👑🐳👊🧚👍

This took me really long to respond because I am The Indecisive

👑 Favorite version of Zelda?

Honestly really hard to pick just one. I like BotW/TotK Zelda a lot because she has such a fantastic arc and you really feel for her and her story plus I find her very relatable...

Spirit Tracks Zelda is easily among my favorites too, her being a ghost and your companion makes her SO unique and she's really funny and cute and has one of the best relationships with her Link, and she also gets to shine in combat, too!

Skyward Sword Zelda also set the standard for her backstory and I think she's so likable but I do wish we saw more of her in general...

Ocarina of Time Zelda had such a cool story what with messing with forces she didn't necessarily understand while trying to plot against Ganondorf even though she was just a kid, not to MENTION the Sheik reveal which is just iconic tbh.

Both for Hyrule Warriors and Wind Waker I don't have much to say in general about them but I still really like their take charge, more active attitudes! I do hate how they lighten Tetra's skin color and remove her from being active in the plot when the reveal comes though... you hate to see it!

Twilight Princess Zelda... what can I say, she is an elegant sapphic icon and she will always be famous. I was a bit ticked off when they changed out her for ALBW Zelda in Smash because I think she is much more memorable.

I would be remiss not to mention Wand of Gamelon Zelda at least a lil' bit too... Idk she's cute and cheesy and I'm not sorry for including her. Maybe if Nintendo made her actually playable in their games I wouldn't have to do it but 💅

🐳 If you were a Zelda character, what race would you be?

Probably a Hylian boringly enough but I would kill to be one of those occasional enemies that does their own thing for some reason, like... I could be a wolfperson who can't eat their yogurt until you trade me a spoon for my boomerang or whatever.

👊 Favorite Zelda Villain/Boss?

Villain-wise, I love Hilda... she was clearly in the wrong but my god I can completely understand the desperation... Twinrova also I ALWAYS adore seeing whenever they pop up - I love me some comically evil grannies. Ghirahim and Yuga heard "slay" and said "this has multiple meanings and I'll do all of them," and honestly Ganon(dorf) is super cool always but I particularly enjoy his portrayals in ALttP, OoT, WW and TP. Shoutout to Veran and Onox too for variety's sake.

Too many cool bosses to mention but Koloktos is still my fave.

🧚 Favorite Zelda companion?

Uh-Oh... Here's the thing about me - I'm an Annoying Companion Enjoyer (tm) and I don't think I dislike any of them, even the infamous ones. Navi is my girl she was just trying to help and everyone attacks her and attacks her and attacks her... ungrateful behavior.

Tatl is so iconic and funny, I will always be mad they kinda toned down her mean girl-ness in the 3DS remake, even though I get that some of it was for accessibility reasons since a lot of her og comments just weren't helpful at all lmao... tho I think they could have struck a better balance.

Ciela is SO underrated, honestly. She had a good arc and I love her bickering with Linebeck so much.

Midna has the best story out of all of them and everything about her is excellence from her design to her attitude to her relationship with Link and Zelda... ugh she is so good, I miss her.

I've already said my piece about Zelda in Spirit Tracks BUT WHO CARES, HER AGAIN!!!

Fi is the only one who actually made me sob in real life from her last scene and I really enjoy her design and her dances and I genuinely think people forget how sassy she could be sometimes, not to mention being the actual Master Sword - I was ecstatic when they hinted at her existence again in BotW and TotK :)

👍 Favorite Zelda Headcanons?

The Triforce being in flux and changing aspects between its wielders in some games, like Zelda in BotW potentially holding Courage since her key scene was going up alone against Calamity Ganon and Link's usage of the runes and primary association with Blue could tie to him bearing Wisdom in them. If not just headcanon, I think it's a prime idea for fan content.

This one also maybe doesn't count as a headcanon per se but... the Zelda Timelines... I greatly enjoy speculating around them but I do believe taking it too seriously is generally just bunk. I don't think even the developers take them as a wholly 100% accurate and important deal and I think that's actually completely fine. I am an ALttP->Link's Awakening->Oracle Games truther btw.

Would the totk story come across better if Link was more expressive? I think the reason he isn't is because he has always been (at least partially) a player-insert, so you're supposed to fill in part of his personality yourself. I agree that it would be better if he had his own personality though - hell, he sort of does already, considering he has a lot of sassy dialogue options. But the lack of character animation and voice acting on him was certainly a Choice, and it certainly wouldn't have hurt to have him react a bit more to that final dragon tear.

It would have helped a lot to be sure, but it is not the only fix Totk needs.

It needed to not have a memory system. It needed to avoid constant repeat of story information. It needed more present-story. It needed to not treat its audience like they are 5.

And while Link has always been a player-insert, and I don't mind this, he has also always been decently expressive (for the 3D games at least). OoT Link expresses fear, distain, curiosity, grief, and respect across his two games. TP Link expresses joy, sorrow, anger, and shock in his games. SS Link literally cries when Zelda seals herself in a crystal, smiles with understanding at Groose's fear of the Surface, and so on. And WW Link has a buffet of emotions and reactions.

BotW Link expresses.... pain and shock, I guess. Not exactly a wide range of emotions there.

Like, let's compare some scenes between OoT and Totk. In OoT, when Link leaves his home for the first time, Saria confronts him to say good-bye. While we cannot see his face, we do see him take a step back and stare at her for a moment, before turning and running away from her. That is all that was needed to show us that saying good-bye was hard for him. He was leaving the one person in his life that truly mattered to him, and into an unknown future and world.

In totk, Link learns that Zelda has turned herself into a dragon. And his response was... to stare blankly into the sky as she passed by.

Wow. So.... emotional....

:/

I think another problem with Totk Link is that he doesn't really have much going in his life besides Zelda.

Like, in WW, TP, OoT, and SS, Link was part of a community. He had a family or friends in his town he was part of. Maybe he was a student, or a farm hand, but he had people in his life besides Zelda.

BotW/Totk Link? Well, we barely know his life before being Zelda's knight. His two other important relationships (Mipha and Daruk) are with dead people. What community was he a part of? We don't really know. Did he have other friends? Was he a city kid or a country kid? Did he live with his father or not?

No, the only important relationship this Link has is with Zelda, and his entire life seems to revolve around her. It makes him feel like he's not really a permanent part of this world.

