#I never played a Legend of Zelda game but I really liked the design of Toon Ganon so I do infact have an SI for Windwaker
Text
Tears of the Kingdom's underwhelming narrative had rich potential
I'll preface this with a confession: I have not played Tears of the Kingdom. As a matter of fact, I haven't played any Legend of Zelda. I simply never had the opportunity while growing up, so my interest in the series has always been satellite. As such, I do not have the perspective of someone who has. My opinions are formulated entirely in what little I have seen or sought out. I'm coming at this with the perspective of an outsider looking in. But I'm not looking for a fight. My aim isn't to bash the new hotness out of jealous spite, or to convince people to feel bad about liking this game that, I've otherwise heard, is really fun. The reason I care, even though I'm not a part of the fandom, is that we all deserved better.
This is a much anticipated sequel to a smash hit from one of the biggest names in the industry, sold at a whopping $70—and having watched for free a YouTube compilation of all the cutscenes pertaining to Ganondorf, the much advertised central antagonist of TOTK, I felt robbed. This was my legitimate reaction:
Disregarding all my other feelings for a moment, I was dumbstruck to see a Nintendo game—released in our year of 2023—use what is essentially the same cutscene four times while explaining the backstory. I recognize TOTK has modular progression, allowing you to reach the Sages in whatever order you please. But once you've seen the first one, the other three will offer you no more valuable information. I'm willing to stretch my suspension of disbelief pretty far, yet even I recognized on first viewing how formulaic the Sage cutscenes are. It wrenched me out of the story.* Hearing different perspectives about the same events can and should be interesting, but the Sages relating these events barely qualify as characters—possessing neither names nor even faces, thanks to their uniform masks of Zonai design...
* I'll acknowledge: Within universe, there is reason enough for the Sages to repeat what is essentially the same story to their respective successors to apprise them of the situation. I can certainly see Link having to sit through the same spiel several times so everyone is on the same page. But it felt really unnecessary as a member of the audience. And unlike their BOTW counterparts, the Four Champions, the Sages don't stick around long enough to endear themselves any further, instead passing their abilities and function onto their successors.
… Which, I feel, represents the Ancient Past Storyline as a whole. Despite the number of bodies involved, no one felt alive. Queen Sonia—this continuity's founding mother of Hyrule, where divine power is explicitly matrilineal—amounts to nothing more than meat for the fridge to motivate the real star of the show, Rauru. Everyone else, including Zelda and the other Sages, are merely bit players in the conflict between him and Ganondorf. But it's a conflict without teeth. Ganondorf displays nothing but a mad, naked lust for power. Opposing him is Rauru, the quintessential Good King and benevolent god figure who would never abuse his power, but would sacrifice it all to seal away the evil invader who killed his beloved martyr-wife. There is no interrogation of the 'gentle' imperialism Rauru represents. His way is textually presented as the only righteous way. The world of this continuity revolves around his legacy and its preservation; anything else is not merely deviant, but indicative of evil. Only someone with the blackest of hearts would oppose this order. The narrative requires Ganondorf to be nothing less than the epitome of evil.
Which is… really disappointing, to say the least. Because I happen to like Ganondorf. His character and his place in the mythos have always been the forefront of my interest in the series; forget Link or Zelda. Naturally, I was drawn in by TOTK's marketing about Ganondorf's return as a human antagonist after a 17 year long hiatus. Given how much of a reinvention BOTW was for the series as a whole, I was disappointed back in 2017 to learn that Ganondorf existed only as a mindless force of primordial evil. "How lame," I thought, "but I guess it's not really Ganondorf." Calamity Ganon was just that: Ganon. And Ganon's always a full-blown monster, divorced from any nuance possessed by his OOT, WW, and TP selves. Then the first teaser for TOTK dropped, placing Ganondorf the man (if a little worse for wear) front and center. Intrigued, I enjoyed the explosion of enthusiastic fan art that followed, as well as the speculation regarding the role he would play. Surely, he would be more than a one-note villain! My expectations rose as Nintendo revealed more about him. His new design didn't immediately scream Dark Lord; and in his first speaking role, he draws attention to the fact that he has returned (within universe and meta-wise) and he has a vision for the world. I couldn't want to see the final product! Yet here we are.
It's a strange thing to fixate upon, when I don't have any skin in this game. But I'm passionate about storytelling. I enjoy rich narratives with nuanced characters, and I respect those that fully commit to the ideas they present... whereas stories that try to have their cake and eat it too, well, those pique my interest as well. Whenever I see untapped potential, my writer's mind cannot help but ponder the age-old question of "What if?" And I intend to do just that, in the cut below (this rant is long enough as it is).
Of course, no amount of brainstorming can change the reality of a product. A ship's structural flaws only become apparent once it's left port, but there's no recalling it then. Nonetheless, there is value in the discussion. We should always critically analyze what corporations give us, desiccating their products to discern the messages (whether intentional or not) contained within—especially when the product is aimed toward a young audience that might not have the cognitive tools to decipher those messages for themselves. Even if we cannot affect change in a monolithic company like Nintendo, we can still draw lessons from their missteps to improve our own writing.
If I have such grievances with TOTK's story, why bother with a rewrite? Because:
Playing within the limits of another's sandbox can help to build creative muscle.
I believe TOTK has all the right ingredients for a compelling story, if this new series wasn't so afraid to challenge its narrative roots the way it has its gameplay.
A few more things to note: I am not a professional writer, nor am I a veteran of the series. I'm working strictly with what TOTK brings to the table. I'll make no efforts to reconcile the continuity errors between BOTW and TOTK (though it deserves mentioning), or even attempt to fit this in a single cohesive timeline with the rest of the franchise. I am not that brave lol. What I propose below is simply how I would use these toys; YMMV. I hope this inspires discussion more so than congratulation or wordless agreement (though my ego will accept compliments all the same, especially since it took no small amount of spoons to organize my thoughts like this). As Ganondorf says:
A Modest Rewrite of TOTK's Ancient Past Storyline
Zelda is still flung to the past, but she awakens not to a picturesque golden age under the magnanimous rule of an infallible demigod. Instead, sadly reminiscent of her own age, the land lays in ruin, in the immediate aftermath of its own calamity. But this isn't the fault of Ganon. The blame lies solely with the Zonai.
The Zonai were understandably viewed as gods. A people who live up in the sky on floating islands, in possession of miraculous technology (including killer robots to protect their interests!), and magical artifacts that in the wrong hands can unleash cataclysmic power? A civilization as powerful as theirs doesn't suddenly end without a very good reason. Yet as far as I know, no explanation is provided as to why Rauru and Mineru are seemingly the last of the Zonai. No mention is made of a rival power that could've taken them down; certainly none of the terrestrial races. Remember, the Zonai were seen as gods. If you were to ask me? A civilization with that great of a power at their disposal, and apparently so much of it that Rauru has four more Stones (not including his own, Sonia's, or Mineru's) to pass out as he sees fit... can only destroy itself.*
* I know the Zonai are depicted in text as a purely enlightened and benevolent race... but as far back in the franchise as OOT (which TOTK draws a lot from), not even Hyrule—the standard by which all civilization in LOZ is judged—was above a civil war, orphaning Link. War Within LOZ clearly isn't waged solely against primal forces of evil that can, must, and should be destroyed. And that's good! A story is made richer when even the Designated Good Guys can fuck things up, when characters are allowed to contain multitudes—good and bad qualities!
Power does not defuse conflict. It only escalates the scope of destruction once it's unleashed. So, for whatever reasons the Zonai gave themselves then clung to, they started fighting each other. Using their flying machines and automatons, battles were fought upon and between their sky islands, the detritus of war raining down on the lands below—the inhabitants of which can do nothing but watch as a war rages in heaven—until finally the full power of the Stones is unleashed in an exchange that guarantees mutual destruction. The sky islands all plummet to the earth, wreaking mass destruction. This is the world Zelda finds herself in—where the land has been cracked wide open, the skies are choked with dust, and no one gets along... so unlike the world she knows.
Zelda still comes into the care of Rauru and Sonia, but Rauru is merely Sonia's consort—he holds no power as king. It's evident from the start that Sonia is steering the direction of Hyrule—a humble territory in this age—in this tumultuous time, although Rauru is backing her. It's thanks to Sonia that Rauru and Mineru survived the fall of their sky island, brought back from the brink of death. It was during this time that Rauru fell in love with her; and to repay her, Rauru revealed that, between himself and Mineru, they have three intact Stones (a small homage to the Triforce since it doesn't matter in this continuity) with which they can secure Hyrule's place in this brave new world. Importantly, this isn't portrayed as any more righteous than a nation acquiring a clear advantage over its rivals. Indeed, Zelda's thrown for a loop to learn that in this era, the other races like the Gorons and the Zora aren't merely independent from Hyrule but have a history of conflict—something she never learned in her history books. And tensions are only rising, as these rival nations find Stones of their own after much scavenging, shifting an already fraught balance of power. The gods are dead, their empire shattered—yet slivers of their strength remain, for those daring enough to claim them. By using one of these Stones, a tribe could secure its borders, reclaim ancestral land... or conquer new territory. This is where Ganondorf enters the picture.
This Ganondorf is still a villain, but there's room for nuance. He's ruthless and prideful, and certainly antagonistic toward Hyrule; but the narrative respects him as much as his fellow monarchs. He cares about the success of his people, because his entire identity is shaped around being their king. Remember that a male is born to the Gerudo only once in a hundred years. Ganondorf is but the latest in a lineage of kings, with the heavy burden of expectation that carries—he has a legacy to uphold or surpass if he can help it. And ever since he was a boy, he envied the easy lives and green lands of Hyrule, so as a man he has made it his personal ambition to conquer it... but at every turn, he has met his match in Sonia, who is every bit as skilled of a commander and a magician. The two of them have clashed so many times that they've become the most intimate of enemies, hard pressed to hate each other because they both know what's at stake. For years, they've been evenly matched... but the downfall of the Zonai changed everything. In spite of the Gerudo's best efforts, they haven't been able to find a single Stone to make up for the fact that the crash of their local sky islands kicked up terrible sandstorms and drove monsters from their usual habitats. The Gerudo are more desperate than ever. Then Ganondorf learns that his oldest enemy is housing two living Zonai underneath her roof, and has a total of four Stones at her disposal. He cannot battle Hyrule as before, lest he risk annihilation—if not by Sonia's hands, then another tribe that is more willing to coup de grâce a decimated competitor, or they might perish to monsters, or the desert might finally claim them, the dunes swallowing up their bones and burying their accomplishments. He could bend the knee—throw himself at Sonia's feet and hope for the best, sacrificing Gerudo independence to share in Hyrule's bounty. But his pride will never allow that.
He grew up in the shadow of detached gods, was raised on tales of how they were the ultimate arbiters of truth and value—almighty in their judgment and unassailable—and he saw for himself that they would only ever come down to earth to indulge their curiosity about the quaint groundfolk or harvest what their sky islands could not provide, most notably Zonaite (of course they named it after themselves...) to fuel their miraculous machines, the secrets of which they refused to share with anyone 'because they weren't ready' and would in fact use those same machines to keep the groundfolk from overreaching. Ganondorf is the first king in generations to glimpse a sky—and a future—uncontrolled by the Zonai. Though he was raised to be a king, the very definition of absolute power and privilege, only now is he truly beholden to no one. Finally, he is free to shape his own destiny. And he's not about to relinquish that freedom on account of his dearest enemy getting in bed with a fallen demigod—no, not a god... the Zonai's civil war proved they are not infallible. Without their technology, without their precious Stones, they're flesh and blood, the same as anyone else. Mortal. And what is a man to a king?
Despite the bad blood between them, and the generations of strife between their peoples, Ganondorf is able to convince Sonia that he is willing to bury the hatchet for the sake of his people, that his desire to enter the protective embrace of her kingdom, given the dangerous new world they find themselves in, is genuine. His true intentions are not so painfully transparent, but still Zelda does not trust him. She can't stop wondering how this man becomes the source of the Gloom in her era, even if the hateful creature she encountered in the depths below Hyrule Castle hardly seemed human at all. But she cannot act on a suspicion of duplicity due to future events. So for Ganondorf's entire stint in Sonia's court, Zelda tries to weasel out the truth—and in so doing, builds a relationship with the future Demon King. Once Ganondorf catches on to the fact that Zelda sees right through him, it becomes a game of 4D chess. Who is this girl, a member of Sonia's court that he has never heard before yet is trusted enough to bear a Stone, and why is she so certain of his true motives? He's smart enough to suss out that it isn't simple bigotry. It's a fine line Zelda must walk, because she has a secret of her own—she hasn't told anyone that she's from the future, out of a rational fear of disrupting the past and changing history (but at the same time, she can't abide doing nothing, and these interests war within her).
Despite Zelda's best efforts, Ganondorf succeeds in his plot. In a single stroke, he eliminates an old enemy, deprives her nation of its leader and a Stone, and finally secures a Stone for the Gerudo. But claiming the Stone doesn't immediately transform him into an Almighty Demon King. The surge of power is great, but not so much that he's willing to engage three other Stone bearers—two of which are Zonai who of course have experience using them—so he wisely retreats, though not before telling Rauru: "No point in crying over this one. She's not the first victim of your arrogance. And we both know she won't be the last." He's made powerful enemies, but it's a battle he can fight on another day, and at least now he's on equal footing with the other factions and can take their Stones until he can finally conquer Hyrule. But Ganondorf severely underestimates the lengths Rauru will go for revenge. In killing Sonia, before Rauru's very eyes no less, he has made another enemy for life (and beyond).
