It is no secret that television and film heavily influence the video game industry. Although not as transparent, the Zelda series has not only followed this industry trend but has also relied on multiple entertainment outlets for creative inspiration over the last several decades. Examples include the cast of Link’s Awakening mirroring the oddities of…
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…
The internet is a strange, strange place. There are videos being made every second of the most random scenarios, looping for ten hours straight with the most ridiculously catchy foreign songs, all just because we thought it would be funny for a week or so. I’m not going to “meme-splain” to you as you likely…
After spending the last two months basking in the 107°F sunshine, admiring the beautiful view of Smog Mountain from my equally smoggy porch, and breathing in deep, cleansing lungfuls of wildfire smoke, I think it’s safe to say that I could use a vacation from my summer vacation. But wherever shall I go? Hanging out…
The creative process involves considering, developing, and ultimately sidelining many different ideas until settling on the path forward. You may draft something, add to it, move it around, set it aside, or even toss it. The Zelda development team purposely sought out ways to branch out from the standard formula in Breath of the Wild,…
Although Princess Zelda remains the most prevalent love interest throughout the series, Link is oftentimes surrounded by a diverse cast of female companions. The list continues to expand and evolve, but common threads include Zora princesses, like Ruto and Mipha, as well as more traditional love interests, such as Saria, Illa, and Malon. Regardless of…
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…
Is it strange for me to say that, in a fantasy kingdom full of flirty humanoid fish, jitterbugging rock people, and mustachioed trees who sound like they should be delivering a soliloquy in Macbeth, the characters that have always seemed the most out-of-place in Ocarina of Time are the music-loving scarecrows who hang out next…
By now, you may have already taken a deep skydive into Skyward Sword HD and become acquainted with the varied residents of Skyloft. If you have been following along with this series, you likely recognize many of these friendly folk and know what birds inspired their names and appearances. In part one, we swooped over…
I am a firm believer that a perfect combination of food and drink exists for every occasion. Whether it be a glass of pinot grigio during a romantic seafood dinner or a bit of scotch to help wash down the holiday pumpkin pie, nothing complements a beautiful moment quite like the harmony of beverage and…
Whenever people discuss the topic of frightening enemies in the Zelda series, ReDeads often become the main point of focus. These humanoid, undead creatures have terrorized fans for more than 20 years. They have only appeared in a handful of games, but that has actually helped them retain their notoriety. Their stark contrast to most…
‘Tis a quiet, moonlit night in the vast kingdom of Hyrule. A soft breeze rustles the leaves of the trees ever so gently, and the clouds above part every once in a while to reveal a pocket of glimmering stars. You’re just passing the time harvesting Silent Princesses and collecting honey from beehives when suddenly,…
Welcome back to the series where the Hylians of Skyward Sword take a personality test to determine which bird they are. In other words, we explore the birds that inspired the names and designs of the sky-dwelling people, as alluded to in Hyrule Historia. We covered the members of the Knight Academy in part one,…
“First, defeat the imprisoned Pols Voice. Last, the skeletal Stalfos…” This simple yet subtle line of dialogue still sends chills down my spine. The original Game Boy version of Link’s Awakening was my first Zelda game, but this puzzle in the Bottle Grotto dungeon perplexed me for several months. After nearly giving up on the…