Yes yes, he is supposedly best friends with Sidon,but it kinda feels like it is one sided. Sidon says Link is his best friend but we never see Link, like.... look super happy to see Sidon again or anything. No big hug or a fist bump.

And his house from Botw is now Zelda's house. And consider Bolson doesn't seem to know Link, I almost wonder if canonically, that was never Link's house to begin with. Meaning... Link doesn't even have a house?! It made sense in BotW, he was sleeping for 100 years, but here?! Wtf?

I really hope they make the next Link not only more expressive, but not make him an accessory to Zelda. In fact, I want the next Zelda to play more of a minor role. Give us another Twilight Princess scenario, where the main princess is someone else.

1, 5, 6, 15, 31, 38, aaaand 40 for the loz asks ! info dump to ur heart’s content 🖤

hi frend !!!!!! i hope youre having a good day and yes i. will not be shutting up here AJSKAKAKA <3

1. Is there a Zelda game(s) that you associate with each season or time of year?

i mean,,,,, the obvious answer here would be Oracle of Seasons for everything AHSHSSH but in reality i never thought about this ?? where i live we really don’t have the four seasons (it’s just either hot or rain) so it’s not a thing that crossed my mind until the ask game. that being said tho, TP does seem like a vv cozy game for fall and WW has the perfect setting and vibe for a summer playthrough. other than that, idk !! interesting question tho <33

5. Favorite LOZ soundtrack?

already answered! WW <33

6. Is there a Zelda game that intimidates you/looks too hard?

i will. never be playing the original LoZ and Adventure of Link </3 i have heard nothing but stories on how stupidly hard AoL is and tbh i don’t wanna stress myself out on that. i’ve also discovered that i get progressively worse with zelda games ?? if the game’s release date is close to or back in the 90′s AJSJAJAJ i noticed it with LA, then it became obvious with ALttP. so overall if it was published before the 2000′s i probably won’t be playing it </3 (with the exception of OoT bc its 3D and iconic SHSHSHS)

putting the rest under a cut bc this post is obnoxiously long otherwise

15. Favorite location within Hyrule?

THIS IS HARD IT DEPENDS </3 if i had to narrow down a specific place above all else, it would be Akkala in BoTW <33 it’s just. a really pretty spot especially with all the multi colored trees <33 i would unironically love to visit a spot like that irl if it does exist. but if we’re talking about areas that consistently appear throughout multiple games it might either be Faron Woods or Zora’s Domain. Lake Hylia also wouldn’t be a bad place to visit if it existed irl :00

31. Hardest dungeon played?

OH GOD HI VAH NABORIS WAS??? UNBELIEVABLY HARD AHSHAAHAH i remember i spent an hour in total on just the terminals, so roughly 10 mins each just. trying to figure out how the fuck to do one terminal. by the time i was ready to fight thunderblight i legitimately had a really bad headache but i still pushed through bc i wanted to do all the divine beasts in one go without leaving for anything. the fight came and i beat it first try but??? the fucking second phase with the metal rods that you’re supposed to magnesis was so hard bc Thunderblight was a headache by itself to reach in time before the rods went off SJSJSJSJS shoutout to Revali’s Gale when i first played through it, i swear some of the areas are literally unreachable unless you already completed Medoh </3

38. Creepiest enemy?

i hate skulltulas. i hate spiders, i hate webs, i hate giant spiders ON webs. they’re only reason why i’m not ok with the Skyview Temple and Ancient Cistern in SkSw. i pretend to not see that one sidequest in OoT with the skulltula family, and if ever i get TP i’m making somebody else do the boss fight in the Temple of Time for me. just. fuck spiders AJSJAJJAJA

40. Most out-of-place thing in the series?

this is kinda like the first question in the sense that i’ve never thought about this?? i think Nintendo does a really good job in tying things together and making everything make sense as to why at happens, at least within the game itself. but imo, i never really liked Astor in Age of Calamity for this kind of reason,,,,, he just seemed like an antagonist that was made without warning, just plopped down in the game bc we already know how the events pre-calamity play out and Nintendo needed to spice things up a bit. imo, they still could have told a compelling story (and arguably, a better one) without him having to exist to antagonize the characters. idk, i just really don’t like him as a character </3

oh my god old zelda bosses STILL give me anxiety

if i’m going to be honest i think super metroid is nintendo’s most enduring masterpiece, not ocarina of time. don’t get me wrong, ocarina is astounding—it was at the time for sure and it still is to some extent. i won’t deny that it’s a great game and that it changed the face of gaming going forward. i like oot. i respect oot. it’s important and i think everyone who takes games seriously should play it at least once. the same goes for mario 64, too. both of those games were masterpieces of their time, and both of them are still monuments of nintendo’s ingenuity when it came to game design and working with the technology available (this is still true but i think oot & sm64 are a bit more impressive just bc the hardware was so limited it took some rlly creative thinking to make those games the way they did).

imo, oot and sm64 are classics. they’re amazing games that deserve all the praise they receive. but are they still masterpieces now, in 2020? i don’t think so. i’m only rlly thinking about the original n64 releases here and imo neither game has aged particularly well. the ds remakes fixed a lot of issues, but in comparison with the gaming industry now? i just don’t think they’re as flawless as many people want to say they are. granted, a lot of the issues with those games and any games from those early eras comes down more to the technical limitations of the time and the fact that 3d games of that scale were nearly unheard of, and less to the actual design of the game itself. in the present day, however, it’s difficult for me to suspend my disbelief enough when playing them for me to be able to try and claim these games are perfection.

super metroid, though? i think super metroid is probably the greatest game nintendo has ever made up to this point, though i’m sure that will change over time. to be sure, a large part of my opinion on this has formed based on the pure longevity of the game. it’s still just as much of a masterpiece as it was in 1994. the graphics and the sound design are still phenomenal—i will admit that 2d graphics tend to hold up much, much better than 3d graphics in general, which gives most metroid games a bit of an edge in this respect—and the gameplay is still incredible. there’s a reason there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of games at this point that build off of the foundation provided by super metroid. the fact that you can play super metroid now, nearly 30 years after its release, and it’s still just as tight, snappy, and beautiful as it ever was is truly a testament to its developer’s mastery of their craft. no other game really compares to it, not even other 2d metroid games. it’s still the standout 2d title in the series and it’s still one of the standout open world 2d platformers in the entire industry. and that, i think, is what makes it nintendo’s best title in its history so far and one of the best, if not the best game ever made.

