Link has just emerged from the Shrine of Resurrection to a world filled with both ruin and wonder. Down the path is a familiar sight, perhaps not for Link, but for the player. An old, worn cathedral stands tall among the surrounding landscape. What else could it be but the Temple of Time? Before entering…
When I first played on the Nintendo 64, I had never experienced 3D gaming up until that point. I was too young to have ever played an Atari, and I had never been to an arcade, so the joystick was a real marvel. Being able to move in this (literal) new dimension, broadened my horizons…
Link has passed by the entrance to the Romani Ranch a couple of times now, but all he was really able to do was groan over the fact that a giant boulder had found its way in front of the entrance. The means by which this boulder became a barrier to the ranch are unknown…
With a task at hand, Link must enter the Deku Palace, forbidden to any race but their own. Putting on the guise of the Deku Mask, he is welcomed, but with limitations. He is let into the grand wooden gate by the two guards out front, telling you that you may witness the public humiliation…
After enduring the harsh heat of Goron Island in his quest to save Tetra and the world of the Ocean King, Link finds himself in the ironic situation of having to now endure the brutal cold of the secluded and mysterious Isle of Frost. The island promises to make every effort to avoid relinquishing its…
As Sheik once said: “Time passes, people move…Like a river’s flow, it never ends. A childish mind will turn to noble ambition… Young love will become deep affection… .” For Hyrule and its people, these words of wisdom prove to be true. As time passes, things change. The people grow older and wiser, their monuments…
The winds of Gerudo Desert may have subsided, but the revelations from the Sages and Midna still ring in your ears as the Mirror of Twilight teleports you to the land of the Twili. Yet, in all of your travels in twilight blanketed Hyrule, no location could prepare you for the sheer otherworldly nature of…
When I was a youngster, one of my favorite things to do was to pick up and read video game magazines. While I liked reading the articles and strategies for games I owned and didn’t own, I spent most of my time staring at zoomed-out, fully-fledged maps. I loved analyzing them and finding all the…
As Link and Linebeck step (and Ciela flutters) onto the Ghost Ship, with the decayed and moldy planks of its fog-covered deck creaking under their feet, the trio begins to assume that they are standing in the epicenter of evil. The goals they had sought, a rescued friend and a cargo hold full of riches,…
Most people think of Majora’s Mask’s Milk Bar when the term ‘Milk Bar’ is brought up. With its many quest encounters and swanky tunes that play in the background, it’s understandable why, but that’s not the only one there is. There have been Milk Bars throughout the history of The Legend of Zelda, allowing our underage…
Many Zelda games have some sort of spiritual plane or mirrored underworld, or perhaps a shroud of twilight. In Skyward Sword, it is the Silent Realm. These supernatural domains function as dark, dream-like reflections of the regions where they are found and come equipped with trials that test Link’s spiritual growth. The twist is that…
It was a perilous trek for me, going up those rainy hills. I was still new to Breath of the Wild and I had been learning the harsh lessons of the wild; Lizalfos were constantly pelting me with electric arrows, dealing a shocking amount of damage. But I soldiered on, as the Zora had been…
Similar to his exploration of the Earth Temple with Medli, Link’s objective is to reach the temple’s sacred chamber with the newly appointed Wind Sage, Makar, and offer up a prayer to the gods to restore the full splendor of the Master Sword. As he and Makar enter the first room of the temple, it…
The time has come to defeat Ganondorf, save the princess, and complete the journey. You’ve had your final battle with King Bulblin, made your way through the ground floor of Hyrule Castle, and have entered the tower from the pouring rain. The end is so close, but there is one last trial for you to…
If you ask me, the first dungeon of a linear Zelda game is the most important. It introduces you to how puzzles will typically go; they’re never overly difficult and they establish an idea of how combat encounters will typically be presented in that particular game. I find that a good first dungeon sets all…