Understand that Rauru survived the destruction of his people and their way of life. That's traumatic enough. But now, the person who saved his life, and gave it new meaning, is dead. Murdered. By someone he had come to trust. Because he put a target around her neck. He should have seen this coming, he should have listened to Zelda, perhaps then he could have stopped this. But it's far too late now. Before, he was content to merely support and serve—a just penance, he believed, for his small part in breaking the world. Now, he has a new purpose: To secure Sonia's legacy by any means necessary. He binds his fate to Hyrule, which will never be safe so long as Ganondorf lives. This isn't a wise and beneficent King of Light opposing a terrible darkness, but a grieving widower—who's also a skyborn demigod that just lost his one earthly tie.
After taking command as regent, Rauru does not invite the other races to a grand alliance; he brings them to heel through force. It's not enough for Rauru to immediately counterattack Ganondorf. He wants to destroy him, and what better way than to turn the whole world against him? Additionally, by consolidating the power of the Stones onto his side, he denies Ganondorf the opportunity to pick them off one by one. Zelda is witnessing history, the birth of Hyrule as she knows it, but there's nothing noble about it. It's simple imperialism, and she has to grapple with the fact that she's a beneficiary of it. If the peoples of Hyrule were united through bloodshed, does this invalidate the friendships she's made among those peoples in her present? She's confronted with deep questions which possess no easy answers.
Meanwhile, Ganondorf hasn't been sitting on his laurels. He sees Rauru is stacking the deck against him, such that even the Stone's power won't be enough to win the coming war. The Gerudo are outnumbered and outgunned. So Ganondorf turns to darker magics, begins to press monsters into service, etc. His search for ever greater power takes him into the Depths, where he finds a dangerous substance called Gloom. According to legend, it is the ichor of a demon god who was struck down long ago and sealed away in the bowels of the earth. It drains the life-force of whoever touches it, that much is certain... but Ganondorf reckons it is possible to access this stolen vitality to perform feats of magic hitherto thought impossible. Through his mastery of dark magic, amplified by the Stone, he is able to harness the Gloom. First he tests it upon monsters... then dissidents, those reluctant to oppose Rauru's growing army. He makes examples of them, siphoning away their life-force to show those who will not fight will still serve their king. But this barbarous act only creates more dissent among the Gerudo. Tradition appointed Ganondorf as king, but that doesn't mean they have to stomach his tyranny. Even if he manages to win this war, this new power could allow him to reign forever, and he just demonstrated how little their individual lives mean to him. Worried for the future of their people, Ganondorf's second-in-command, Nabooru, sells him out in exchange for clemency, enabling Rauru and his Sages to capture him. Instead of slaying him on the spot, Rauru declares his intention to haul him back to Hyrule for a public execution in Sonia's name. Nabooru insists on coming along; if the King of the Gerudo is to die on foreign soil, then one of his own should observe his passing.
Ganondorf doesn't respond well to this betrayal. After everything he sacrificed, they would still rather roll over and show their bellies—surrender their freedom and pride—to a foreign lord. Who are these people, to abandon the courage of their ancestors? These are not his Gerudo. Ganondorf disowns them, swearing vengeance upon these cowards even as he is taken away in chains. The journey back to Hyrule gives him time to brood on his destiny. He was born to be a king, yet the place of his birth has forsaken him while the rest of the world wants him dead. Most people would crumble, succumb to despair. But his pride will never allow that. He will keep fighting, like he always has. He will crush any opposition, even if it's the people who gave him birth. He will rule, even if he must reign as king of the undesired. There's a saying: 'The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.' And Rauru has blazed oh so fiercely. To oppose him, Ganondorf must become nothing less than the King of Shadow.
At the moment of his execution, he draws upon the Gloom to transcend his mortal limits, finally becoming the Demon King. In this form, he's able to battle all seven of the Sages, but he's still not almighty. In theory, Rauru is able to slay him... but he chooses not to. Imprisoning Ganondorf isn't done as a last resort; Rauru wants him to suffer. "Killing you would be far too kind. I will make you wish you could die. You won't. I will hold you here. We will build our kingdom over the lands you tried to burn and pillage. And you will rot here, trapped in this moment, long after you have faded from its memory." And he sincerely believes that he'll be able to contain Ganondorf for all time—because he was able to ascertain that Zelda is from the future, after examining her Stone (his Stone, as it turns out) and piecing together her strange accent and unusual notions, even though she has the pointed ears of a Hylian. He doesn't understand the power, but he does take it as proof positive that his victory is guaranteed and Hyrule exists well into the future... without ever learning the whole truth of it. Rauru is directly responsible for the cycle of Calamity Ganon, as Ganondorf's resent and hatred transformed the Gloom into Malice.
Rauru's pride is an actual flaw, one that is fully explored in the modern day. Just like Ganondorf says, thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye; Rauru hasn't had any time to process his rage. He only saves Link to make him a vehicle for his revenge; sticking around past the tutorial as Link's spectral companion, constantly pushing him to ignore all distractions to destroy Ganondorf ASAP, yet unable to control him directly. In staying with Link, Rauru learns of his legacy; that he created a lasting kingdom, but harmed future generations by inadvertently creating Calamity Ganon—Ganondorf's disembodied anguish and hate, nursed over thousands of years. His selfish decisions created more harm than Ganondorf could have in a single lifetime. Just as the Zonai destroyed the world once before, Rauru managed to destroy it again and again. Hyrule no longer even exists as a kingdom, destroyed by Calamity Ganon 100 years prior. Yet Link continues to fight—not for himself, but to protect and help those he cares about as well as perfect strangers. Rauru gives a touch of the divine to Link, and in return Link reintroduces Rauru to humanity.
In contrast: Ganondorf broods in the Depths, alone. Although he still has a corporeal form, he's just as much of a ghost as Rauru is. He's more isolated than ever, having awakened to a strange world where nothing is as he remembers it. The geography is different, the flora and fauna is different, the people are different. Especially the Gerudo. They don't remember him as ever having been a person at all, believing the monster of their legends merely adopted the form of a Gerudo. But that doesn't sting as much as how tame they've become in his absence. These Gerudo have no fangs; they're fully in bed with Hyrule in every sense of the word, and it disgusts him. Nothing in this world is right. Everyone has forgotten their pride and their history; no one remembers a time when Hyrule wasn't be-all and end-all. Unable to accept this future, he terraforms Hyrule in the image of what it used to be, so it might become a crucible once more. The strong will adapt and survive, while the weak rightfully perish. He will create a world that rewards might and daring above all else.
Ganondorf is none too pleased to learn Link is running around with the arm of the man who sealed him for millennia, and assumes that he has become Rauru's puppet (even more hand symbolism)... but that's a key difference between Ganondorf and Rauru. Link essentially drags Rauru through character development, rekindling a sense of humanity within him. Ganondorf has no one to break him out of his rut. His only company down in the Depths are monsters and the Yiga Clan, who revere him as the source of Calamity Ganon—for his power and opposition of Hyrulian supremacy—but do not see him as person, a king in need of counsel. Ganondorf is more alone than ever, but he refuses to address this. To despair is to admit that the world has power over you, and he is the single strongest being in the world. Gods do not weep. And in that final confrontation, Rauru addresses Ganondorf: They're both ghosts of the past, stubbornly trying to shape the future to their liking; but the present belongs to the living. They both need to let go. But Ganondorf's pride will never allow that. To admit defeat is to admit someone has power over him, and he cannot allow it. It becomes clear to him that the only option left to him is to not play at all.
He swallows his Stone and becomes a dragon, but this doesn't lead to another boss fight (to compensate, the third phase would be a more classical Ganon fight; a friend suggested the name of "Scourge of Hyrule—Apocalypse Ganon"). Instead, in line with what was established earlier—that to become a dragon is to lose yourself to the process—Ganondorf ascends to the sky... and bears no more malice toward Link or Hyrule. He becomes the ultimate in power—immortal and at last truly divine—at the cost of his ego. He's still dangerous since he radiates Gloom, but he doesn't attack, just like the other dragons: an idiot god. He returns to the Depths out of instinctual comfort, but will occasionally surface and usher in a Blood Moon. And like the other dragons, you can harvest rare materials from him to make the best Gloom weapons or whatever. + Leaving Ganondorf in this state leaves a door open for fanatics to try and restore him in a sequel.
So, that's all I got
There's a lot of things I didn't address. Like whether the line of succession was broken with Sonia's death (so is Zelda descended from a relative of hers?), what sort of characters the Sages should be, or what Zelda does after Ganondorf is sealed away by Rauru (I'm personally not comfortable with her waltzing up to the Sages and in a stable time loop binding all the races to Hyrule), how weird the Draconification plot point is (and how Zelda is restored to her human form by Good Ending ghost magic), how Zelda is restored in this version (sequel hook same with Ganon?), how disconnected I feel Link is to the Ancient Past storyline as a whole, whether my version of Ganondorf actually ever learned about him, I didn't really dive into the aforementioned imperialist message in TOTK (others have already done so better than I), etc. Thing is, I'm not a professional writer. I do it for the love of it, and that's what this is. A messy labor of misplaced love for a franchise I've never played, all because I was upset they didn't treat my blorbo the way I like. You know how it goes. My brain didn't know when to let go, but at least now it's out there and not rattling around solely in my noggin, making an awful racket. Maybe now I can work on other things. If you've made it this far, cheers.
#legend of zelda#my writing#tears of the kingdom#tears of the kindom spoilers#rewrite#posting this now even if it could use another pass or two#kinda exhausted with the whole thing at this point#it's taken a lot of spoons over many days#ganondorf#rauru#zelda
312 notes
·
View notes
Text
not sure if i have talked about this before but i also really hate how gorons are treated in totk
they are one of my fav and i know they are unpopular and were always kinda slot into the "big fat stupid rock people" role, but i do think totk is one of or the worst case yet; all regions get some life threatening event (ignoring how stupid it is to put the issues you need to solve in the exact same spots as in botw with most changes being also reversible so the actual changes to the environment of the map are largely some small rocks sprinkled about) and they get .. drugs (haha)
like i dont wanna downplay anything but their problem being that they are obsessed with eating (>_>) some drugged rock that makes them mean and lazy (even if the reason is fine ... if i remember right and didnt make up that they had to dig elsewhere for food bc of death mountain losing its lava flow, the execution is my problem -like the vast majority of this game is a ok to great idea with passable to horrible execution of it) and arent even a danger to you (which i thought at first when you approach goronia the normal path and two gorons start to walk towards you if you come near saying creepy shit- i thought they are gonna attack me or lure me into a trap but again .. only to find them wanting me to pay to be let through (i think??) and all other drugged ones are largely just ... eating or lying around ........
like it would have been cool if that drugged rock stuff made them actually agressive, like the friendly easy going rock people being turned into something akin to a starved animal after eating poison bc they were at risk of starving sounds alot more .. impactful and scary (even if it would still be about food, which idk about you but the only kind of fatter npcs, even if non human, being made all about food is .. hm, aside from other possibly bad implications from this, but im trying to roll with the idea of it)
and then poor yuno being put in a stupid (stereotypical?) wrestler outfit and hes LITERALLY being mindcontrolled is so ...... ugh (again, idea is ok but- you get it) and then him being told by two CHILDREN that that obviously not zelda might not be zelda and it not only being the only time that idea is openly said until its "revealed" that hhhwhat?? it was a fake one?? in the mid battle of the "story" and he doesnt even believe it (both bc haha hes stupid and cant understand such a thing and also link not being able to tell anyone ... even his friends ....... ) is just so disrespectful, its ok not to be the smartest guy in the room (tho in totk pretty much anyone is made so much dumber for no reason...) but it being so clearly the gorons that get treated like this just annoys me so much, you know no one of the other races would be treated like that
(not to reach a little but it also plays into how koga is portrayed, like i love him to death and there are things that largely the gameplay only implies of him not being that incompetent, but hes clearly meant to be laughing material, the boss of the band of 'evil' assassins being lazy, incompetent and 'childish' is funny right?? and although i hc that the either super thin or super beefed up appearance of yiga members are just an appearance like their disguises of normal people to seem more unified and less indentifyable- that is still only a hc and then koga being the only character that is visibly fatter (aside from ... the gorons and .. king dorephan??) it puts a pebble more onto the pile of pebbles of little annoyances)
also yuno saying, post mid "story" battle, that no one actually knows anything about ganondorf aside from him being evil and it going complete ingored and never mentioned again feels like the type of thing a games does when they are critized for soemthing and instead of changing it they put a line in the game essentially saying "yeah we know but we are not gonna do aynthing about it lol"
(like thinking of the line ashe from league of legends, whos design has been critized alot bc shes running around in a stupid tiny dress in the snow lands of their world, got when her dialog was updated that made her say sth like "yes im wearing a little dress in the forever winter land, deal with it lol" which perhaps was supposed to be a joke but it just feels like a "lol we know, fuck you")
#ganondoodles talks#zelda#totk#ganondoodles rants#also may i say that i dont like that they made yuno be the boss of a company now??#idk i already didnt like how weirldy overtaking dumsda (hudson) thing got#and him suddendly beign the boss instead of landa (...the dance guy that you buy the house from in botw idk his engl name)#whos now chilling in angelstedt (lurelin?) like hes a shunned king in exile#idk feels off#and no im not saying everything about everything is bad#again I LOVE KOGA AND YUNO#and i dont mean they both have to be the coolest smartest guy around#i find the trend of only their types of design to be the ones made to look stupid and lazy troublesome#THAT is my problem#and yes theres lots to read into koga especially but still#at least it felt like to me that the game realyl wanted you to think of koga being a modern tingle
120 notes
·
View notes
Text
Round 2
Propaganda Under Cut
Joan Watson
How were BBC Sherlock shippers so rancid about a WOMAN who wasnt even in the SAME SHOW?????