Finished a binge re-play of Ocarina of Time (3D) for the first time in a very, very long time. Long-winded thoughts below.

Disclaimer: I played the original n64 version (red blood Ganondorf and all) ad NAUSEUM as a kid. It was by far in my top 3 most-played video games, and if you all know me you know that I don’t play a lot of video games, I play the same few over and over and over and become obsessed with them. As such, OoT is not new to me. I also played the 3D version once before, but it was over the course of several years when I was in college and that was a no-lens-of-truth run for the heck of it. I have not touched either since though, so this is the freshest eyes I’ve had on the game since I was probably about 6-7 years old seeing it for the first time. Do keep in mind though that I already knew virtually all the easter eggs and secrets and story and progression and had a vague recollection of the vast majority of dungeon concepts/puzzles before going in, because this game was my entire world for many formative years.

This game has really excellent dungeons. I ranked them below because I was inspired by my friend ML’s ranking (in fact a desire to rank them myself is what caused me to binge replay this in the first place), but honestly I found all of them engaging. My least favorite was ice cavern but even ice cavern has a really cool atmosphere and an interesting concept, it’s just a bit tedious and bottle management gameplay is not particularly fun to me.

1. Spirit Temple - unlike Shadow which uses invisible walls as a mechanic to trick you, Spirit subverts every single mechanic and puzzle you've encountered so far to really throw you. It's extremely clever. The ambience and overall design is also just excellent.

2. Forest Temple - gameplay wise it is fine but as the first adult temple it REALLY sets the scale and tone for the latter portion of your adventure; the vibe in this temple is just so fucking cool. The sacred forest meadow honestly does come off as sacred, ancient, and haunted but in an ethereal way as opposed to a spooky way. Ooh, I love it.

3. Ganon's Tower - the concept is excellent and the execution is solid, the medallion portion is interesting but the gauntlet up to Ganondorf with increasingly loud organ music and hallways filled with bats and just cool fights and great atmosphere makes this one of the sickest final dungeons I can think of. I was starting to be like "eh maybe the medallion rooms are a bit underwhelming" and then I got hit with the fakeout room in Light that just won me over with how cheeky it was. All the medallion rooms felt a bit like Spirit temple with how they played with expectations, which (ironically?) made the spirit portion actually the least good.

4. Gerudo Fortress - I'm counting mini dungeons and the whole espionage thing is just SO much fun. Break into a thieves’ hideout, jump across rooftops and shoot people with your bow to sneak past them?? WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE?????

5. Water Temple - okay I gotta say this replay really sold me on water temple. It's a cool concept and a fantastic atmosphere, and 3DS quality of life changes (boot swap ease of access + very clearly visually marked water level change rooms) made me actually thoroughly enjoy playing it. Also Dark Link is rightfully hailed as one of the coolest, if not the coolest, miniboss(es) in the game, so extra points there.

6. Bottom of the Well - Shadow's invisible wall mechanic is much more interesting when you can't see through them and everything is a potential trap. Falling down to the basement does get frustrating but that room where you light torches to open coffins and a FLOATING GIBDO EMERGES makes up for it, holy crap. Shadow Temple is underwhelming because Bottom of the Well already did what it tries to do but better.

7. Dodongo's Cavern - hey man I like blowing up dinosaurs this dungeon is just solid 0 complaints

8. Fire Temple - Fire Temple is also solid I just a) am so used to the original music that this version feels empty and lacking atmosphere by comparison, and b) find the above temples cooler. Shout out to dragon whack-a-mole boss fight though.

9. Shadow Temple - this suffers from being the only temple I really had completely memorized (I think my weenie friends* must have made me beat it for them as kids) so playing it this time was really just going through the motions; it didn’t get the chance to win me over because I remembered all of it and nothing particularly stuck out to me as being super clever. The boat ride, however, is sick as hell.

(*disclaimer: I was also a weenie. Shadow Temple scared the absolute pants off of me. But I clearly played it enough times that the entire thing was etched into my memory regardless, so.)

10. Deku Tree - does its job as tutorial dungeon, nice atmosphere, thats about all there is to say.

11. Jabu-Jabu's Belly - redeeming feature is using Ruto as a projectile. Throwing her at the ceiling switches will never not be hilarious. Honestly not a bad dungeon, merely gross and I like the other ones better.

12. Ice Cavern - I used to dread Ice Cavern; this time around I just found it tedious. The atmosphere is successful - it really feels cold and chilling - but not appealing enough to make up for it being dull and kind of annoying. Has the potential to be really cool if the blue fire were used in a more interesting way than “fill your bottles and dump them elsewhere.”

BUT, I feel it would be a complete disservice to my younger self and my younger self’s reasons for playing this game so much, if I focus completely on dungeons and disproportionately on gameplay in a review. Because while gameplay is a huge reason I kept going back to it (hard to want to go back to a game if it isn't fun to play), that’s not what made me love it so much, and a replay has given me fresher eyes to enjoy everything else it has to offer.

Ocarina of Time creates a world and a story that I deeply cared about, and revisiting as an adult, I find if anything I have more take-aways than I did previously. I have always really enjoyed coming-of-age narratives when done well, and this is a coming-of-age narrative done REMARKABLY well. You see dumb bratty kids doing dumb bratty kid things and then see the mature people they’ve grown into 7 years later; the game does not make the mistake of projecting a personality onto a voiceless protagonist, but it does imply a narrative arc for him (and you) regardless just through how strong and cool and awesome you get by the end and all the rad shit you’ve accomplished over the course of the game. It manages to very, very successfully make its story about other characters who DO have personalities, but also make you as the blank slate mc cool guy hero very much have a part in that story that feels very earned and satisfying.

