The first time I played Wind Waker, I was a thirteen-year-old kid and relatively new to the Zelda series. This game blew me away from the outset (see what I did there?), so the finale had a massive build up for me. Aryll’s being kidnapped by the bird, the bird owning Link, Link owning the bird, and…
I’ve always loved snow and winter in general. The cold and the calming-yet-eerie silence that they bring forces everything and everyone to be still, even if just for a moment. Back in 2006, during the Christmas break, the Snowpeak Ruins from Twilight Princess served as a digital playground of everything I loved about the winter months. Snowpeak…
There are a couple of traditions that happened every Christmas at my house when I grew up. The first was opening a single gift on Christmas Eve because my little sister and I could never hold our excitement for very long. Usually, we’d have the choice of any gift under the tree, and I’d always…
New York Comic-Con is my favorite time of year, and this year (2018) has been exceptionally fantastic for me. From a wonderful meet-and-greet with Grey Delisle to asking my first question at a panel, many moments highlighted my trip into the city this year, but one moment in particular made my heart sing. I got…
The hype I had for Super Smash Bros. Brawl was immense. Every single Tuesday, I’d wake up as early as possible and check the Smash Dojo website, wondering what the next update would be. You couldn’t get me out of bed early for school. But checking the Smash Dojo? I’ll wake up early for that…
In my middle and high school years, I played a ton of Smash Bros. Ever since Brawl came out, my two friends who I’d visit every week would all play together, and at one point or another, they got good. Like, really good. It had turned out that they had started playing competitively, and if I…
Christmas of 1998 was special to me: it is one of only a few holiday memories that I can recall offhand. A mysterious bunch of boxes sat beneath the tree; each of them containing a treasure greater than the Fairy Bow. I tore through the wrapping paper like a maniac and found myself staring at…
As we celebrate 20 years of Ocarina of Time, another game is celebrating a milestone as well. Granted it’s only at its fifth year, but an anniversary is an anniversary nevertheless. Of course, I am referring to A Link Between Worlds. Now I know the consensus on A Link Between Worlds is generally that it’s…
Every now and then, you come across a game, movie, or a book that impacts your life more than you could imagine. For me, it’s Ocarina of Time. Ocarina of Time was first released in Japan on November 21, 1998. This month, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of the most beloved games of all…
Ocarina of Time easily had some of the best-designed villains in the Zelda series. From the intimidating Iron Knuckles to the horrifying Dead Hand, I’ve been enjoying these villains since I first played the game as an eight-year-old kid. Volvagia, the subterranean fire dragon of Death Mountain, is a particular standout for how much backstory is…
I think it was fate that I became a Legend of Zelda fan. I didn’t start playing games until I was about nine years old, and my love of Zelda didn’t begin until years after that. My first Zelda game was Wind Waker, and while it has since become my favorite game ever made, at…
So here’s a short funny story to start off something we’re calling “Ocarina Month”, a celebration of Ocarina of Time’s 20th anniversary. About six years ago my mother got married, which of course meant a big change was coming into my life since I would be moving with her to our new home. Anyway, I…
The fighting in Breath of the Wild is one of my favorite elements of the game. Controlling Link during a battle feels very smooth. I often feel like Link is an extension of my body, similar to driving a car. If I mess up, the mistake feels like my fault rather than a product of…
“Dad, can I please please please have a Game Boy Color!?” I remember uttering those very words when the Game Boy Color came out, hoping desperately my pleas would be answered. To my surprise and joy, he agreed. We ended up scouring multiple Walmarts for the brand new, hot-at-the-time item and ended up having to…
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…