Lucy Liu real life victim of yaoi despite being on a DIFFERENT TV SHOW. And everyone was so busy hating her for getting in the way of johnlocke that they ignored the massive yuri potential of Elementary :(
she wasn't even in the same SHOW as the yaoi I've been convinced she deserves to win the entire poll. I was a Johnlocker but I did watch the first season of Elementary and it was fine????? It was totally okay????? Especially in hindsight given how hard Sherlock season four flopped. Also Lucy Liu is a queen and deserved zero vitriol for *checks notes* playing a character???? A fucking fictional character???????? Oh my god we were all SO mean to this show and we (or at least I) thought it was like The Good Fight™️, like we were defending BBC Sherlock against copyright infringement and straightwashing and Jonny Lee Miller's bizarre scarf, (it wasn't a good scarf I do stand by that) but then Elementary didn't make Holmes and Watson a couple either???? And also it didn't insult its audience constantly etc etc we've all seen the Hbomberguy Sherlock is Garbage video. This is really long sorry hashtag justice for Joan Watson.
Yona
She’s the fiancé of prince Sidon, (arranged marriage) and since Sidon is almost always shipped with link, people went feral the second they saw her. She’s genuinely very kind and cares about her people and wants Sidon to be happy! She is NOT jealous, she wants him to hang out with his Best Friend. I have seen firsthand in real-time, people being SO misogynistic and cruel, and saying she’s ugly. She’s good in a crisis, very friendly, has a great design, and she doesn’t deserve the hate in the slightest!
so the breath of the wild fandom is pretty well known for REALLY liking prince sidon aka that one really tall fish guy. and they're also really well known for shipping him with link because every fandom needs a gay ship right. so then the sequel (totk) comes around and it's revealed that sidon has a fiance now and it's not link it's some zora girl from another domain. the game hasn't even been out for a month but i've seen people act so vile towards her like yona get behind me!!!!
i think it should really be mentioned now people in her round 1 poll were literally still treating her like shes there to stop yaoi that was never intended to be canon to start this with.in the poll about criticizing people doing that.
#poll#round 2#cbs elementary#elementary#joan watson#legend of zelda#botw tears of the kingdom#botw#totk#totk yona#lady yona
129 notes
·
View notes
Text
My relationship with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
I love TotK, I really do. It's fun to play and to explore for a while. But that's it. I kinda have a toxic relationship with this game. It gives me the highest heights just to shove some pretty unnecessary hindrance in my face.
tl;dr: Erasing BotW from TotK was the worst thing they could've done to this game. It's hard to believe that this game's got 5 years of development under its belt. It truly is a disappointing Masterpiece.
I’m just going to head right in.
I absolutely adore a well-written story and exploring new Lands to see what kind of secrets it holds. and am someone who really can't deal with spoilers of any kind, so color me surprised when the second memory I encountered was the one near Lurelin Village where it's exposed that we got a fake Zelda. It felt great to have my theory proven right because I’ve cleared a few Stable Quests before looking for the Tears and figured it out (isn’t very difficult I know). But when I realized that I’d skipped a massive part of this story I was disappointed because I expected a story progression like Botw but ended up spoiling myself with one of the most impactful memories. At the same time, it was so frustrating to see everyone dance on the palm of this impostor's hand while the player knows exactly what's going on and you/Link couldn't do anything about it.
The fact that almost no one recognized Link or even knew of him was also so frustrating; infuriating even. This legendary Hero saved Hyrule along with Princess Zelda in a 100-year-long battle, only to be forgotten? While everyone knows of Zelda? Like, you wanna tell me that the whole time Zelda traveled the lands of Hyrule to learn about the people and forge connections, Link wasn't with her? Her appointed knight that never leaves her side?
I know they chose to basically erase him to make the story less complicated for people who didn't play BotW, but let's be honest the amount of players that fit this criteria can't be more than 5%, and that's thinking generously, so why ruin the experience for the other 95%? Besides a small part of the Zora, the Stableowners, the people at Lookoutlanding, some Shieka, and the Yiga-Clan no one knows about him. In addition to that we also only get two mentions of the champions from botw. Mipha is referenced and I think Daruk gets a mention as well. When I entered Zoras Domain in TotK and saw that they had replaced Miphas Statue with a statue of Link and Sidon (which I find hideous tbh) I was so fucking furious. I adore her and they just pushed her onto some faraway cliff to collect dust. I think Daruk gets referenced in a dialog with Yunobo but that’s it, besides his statue in Goron City. Urbosa and RevalI have been completely forgotten it appears. They could have at least referenced those two regarding their successors having similar powers.
However, I have to say that Gerudo Desert was one of the best areas in TotK with a nice twist to the Questline leading up to the Dungeon. The Desert is being plagued by weird undead monsters and shrouded in a never-ending sandstorm. Gerudo Town is desolated and abandoned and you worry for its citizens. I loved this dreadful approach on the Demon Kings homeland. There are just two things I can't agree with in this new Gerudo Desert.
First, they don't kick Link out of Gerudo Town after the situation is resolved. This clan of proud warriors that cling deeply to their roots and traditions, just let Link walk in and out of Gerudo Town as he likes. It apparently isn't that much of a deal anymore if young VaI were to see a Voi, and saving their Town for the second time after defeating Va Naboris, returning peace to Gerudo Desert, and retrieving their heirloom was now enough to allow him to enter without a disguise? Oh yes, I forgot BotW didn't happen apparently. Secondly, I want female Gerudo clothes for Link. Why would you rob us of this experience?
I also strongly feel like they designed the areas in this order Rito>Gerudo>Gorons>Zora it just gets less and less refined throughout the game. I first encountered the Wind Temple and then went to the Water Temple afterward. I felt like I've skydived full speed from the sky islands straight into the depths without a paraglider. Moktoroc was a Boss I'd expect in a meme fight or mod or something, but a fully-fledged dungeon boss..?
Talking about bosses, something I really enjoyed in TotK were the encounters with Master Khoga. He is such a delight to encounter in this game; truly the most polished and lovable character in all of TotK (and BotW in my opinion). He has his purpose, he is silly, sometimes overly so, but all in all, is he a real threat to the inhabitants of Hyrule and Link. For real, Master Khoga and his Clan always recognize Link and engage with him BECAUSE he is Link and not because he just happened to be there. When I encountered Master Khoga for the first time in the depths I was so excited because I remembered that he fell down this chasm in BotW and that the most iconic and best villain in BotW is still alive. I really was just so delighted I think I almost cried (I'm a huge fangirl, leave me alone). He and the Yiga Clan made the Depths their own in the time that passed between those two games. The only thing I would have wished for was that Master Khogas questline could have been a bit longer and that he shouldn't have ended up like in BotW. And what I would have liked was to have one huge Yiga-Clan structure that served as their home base in the depths, like the Yiga Hideout on the surface.
There are just three more things I want to mention that don't sit well with me in this game.
First: the Depths are empty. I want to make each Zelda game my own and play it at least once to 100% in any regard. All Locations, all Shrines, all Lightroots, all chests, all quests, all Koroks (urgh), and so on. I want to harvest everything this game has to offer. But when I was "exploring" the depths in my progressed savestate I just found myself comparing the overworld to the depths to find shrines or lightroots. I traveled from one destination to another just to complete my task and gaining every shrine in the process was a nice addition. Tbh, I don't even know what the reward was for clearing all Shrines. I remember you got some kind of seed or flower from the lightroots tho.
The depths are incredibly dull. What happens in the depths?
1. You get the Autobuild ability
2. Fire Temple (Great design choice btw, very esthetic tho not challenging)
3. Minerus questline
4. Master Khoga and the Yiga-Clan
5. Weird Poe trading Statues (idk if this should count tbh)
6. Lost Woods access
7. Demon King Ganondorf (Daddy)
So we've got 6-7 major events in the depths. An area as big as Hyrule itself filled with almost nothing. You encounter abandoned Mines that always work the same. Search for the chest, pick up some Zonaite, and off you go. Yiga-Clan outposts; kill the Yiga, read the journal, loot the chests, and next. And don't get me started on the recycled dungeon bosses you can now just kill for fun down there. WHY?? I hate when bosses, incredibly strong monsters that are tied to a location as its last obstacle, as its guardian to prevent the Hero from accomplishing his goal, just get reused as an overworld boss. Tho they're so easy to kill a Gleeok is more dangerous. Now that I think about it King Gleeok might just be the most challenging Boss in TotK.
The second thing I would have wished for, but knew it would not happen was for Link to permanently lose his arm and for Zelda to remain a Dragon. I knew it wouldn't happen because Zelda always has a happy ending but it would have solidified TotK as another huge break in the tloz formula. Link losing his arm would have shown just how incredibly dangerous this whole situation really was, even to the Hero of the Wild. A crippled Hero with lost limbs and remains scarred for life (like the theories for the Heros Shade from Twilight Princess) is something Zelda lacks and just solidifies that Link is fucking overpowered and nothing can stop him. Don't get me wrong, I know it's kinda his thing to just be like this and to make the player feel accomplished in saving the land of Hyrule and its Princess, but we’re in the 2020s, and people want some kind of realism, drama, and especially in this case, involvement in the story. The way things are, it just feels like a fever dream sometimes. Might be an unpopular opinion but I'd like to see Link struggle for once in a while. (I know, botw’s basically a summary of Zelda and Links’ struggle to save Hyrule, but that’s not my point here and you know it.)
I know the chances of Zelda remaining a Dragon forever were close to nonexistent, and I think I wouldn't have a problem with this, if the developer had just given us a real explanation as to why, and how this is even possible. Mineru emphasized multiple times, that this forbidden ritual is irreversible and that she would erase herself if she were to proceed. Her decision has such a massive impact on the Story. Zelda went to such lengths to protect her Kingdom and support Link, she gave up everything and she was so terrified but her trust in Link is just so great that she believes that he will at least save Hyrule; her kingdom when she can only provide him with the tool to do so. Only to be reversed because two ghosts appeared. The theory that Sonia and Rauru channeled their energy through Link to reverse Zeldas form like Mineru said is just that, a theory. But aside from Raurus power and spirit residing with Link in his arm, where did Sonia come from? When the imprisoning war happened Sonia was long gone and there were no hints of her spirit being connected to Link or Zelda. It just feels unpolished and the explanation of "magic" isn't satisfying at all.
Lastly, something that bothers me in particular, I don't think many miss this feature. I am a huge fan of the Dark Souls series and challenging games in general. So my disappointment, when I learned that there wasn't a Master Mode for TotK, and there are no plans to implement one in the future, was immense. I would have loved to play through this game with a more challenging note and 100% it that way. I’m really sad about this, would have loved to see improved golden monsters that would have destroyed me and tested my skill.
To end this rant on a positive note, TotK is still one of the best games I've played. Its mechanics and freedom of action are one in a kind and I could spend hours just playing around with ZonaI devices and build the most ridiculous builds. It has really well-thought-out Quests and fun characters to interact with. Link and Zeldas relationship (as an aromantic myself) just feels so fulfilling. I know many people see their relationship and their dependency on each other as signs of a canon love story between these two, and by all means, go for it (that Zelda lives in Links house now is evidence enough. And I ship them occasionally myself)! But for me, the fact that it isn't explicitly said leaves room for interpretation, and, they are just two people who can 100% trust each other and whose lives are so incredibly intertwined that they are just codependent at this point. I love how they've written Zelda and Links relationship.
And my highlight, of course, is Ganondorf and the final boss fight. I adore Ganondorf his design is so incredibly well done, you feel his ambitions and dominance throughout every "encounter" we witness. Though we don't know those ambitions and anything about him besides that he wants to restore the rule of "the survival of the fittest", to be honest. He is pure fanservice I tell you. And I live for this.
The final fight is a (almost) one one-on-one with the Demon King(Just like Twilight Princess, one of the most epic showdowns of all time). An excellent magician who mastered all forms of weaponry just like Link and is even capable of flurry rushing (an ability that many/I thought was Links champion ability in BotW). It's epic, it's cinematic, and filled with surprises. When I fought Ganondorf in the first half, I just assumed we got two phases, and that's it, like in Botw. But holy shit. The second phase started and his health bar just kept going and he looks like THAT with his cocky attitude; brother. The moment you defeat him, and think it's over, you realize what he's about to do but before you can act he just grabs Link, and smashes him through tons of stone, and debris (however he came out of this unscathed; would have loved if he got at least a little injured and then healed by the light dragon or something.) and suddenly you are in the skies facing off against this massive titan of a Dragon. This fight is as challenging as the Dark Beast Ganon fight in BotW but its buildup and the resulting fight high above the surface with the help of Zelda who subconsciously knows it's her destiny to support Link in this fight makes it way better than just a cinematic final showdown. Link manages to defeat the Demon Dragon and after he blows up like a nuke (wtf was that anyway, so awesome!) and Zelda is transformed back to her human form. Link is skydiving to catch Zelda as they plummet from the sky and the moment, he finally reaches her hand and catches her will be forever one of the most emotional and impactful scenes in any Zelda game.