Link doesn’t have a personality. You can project whatever the hell you want onto him or nothing at all. Ocarina of Time makes that *work*, because it doesn’t try to frame him as either ~adult in a child’s body~ or ~child in adult’s body~, it just lets you experience the literal growth from a kid who has to jump to reach ledges and has to thwack things twice with a slingshot and tiny sword, to an adult who can LAUNCH MASSIVE PILLARS INTO THE AIR and one-shot previously difficult enemies, and interpret that however you will. I think the most powerful example of this is going back in time again after doing several adult temples, and entering the bottom of the well, where you see enemies you’ve previously only encountered as an adult, and feel confident that you can tackle them as a child, too.

I really love these kinds of narratives. Where the growth of the main character is purely in the sense of you as the player becoming more adept and stronger, and the context of the story makes that mean something, but the game doesn’t try and pretend the avatar itself has a 3-dimensional personality.

I also think the balance between narrative and gameplay is excellent once it hits its groove. The beginning is very hand-holdy (Navi taught me how to open a door after I had already opened a door elsewhere because she’s scripted to do it at a specific door even though you can technically get to a later one first. lol), and I very firmly believe that with Saria’s Song as a device that lets you seek advice when you want to, it is completely unnecessary to have Navi yell at you what she thinks you should be doing. That said, the game doesn’t stop you from doing whatever the hell you want, and the number and depth of dungeons makes exploring and killing stuff by FAR the meat of the game, over the story. There is a suggested dungeon order, but you have some freedom if you’d rather do them a bit out of order, and there is a LOT of fun side stuff you can do and get rewarded for.

Most of that side stuff is an excellent way to highlight the humor in this game. If you beat Malon’s horse race record she mails a literal fucking cow to your house. Your house in Kokiri Forest. You just show up and there is a fucking cow in your house. That is the funniest thing that has ever happened in a game in the history of forever, sorry. You can race the running man, and all of the other sidequests in the game make you think there is a beatable goal you’ll be rewarded for, and the fucker just goes “lol good try but I beat you by one second. :)” You can blow up the Gossip Stones and they turn into rocketships and launch into space. After you beat the game, and have a really poignant moment with Princess Zelda where she sends you back in time, there is a completely out of nowhere dance party featuring the entire cast in celebration. The game does not try to explain this. It just gives you a dance party, and after such a bittersweet finale and such a fun and engaging game, a no-context dance party is exactly what it needs. A line o Gerudo doing the can-can? Thank you, yes please.

There is SO much that this game does not feel any need to justify in-game, that it simply puts in there because it is fun or cool or both, and I appreciate that so much. There are easter eggs out the butt (still haven’t bothered catching the Hylian Loach and I have still NEVER found the sinking lure despite following every guide in existence). Most of the temples imply some sort of greater history that is not even the slightest bit touched on. It has a very cohesive “core” game that has a start-to-finish suggested progression and a matching narrative, and it has absolute mountains of random shit outside of that it in no way pretends to justify. It explains just enough to give it ground to stand on, but no more, leaving you with more questions than answers. That ambiguity drove me nuts as a kid, but now, I think it’s also why I kept coming back. I wanted answers the game wouldn’t give me so I felt compelled to try and find them myself.

Ocarina of Time’s ending is incredible in ways I am just now able to appreciate. First of all, Zelda is like “I’m gonna send you back in time now” and pulls up the Ocarina and instead of playing the Song of Time which everything in the game implies she should, she plays Zelda’s Lullaby and hesitates just enough on the last note as you are sent back in the past - oof, that’s a good moment. The entire game you’re told about how the Kokiri can’t survive outside of the forest and suddenly they’re at Lon Lon Ranch having a dance party. You walk away from the Master Sword and seal it back in the temple, but nonsensically are then able to meet Zelda in her garden as if nothing had happened, meaning she sent you back so far it erased not just the adult timeline but also everything you accomplished as a child too? So many questions, but the fact that it does not even bother to answer them and just leaves you with such an open-ended image of you and Zelda as kids, calling back to that very early moment after the first dungeon in the game, and you can interpret for yourself what exactly that means.

I’m getting rambly (HAHA as if I’m ever not) so I should wrap this up shortly. Ocarina of Time’s ending is why I am so vehemently opposed to the concept of a ~Zelda Timeline~. The ending is nonsensical if you try to apply concrete logic to it. This game proposes ideas and makes me feel a certain way about them and the ending succeeds in providing just enough closure to make me satisfied and just enough open-ness that makes me want to keep coming back to it to experience it again. It’s not an open-and-shut piece of history of a fake world, it’s a really remarkable journey thats ambiguity is what allows it to feel so very magical.

Ooh boy I can’t wait to replay MM again, but that is a game I’ve never stopped playing, so it’ll be anything but fresh. It hits different right after completing OoT, though. The only way to follow up on a story like Ocarina of Time is to be even MORE batshit, ambiguous, and loose with your definition of how time works.

I love the Legend of Zelda series. Almost every game is great and I haven't missed a game past Ocarina of Time.

The first one I ever played in all its entirety was Wind Waker and I had a blast. I must have been 8 or younger and I remember how challenging but fun it was. It felt massive, too and I loved to freely explore the ocean!

The first Zelda game I have played without finishing it was Ocarina of Time. I was really young and was only allowed to ride Epona around the area in front of Hyrule Castle. Once I was allowed to play more, I never got very far. I could do the very first temple blind but I couldn't even get up to the second one. Never got past the gate in Kakariko so I would just spend ages fooling around with my mum's 100% finished save. The first time I actually played through OoT was on the 3DS but I did get to the Gerudo temple on the N64 before. It was quite the experience and it felt so good when I had finally finished it.

I never played through Majora's Mask. Too scary as a kid and now I just never tried to play it again. I did when I was younger but it was too complicated with the whole time traveling and side quests but I remember unlocking the Zora shape, which was dope. So, again, I would usually play on my mum's (100% finished) save and kill the endboss over and over, because what else was there to be done? I don't think I will ever play through the game though because the time travelling concept isn't my cup of tea. It was great fun to watch though!

Some time, not too many years ago, I tackled A Link to the Past, on the original SNES. I did finish it and I was impressed by how great it was. I would rank it above OoT any time in every aspect but nostalgia, because I played it so late. Never regretted it though.

The two DS parts were great, too. I personally liked Phantom Hourglass more, but Spirit Tracks was awesome, too. I loved how unique both games were, Spirit Tracks especially with its most modern setting in any Zelda game yet. Again, the exploration in both games was fun and the only thing I disliked was the fucking watertemple in Phantom Hourglass. Who made that?? The knights traumatized me. But so did the evil trains in Spirit Tracks. Listen! I was an easily scared child!!

