Author: Andrew Millard

“Nintendo gonna Nintendo” sums up The House of Mario’s business model, for better or worse. Their most ardent fans will always claim that Nintendo perfectly occupies its niche. Their quirks set their consoles apart from the streamlined PCs that Sony and Microsoft offer. Any drawbacks are easily outweighed by the polish and focus on unique gameplay experiences Nintendo specialize in. On the other side of the debate will be fans who have grown jaded with Nintendo’s lack of horsepower at…

Canadian readers take note! Nintendo of Canada is hosting a fan contest from now through July 18. If you have ever entered a giveaway through social media, you know the drill. The prize up for grabs is highly exclusive: Winners will be given one of only three 500 piece jigsaw puzzles featuring the art for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. To enter, simply follow Nintendo of Canada’s social media accounts at Facebook and/or Twitter. For Facebook, leave a…

One of the highlights of any stop I make at the Zelda Dungeon Discord is the Pics and Artwork channel. Members of our community continually refresh it with cool takes on the plethora of Zelda characters and locations. Some original, some reposted from other art spaces. That, combined with our weekly Artists of Legend posts, keeps me amazed at how creative people connect with the world of Hyrule. So for today’s debate, imagine you’ve miraculously been given the responsibility to…

One of Nintendo’s defining traits is its shroud of privacy. Game development is kept under wraps until major trailers or solid release windows can be offered. Fans can guess all they want about The House of Zelda‘s next move, but generally to know avail. Heck, being wrong about Nintendo’s future is a tradition stretching back to the home console crash of the early 80’s! But soon getting a clearer perspective on that past will only take a trip to the…

Just about every aspect of life this past year has played the waiting game. Concrete news about our favorite games and their availability floats just out of reach. Rumors become so widespread and “leaks” seem so convenient that it’s hard not to take them as fact. But another trait this year has shown is that it is always best to wait and see (and be flexible) when it comes to scheduling release dates. With all that said, Bloomberg is reporting…

The Hero of Hyrule has a distinct silhouette and a number of iconic visual traits. Through Link’s simple, yet masterful character design, artists have been able to iterate on him countless ways over his 35 years. Whether being rendered as a decked-out adventurer or a roundish elf boy, even non-fans would probably recognize him. Even if they say, “Oh, that’s Zelda, right?”. Arguably Link’s most enduring look comes from Ocarina of Time. Games featuring a mature Link thereafter would take…

As unique as each entry in the Zelda franchise can feel, there are more themes and features that unite them than I often remember. In my case, I always have to be reminded how far back Shadow Link goes. Enemy types that seemed fresh in Breath of The Wild have ties all the way back to the original. Most recently, I got whiplash from being shocked at Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity featuring time travel. Then suddenly remembering, “Oh, yeah….

Any mainline Zelda game that follows Breath of the Wild has its work cut out. I’m hard pressed to imagine many games that have been as able to deliver the holy trinity of Open World, Free Reign, and Emergent Narrative. Naturally, with such a dense setting to escape to, fans have created myriad speedrun categories, ways to play, and goals to achieve in Hyrule. Lack of an official trophy system notwithstanding. On the speedrun front we have the usual 100%,…

Before Breath of the Wild came along and simultaneously shook the series up and brought it back to its roots, collecting Heart Pieces was Zelda‘s signature side quest. Appearing in virtually every iteration since the SNES era, Heart Pieces were the grand prize and ultimate reward for any minigame or impulsive curiosity.  One of Zelda‘s best design attributes is its ability to reward the player for exploring and following subtle clues. And also for honing the skills associated with each…

Last fall’s sensational Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is once again making news for Koei Tecmo. According to a report the publisher released this week, the hit Musou game has truly established itself. Since January’s report, Age of Calamity‘s combined shipments and digital sales now add up to more than 3.7 million copies! With Zelda fans waiting on bated breath for any news of the Breath of The Wild sequel, Age of Calamity has been the perfect fix to keep…