Author: Michaela El-Ters

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In Tears of the Kingdom, past memories of Zelda during her time with King Rauru and Queen Sonia reveal that there is a forbidden act called “draconification.” As Mineru describes it, “To swallow a Secret Stone is to become an immortal dragon…one blessed with eternal life,” but there’s a cost. The individual can’t change back, and they end up losing themselves. Zelda…

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Bustling with people and commerce, Castle Town is an important location in many Zelda games. In Breath of the Wild, very little of Castle Town is seen before its destruction, and 100 years later, it remains in ruins. With Guardians swarming the area and Castle Town’s location being in such close proximity to Hyrule Castle, it made a lot of sense that people…

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In Breath of the Wild, I spent a ridiculous amount of time and Rupees to get Link’s House in Hateno Village built. What’s that, Zelda’s doing everything she can to keep Calamity Ganon at bay and she needs my help? Please hold, I am building my house. Jokes aside, I loved that side quest; being able to give Link a new home…

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Introduced in Tears of the Kingdom, the Zonai are said to be descendants of the gods that came down to Hyrule from the sky. The only Zonai we meet are King Rauru and his sister Mineru, and their designs resemble something like goats or llamas (or even the other dragons in Tears of the Kingdom), but with elongated and pointed ears like…

The build-up to Ocarina of Time‘s final battle is among one of my favorite moments in the Zelda series. Everything about this final act is incredibly cinematic. After defeating Ganondorf’s first phase, his floating castle begins to crumble, and Link and Zelda make their escape. Zelda uses her magic to unlock the doors while Link fights enemies and debris falls from the sky. Small details, like Zelda reacting with a gasp when Link is injured, add to the tension and…

Link’s swordsmanship in the Zelda series has evolved considerably over the years. But which version of him has the best skills and swordsmanship? After all, each one has a unique flair in combat that you could make a compelling case for (or against): Ocarina of Time Link uses multiple types of swords effectively on his journey, ranging from the Kokiri Sword in his youth to the massive, two-handed Biggoron Sword. Twilight Princess Link learns Hidden Skills like Jump Strike, Ending…

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. As far as sequels go, Tears of the Kingdom does a great job of bringing back familiar characters and gameplay mechanics from Breath of the Wild while expanding the story and worldbuilding. I’ve been enjoying revisiting familiar locales in Hyrule to see how they’ve been changed by the Upheaval. But I’ve found the absence of the Divine Beasts to be…

Spoiler Warning: The comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Following Tears of the Kingdom‘s critical and commercial success, the future direction of the Zelda series is at an impasse. The Zelda series has been known for its classic formula of more linear story progression and traditional dungeons. Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were incredibly popular and successful games that dramatically shook up the traditional Zelda formula. Traditional…

Spoiler Warning: This article and the comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Tears of the Kingdom replaces the Runes from Breath of the Wild with a variety of new Zonai abilities Link can use for combat, exploration, and crafting: Ultrahand Fuse Ascend Recall Autobuild Many of the Zonai abilities were showcased before the game’s release, but now that we’ve had a chance to really use and apply them, which one is your favorite? While…

Spoiler Warning: The comments section may contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor’s open-world nature encourages players to tackle the game at their own pace. Players can choose to unlock all of the Memories and complete the dungeons before fighting the final boss, or they can head straight there following the tutorial. While this makes the game very customizable and unique for each player, I do wonder if it harms…