Author: Connor Butler

In the reveal trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, we are shown Zelda’s amazing new Echo ability. Using this ability, she can clone tables, beds, bushes, and even blocks of water! While this ability has many implications, there is one part of the Echo system that is incredibly exciting. Instead of hand-to-hand combat like in a traditional Zelda game, the Princess must make use of Echoes to fight her battles. With this mechanic, you can make copies of living enemies,…

When Breath of the Wild first released, the Zelda franchise graduated from using solely text to convey character dialogue to finally utilizing voice actors during its major cutscenes. This change shattered franchise conventions and completely re-invented the way that stories are conveyed in Zelda games. While Echoes of Wisdom will likely be devoid of any voice-acted cutscenes, it has become very obvious that this game was created to further break established rules of the franchise, especially when it comes to characters. Echoes of Wisdom has the…

With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s trailer, there are a few familiar faces that are making a return. Within the trailer, we can see shots of a Deku Scrub, (likely a Business Scrub, based on designs from Majora’s Mask), River and Sea Zora, and the Gerudo! While these races seem fairly common to the Zelda franchise, it’s odd to see these few in a 2D Zelda setting. While they all have made an appearance in 2D titles, it’s been…

Welcome back to “Storytelling Through Sound,” a series of editorials dedicated to the analysis of the major musical themes from every Zelda game. In this edition, we’ll be discussing one of the most interesting parts of Tears of the Kingdom‘s sound design: its dynamic soundtrack. We’ll take a look at what it means to have a dynamic soundtrack, and then we’ll talk about some of my favorite examples from Tears of the Kingdom. Let’s jump right in!   What’s a Dynamic Soundtrack? …

The legendary Golden Power: Wisdom, Power, Courage. The Triforce, which has guided the people of Hyrule since time immemorial, is a staple in the Zelda franchise. First introduced in the very first title, The Legend of Zelda, the trio of triangles has been mentioned or visualized in every single title since. Whether in the form of the Hylian Shield, flashback stories, or an actual collectible item, it’s hard to deny its importance to the people of Hyrule. As far as in–game appearances…

It’s been a little more than a year since Tears of the Kingdom released, and a year later, I find myself in another replay. While this game was full of surprises, one of my favorites was the addition of low gravity puzzle-solving. On my first play through last year, when I was greeted by this mechanic, I was pleasantly surprised. Seeing low gravity in the trailers made me a bit nervous that it would be clunky or hard to control, and I…

When the fan community comes out to show their talents, they always give forth something special. From visual art, to dioramas and crafts, to music, the Zelda fan community is one creative bunch of people. As fun as it is to create fan content for the heck of it, it’s doubly impressive to create content that also helps further your career! In the case of YouTube Partner and percussionist V-Ron Media, they’ve done both. As classical percussion goes, the art form…

Welcome back to “Storytelling Through Sound,” a series of editorials dedicated to the analysis of the major musical themes from every Zelda game. In this edition, we’ll be discussing a very nostalgic track for me: the theme from Dragon Roost Island, as well as its legacy and symbolism throughout the entire Zelda franchise. Without any further ado, let’s jump in!   Dragon Roost Island Once you first meet the King of Red Lions in The Wind Waker, it becomes completely clear…

There is no doubt that Link is one of the most recognizable heroes in video games. One look at those pointed ears, blonde hair, and green tunic and you know exactly who you’re looking at. When Breath of the Wild released an outfit customization option, it was clear that Nintendo was moving towards a new aesthetic direction for the hero of Hyrule, favoring the cobalt blue of the Champion’s Tunic over the iconic green from years past. While the new blue truly…

The Demon King of the Gerudo is nothing if not iconic. His signature design has changed quite a bit over the years, but his latest design in Tears of the Kingdom is completely intimidating. After watching the already terrifying Mummy-dorf rehydrate into Swolen-dorf, I remember having to pause the game for a moment, just to take it all in. If you’re anything like me, you’ve wanted an action figure of this sculpted warrior since you saw him. Well, with the talents…