Despite its flaws, TotK offers an undeniably captivating experience. With its innovative mechanics, memorable moments, and interesting characters, it carved its own niche within the Zelda universe. While it does leave me a bit disappointed that it ended up like it did, expectations for Zelda Games are always skyrocketing but I still don’t think that we expected too much. I rate this a solid 8.5/10 while every other Zelda entrance is a 10/10.
I love TotK but like I said. It's a toxic relationship and whenever I find myself wanting to revisit this Hyrule I rather play BotW than TotK.
Sorry for my rant.
#I love it#i really do#but sometimes i think about what it could have been#and how much better things could have turned out#i wont do something like this ever again#probably#sorry#Breath of the Wild#The Legend of Zelda#Tears of the Kingdom#Link#totk#tloz#botw#opinion#rant#review#Zelda#Spoilers
34 notes
·
View notes
Text
Remembering my first time playing oot as a kid and hearing about the heroes of legend, those who had used the master sword before. And because I wasn't part of the larger community, no internet etc, I didn't know I was supposed to think of the other zelda games.
My theory was that every zelda game took place simultaneously across an infinite sea of parallel worlds, and each link could reach out and witness the other adventures alongside their own. I thought of them as different facets of the same soul, which turned out to be true enough, I suppose XD.
But I also thought the master sword was too simple a name and design, too overarching to not, similarly, be a culmination of different aspects, referencing different swords from real world myth and legend.
I remember I believed past heroes referred to people like King Authur, like Odin, like Hercules and Theseus and Achillies, like legendary samurai and kings under hills and travelling swordsmen and ladies lost to time.
And now, this small child, this little backwater kid my age was going to take up that mantle, join the ranks of heroes unsung, perform great feats in forgotten temples and save the suffering kingdom, here and gone, to slip back to home and safety upon journey's end, the kid with a hero's story and a precious, gleeful secret. That was how a lot of stories go, when they're targeted at little kids. Save the fairy kingdom from the bad pixie and run back to your parents before they wonder too long where you've been.
The direction Nintendo ended up going with making a canon timeline and destroying the mystery of how it all began (tho SS is amazing) takes a lot of the fable, the secrecy, the hushed gleam in the eye of it. But I still love it. For older players, it's another turn of the cycle, the new and old mixing into something unrecognisable and yet so familiar.
For new players, for children, the creator truly captured that feeling of stepping into another world behind your own, shifting ivy aside with your dirt scuffed hand, the feeling of wonder welling up inside as you step into the sunbeams of a brand new horizon where everything they told you about magic is true. The feeling of becoming something greater than the sum of your parts, of hearing a thousand silent voices at your back, of meeting equal with the legend, of being good for the sake of it and being rewarded with making a thousand memories, a thousand experiences beyond your wildest dreams.
Of, at the end of it all, being rewarded with the privacy and peace you really wanted, not being forced to perform nice for rude adults and go on stage to accept your little trophies. Something to cradle in your heart and smile secretive smiles, to be true to yourself, to always have that little something extra, something adults will never notice but you know. You know, and you will never breathe a word of that beautiful, magical world, because it's just. For. You.
I suppose that's always why I've liked the epilogue of a zelda game, the Links all choosing to close the loop, to return the master sword and return to their peaceful lives. To fulfil your purpose. To become everything they said you'd be and more. To go home, and your enemies don't follow.
The adults doubt your magic, but you don't. Not anymore.
#legend of zelda#loz#tloz#the legend of zelda#loz link#link loz#Loz timeline#ocarina of time#loz oot#long post#Oot was a formative memory and not just for the terrifying flesh zombie monsters#I don't know. I guess there's just something about the fact that link is always able to return to secrecy and they always choose it.#Even in totk link was utterly unrecognisable except to his close friends and he never made any attempt to change that.#I guess that's a part of the mythos. Link isn't stuck in his role. He chooses it. He isn't forced into anything because of his journey.#He never loses his free will. He could be anyone. There's a sort of empathy in that. A sort of unruffled self confidence.#It's total freedom. Even if his home is changed or destroyed. He's only grown. A thousand people will help him. He's not alone anymore.#Is it any wonder it's a kid's greatest fantasy?
22 notes
·
View notes
Note
hi jeanie!! i was wondering if u had any thoughts on what the quarry counselors' favorite nintendo franchises might me?
-cas @chrashley :)
Hi Cas! 🥰 Ooh I love this question! I tried to stick with games I’m familiar with but there's a couple I've never played myself. That being said I'd be interested to hear what other's think in case I missed anything 👀
Abi - Animal Crossing, she enjoys more cozy games and it would bring out her artistic side, creating her own clothes and decorating her house/town/island. She doesn’t do anything extravagant but she plays a fair amount, she enjoys bug catching and visiting her favorite neighbors with gifts.
Dylan - The Legend of Zelda, nice mix of puzzles, action, and music depending on the game. He gets really into the new mechanics in BOTW and TOTK, going from creating really intricate mechanics to designing dick shaped machines. Perhaps projecting but I’d say he’d have a soft spot for Twilight Princess (you can hold and talk to cats!)
Kaitlyn - Splatoon, the shooter of the Nintendo franchises. She meticulously goes through all the weapons in order to pick the best one depending on specials and sub weapons (she strikes me as a sniper). She also loves the idols and music and designing her squid with all the fresh fashion choices. She definitely makes it to ruler rank whenever she participates in Splatfests (and claims bullshit if her team loses).
Ryan - Pokemon, perhaps inspired by Justice being in Detective Pikachu, but as an aspiring animator he’d be interested in all the different Pokemon designs. When Ryan builds his team he gets really attached to them. He’d never attempt a nuzlocke, he’s sticking with his whole team til the end. He of course loves the ghost types, but I think he’d also have something like Loudred or Golbat, something audio/sound related. He definitely plays a lot with Sarah.
Emma - Metroid, Emma is resourceful, working well under pressure and able to adapt to situations quickly, so when she takes the controller for Metroid she effortlessly switches from platforming to shooting, completely tearing the alien enemies to shreds. She loves Samus and probably got into the series for the leading lady. One of her favorite elements is the morph ball, but the arm canon might have it beat.
Jacob - WarioWare, while a more competitive game may seem like Jacob’s first choice I think if he had to choose a favorite he’d prefer the quick micro games that WarioWare has to offer. It’s fun, fast, no time to think just DO. He also really enjoys the zany humor and eccentric characters. It’s also a plus to play with others and can somehow still turn competitive, especially when playing with Nick.
Nick - Pikmin, Nick likes to go with the flow so he'd like something less fast paced but still something with some strategy. I think he'd find assigning Pikmin with their different abilities to various tasks satisfying. Since he also loves nature he'd enjoy the exploration element, as well. And really he just thinks the Pikmin are cute.
Laura - Animal Crossing, since she’s interested in veterinary science she’d probably enjoy the animal characters, Max most likely introduces her to the game for that reason. However, unlike Abi she plays it more seriously. She has to complete every task, pop every balloon, and fill the entire museum with every collectible. She has to stop playing when it cuts time into her personal productivity. She has a 5 star island.
Max - Yoshi, Max is definitely not a competitive player, he plays games that are more chill. He enjoys the straightforward mechanics of swallow enemies, throw eggs/yarn, with nothing too punishable or frustrating like with other tenser games. The vibrant, colorful world definitely doesn’t hurt with all the cute smiling flowers, shy guys on stilts, and most importantly: Poochy.
All the counselors love Mario Party and Mario Kart, some less so than others as the game progresses and they continue to lose (Jacob).
#the quarry#abigail blyg#dylan lenivy#kaitlyn ka#ryan erzahler#emma mountebank#jacob custos#nick furcillo#laura kearney#max brinly#almost gave nick star fox or donkey kong#emma was gonna be princess peach showtime but metroid kept calling to me#abi also gives me kirby vibes
17 notes
·
View notes
Note
I didn't see the submission button, is it ok if I submit here? If so I'd like to submit The Light Dragon from The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
no worries abt submitting via asks! id prefer submissions but overall its not that big of a deal lol. anyhoo
i really like her design! ive never played a loz game but im vaguely aware of the lore surrounding her, which also adds points because its fucking sick. the colors are very nice, i think yellow and light blue are a seriously underrated combo, and the main body being white makes it not too overwhelming
with that being said, i DO think her eyes are a bit too goofy. she looks ridiculous from the front 😭 love what they were going for but i think the pupils shouldve moved
OH and im a big fan of her having 6 legs. if im not mistaken all the botw/totk dragons have 6 legs yes? its nice i like when things have 6 legs.
overall: very nice dragon! seems like she would be kind. im gonna say liike...9/10 ^_^
#dragon review#review#legend of zelda#light dragon#tears of the kingdom#expect high ratings for pretty much everything btw. i am a dragon enjoyer. thats what i do. i enjoy dragons.
12 notes
·
View notes
Text
Mwah Mwah Mwah I love you the Adventure of Link <3 You're a tough game but you don't deserve all the hate you get. OUGH yall i love this game so much the soundtrack slaps incredibly hard
Genuinely one of my favorite Zelda games esp in terms of lore and musici, if I grew up in the 80s and played this this game would've been my special interest for sure
The stickers are from the ALTTP sticker pack by Comstock Cafe and I just took the stickers that were the most generic to use for this game and the original Legend of Zelda ^_^;
Writing typed below!
Rating: 8.0
Played: Sp 2023
Port: NES Switch Special Edition (YES I PLAYED THE EASY VERSION I WAS TRYING TO BEAT THIS BEFORE TOTK)
Comments
Initial thoughts: reminds me of the claymation mythology movies (aka Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans)
This reminds me a lot of Joust
little link statue <3
this feels nothing like a zelda game
(in reference to above comment) the mechanics are a little off putting but this is actually a very zelda game, it takes getting used to but i'm enjoying it
I'm actually really obsessed with the zelda II lore and story, love the magic system
omg the iron knuckle
interesting bosses! it would be fun to see them return
damn gooma was so hard
wolfheads can burn in hell
I like how much the future zelda games are insp by this game!!!
how would you ever know how to find new kasuto without a guide T^T
FUCK WIZZROBES
-> they were't too bad in this game bc you can actually block them (I hate top down wizzrobes and hate a visceral reaction lol)
i absolutely love that you can turn into a fairy, this should've been a reused mechanic
"this is the first game where Link shape shifts as well as the first game where the process is voluntary and beneficial" oh my god T^T
I love how Barba/Volvagian returned in Ocarina!!!! LOVE!!
I FORGOT THE CROSS
It's funny how Link can't swim in these games so he walks on water instead
items collected are used in the overworld
I love this game a lot actually
the mega demon looking bubble?? T-T
the regional differences are really interesting
the design of the thunderbird is crazy cool
love the shadow link fight also insane you don't get to heal and replenish magic
zelda and link having 2 different styles is so funny, link looks so goofy
This game had a massive difficulty spike compared to the original The Legend of Zelda game. However, I loved this game so much and you can see how much influence games like OOT and TWW took from it. The music is incredible and iconic, I love the enemy designs and their grittiness, and I love how despite never playing this game before, I had a lot of nostalgia for it bc I played Joust as a kid. This was a great sequel for its time and continued the story well -- Link has gotten 2/3 of the triforce pieces and rescued zelda and defeated Ganon in the first game. Now he has to complete multiple trials in order to get the triforce of courage and save zelda from the past. The end fight being a 2 boss rush AND the true boss being the shadow of youself -- AKA the hardest boss in the series if you don't cheese the battle, it's great what an incredible idea. And OOT used it again with another incredible idea -- reflection, conquer yourself. Are you a true hero if you can't even outmatch, out wit, out last your own self, your own shadow? UGH as a huge OOT fan I just loved this game and seeing all the influence it had. I'd def play it again in the future.
#mwah mwah mwah mwa mwahmwah#love you so muchhhhhh TAOL#journalsouppe#bullet journal#journal#legend of zelda#tloz#loz#the legend of zelda#zelda journal#taol#the adventure of link#zelda 2#zelda ii
16 notes
·
View notes
Note
This is not me defending Nintendo's shoddy writing when it comes to heavy parts of the Gerudo lore. But I do wonder if some of their really bad missteps are because of their lack of knowledge of Western racial politics. A lot of Japan is still heavily xenophobic, and racial diversity is almost zero, so they might just not actually think about the implications because they just... don't know they exist. It's not an excuse, because Nintendo IS a global company, and there should be some extra research done, since stuff like that is just really fucking iffy.
I'm just trying to figure out where that stuff comes from tbh, and why it's still around, instead of being weeded out. So maybe that's a reason, in which case... maybe get some writers who can write depth into their characters.
Hey, thanks for the ask!
