many others. He announced his retirement via Twitter earlier this year. After…
