Daily Debate: Do Three-Heart-Challenge Runs Enhance Your Experience With Certain Zelda Games?

For as long as I can remember, the three-heart challenge has been among the most popular ways in which fans have spiced up subsequent Zelda game playthroughs. As its name suggests, the goal is to complete whichever game you’re playing without picking up any heart containers. It always sounded like a fun method of breathing new life into games I’ve completed countless times; and yet, for reasons I myself don’t even understand, I only just recently gave this challenge a shot. It took me only 20 years!

Seriously, as someone who complains about how his favorite Zelda games have gotten too easy over the course of so many playthroughs, why am I just now getting around to playing a three-heart run? In any case, I chose Twilight Princess for this first experiment, in part because I hadn’t completed that game in four years. That’s easily the longest I’ve gone without playing through my favorite Zelda title, but I really wanted to hold out for a Switch re-release.

Alas, it was not to be. Knowing my luck, that Switch version will probably be announced next month, in which case, you can all thank me for willing it into existence. It’s not easy, taking one for the team.

Honestly, though, this most recent run through Link and Midna’s adventure was among my favorites. Certainly, the fact that I hadn’t played the game in so long was a contributing factor; but more than that, experiencing it with only three hearts – on Hero Mode, no less – was such a breath of fresh air. Encounters that had previously been fairly mundane were suddenly imbued with a greater sense of tension. Granted, the consequence for defeat typically wasn’t too great, but depending on which dungeon room I was in, my failures could cost a decent chunk of progress. The Zant and Ganondorf boss fights, especially, felt even more climactic than before.

Going forward, I suspect this will be the new norm for my Twilight Princess playthroughs. In fact, I aim to ratchet things up next time, as I’d forgotten that the Ganondorf amiibo increases the amount of damage taken even more. Bring it on!

Are three-heart challenges as fun for you, though? If so, then which Zelda game would you recommend I tackle next? Share your thoughts in the comments below!