So... I feel many things about this, and I completely see where you're coming from, and I think you have hit the nail on the head about why Nintendo do not feel like handling this issue is necessary, or that it doesn't concern them altogether... but I have to be honest, I feel like we give Japan way too much slack on these issues in general, and it's a very common problem (thinking of the controversy on FF16 for just another recent example, or the way queerness is handled in a lot of anime and games). Regardless of, just, the artistic integrity to incorporate the rest of the world as existing alongside you which isn't... mandatory of course, but I believe is important for the sake of honesty: there are japanese people of color, there exists a queer japanese community, and a lot of immigrants living in Japan have to deal with rejection and being considered a second-rate citizen all of the time. Not to mention anything about the new generations of people who were victims of their occupation not so long ago, a subject which is still regularly repressed and ignored by their government (and by the world at large, the US had interests in quieting down some of the worst things they did due to Cold War stuff, and in the West we mostly focused on Germany and collaboration --which makes sense, it's what we knew, but anyway it's complicated and not the topic). This is not a case of mere innocence, it is a case of politically construed ignorance; which is very different, and should not be regarded as equivalent.
But even beyond their own internal socio-political issues, which I am not qualify to speak about beyond what I know from second-hand stories I heard and what I have personally researched, The Legend of Zelda is an IP that is tailored for the West (TM). It is incredibly more popular here than it ever was in Japan. It is a product designed for export. Trying to anticipate what the western market enjoys and fitting right in is part of their responsibilities as a brand if they want to succeed. So, either they did not consider this aspect, which was absolutely something they should be criticized for, as subjects of diversity are hot and trending right now (even without getting into their moral implication) and they did what I consider to be the bare, cynical minimum in this department; or they had an inkling, and considered their choices wouldn't be a dealbreaker. Which... they clearly were not.
Again, I am sorry to be a little cynical here, but while I certainly don't think Nintendo was being consciously malicious here, like making choices to actively play into harmful stereotypes and strict gender roles as some form of active ploy in some sort of culture war, Nintendo is run by conservative japanese men with capitalist interests and a responsibility towards their own government as a major player for japanese soft power. The company will *never* question its own biases, especially if the West just eats up whatever they do and build a human wall of excuses to justify their absence of accountability. This, beyond the game itself which is good and fine and also kind of soulless the more I think about it (in my opinion), is what depresses me and what makes it hard for me to move on: to give them a free pass on these subjects is a choice everyone is collectively making, because it is the Nostalgia and the Childhood and we are desperate for wonder and joy --and it ultimately makes us somewhat toothless as consumers.
And I want to add I am absolutely not immune to this, and it doesn't mean I'm condemning the practice of fandom or the possibility, or even the necessity, of holding several simultaneous truths about a piece of media at the same time and navigating them depending on what is being discussed; but Nintendo is obsessed with controlling its image as a company, curating things as acceptable or unnacceptable as they see fit, approving or disapproving of their consumers' behavior and punishing them accordingly (as well as the rest of the industry *side-eyes the thirty patents on basic gameplay actions*), and it's to say nothing of how employees may be treated beyond the perfectly curated Pikachu yellow walls. This corporate image of being non-controversial is enforced. It doesn't mean I don't admire them for a lot of things, their genuine commitment to game design innovation, their virtuosity when it comes to level design in particular, the way they foster pools of raw talent, their devotion to open up the market to new demographics of gamers, or for the risk they took with the Switch and the wonderful venues it opened for indie devs. I love their games, profoundly, and I owe the company a lot of my joy.
But again, I think it's important to consider several realities simultaneously; and this joy, this goodness, this beauty, while absolutely wonderful and worth preserving, always runs the risk of getting in the way of our discernment in what is getting sidelined.
#asks#totk critical#zelda critical#zelda fandom critical#nintendo critical#gerudos#thoughts#thanks for the ask!!#sorry if I went a little hard there#a little uhhh Too serious#but I am genuinely a little depressed about how we settle for corporate safety as the epitomy of greatness#mechanical perfection as sufficient in itself#and I don't know how we meaningfully fight this#the structures of power comprised of people who are terrified of their own soul and the capitalist safety they will forever cling to
36 notes
·
View notes
Note
what's your favorite game of all time?
Oh man that's a tough one. I feel I've answer this before but it was maybe in my previous blog?
Anyway you know me, I ramble a lot, here we go.
I can't really pick one favorite game of all time because I have different things I like games for and that are special to me but for varied reasons.
My top favorite games of all time are still Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Five Nights at Freddy's and Undertale, with a special mention to Final Fantasy VII.
I am still missing a FNAF tattoo because I still haven't picked exactly what I want, but so far the only games I got on me are Undertale and OOT related.
Lots of ramblings about why below the cut
LOZ OOF is probably up to date the game I've replayed the most times, I just got access to it on the Switch and immediately started a new game file because it's been so long since I last played since setting my Nintendo 64 it's not as easy. I played that game before I could understand enough English to know what was fully happening in the game (I was around 8 when the game came out), more often than not relying on what my parents would translate for me. I just loved going through the story over and over again and wandering a world that felt HUGE at the time. My dream would be a remake of OOT in the style of Breath of the Wild.
I don't think I have found yet another game that makes me go "I want to replay this from the start again" over and over again.
With Five Nights at Freddy's I think it was the game were it down on me that making games as an indie developer was a thing that existed. Sure it's hard to succeed as an indie dev, but it's not impossible, FNAF just lit up a bulb inside my head that made me go "hold up, this is a job I can do?". It is also a game that reminds me to not give up even if my games are not an instant success, it's hard to keep pushing forward because maybe I'll never make a game that is wildly well known, but hey I gotta keep trying, if Scott had given up after all the games he did that failed, then FNAF wouldn't exist and me and a bunch of other people wouldn't have something that makes us very happy.
Plus on top of that, the whole digging around the website for clues on the games and the story was a really fun experience I am happy I had the chance to live.
Finally, Undertale taught me that games can be more. For me games were only a thing that could be fun and I did to pass time and blow off steam, maybe get into really deep stories (FFVII blew my mind in that part) that really made me feel immersed and part of, but at the end of the day a fun activity and nothing more.
Undertale was the first game to move me and affect my life and how I perceived things, I played during a very hard part of my life when I struggled badly with depression, but Undertale message and the simple "You cannot give up yet, stay Determined" struck me hard and helped me see things differently. My first tattoo was the red heart because I wanted to when things got hard, remind myself that I cannot give up yet, because despite everything it's still me, so keep going.
With Undertale I learned games could not also be fun, but also give something to others who played them, sometimes a break from reality, others good old fun, and also help out through hard times and hopefully give them something that makes living a bit more bearable.
I was starting college for game design when Undertale came out, and it was the game that made me realize I wanted to do that too, I want to hopefully one day make a game that helps another person to live life a lil bit happier, give someone that tiny push that we all need sometimes to keep going, I want to make other people happy because life it's hard but it can get better.
So those are my favorite games of all time, and if you read all of that then cheers to you and thank you for going through my ramblings afsh.
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Aaaanyways, who wants to hear my pitch for a pre-flood Zelda game that'll never happen. It was, like, the first thing I came up with as soon as I joined the fandom (...and it shows), but kept it for myself, mostly bc for some reason I was never able to design any visuals for the thing.
No, I don’t think that’s what actually went down in canon while the flood was happening. Yes, the story contradicts some facts from WW and OoT. I just tried to make it as much of a playable experience as possible. It's not perfect, but has its' moments.
The Legend of Zelda: The Unnamed Pre-Flood Game
Prologue cutscene features visuals similar to WW's intro and goes like this: "There is hardly anyone in Hyrule who hasn't heard about the Hero of Time. Half a century after his triumph over Ganon and the subsequent disappearance, the deeds of the Hero started to fade into myth, yet there are still people who knew him and remember him fondly. The legacy of his kindness and valiance led the land to an era of prosperity under the rule of none other than Queen Zelda. However, recently she stepped aside from the throne with no explanation, never to be seen again, and rumors of concern started to creep across Hyrule. If both the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny had left their people, who will protect the land in case the unthinkable happens?.." It fades into black, not-so-subtly hinting that the unthinkable will happen really soon, and that it'll be none other than Ganon.
The playable character is preteen and can be named. It may either look like your average Link or nothing at all like him, doesn't matter – but throughout the game you're constantly made aware that this kid is not a Link. You know how in the Child half of Ocarina many NPCs are dismissive of Link on behalf of him being a kid? That attitude is carried over here. No matter who you talk to, in the eyes of almost every character, the kid you play as is not the Hero of Time, so you have no business running around pretending to be one; even those sympathetic to your cause will make that distinction. That is a key concept. For that reason, I'll be referring to the playable character as, well, Kid.
Kid lives in Kakariko village, which has grown into more of a town, but not by a lot, and the Sheikah are beginning to recover from their near extinct status, though the majority of residents are still Hylians. Kid has parents! But they're both Royal Guards, and therefore are absent most of the time. For that reason, Kid is mostly left under the care of their neighbor, Auntie Malon – sadly, she had to sell her ranch and move, but that doesn't stop her from keeping some livestock. Kid's best friend is Nopiko, Auntie Malon's adoptive daughter who has a knack for sewing and getting into trouble; if you remember two Gossip Girls from Windfall Island, she looks exactly like the blond one, and is just as young. Mid-game Auntie Malon reveals that Nopiko is actually a Kokiri who wandered off from the Lost Woods; she took the girl in to honor the memory of her beloved Fairy Boy. Due to that, Nopiko is sensitive to the magic of the world – and one day, she informs Kid that something is off, and that they have to meet Nopiko's other friend, who lives all the way at Hyrule Castle. It's not the Castle you know from OoT, though: since Ganondorf emerged his Tower in its' place, the ruins of the Tower were considered cursed, and the new castle was built at Lake Hylia.
To get there, first you have to clear the game's tutorial dungeon – Sheikah Secret Archives. It's a secret police department with some similarities to the Shadow Temple, including the monsters, but also a giant office full of overworked Sheikah employees processing legal cases and such. It has some typical stealth sections where the guards can catch you (sorry), however, most of the time you can talk to the employees scot-free; they're all so overworked they have no energy to be bothered by an intruder and are mostly glad to vent to anyone willing to lend an ear. From their dialogue it becomes clear that they aren't happy with their job, but have no choice, being servants of the Royal Family and all. The amount of arrests the Sheikah Secret Police currently performs is abnormally high, too: Queen Zelda is gone without a trace, and for many her absence means something in the world is about to get really, really wrong, but none can place their finger on what exactly is about to happen, and that air of paranoia leads to civil unrests left and right. The prisoners are also there, ready to talk.
Sheikah Secret Archives is where you get the main (and only) item of the game, the Parasol. It's not a magical item: Kid just grabs some random Sheikah's umbrella in an act of self-defense, but you receive an item get pop-up all the same. You can use its' pointy tip as a makeshift sword or open it to create a makeshift shield.
The dungeon has no boss, so once you clear it, you arrive at the Castle Courtyard. Somehow, Nopiko is already there, talking to her mysterious friend about you. On your arrival, she introduces you by name and comments on how many times you've been caught in the dungeon: "See, Kid has gotten through the Archives and hasn't been caught/got caught only n times! They're so brave, and smart, and capable – if there's anyone in the whole world who can do this, it's them!"
This is where you get introduced to Nopiko's friend, Regent Princess Hepta. She, too, is drastically different from your average Zelda, with deep red hair in a pixie cut and a deadpan snark; she's also a bit older than Kid. Overall, she resembles a teenage version of Tetra's mom, sans the pirate clothes. Hepta sits in her room, talking with Kid and Nopiko through a window. It's clear that she is not amused by Kid, but begrudgingly accepts their help.
"I am of a Royal bloodline," Hepta explains, "but that blood connection is very weak, and I have very few magic powers, no match to those of Queen Zelda's. I have a gift of premonition, though, and it tells me something terrible is about to happen. I don't know what it'll be yet; however, I had a vision that the future of this land shall be revealed tonight at the Unicorn Fountain. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go there: you see, I am locked away by..."
Suddenly, Hepta shoos Kid and Nopiko away, and jumps off the window. They oblige, but catch a glimpse of a menacing middle-aged Sheikah woman, who seems to be angry with Hepta. The woman throws a glance at the courtyard, but doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary and leaves. Hepta, visibly distressed, reemerges and continues:
"My uncle, Daphnes Nohansen (and for anyone curious, yes, it's that Daphnes Nohansen) is the current king, but the actual power over Hyrule is in the hands of my nursemaid and the chief of secret police, Captain Byrna, who governs the land with an iron fist. She decreed that tomorrow I'll be officially crowned as the new Princess of Hyrule and take the name of Zelda in an attempt to quell the fears of the people. This is why I am locked in my room. But you, Kid, must understand that it is of utmost importance the vision at the Unicorn Fountain is seen by someone. You just might be the only hope that Hyrule has right now. Now please, lend me your hand".
Kid hesitantly offers their hand. Hepta kisses it, and an item get pop-up appears: "You got Regent Princess' Blessing! This magical gift will allow you to see the message of the gods!"