But then. Then it came. The game. The best Zelda game ever. Twilight Princess. No game could surpass this one so far to me. The setting, the gameplay, the story, the characters... It was and still is a masterpiece. I would beg my mum to be allowed to play it and I started my first playthrough when I was 10. I restarted twice but finally finished the game shortly before my 13th birthday. I loved every second. It was the most magical game I have ever played and I still love it to bits. Hell, I love it for how edgy and dark it is compared to the other games. Sure, the story is never a happy one but the atmosphere of Twilight Princess was so much more terrifying; it actually felt like Ganon and his minions were a threat. Especially when he killed Zango for failing. It just showed how ruthless of a villain Ganondorf really is. It is a shame they haven't made a game like Twilight Princess since.

People will disagree, but in my opinion Skyward Sword was a terrible follow up to Twilight Princess. While the motion capture aspect was fun and worked very well, everything else fell flat. The sudden change in style was a massive downgrade, the story was mediocre at best and it just never captured me. What I liked the most was flying the bird. Too bad the birds were fucking ugly, just like everything else in the game. The soundtrack was good, though. I never finished the game and I never will. It's a shame.

And now, Breath of the Wild... It's complicated, for me. I love the game. I like the story. I don't like the voice acting too much. Not because it's bad but because it is a big and sudden change, but I can get used to it. Again, I don't like the artistic style. It's too cute, too "anime". It doesn't go well with the dark story and I think that this will be a big problem in BotW2. However, what almost made me give up on the game was the new weapon system. It. Sucks. Ass. It takes the fun out of combat, at least for me, and the new way of using items is also a bit strange (though I do like the new variety of abilities and also the square bombs lmao). Nintendo made so many good choices with BotW, such as an open world, the new quest system, an interesting story, mini bosses all around the world, hidden places and treasure, the blood moon event, armor sets, cooking, etc. But they also made many mistakes, namely the shit weapon system, the lame dungeons, the boring temples instead of heart containers (the only good temples are the hidden ones imo), the god ugly art style, fucking DLC... I still like BotW but I am sad that, again, there were many disappointments. Fortunately, BotW is a thousand times better than Skyward Sword, but it still isn't what I had hoped it to be. Of course this is all subjective. People might disagree. I just hope that they change things for the better in BotW2. Give me back my items, ditch the weird sheikah ipad, let me use my master sword and hylia shield indefinitely and fuck off with the DLC or at least make DLC armor upgradable.

Tbh, all I want is a game that is kind of a mix of BotW and Twilight Princess. Give me the dark atmosphere, the TP art style (or a similar one, just no more bright comic shit), an open world, awesome dungeons, secrets, an interesting support character (Midna was dope), many horses (thank you for that, BotW, I love my five horses), exploring, making your own food/potions... There is so much potential.

My choices for the final Smash character. (And other general stuff)

Well, figured I would post something. My OOT Zelda post is taking a bit and admittedly I’ve just been wrapped up in other things. I’ve made a lot of progress with playing through the games on my list, having only three games for stages left before I’ve done all the ones I had in place for them. The thing is, two of those are somewhat long games and the other is Minecraft which I’ve just been casually playing alongside everything else for a while now. The Direct yesterday had a lot of pleasant surprises, especially for me with games like Dr Mario 64 and of course Banjo finally being available on a Nintendo console again (would have loved to be able to buy it but I guess I’m glad it’s on there at all...) Not to mention Castlevania Collection (which will come in handy in not too long on my list.) 

With the reveal that the final Smash character will be shown in detail on the 5th of October, it’s given me a drive to try and finish the last three games on the stages portion of my list, Minecraft, Final Fantasy 7 (which I beat before but it was on Steam on PC and I lost my save data so I’ve been playing the Switch version again.) and finally Three Houses. Since I want to be in a position by the 5th where I can play through (granted depending on who it is) the game/s related to the final character, I’ve decided for my current playthrough of Three Houses to stop it at a specific point (without spoilers let’s just say the halfway point) along with playing the DLC for the first time. I will come back to it for the next section on my list which are the background and stage hazard characters, with the second half representing the various Three Houses characters who appear in Garreg Mach in the background. My rationale for this is that as I’m playing currently for the stage, it changes a lot in the second half of the game, so therefore that part of the game is better suited to representing the background characters. Call it a copout or whatever you want, I just want to avoid burnout with too many long games at once which has been hitting me a little admittedly. Oh also for context, my first playthrough of the games I went with Blue Lions, this time I’m playing through Black Eagles, I plan to play the other paths when I get to Three Houses for the Spirits part of my list.

So, onto the title of this post. I mentioned in an earlier post plans to talk about what I want/expect for Smash, but seeing as this is confirmed explicitly to be the final update, I thought it was now or never really when it comes down to it. I will admit with this list, I have definite biases, there’s characters I just don’t want (Fortnite Jonesy, Freddy Fazbear), characters I think are fine for base roster but would not bring enough new as the final DLC character to really be justified (and admittedly some I’m just absolutely sick of people saying ‘everyone wants’) such as Waluigi, Skull Kid or Shadow the Hedgehog, and finally, ones I keep seeing people ask for that I just don’t want and don’t feel would fit in Smash (Master Chief, Kratos, Doomguy (I only give him a bit of a pass because of how big DOOM’s legacy is)) I know ‘anything is possible’ and people are always going on about ‘fan rules’ but there are things I think it’s reasonable to think damage a characters chances. I believe if a character’s had a Mii costume added as DLC (eg. Dante), if their game has had a spirit event (Resident Evil) or most importantly to me, they’re an assist trophy, it means Sakurai’s team considered the possibility of adding them and decided not to, representing them in another way. Mii Cosumes I think it only applies to the specific characters who have had DLC Mii outfits as we’ve seen with Kazuya getting in after the Heihachi Mii Costume, but if it’s a character who was a Mii costume in the base roster it doesn’t necessarily count them out (Dixie Kong for example). For Spirit events, I don’t believe they’d have done an event if the series was planned to be added with a fighter, there’s not been any cases of that happening so far, such as there not being a Three Houses spirit event. We know spirits in the base game don’t matter like for Min Min and Pyra/Mythra, but I think with the DLC already planned they wouldn’t then do those series for a spirit event. Assist Trophies, I feel whilst people keep saying about there being an option to switch them off when they’re playable, there was probably lot of work put into making them work as Assist Trophies and it was done to represent them in the game, so I just personally don’t believe they’d suddenly go “Oh actually lets add Waluigi as DLC.” Of course, I do have a big bias with this, I like seeing new stuff with the DLC, or for them to bring something new other than just the fighter. Yes Waluigi could bring ‘Mario Sports spirits’ or something but that’s hardly something not in the game already, not to mention it’d be seeing a character who already has a model in the game, there’d be very little new about him imo.

