Daily Debate: What Are Some of Your Zelda Collection’s More Interesting Aspects?

Collecting is such a large part of Zelda (Rupees, Pieces of Heart, Empty Bottles, weapons, cooking ingredients, any number of dungeon/plot MacGuffins, etc.) that it’s pretty easy to see why so many Zelda fans extend the act of collecting into the real world. Nintendo itself has played directly into this, offering a variety of series memorabilia for purchase. This includes limited-edition consoles, amiibo, and Special, Master, and Collectors’ editions of games that come with artbooks, statues, and soundtracks. Aside from this, there’s official merchandise, such as clothing, posters, accessories, and so much more (this doesn’t even account for unlicensed fan merch!).

With so much to collect, where do you start? What do you prioritize? Do you go the Pokémon route and catch ‘em all? That’s what we’d like to know!

Here, I’ll give you a quick example with my own Zelda collection. I started out just wanting a physical copy of each Zelda game, but have since gone out of my way to get as many Zelda-themed consoles (handhelds included) as possible. I missed some on release, so I’m trying to track them down second-hand for reasonable prices. I was even able to snag a Zelda Game & Watch (the original dual-screen one) at a local game store for a pretty good deal with some trade-ins.

I’m also trying to have each Zelda represented in my record collection, through vinyl focusing on individual games. So far, I’ve found A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, and The Wind Waker.

I think the coolest bit of my collection is my handful of “Not for Resale” discs and cartridges. These are demos that were used in store kiosks as playable advertisements for games. My assortment of these includes A Link to the Past for the Game Boy Advance, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora’s Mask 3D, and A Link Between Worlds.

Now it’s your turn to share. What are some of your Zelda collection’s more interesting aspects? What’s your favorite piece? Is there anything specific you look for when you want to add something to it? Be sure to let us know down in the comments!

John Lortie

John’s been a Zelda fan since he was seven years old (which was a good few decades ago). He loves the last three months of the year, analog media, his family, and Tolkien. His favorite Zelda game is Breath of the Wild and his favorite game is Night in the Woods.