Then, a green fairy pops out from Hepta's room. This is Brimm, Nopiko's guardian fairy. He served as a messenger between her and Hepta – this is how they were able to keep up their friendship – but now will accompany you. Not only will Brimm deliver the vision you'll recieve to Hepta, he can also enhance your Parasol with the power of flight, allowing you to fast-travel to any check-point you discover. One of them is conveniently located at the courtyard; throughout the game, you'll be able to visit Hepta freely – she'll give you progression hints like the fortunetellers in Zelda series commonly do, provide some additional lore and lift your spirit with a sarcastic joke or two.
The Unicorn Fountain is your first proper dungeon. There, your Parasol gets a new ability: you can use it as either a boat or, using lilypads or any other flotsam to stand on, as a sail to glide across water. As the name implies, the dungeon is themed after a fairy fountain, is obviously full of healing fairies, and even the boss is a corrupted Great Fairy – she saw a glimpse of the revelation you're about to recieve, and it drove her mad.
After beating the boss, Kid emerges at a little clearing above ground somewhere in Hyrule Field, adorned with columns and such. It offers a view at the ruins of Ganon's Tower. It's midnight, the sight is beautiful and the air is very quiet. The three disembodied voices greet Kid, one of them weaker than the others, and are about to introduce themselves, but suddenly, a giant, ominous fissure cracks open throughout the Hyrule Field–
Ganon has returned.
His emergence is seen and heard throughout the land. From Gorons to Zora, from Sheikah to Gerudo – everyone covers in fear and desperately prays:
"Hero of Time! Come and save us!"
The voices seem to hear these cries for help and are distressed by them. "It's not in my power anymore!", the weaker voice exclaims in despair, "The Hero of Time was sent away from this world by a magic that I can't reverse – not in my current state!"
"Then", the other voice suggests with a calm that betrays the fury, "we have no choice but to fight Ganon ourselves until the Hero finds the way back".
"Ganon has the Triforce of Power at his side", the third voice solemnly responds. "We cannot fight him, but we can seal him away. That seal, however, will be a heavy burden on this land".
And so, the Hyrule was sentenced to the Great Flood.
The voices then address the terrified Kid. They crest them as the Guide, and their job will be to place the Beacons for the Hero to return to. With that, Kid is sent back to Kakariko, and Brimm flies away to bring all these news to Hepta.
From that point forward, the weather on the overworld is always rainy, and the ground starts to get covered in water; the water level rises with each dungeon you beat. Sometimes, Ganon can be seen roaming around like a big kaiju and wreaking havoc, but you can’t interact with him. Another thing that appears on the overworld in a similar manner is a structure that looks suspiciously similar to the Tower of the Gods, but with mechanical legs.
There is, of course, a long trading sequence sidequest spread through the game, but this time it comes with a twist: it only consists of Kid’s parents making them run some errands for themselves, Auntie Malon and Nopiko. Since they’re the Royal Guards, they’re constantly being relocated all across the country, and it’s Kid’s job to find where their parents end up. Parents also update you on what Captain Byrna does to stop you from doing your work, as she doesn’t believe the flood is happening and considers anyone who believes otherwise a threat to the public. She essentially has the same shtick as Jolene in PH, a random overworld encounter, just not as comedic.
There are four dungeons overall, each in a classic Zelda dungeon flavor: one in the Lost Woods, one in Zora’s Domain, one inside the Death Mountain and one in the Gerudo Desert. You are free to beat them in any order. Each dungeon comes with a settlement for an appropriate race. In each of them, you meet a key NPC – the type of person that usually turns out to be a Sage/Champion/whatever in any other Zelda game, but here they’re just ordinary people who are willing to help Kid despite them not being the legendary Hero. They all provide you with a little something to augment the powers of your Parasol, though: a magic rope you can tie to it to create a hookshot of sorts, a special handle that’ll allow you to zip across ropes, or a patch of fabric that’ll give the Parasol a magical property. Yes, it’s the kind of game where you obtain (some) items before the dungeon and not inside them.
(Btw, you do get to meet Laruto and Fado, they’re just too busy with the Sagely business to help you. They do acknowledge your hard work, though).
In Lost Woods, this person is a Deku Scrublet with a crush on one of the Kokiri. Kokiri themselves can’t grasp the direness of the situation: “How can a little rain hurt anyone? Water is what makes the plants grow, silly!” The Scrubs are more realistic about the situation, though, as they know they qualify as monsters and would be eliminated regardless of whether or not they actually serve Ganon. While most Scrubs fend for themselves, Scrublet in particular wants to save their crush above all else. By reuniting these young lovers, you help Kokiri realize that there is a way to save both races by uniting them with the magic of the Deku Tree. This is the origin story for the Koroks.
In Zora’s Domain, it’s a sweet elderly couple with an adult son. Zora, under the false assumption that the floodwater won’t hurt them, volunteer everywhere they can to protect other races, but that couple is among the few Zoras banned from volunteering due to their age, and they’re ashamed of their helplessness. Eventually, their son dies in a heroic accident, and it serves as a wake-up call for the rest of the Zora to start worrying about their own safety.
In Goron City, this person is a wise, yet nihilistic Professor. Gorons know for certain they’ll most likely survive the flood purely due to them not needing to breathe, but are too selfish to help other races (yes, I’m aware that Gorons end up as an antagonistic force far too often, sorry). Kid’s proactiveness makes Professor change his mind, though, and he suggests to the rest of the Gorons to leave the Death Mountain to the apparently vunerable Zora and evacuate elsewhere.
In Gerudo Fortress, it’s a young street artist. With Ganon’s return, Gerudo are obviously super conflicted. Some of them even start a doomsday cult, claiming that Ganon will surely come to his senses and save his people, and sabotage any and all attempts of evacuation. This leads to lots of infighting. The street artist knows that the doomsday cult people are in the wrong, but doesn’t think she can do anything to help – until proven wrong by Kid, that is.
With each dungeon cleared and Beacon restored, you get to see Ganon come and destroy the settlements. His arrival at the Gerudo Fortress is particularly blood-chilling: he insults his kin, calling them traitors and claiming that he is the only real Gerudo left – all while remaining in his beast form.
After you finish all four dungeons, the walking tower stops wandering, and you’re able to undertake the final gauntlet – the Royal Museum. The moment Kid steps inside it, a voice forbids them to advance any farther; Kid proceeds anyway. The final upgrage for the Parasol obtained here is the silver coating, making it essentially a Mirror Shield. The Museum, accurate to its’ name, hosts a plethora of artifacts from Hyrule’s rich history. The boss of this dungeon, then, is the curator and the one trying to stop Kid – and it’s none other than Sheik. After being defeated, Sheik shamefully admits that he left his life as Queen Zelda and stepped off the throne in an attempt to essentially bring the Triforce of Wisdom to his grave. He hoped that, with the Triforce of Courage shattered, the Triforce of Power sealed away with Ganon, and the Triforce of Wisdom buried in a safe spot, the Triforce will be effectively unable to reassemble back without being outright destroyed, stopping any future conflict over the relic.
Since the plan didn’t work out, Sheik decides to get more proactive. He bestows upon you an artifact that used to belong to a powerful mage from ancient times – the Wind Waker, and instructs you to bring it to Daphnes. While you deliver the Wind Waker, you are stopped by Captain Byrna for the final time. Upon the inevitable defeat, she notices the baton, realizes that you’re affiliated with Sheik, and it’s revealed that Byrna is actually OoT Impa’s descendant. That makes her snap back to her senses, she vows to stop letting down her honorable ancestor and starts evacuating Kakariko. The Wind Waker is safely delivered to Daphnes, and Kid gets to see him conduct before Fado and Laruto, performing the Song of Storms.
With that, Sheik appears behind Kid and, while acknowledging they’re not the Hero he used to know, still admits their exemplary courage and asks them to fight Ganon by his side.
The battle unfolds like any final battle in the series where Link and Zelda are fighting alongside one another, except now it’s Kid who serves as a support while Sheik deals most of the damage. The fight is split into several phases, and with each Ganon turns more and more humanoid. With the final hit, you get to see him fully becoming Ganondorf again. He is donned in the black robes that he’ll continue to wear up until WW, yet physically he still resembles his post-timeskip Ocarina self, but even more disheveled. He points out that, sooner or later, he will return, but the damage caused by the flood will have a greater impact than any damage he was capable of. Sheik, clearly not amused, ends him. All this time, Kid hides behind Sheik and is not acknowledged; the latter, done with Ganondorf, apologizes for the unfair world Kid gets to inherit, and expresses hope that they’ll right the wrongs of their ancestors, before willingly stepping into the rising waters.
Kid is also suddenly swept off their feet, only to awaken in an unidentifiable void that resembles the Sacred Realm more than anything. The three voices from the beginning reappear, now angrier than ever. They claim that, by helping Sheik, Kid interfered with fate itself, and, once again, remind that Kid is not destined to be the Hero… and then the owners of the voices materialize out of thin air.
Turns out, Ganon(dorf) was only a penultimate boss. The final obstacle of the game are the Golden Goddesses themselves; appropriately, the battle is frantic and harsh, and is focused more on surviving than dealing damage. Notably, only Din and Nayru are actively fighting Kid; Farore, while participating in the group attacks, seems to be in a lethargic state at first, and her signature green color is initially dull – but as the fight goes on, she gets more and more awake. Suddenly, she intercepts and urges her sisters to stop, as for the first time since the Hero of Time’s disappearance, she felt the surge of true Courage. She reaches out to Kid and says:
“It’s true that your actions defy fate and cannot be allowed to pass. For that I’m sorry. The world must awaken anew with no memory of your deeds. But I promise to remember the courage and kindness that sprouted from a place nobody expected, and I swear that the next time this world needs a Hero, it won’t be us gods who will forge him – he’ll pave that path himself!” With that, the whole world around Kid fades into pure white.
The final cutscene shows them waking up alongside Nopiko on a deserted island – the island that is revealed by a panoramic shot to be none other than Outset. In their hands lays the Parasol, quilted out of all the patches collected throughout the game.
23 notes
·
View notes
Text
More about me under the cut! ;P
Icarian • he/they/she (no preference) • transsexual • 21 y/o
I'm a Graphic Design Major ^_^
A running joke about me is a lot of my points of interest reflect that of a cishet boy but I promise I am normal about everything I get into. I may talk about some things more than others because I get embarrassed with what I like easily, but here's a general list!
General Movies + TV Shows
• Seinfeld
• The Birdcage
• The Yellow Submarine
• The Muppets
• The Shrek series (Unironically, whenever I talk about Shrek it is never for the meme, but for my love of the movies and characters.)
Various Adam Sandler movies + things that are so bad they're good, if that makes any sense. I love regularly watching tacky things that were poorly produced and/or written. Pretty much anything I can commentate on easily with my friends and complain about lightly LOL
Anime + Manga
• Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Parts 1 + 3 + 6 are usually my areas of focus, but I have read all of it up to 9, which I've yet to really dive into.)
• Dragon Ball (Childhood interest of mine, I haven't watched the series regularly or have drawn fanart regularly since I was 14 or so. Hilariously, I still find myself to this day getting into conversations surrounding it so I might as well include it!)
• Berserk (I LOVE PUCK ^_^)
• Devilman (Obligatory post-Berserk catch up read so I could see the elements Miura was inspired by.)
Video Games
• Pretty much most Nintendo games, I have a baseline knowledge of everything under that company's label. (Focus on Pokémon + Mario + Kid Icarus + etc. it'll be glaringly obvious what my favorites are just by checking my old smash bros ultimate tags...)
• Mega Man Classic
• Second Life + VR Chat (If you ever consider wanting to play any of these games, feel free to shoot me an ask or DM if you'd like an insider's explanation on what the scene is like on them! I can go into great detail the amount of stories I have accumulated from my excursions, all the good and the bad LMAO)
• Genshin Impact (I do not engage with the fanbase, and find a lot of the fans genuinely exhausting to be around. While it is no worse than The Legend of Zelda with its issues, the fans remarkably make it so much more agonizing to talk about.)
• Ball Gay 3
Miscellaneous
• I love the Abrahamic Faiths and sometimes post about my experiences struggling in queer spaces predominantly ran by culturally christian white atheists who choose to say all organized faith is inherently bad and perpetuate the "queer vs. religion" issue.
• I went to a Japanese immersion school from the ages 5 through 11 and have been casually keeping up with the language since!
• I love classic country and folk rock. When I say I like country, I specifically mean the genre and general scene behind country that predates the 9/11 shift in music. I also (embarrassingly) know a shit ton of Beatles trivia. John Denver is my favorite music artist.
...and much more I am probably forgetting to list out! I am critical of all my interests, so please do not be presumptuous. Ultimately, I consider a lot of "Fandom DNI" things to be hypocritical and performative in the sense that it eliminates any nuance.
Simply put, I will just block you if you are someone who refuses to have any critical thinking skills...that being said, given how tumblrinas seem to be incapable of figuring out what that means, here is a brief rundown of what I that tends to encapsulate. LMAOOOOOO
No stupid discourse No creeps No "it's just fictional!" No whatever I deem to be genuinely sickening I know "DNI" pages are performative and areas for people to flaunt their basic morality but lately I have had to block so many people I feel as though I need to put a typical warning up so. You Know. Gestures Vaguely. For Genshin Fans specifically coming to my blog know I do not put up with any ship remotely creepy. I see a good portion of the "short" character model characters as children, and genuinely cannot "unsee" it. This is not something to argue in my asks about. Just leave me alone, I do not participate in the fandom for a reason.
