If there’s one word that perfectly summarizes and encapsulates Zelda Universe, it’s “community.” From the bustling activity on the forums, to the regular emails sent to our inbox, to the constant engagement from our social media followers, we’re all reminded daily of how many fans are interacting with the website and its many projects. This…
I always felt like I was a little different from the rest when I grew up. I listened to music no one else in school did, I preferred manga over children’s books, and I played video games a lot more than my friends did. It’s not that I didn’t know that girl gamers didn’t exist,…
Throughout its two-decade history, Zelda Universe has seen countless members of staff come and go. There have been so many incredible people over the years who have volunteered their precious time and lent us their skills and creativity to keep our home page thriving with content, maintain a fun and pleasant space for our community…
I first discovered Zelda Universe in 2009 when I was desperately searching for any news regarding the up-and-coming DS Zelda game, Spirit Tracks. I found a website that had posted the most recent commercial and a short article describing it. Before that point, it never occurred to me that there could be a website committed…
The year was 2003. I had finally accepted that I liked Zelda, even though I had never completed any of the games. My interest in Zelda came in three steps. I’ve written about the first two steps in a previous article. Ocarina of Time put in a lot of work to stake its claim to…
The small screen and portable nature of the 3DS made my discovery of the Maiamais in A Link Between Worlds a pretty solitary experience. Despite the fact that they’ve shared many parts of my Zelda fandom with me, I never thought to tell my wife and daughter about the Maiamais. They were a small, nearly…
About two months ago, I took a break from exploring the Lost Woods in A Link to the Past and put my Breath of the Wild cartridge back into my Switch to explore Thyphlo Ruins, just north of the latest version of Hyrule’s Lost Woods. My last save was at the top of Death Mountain’s…
There are phrases that no one else on the planet uses that become a common saying in your own family. You repeat them back and forth, from husband to wife and from father to daughter, like a password inviting you into a secret club. One such saying in my family is “Wakey cakey, time for…
When Breath of the Wild first came out, I spent hours wandering the wide expanse of Hyrule. I spent most of my time climbing trees and mountains when I was not riding my horse through the open fields. I mostly ignored quest markers, preferring to stumble across the story randomly instead of seeking it out.…
Sometimes the best-laid plans can go awry. Plans to beat back the Calamity go down the tubes as it usurps the technology of the Sheikah and uses it to lay waste to the kingdom. Recipes can go wrong, too. The simplest lists of ingredients and steps can turn into a disaster unlike any your kitchen…
I miss instruction booklets. Once, long ago, when video games were still trying to establish themselves as a separate art form, every game seemed to come with a fat pamphlet filled not only with the basic control scheme and tips to play a game — vital information at a time when customizable controls and hours-long…
They say the grass is greener on the other side, but in this case, it wasn’t. I had just slid through my first crack in Hyrule’s Kakariko Village to enter A Link Between Worlds’s Lorule for the first time. I noticed very quickly that the bushes weren’t green in Lorule, they were purple, and the…
While 2020 might not have been the best year (or close to it), a lot of good came out of it for me in terms of personal creative goals. I’ve nearly finished my fantasy coloring book, I worked on a ton of artwork for stickers, and my biggest accomplishment that I’m so grateful for, I…
The release of Four Swords Adventures for the GameCube was a pretty exciting event for me in 2004, but it wasn’t the most exciting thing to happen that year. The thought of playing a multiplayer Zelda was an intriguing new prospect since I missed out on the original Four Swords. Nintendo certainly didn’t make adventuring…
Autumn is by far my favorite season. The sun starts to set earlier and earlier as the colors in the trees change to a beautiful burning orange. As we approach the shortest and darkest days of the year, we replace crisp Summer evenings with cozy nights spent around bright fires, snuggled in thick woolly blankets…