Anyway, now I’ve probably pissed off half of the people who might read this, my personal wants for characters in Smash are first and foremost that they bring an interesting franchise to the series. Simon and Richter were really cool additions, but even bigger to me was how they brought all the Castlevania stuff, a franchise I love which got so much representation with the stage and even a Dracula boss. A second element for me personally, is I like when it’s a character who has a history with Nintendo. Obviously, this isn’t a dealbreaker and I know they’ve done plenty now who have very few links to Nintendo (although, still even now every character in has had at least one small appearance on a Nintendo console beforehand) but part of why Banjo was such a big deal to me was because of just how intertwined with Nintendo he and Rare had been in the past. This has played into my list admittedly a bit. So, with that all said, here’s my top 5 predictions based on what I think it plausible and I would like for Smash.

5. Crash Bandicoot: Simply put, this isn’t one I personally want, just of all the popular suggestions that I think are workable, he’s the one I’d be most ok with. I believe his legacy in gaming is enough that he ‘deserves’ a spot in Smash. I’ve never been particularly interested in his series, but it does seem like it’d be ripe for adding a lot to Smash with a stage, spirits and music etc. Overall, if I don’t get one I want, I guess Crash is the one I’d be most ok with. (to be clear even if it was Master Chief I’d be fine seeing what’s done with him, only Fortnite really would be one I’d not like in any way.)

4. Dixie Kong: I don’t think this is likely at all, it goes against everything I’ve said before almost, as unlike with Sephiroth or Pyra for example there’s not tons of things Dixie could bring with her not already in the game for the DK series. This choice is purely if I got to add my dream character and since the DK franchise is a really huge deal to me, Dixie would be it.

3. Professor Layton: If this was Smash 4, I’d be putting Layton at number 2, his games were a pretty big deal on the DS and he’s got a lot of history with Nintendo, not to mention seeing Sakurai think up a way to make him work would probably turn out really special. The main problem with him nowadays is simply his series has pretty much ended. There’s a spinoff (which I really need to finish someday) but the Layton series was really at its peak on DS and 3DS. In more realistic terms, I’d love to see a Mii Costume of Layton at least, paired with my number 1 choice would make it fit even better.

2. Dr. Eggman: So, growing up during the SEGA vs Nintendo era, honestly, I never ‘picked a side’. I enjoyed both consoles and I liked Sonic just as much as many Nintendo series back then. In my mind, Dr. Eggman is one of the most iconic videogame villains of all time, he has that same quality Bowser has where he can work as the overall antagonist or a side character and not ever really feel out of character. Apart from that though, fighting in his Egg Mobile there’s all sorts of cool things could be done with him, and being a fair bit bigger I think it’d be different to how Bowser Jr works meaning he wouldn’t be redundant. On top of that, Sonic is one of the series in Smash that arguably is somewhat lacking in content, not to the degree of FF7 of course, but there’s a lot that could still be added, with Eggman perhaps bringing various Badnik spirits with him and there being plenty of awesome music from the Sonic series that could be added. Overall, if they were to add a character who wasn’t from an all-new series as the finale, Eggman would be in my opinion the best choice.

1. Phoenix Wright: So, yes I am a huge fan of Ace Attorney, it’s a very important series to me so I’m absolutely biased in this. Whilst I understand why there’s plenty of reasons to doubt this happening, I think the chances are higher than people think. Firstly and probably least importantly, but something that I do personally consider is that the AA series has a long history with Nintendo, starting in Japan on GBA, then on DS, 3DS and now Switch, the series whilst not remaining exclusive has never skipped out on a Nintendo console. When it comes to how iconic the series is, honestly for visual novels, I think it’s the most famous overall. So many times when I see people who don’t really play visual novels talk about them they often say things like “so it’s like Phoenix Wright.” This doesn’t mean of course that these people have actually played the games, but they are easily the most recognisable examples of the genre in my mind. (Maybe Dangan Ronpa would also count, but I don’t hear that referenced as often) Add to that how often people recognise “OBJECTION!” as being a Phoenix Wright reference, even if they barely know the series and I’d say it’s pretty iconic. Next, probably most surprisingly to me, Capcom’s only new character in Smash Ultimate is Ken, an Echo Fighter. Capcom has a long history, a huge list of franchises (in some ways arguably rivalling Nintendo themselves with how many iconic franchises they’ve put out) and have definitely had a lot of involvement with Nintendo over the years (I mean, they’ve been involved in a few Zelda games such as Minish Cap). The thing is, almost all of their biggest franchises that weren’t already in Smash have now been represented in various forms, Resident Evil got a spirit event, Dante infamously got a Mii costume, as has Arthur from Ghouls and Ghosts. Of the most recognisable Capcom franchises not represented at all in Smash from Capcom, I’d say off the top of my head, the only two really remaining are Ace Attorney and Okami. Of those two, AA imo is the one that’s more widely known (not to mention has had a lot more entries etc).