16 notes
·
View notes
Note
actually you know what. ganondorf. what can you tell me about him
hehwhwhahahahahahahhhhahahahahahhahHAHAHAHAAHAHQHAHAHAHAHAHA YESS…. YESS!!!!!
ok so. the thing is for the mmain fic? i dont know how he will. fit in. like i have timeloop related ideas which i. need to do eventually. but generally speaking i dont know how to give him a good ending or even how he’ll effect the plot. but also i dont want to ignore him because he is very vital to the plot. honestly i might do a flowey for this in that he interacts sparsely, more to the end of the game. thanks toby fox
BUT ANYWAYS to me ganon really isnt. a twist per say? like with link im making his death be different and the reader is going to have to find out what happened (or immediately Know based on the tags and such and instead of finding out their horror??? only grows i hope because they basically have to watch a guy who they know something bad will happen to. like siffrin in stars and time when you’ve played sasasa). but for ganon his deal is basically almost canon except im highlighting how fucked up it is i guess. we already know hes under the castle, but the devs never expand his motives. so im trying to do that
so. spoilers?? i guess??? also its pure stream of consciousness be warned
ok so firstly totks whole Pre Hyrule thing doesnt exist here. im not doing that. the zonai are non-gods who literally just sailed into the country and happen to know magic. they also dont make the same type of ruins associated with the zonai in totk. their ruins match up much more with the ruins in faron and the animal-esque designs. also theyre extremely vague and none of them become the king. i can draw you some zonais if youd like but the whole zonai thing in totk makes zero sense especially with botw and theres actual contradictory information in this essay i w
because of this rauru and sonia Might exist, but they will be Extremely Different. im not making rauru a zonai if he does exist too, though mineru still might be one just. heavily redesigned. so theres no power struggle to lead to ganondorfs imprisonment- something else is the cause of that.
as to what? i have no idea yet </3. itd probably be similar to the exile of the shekiah when the helped with the calamity, ganon being seen as a threat and something to be exterminated. ganon may not have helped or interacted with the monarchy, but it didnt change what the king and queen viewed of him. though i dont think any prior games or legends “influenced” this- as in they didnt follow any prophecy or something, but they basically ingrained the roles of the past into being completely static if that makes sense. zelda is always the pretty princess with wisdom and powers of the goddess (and hylian), link is always the hero always with the master sword and courage (also always hylian), and ganon? always the oppressor. always the king of evil, king of the gerudo. always a threat. in the same ways these roles hurt zelda and link pre cal, these roles ESPECIALLY hurt ganon, just this time more directly. its almost like how certain laws target marginalized groups and by proxy accidentally hurt literally everyone else. but he was just a “threat to hylia” in some way or form, either due to something or just by existing. or both. but an incident probably lead to his imprisonment. all things considered i should. really work on this..? though thats complicated because if the shekiah just noticed the pattern of the calamity then people would have to deal with two separate events rather than just one, which could work but the “inciting incident” of the 10000 year calamity being beaten is almost null and passed on to another. at that point i might as well do what ive seen other fanfics do before totk came out and wrote about the zonai- grouping them together in the same time period and make the sealing of ganon himself as the person the 10000 year sealing of the calamity. however that wouldnt make sense with the tapestry…unless the tapestry isnt accurate to what happened which Is possible but still why go through all the effort to lie about becoming his calamity form? showing him as not human would fit with how they view him but still they couldve made him look like a monster- like a lynel or his pig forms, not a boar like cloud. so. i almost want to ignore his backstory entirely and only focus on him being well. trapped. i just dont know if this is the right move to make, as much as being trapped under the castle Is a backstory its not really a fleshed out one or one that shows his past connections or who he was as a person. though that does kind of fit with what he is now. uhm so yeah i have no idea im sorry
but to his. not-really-a-backstory backstory. like in totk, hes under the castle. everybody has forgotten this, the rulers being warned about.. Something under the castle, and to not speak of it like zelda says in the intro to totk. theres a locked gate, maybe with some stolen shekiah tech (used by the king/someone when the shekiah were exiled and hunted, getting scrap parts before they were buried) to secure it. or maybe they just like about it being protected by the goddess so no one can open it and because its such an easy lie to check everybody believes it. though i genuinely think its locked extremely well, either with past magic, the triforce when a past zelda or queen had it and sealing ganon was sealing the gate as well, sheikah tech, or something else. i say that because at some point youd think the yiga would literally just walk in if it was a lie. the shekiah tech is a bit dicey because the yiga probably know way more about it than the shekiah (except for purah and robbie), however. i was going to argue they might not actually know that much about the tech which while it would depend on yiga to yiga i feel on some level they could absolutely break into it. (i used to think it was a parallel to botws general amnesia, forgetting their goal of originally helping hyrule, but after reading gboh the possibility of them changing it over time actively is probably a lot better, especially with it adding agency and also them being Rightfully Angry at the monarchy and eliminating those who stand as its biggest supporters? or pawns. and rereading the wiki page for them i cant remember how i thought they “forgot” their goal. ok sorry!! honestly i like to think some sheikah and yiga before being truly separate still made tech in secret, either to prevent something in the future or to help themselves (the sheikah being ok in the rain because of the tech in their outfits.) kind of like a third group that eventually faded out due to amnesia or became a yiga and Remembered. ok anyways) but yeah. on one hand Itd Fit and be such a slap in the face to the sheikah in general, but also the yiga should and probably would know how to break it down. that is if they even know the door exists, and the only reason they dont break into it is because they dont know It Exists because it wasnt built by them and ganon isnt able to communicate with them, or at least communicate with them well. in that scenario they could and Would be able to break down those protections which would actually make sense.
ALRIGHT. under the castle isnt the same as totks under the castle, and while it might…??? be the same one in the Trailer, that would require the zonai which, while they have their own mysterious plotline here (they magiced so hard they ended up in the sky), and theyre absolutely Important, i dont know how important they were in ganons sealing specifically. i like the zonai having some secret involvement of it and i also like having more zonai ruins, but i dont think the royal family would tolerate them At All because theyd also be a threat like the sheikah. they built literal labyrinths and actually know about the triforce more explicitly (the sheikah also seem to, or the ancient sheikah). them casting themselves off into the sky makes sense because who else could do that, But Yeah. theyd have their own documented versions of what they did, and i like to think they were fairly involved in hyrule as a whole. anyways sorry i just need to come up with how he was sealed and how it makes sense. god i used to have hopes and dreams about totk. we couldve gotten a new major god. and yet,
OK ONTO THE ACTUAL. PERSON IN THIS. GANON IM SO SORRY. yeah lets just say hes only Mildly Pissed about being under the castle for 10000 years (<- any words i could use now can not describe the sheer anger and hatred he has. like. its like genuinely wanting to kill someone if that makes sense. besides that being half the literal case, its . ok so you know how in totk the hands let out a shrill scream when they spot you, rushing over to kill you and choke you without thinking? its like that. wanting to make others feel the pain he felt for years and years, with an added touch of genuine hate and wanting to Hurt Someone or see them get hurt). hes being forgotten by everyone- his people the hylians, the shekiah, either people who he used to love or people who actively helped and encouraged his imprisonment, it doesnt matter when they all forget and dont even seem to care. its like he never mattered in the first place, what happened to him just something inconsequential and might as well not exist at all. He might as well not exist at all. but hes awake, rotting and tearing apart down at the bottom of that chamber always awake and always there. he cant move on yet, he needs to get out he needs to get out he has to get out
so!! his main focus is escape!! anyone who dies either had to or isnt something he thinks about. something something a means to an end, if people die so be it. plus if hes going down hea bringing hyrule with him, clawing onto it. he isnt mindless, guardians trying to ravish important locations like the temple of time and the akkala citadel, tactical locations. the malice is more of a by product of the original 100 year calamity, but it serves to help ganon keep and Eye out haha but also block and cover things. i like to think theres malice in guardians and thats why the master sword reacts to them. anyways, in botw he has a butterfly esque cacoon, and a spider like body made of sheikah tech. he was probably building a New Body as his means of escaping. why he made it like that? no idea. he definitely wouldnt live a quiet life once he was out and i think its an accidental by product of wanting to kill people/punish them in a sense. maybe he was going to have two bodies, like mettaton EX where the box body would be in this sense ganondorfs “normal” form where his spider form would be his Kill form.
if he wanted to be king of hyrule, this would probably be why. i dont really think he would, but if he did he’d do it both to punish those who wronged him while making sure what happened to him wont happen again, making sure the hylian royal family is never in a seat of power again. but right now he wants people to pay.
this also ties into him being “a calamity”; as hes trapped under the earth, i think he’d have an effect over it as well. trying to claw his way out from under the earth, parting the dirt in which it looks as if its breathing, sand piling over making sounds described as screams (though in real life its described as singing). in a way hes a part of it, but not by choice. hes the very thing you stand on and yet hes dismissed.
but anyways. hes very mad. link would describe him as “actively wanting me dead” in the timeloop au. his blights are described as screaming in the fic and i like to think thats ganon screaming in rage, pain or both. hes also not green here i should mention that. his form down in the dungeon i like to think has ghouls protruding from it like theyre melting into one and other and are reaching out with their hands, grabbing at whatever they can. hes pretty chill but smug post imprisonment, mostly a quiet cocky. less one for dramatics and rather plays it straight. likes pink and also is a fan of the desert right under spectacle rock. in the timeloop au hes also in the timeloop with link which causes problems. speaking of theyre pretty alike, and wreath would be like him in the timeloop au if he didnt already exist like percy jackson and luke. they could be friends in theory, but their circumstances drove them apart (hey like the wind waker post). hes a big fan of water buffalos, bulls, goats, cats and dogs, and sand sparrows. sand sparrows are his favorite animal in general and almost made it a symbol of the gerudo. id like to associate him with moths thanks to queen gibdo (shes not in this au she doesnt exist here). might actually like spiders as well as other insects. kotake and koume exist here :] . i think some of the gerudo havent forgotten, and thats why the hylia statue is way less in use, though it still being there is an act from the gerudo from the present ish. he likes soft and airy clothes. a lot more regal in the presence of leaders of their respective races- like the king or queen of the zora, the king and queen of the hylians, etc. likes hearty soup but also straight voltfruit juice. doesnt like hydromelons. he and zelda would hate each other, zelda Especially and their anger at each other almost cancels each other out. zelda is Very mad at him. chronic pajama wearer, gets a gerudo clothes person to make regal clothes with the same fabric from pajama clothes. sometimes he sleeps in them but other times he doesnt. big fan of the concept of magic, and likes chuchu jelly a lot. hes more prominent in the timeloop au honestly and im sorry for that. id like to give him an actual arc but well. i dont know how i would do that…….. also i want him to have a happy ending for once but i dont know if thatd work with this story. especially because of him killing the champions. him being an omen would be fitting, but still. him being punished narratively for no reason is stupid if that makes sense. his reason for doing what he did wasnt bad, but what he did by proxy was. i dunno death doesnt feel right for him, at least yet. he was happy though, once
ok sorry if this trailed off its. 5:40 am . i need to eat and sleep
#wreath of the bild#hello#i would stay up. however i am a mere mortal#goodbye for 6ish hours. i . will probably answer things in a more healthy manner next time snorts
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Silly Sakura Stuff
~My introductory post is supposed to be a simple description of myself and what I do, but it is outdated and dry :/ So now, I'll take the time to make a more clear 'About me' post and then later update up my pinned post :)
Interests - (Described)
(Some have been mentioned before)
•Playing piano. I've mentioned it a couple of times already, but it just shows how much I really love it :)
•Jigsaw puzzles. In my free time, I like to play the ones online rather than physically go and buy one hehehehe but still :3
•Drawing. This one's obvious :0 I've improved a lot digitally over the time I've spent here, although my traditional art is... not the same😵💫
•Listening to music while doing nothing but think of scenarios in my head to fit with it. This one is self-explanatory and I'm sure everybody has done it at least once >:)
•Creating story prompts. Though I absolutely hate writing in real life, I still love to think of stories to never use ever again🥰
•Interacting with my mutuals, or in other words, my silly geese as I like to say. Again, this one is pretty self-explanatory, but I loved messing around (@cloudymistedskies ) and being tagged in silly games and whatnot ;)
Things I like - Listed
•Cats🐱
•Bows🎀
•Cherry blossom trees🌸
•Coloring🎨
•Singing🎶
•Anything astronomy related🛸🌙☄️
•Donuts🍩
•Mangos🥭
•Sleeping in💤
•Cold weather❄️
•The sound of bamboo flutes🎍🪈
Things I do not like - Listed
•Having to correct autocorrect🤖
•Loud noises/Sudden noises📢
•Alarm clocks⏰
•Touchy people🤨
•Spiders🕷️
•Hot weather☀️
•Impatient people⌚
•Typing correctly on keyboards⌨️
•Loud chewers😑
•Cheaters👁️
•Sitting still🐈
Favorite things - Listed
•Anime🍡
•Music🎻
•Pop colors🌸🪻💙🐸⭐
•Music boxes🎼
•All of my mutuals🩷
Animes I've watched/read
•Demon Slayer- Watched✔️ Fully read✖️🗡️
•Komi Can't Communicate- Watched✔️ Fully read✖️🗣️
•Chainsaw Man- Watched✔️ Fully read✖️🦊
•Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun- Watched✔️ Currently reading✔️👻
Video games I've played - Listed
•Animal Crossing, New Horizons- Nintendo Switch🔔
•Super Smash Bros. Ultimate- Nintendo Switch❗
•Mario Kart- Nintendo Switch🏁
•Super Mario Party- Nintendo Switch🎉
•Kirby and the Forgotten Land- Nintendo Switch🩷
•Super Mario 3D World, Galaxy, Bowser's Fury- All on Nintendo Switch🐱🔥🌌
•Rec Room- Oculus, Quest Two🧡
•Deltarune- Nintendo Switch🔪
•The Legend of Zelda:
~Breath of the Wild- Nintendo Switch🏰
~Tears of the Kingdom- Nintendo Switch☁️💧
~Link's Awakening- Nintendo Switch, Gameboy🏝️
~Wind Waker- Wii💨🐉
Enthusiastic about- Listed and Why
•Those of you who have my discord, you can see my display name is literally 'Kirby Enthusiast'. I've always loved the Kirby series and everything about it from the designs of the game, music, characters, and the variety of places you can explore within the games🌸🩷(If you want to, my discord name is 'silliestsakura' if you want to add me <3) 🩷
•The Toilet-Bound Hanako series. Again, a lot of you (@theyluvsmilo and @yuichiroleftarm ) might know how much I actually loved the show and every single character ever. There certain characters I am intensely enthusiastic about (again, @yuichiroleftarm might know who I'm speaking of💀) But I could talk about it for hours👻🚽
•These two things specifically are things I could talk about forever, but there is some other things I like a lot, just not as much as these :3
Real Life details about Myself- Briefly Listed
•I'm actually aroace, but still, there are some characters I cannot speak regularly about without turning into a crazy fangirl simp💀
•Not too long ago I found out and got diagnosed with dyslexia, so sometimes I don't make any sense at all with spelling and grammar. It's my main reason for using autocorrect as well :)
•One of my parents is Japanese, making me part Japanese also🇯🇵 It's just a little fact I wanted to share❤️
•I'm a terrible public speaker🗣️ I don't like speaking in front of large groups, but online is a way different story as you all can tell.. I am a completely changed person online🫣
Favorite Characters-
❤️-Demon Slayer-❤️
•Obanai Iguro- I love his design and his character, personality, and backstory. I think he's a very well written character and has a lot more to him than being in love with Mitsuri🐍
•Kanao Tsuyuri- I also think she was well written and was really pretty and stuff, y'know :)🦋💜
•Muichiro Tokito- At first, I was drawn to him and literally fangirled over him for a really long time and read fan-fics about him💀 But then the energy died down a little bit :0 I still like him tho💙🌁
☂️-Komi Can't Communicate-☂️
•Komi Shouko- She reminds me a lot like myself with her social anxiety (expect mine isn't that bad) The show was really cute and she was probably my favorite because of.. everything :D
•I don't really remember a lot of the other characters, but I also thought Tadano was pretty silly and stuff heehe >:)
🔥-Chainsaw Man-🔥
•Pochita- Pochita is so silly and cute and silly and cute and I loved him.. Pochita is also very important so that's another reason aside from his silliness🧡
•Kobeni and Power- I thought Kobeni's whole reason for becoming a devil hunter in the first place was really sad and I felt bad for her, and I also just loved her scared and silly view of things. Power on the other hand is a character I love for her energy and personality. I was originally planning on being her for Halloween while my sister was going to be Makima, but things changed and she chose something else🥲
•Aki (forgor last name)- He's very bbg. All I have to say🔪🦊
🔪-Toilet-Bound Hanako-🔪
- (Warning! Simp Sakura up ahead!)
