Video games like The Legend of Zelda are built as massive quests. In each and every game, Link has a final objective, the culmination of all his hard work he will expend during the long hours ahead. Usually, this is a fairly broad goal, or interwoven goals. Rescue the princess. Defeat the Dark Lord. Save…
Gibdos are humanoid, mummified creatures that are often found in dungeons and other dark, hazardous, low-light locations. They seem to exist for the sole purpose of patrolling whatever crypt they wander through, attacking and throttling any and all victims they find. The first appearance of the Gibdo was in The Legend of Zelda for the…
Death Mountain. In later Zelda titles, the fear inspired by this name would lessen as it became just one more location in the vast land of Hyrule, but in that very first Legend of Zelda, approaching its 8-bit peaks invoked a sense of creeping dread. The instruction booklet had told us that Death Mountain was…
The Mario and Zelda series are two of the most influential and iconic franchises in video game history. Although to this day I cannot conquer World 8-4 nor defeat Ganon on my first try, my childhood was filled with bliss as I explored the vast and dangerous world of Hyrule and conquered enemies of the…
Growing up in front of an old cathode-ray TV, sitting a controller cord away from the warm glow of the monitor, I was rarely alone in my video game playing time. As the oldest of three siblings, and in a house with a limited number of televisions to go around, I often had an audience…
The Legend of Zelda theme music is among the most iconic in video game history. If you’re like me, even the mention of Zelda brings the heroic melody to mind. I assumed that composing such a masterpiece must have taken months of effort, so I was surprised to learn it was partially the product of…
Living around the mountains in a small tourist town, it isn’t out of the ordinary to see wood carvings of the various fauna to some degree. One can easily spot a bear spawned from the massive trunk of a once living-and-thriving tree or even small carvings dedicated to remnants of the Native American heritage that…
After we learned that each Link and Zelda were not the same characters in each game, many of us probably questioned: “Why do they all have the same name?” Was it some sort of tradition that each descendent be given the names Link and Zelda generation after generation? In Zelda’s case, yes, that is exactly…
Koji Kondo is one of the most recognizable composers in the video game industry. That’s what happens when you’re the mastermind behind some of the most iconic songs and soundtracks ever made. Back in 2001, Kondo had an interview with Nintendo Online Monthly to talk about Nintendo’s approach to sound and music in their games…
“I spy with my giant, unsettling eye.” There are many recurring enemies in Legend of Zelda games, but very few boss monsters match the history of the spider-like enemy, Gohma. This beast has plagued Hyrule and opposed Link in many adventures, and this persistence has made it one of Zelda’s the most memorable monsters. Link first encountered Gohma in…
Dungeon themes in Zelda games are usually outshone by the series’ more uplifting melodies. Similarly, the original Zelda games often lurk in the shadows of their more contemporary counterparts. But a recently released classical guitar medley throws a much deserved spotlight on the dungeon themes from the first three Zelda installments. They brilliantly capture the…
Mod DB user Exkodius recently released the project files for a first-person The Legend of Zelda fan game that runs on the Doom engine, citing a lack of time to complete the crossover. The modder hopes someone else will be able to complete the project so all fans might enjoy a unique trek into 8-bit…
A sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda, the debut title in the massively popular series released on the Nintendo Entertainment System, is undoubtedly a sought after piece for fans of the series and retro collectors alike. As time goes on, the value of a pristine copy of the game only climbs higher, as evidenced…
Earlier this week, YouTuber Skelux posted a video that delves into the previously unknown “Minus World” of the first Legend of Zelda for NES, proving that even decades later we are still unearthing new things about classic video games. The 9-minute video gives a brief glimpse into this strange part of Hyrule we were never meant…
Though I still haven’t beaten it, the classic Legend of Zelda always holds a near and dear spot in my heart. It’s not because I grew up with it or think of it as my favorite Zelda game (though it is up there on my list), but because the style of the game intrigued me…