One thing that both supports and goes against his inclusion is that he appeared in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 as a fighter. Going for him with that is that it’s been shown he could work in a fighting game before, but against it is therefore it wouldn’t be as surprising to see as it was in that case. I’d argue, due to the nature of Smash as a game, there’s a lot that could be done with Phoenix that couldn’t have been done in UMvC3 (btw, I really enjoyed playing that game). Probably one of the biggest things to me is the stage it could offer. In the Ace Attorney series, the majority of the game shockingly is set in the courtroom, Phoenix Wright being the Defence Attorney (in the original Trilogy, there’s other characters in later games) and there being various Prosecutors he’s faced over the years with the majority of the time the same bald bearded Judge presiding over every trial. The somewhat sedentary nature of the games, where the characters stand in the same spot 99% of the time and cycle through various reaction animations (desk slams, damaged shocked sprites and of course lots of pointing) would be fantastic as a stage. Given how many cameos and things we’ve seen in recent DLC stages, having the courtroom rotate through various prosecutors as well as maybe having Phoenix (when not being played as) appear behind the Defence bench would be something I’d love to see. I realise now I’m going into way more of a ‘moveset ideas’ type thing than I should so I’ll just leave it off with I feel Phoenix would be a really awesome if admittedly controversial choice (with those that wouldn’t have some sort of controversy if they get in becoming a smaller and smaller pool and mostly ones I find personally kinda boring.) and as a final plus would represent a game genre not represented yet overall with visual novels.

So yeah, that’s my personal hopes. I said before, there’s very few characters I’d outright be unhappy with if they got in. I’ve gotten sick of hearing certain choices but either way based on everything so far I trust whoever it is will be done well. I got my wish for Banjo, so anything else now is a bonus. Just as a blog that’s focused on Smash (although, I definitely want to stick to my references and origins of characters lane rather than the whole competitive etc scene...) I wanted to at least put my guesses out there before the final reveal. Looking forward to it.

Top 5 Zelda Games

Well fuck here we go. This is going to be extra hard as far as my Top 5 lists this month go because of the sheer consistency across this franchise. Outside of a few titles that leave some fans less than totally thrilled like Link's Adventure, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, most titles in this series could conceivably recieve a perfect score depending on what kind of fan you are. And then even those 3 games could probably be argued somewhat convincingly for as well. And yet, we all have our preferences deep down, and in my heart of hearts I know my favorites. As a disclaimer, I'll just admit upfront I'm committing a cardinal sin by not including Ocarina, Majora's Mask OR a Link to the Past in my top 5. For many fans, that is heresy, but I quite simply didn't grow up with those titles and despite playing them later have never done the formal revisiting that I still owe them. So while things could change, this is how it stands now. So alas, let's get it started off right..

1. Breath of the Wild

I'm going to be unoriginal in a way many fans will probably be going forward and some already are in that I'll just go ahead and throw all my support/fandom at this most recent title. Yet even for as hyped this thing is among fans, it's still a somewhat bold choice. How could the latest entry in a three-decade old series be the best? But it's pretty easy for me to pin-point why. It shakes up a lot of things in the series, especially the console ones while also adding in a lot of new mechanics inspired from recent triple-A mainstream games, all while basing the structure and openness around the very first tile of the game, and still retaining almost all of the tropes that make a Zelda game a Zelda game, while even re-energizing them as well. Instead of 4-8 big isolated dungeons, we essentially have 120 mini-dungeons scattered across the world. And the proper dungeons are excellent in that they are puzzle-box style, in the way some of the best Water Temples have been in the past, and that's the best kind of dungeon as far as I'm concerned. Then there are additional mini-gauntlets and trials scattered throughout the world like the special shrines such as Eventide Island, mazes or the deceptively deep Hyrule Castle. Also at play are the deep physics of a game like Portal with the emergent game-play and stealth of MGSV, the tower-system of Far Cry, the intensity and combat and a similar weapon system of/to Dark Souls and the openness of any number of AAA open-worlds. And yet it's largely more open than any of those due to the non-linear structure of the game, which is a call back to the OG. All of these elements are curated and designed cohesively and coupled with new mechanics like the engaging weapon-breaking and collecting system, a deep survival-horror/farming inspired cooking and crafting system, and a completely new sense of challenge compared to the other console games.

Things just really came together on this one. I could wax poetic about it until the cows come home, but it's quite simply a game that contains a multitude of ideas and systems that are the best I've seen in my 20+ years as a gamer. On top of everything is an excellent visual-style that helps make a rather complex game and world endlessly accessible and playable, and a lovely soundtrack to boot. It's quite simply a game-changer in every sense of the word and make me very happy to be a Zelda fan. There’s something really special about how weak and relatively unprepared you feel when you start off compared to the end when your rocking multiple Guardian spells, dope weapons, wands and bows and killing Lynels left and right. Plus it's not even over yet-- DLC for the win.

2. Skyward Sword- 

So my second one is a less unanimously hype entry, but for me it's one of the most playable Zelda games, and that's largely because I enjoy the motion-control so much, though I could see why some might consider it a bit gimmick-y though. For me it largely works and helps make this game the most kinetic-feeling Zelda game, along with the added stamina gauge and the Loft-wing flying (yep, I even like that). Combat in Windwaker and Twilight, while still being decently fun, can feel very cut-and-dry not to mention easy (though TP does end up getting deeper by way of sword techniques), but the fact that they were able to innovate the combat in this way so that the player themselves are truly holding the Master Sword in a way that Twilight only hinted at is a true success.The deeper item-collecting and bug-hunting along with the weapon upgrading make this one feel a lot deeper in terms of customization compared to the console games prior to this. And I also love the side-questing in this one which makes nice usage of the day/night-cycle. Even though the world-map could have been a bit more expansive, there ends up being quite a bit to to in and around Skyloft so that there's always stuff to entice you off the beaten and admittedly linear path.

The level and dungeon design is also ace, and even though it lacks a proper Hyrule Field area or expansive open-world- feeling between the actual terrestrial locales, for my money, the environments are infinitely more fun to explore and well-designed than much of the somewhat barren-feeling Hyrule of Twilight. All of this combined with fantastic music and my favorite visual style of any of the Zelda's and we have a winner. There’s just something about the gestalt of it all, the over-all package, that really come together for me. Lot’s of personality, beautiful locales and designs, fun questing and NPCs, great dungeons and unique new elements like the Loftwing-riding, motion-control and level-design make it an easy win. Also: Groose and Fletch ftw! 