•This is what my mind is focused on 3/4 of my day. Just this show.. Do be warned, for all of my simp emotions will be taken out (mostly) on the upcoming list..
•Amane Yugi/Hanako- Loved both of them equally, given that they're technically two different people, but Amane holds a special place in my heart. His story was sad and traumatic, everything a good main character needs. Design, voice, story, character relationships, all of it. I love him❤️
•Kou Minamoto- Trying my best not to get too wild right now.. Literally every character in this show had an amazing English and Japanese voice, and he was probably one of my favorites. He is veeery bbg and deserves all of the love🎴
•Mitsuba Sousuke- Only @yuichiroleftarm knows what I mean when I say I love him.. The literal second he was introduced, it was like almost all of my mutuals with Muichiro.. Trust me when I say you don't wanna know how much I really love this guy.. I've said some things none of you guys will ever know🩷💀
•These are my top three, but if you ask me, pretty much everybody in the show is fine asf (Sakura swearing?) Still though, this probably surpassed my first love for Demon Slayer I'd say.. Still love both tho :')
------------------------------------------------------------
Closing Out
•This took way longer than it should have, but it was fun getting to write down a much more specific description about myself! Have a great day and stay safe out there :)))
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
Looking Back: Spirit Tracks over 10 years later
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks was my very first official video game ever. I was first introduced to LoZ through my cousin. So, for Christmas, I was gifted with a DSI and Spirit Tracks plus Phantom Hourglass. Since the first time I popped that cartridge in, I knew Spirit Tracks was going to be something special. I was mesmerized by the world, the music, and the characters. As I played more and more Zelda games like Ocarina of Time, Spirit Tracks became that fun, little game I played as a child. However, that little game always had a special place in my heart. Playing it now, for the first time since I lost my original DS and copy of the game in 2019, it still remains my favorite.
The world: The world of Spirit Tracks to me is breathtaking. This world feels so real to me. There is so much to explore. Yeah, the train can be tedious, but aside from that the map is huge. Skyward Sword feels so limiting in what you can explore. And don't me wrong, I love Hyrule field, but even that feels small to me at times. Twilight Princess has the best Hyrule field of the older games. Spirit Tracks has so many places to explore. Although the villages aren't, I still appreciate the unique design of all of them.
The dungeons: While the dungeons or bosses in this game will never be as grand as the Ancient Cistern or spooky as Arbiter's Grounds, I still adore them. To me, they are what dungeons should be: challenging with fun puzzles. And that's the key word here: fun. These dungeons do a great job implementing the puzzles and items collected. I love how the Tower of Spirits continues to get challenge your puzzle-solving skills. The bosses also are just fun adventures for Link to take on. They don't need to be crazy or super grand because this game is meant to be a fun, little adventure.
The characters: We could argue which game has the best characters for hours (it's Skyward Sword stop arguing). That being said, I say Spirit Tracks has some really great characters. The Lokomos are all unique, Cole is a delightful little menace, and Byrne stole my heart. Thanks the the side quests, we do get some pretty fun interactions with the various npcs throughout the game. I love the teacher who has to disguise himself to get out of the castle. The rabbit man and his wife make for a cute romance story. And Ferrus is just a jolly man who loves trains. It's a great cast.
This game also has one of my favorite versions of Zelda. Just like with Skyward Sword, Spirit Tracks does a great job setting up her relationship with Link. Their relationship is so genuine and wholesome. They're friends who may pursue a romantic relationship when they're older. It's that good. They also gave Zelda a personality and stuff to do other than show up for the first and last few minutes to dump exposition. Y’all want playable Zelda? Well, here she is! She's adventurous, funny, caring, and feisty. There's so much life to her. She helps Link as much as she can and is a way better companion than Navi ever could be. Zelda is amazing. Her interactions with Link are stellar. I also love that the game shows just how much the two of them love and care for each other. Link and Zelda are perfect.
And yes, Byrne was my first fictional crush. It's his design I tell you. I love broody, tall men. It's that simple. But also, he does have a great arc. He becomes evil because he wanted power. Yet, he still had a soft spot for Anjean. After he's betrayed, he realizes the horrible truth and decides to help the heroes. Thanks to Anjean and Zelda's forgiving nature, they take Byrne in and help him. In turn, it is he who helps Zelda reclaim her body and gives his life. He's wonderful *sigh*.
The music: Spirit Tracks has some of the best Zelda music in my opinion and it's sad that it gets overlooked by like... every other game. I will be brutally honest, I genuinely don't remember any of the music from BotW or TotK. I'm sorry, that's the truth. But, I always remembered Spirit Tracks' music. From the upbeat title theme to Byrne's unique leitmotif, the music has always been fun. Cole's theme is one of my personal fave villain tracks. I love the music changes as you ascend the Tower of Spirits. I love the Lokomo songs even if the flute mechanic was a tad annoying at times. I love the Demon Train's intimidating theme. The Dark Train's leitmotif was the og anxiety bringer way before the guardians were even a thing.
The Story: I also adore the story of this game. When an ancient evil strikes, Link, Zelda, and co. must rally to save the day. I like that the train in this game actually has a meaning. It's not just a means of transportation; the tracks have magic in them that protect the world from demons. It's simple but effective. There are fun side quests that are optional but yield satisfying rewards and nothing feels too repetitive. In short, it's great. One thing I really appreciated was that Zelda couldn't just enter her body right away. She had to focus her power. It makes the game more interesting. And it’s one of the only Zelda games where she basically dies. This game has stakes!!!Byrne's death shows that there are consequences for one's actions and sacrifices that must be made. Saving the world isn't an easy path. Overall, I think it's a fun and effective story.
The Downsides: Obviously, it's not a perfect game. The flute mechanics are frustrating at times, especially when playing the Lokomo songs. I can't begin to tell you how annoying it is when you play everything right and the game still says retry. The train can also be a bit tedious. It does take time to get from place to place. At least the game isn't rushing you. Thankfully, the portals and force gems help make the journey more bearable. Finally, Malladus isn't that memorable of villain when compared to Demise or Ganondorf. Even Cole is more memorable and he's the secondary antagonist. The design of him sucks and isn't screaming "demon king" at all. That being said, Malladus' actions do standout. His murder of Byrne and using Cole as a vessel without the latter's consent are legit great moments. It does establish his cruelty and willingness to do whatever necessary to win. Also, Possessed Zelda is freaky.
If y'all made it to the end of this post, congrats. I know I'm in the minority when I say Spirit Tracks is my fave Zelda game, but I'll defend it nonetheless. It's a cute and wonderful game. I'm excited to replay it again in the near future. For now, I'll continue to listen to the music. I love this game so much guys.
#the legend of zelda#spirit tracks#link#princess zelda#anjean#byrne loz#link x zelda#nintendo#DSI games#nintendo dsi
9 notes
·
View notes
Text
Guess who just finished Oracle of seasons :D!!!
Very fun game actually, I didn't except it to be so enjoyable, shame on me lol. The pixels and frustrating bits absolutely did not stop me from having a blast!
But dear goodness the backtracking. Oh my gosh, THE BACKTRACKING.
I didn't get the fast travel option until pretty far in, a lot of enemies were just a pain, and the difficulty spikes came mostly from absolutely incongruent solutions to puzzles and I got lost SO many times.
That being said, it was unexpectedly pleasant to be at such risk, to have to keep engaging my brain in little ways. Modern games (yeah, like botk) have very different ideas of power scaling and difficulty. It comes from a much more honed sense of the audience and the much more open worlds used as standard now, but there was something to be said about such a linear world and story. There were different optional things along the way, yes, but really... It never stopped being a challenge. I was constantly trying to outrun garden variety enemies, wrack my brain to remember locations and how to get there, pacing back and forth staring across a pit of lava that remained stubbornly impassable.
The amount of backtracking gave me an organic feel for the world, dumb decisions had dumb consequences. I never got bored fighting enemies or exploring dungeons. I loved trying out new things that weren't immediately obvious and seeing what would happen. It felt more up to me to figure out the solution than to find out what the game was telling me the solution was, you know?
The plot was pretty much as basic as you can get, save local princess from dark castle with evil boss, but it was hardly a downside when the characters were so wacky and varied.
I loved the boss designs! They ranged from fireball geodude with a face right out of mob psycho 100, to an acidic piranha plant tree in quicksand, to a super speed glowing tiger, to a two headed skeleton dragon that shot lasers. They were all sort of lumpy in the medieval painting way, gave them a retro sort of charm and a sense of danger that the sleeker modern bosses just don't have. Make bosses lumpy again 2k24 XD.
Link was a dear and pulled off some pretty slick moves in cutscenes! The twinrova reveal (spoilers for a game that came out in 2001?) was excellent, genuinely spooked me. Also the feeling of 'hnnnnn these are hyrules problems, my circus my monkeys' was great lol. Like ugh not these bozos again. I was having a break! Saving some other unrelated kingdom! But noooo it's our problems escaping containment after all. UGH. Lmao.
The linked game ability is pretty cool. I wasn't so sure I'd play OoA after, but I just might. Wonder what'll change? The idea of Link chasing the twin witches across kingdom borders is awesome, very proactive of him! Very high stakes undercover mission style!
The ending cutscenes were very adorable as well, very Legend of Zelda (even though she doesn't even appear in this game XD).
#legend of zelda#oracle of seasons#oracle of ages#loz#loz link#the legend of zelda#tloz#Cute game very fun
16 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
brokenparadise06
I'm sick of living but I'm not going to kill mysel
brokenparadise06
I'm sick of living but I'm not going to kill mysel
ame1core
Ame (雨)
abrilyt
Abril❤
cosmeticdna-news
Cosmetic DNA