3. Link's Awakening-

My first Zelda, and so one for which I have a lot of nostalgia. While other kids were having their mind blown by OoT, I was getting deep into this one, and that's just fine with me. This entry is like what Majora's Mask was for Ocarina except for Lttp in the way it tweaks a classic entry, presenting a weirder more fantastical take on a perfected formula. I also like this tropical island-y feeling for Zelda as opposed to the more strait-forward medieval-feeling world of LttP and it hints at the take on Zelda found in Windwaker. It is also rather light-hearted and from what I gather is the first time a Zelda game featured its now standard sense of humour. On top of all the solid dungeons and exploring to do (and a bonus dungeon included in the deluxe GBC version where you could attain a red or blue tunic), you have a cameo by Yoshi and Bow-Wow, a photo-shack, magic powder that helps transform a man trapped as a raccoon back to normal, 8 magical instruments, mermaids, a big trading sequence and a Wind Fish, all culminating in the revelation that Koholint itself is an island dreamt up by the Wind Fish himself (or is it..?). Yeah this game is bad ass. It also feels like the most Nintendo-y Zelda game in a way that Windwaker and now BotW also do in a way I can’t quite explain but has to do with the bright cartoonishing fantastic setting and aesthetic. And I'd catch a lot of flack for this, but for my money, this one's even better than LttP, but you didn't hear that from me.

4. Windwaker- 

LA isn't the last time Link would be so naval. Besides just sailing to Koholint, the hero takes to the seas once again in this title, and this time its actually a central part of the game. The big innovation that this one adds to the mix-- the sailing, charting and island-based exploration-- is the thing that makes this game so special. This is a huge departure from the strait-forward maps of older games, making the world that much more open and mysterious while also calling back to the grid-based exploration of the 2D titles in the way that each sector of yr map contains at least one island, so that it effectively combines the sense of openness and perspective you feel exploring a 3D Zelda Maps with a grid-based map like the old games. And while there could honestly be a bit more going on in this world, there's still a wealth of side-content, and while exploration isn't as seamless or incentived as it would be in BotW, there's still something really great about setting off to wander around the big blue. 

Beyond the fun of slowly filling up your map and controlling the wind to reach yr destinations, or just wander, the game is an aesthetic delight, sporting the vibrant cell-shaded graphics that ignited fan-boy wars the world over, while also making tons of die-hard fans of the style at the same time. It's presentation is quite simply gorgeous and would be an inspiration for BotW's look later. Beyond the unique and bold style, it's a joy to play, with some really solid dungeons and some of my favorite side-characters in a Zelda title (Medli and the bard guy). The last 2 dungeons are especially stellar, and the Celtic/Irish inspired music are as delightful as the visuals. While I rank this game pretty damn close to Twilight, it ultimately comes out on top because I like the over-all gestalt of it more. It has great flow and feels less linear, and the world is decidedly more engaging and packed with personality. Plus this is the only Zelda game that feels like its a blast of Vitamin-C in video game form. It's an all-around win.

5. Twilight Princess-

A few years ago I might have told you this one was my favorite, but that was before BotW kind of changed what we can come to expect from a console title. I now value innovation in this series more to than I used to, and since innovation might be this game's weak-point, it has suffered in rank slightly, but I'd be damned if I didn't still love it. While the only thing that is truly "new" to the series in this one is a wolf form (and Majora already had transformation mechanics in spades), it is otherwise an excellent take on the mythology of Zelda. In some ways, it is the most strait-forward high-fantasy take on the series, in many ways repeating a lot of the aesthetics found in LttP and OoT while playing up the "western high fantasy" aspect of them even more. In this way, this game has begun to ring just a bit hollow. It's just a bit too bland to be a top 3 Zelda. For all the nice touches like Midna's charisma, the nicely dark atmosphere and story and the expansive map, there is also something slightly under-whelming about it and that's why even though it's still one of my faves, its the last one here. The main reason it still makes it though is that it is still simply one of the most solid and consistent Zeldas. The visual style, though a bit tame, is excellently realized in many ways, especially in the remaster, with brilliant lighting and unique realism that we haven't gotten again in a title before or since, and which seems to aim at being the Ocarina of our minds, instead of the polygonal one we actually played in the way it presents a kind of deeper, more up-to-date take on that world, while being a bit less unique. 

The true x-factor though are the dungeons. I think this may be the most dungeon-y console Zelda of all time in the way that there are 8 of them, tying only with Ocarina for amount-- and they are largely very excellent. Some of my favorite dungeons like the Ice Mansion, the Sky Temple, the Lakebed Temple and the Temple of Time are sprinkled throughout this epic adventure, and these dungeons don't mess around. Again, they don't especially add much to the mix, but instead present an undeniable take on the infectious Zelda dungeons we have come to know and love (Though the mansion is a very unique environment). And that's why I think it feels like this game isn't messing around. Sure there's no game-changer like a sailing or bird-flying mechanic, and truly controlling your sword wouldn’t actually come until Skyward, nor does it boast being a full overhaul like BotW, but what is there is some classy-as-hell, tasteful Zelda-style gaming, not to mention it’s Dungeon-crawler’s heaven. The side-quests in later console games would be much improved and more fleshed out, and that's another weak-point when compared to Majora/WW especially, but the main game ends up being so substantial and rewarding that it doesn't matter. Truly a Zelda for all my dungeon fetishists out there. And, yeah, Midna rocks. 'Nuff said.  

runner-ups:

6. Oracle of Seasons- Still need to play Time but this was an excellent follow up to LA put out with the help of Capcom. An imaginative world that is a departure from Hyrule just like Link’s Awakening/Majora’s mask. Fun season-changing mechanic, the magical ring-mechanic and cool characters like the flying bear Moosh and the wizard Ralph make for a great Zelda outing (damn that disruptive Witch thief). 

7. Zelda 1- it’s dope. maybe over-hard by today’s standards but this thing is sick so what it is and how it plays as an early example of a non-linearly structured open and immersive fantasy world. Back in ‘87 you had to crack out the manual to find the 1-800 number Nintendo provided to people looking for hints because of the difficulty of finding your way to and into all the dungeons, but for those who followed the included map, this thing proved to reveal itself to one in time. Super fun, and the classic Zelda dungeon blue-print arrives fully and brilliantly formed. And this thing still holds up because of these dungeons, along with the freedom and engaging non-linearity. 

Ones I need to get around to playing ASAP: The Ocarina and Majora remasters on 3DS as well as Link Between Worlds apparently. Need a 3DS. Zelda II-- should give it a crack. Should re-play LttP also...~